http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/236 Shopping for a new printer? Here, we explore a dozen of today's best bets for the home-based user, taking into account key considerations such as price (you'll find nothing here over $300), reliability, manufacturer track record, user opinion, editorial preference and more. But don't let this roundup be your only guide – also be sure to check the Digital Trends reviews department (and the Internet in general, for that matter) for full-blown case studies to get a good feel for what's really going on with your favorite models before you buy.Standalone Laser Printers...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/161436 Can't stand waiting until the summer to get all the latest iPhone 3.0 improvements? We've tracked down 13 features that you can get right now using both third-party and Apple-sanctioned applications! Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:40:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/210 Radio certainly has come a long way since the days of the dial. Aside from fancier presets, and the presence of pushbuttons, free music is no longer constricted to the car or a tiny transistor set. Don’t worry about huddling around a boombox or even the computer. Thanks to advances in technology, there are now plenty of ways to listen to radio, without having to sample the snaps, crackles and pops that are a trademark of the medium.HD RadioDespite what many people think, the HD in HD Radio does not stand for “high definition.” However, like its TV counterpart, this is a digital format, with the HD meaning “hybrid digital.” That means that HD Radio stations br...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/20615/ The tech community has gone crazy over Apple's announcements at Macworld 2008 - the quintessential Mac conference of the year. The highlight is Steve Jobs' keynote address , which is always highly anticipated by tech aficionados. In the address, Mr. Jobs discusses the newest products and upgrades by Apple. This year, of course, was no exception. However, the announcements are branching out to a larger and larger audience - they're not just for Apple geeks anymore. We'd like to give a highlight of the most significant announcements made at Macworld 2008. MacBook Air - The World's Thinnest Notebook To much fervor, the MacBook Air was announced - and it is the thinnest notebook computer in the world, according to Apple. It's so thin, Jobs removed the device from a standard office envelope - impressive. At its thickest point, it measures only .76 inches, and at its thinnest, only .16 inches. This delicate marvel weighs in at only 3 pounds. It is truly built to appeal to the mobile user who demands ease of use and flexibility - the full-size keyboard is backlit, and the trackpad utilizes the Multi-Touch feature that is also used in the iPhone. It comes in a... Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:54:13 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/11979/ Asking "What channel is that show on?" seems like an outdated concept in 2005. I caught myself asking this question after a friend introduced me to a new TV show that he thought I would enjoy. Right after I said it, I realized that with built-in program guides, DVRs, and program search capabilities, I really didn't need to know the channel - or time for that matter.I think that after owning a TiVo for more than five years, I have almost completely lost track of what show is on which channel. In fact, without the Season's Pass and Wish List features, I would not even be able to find my favorite shows as they jump around networks in syndication.Only a few networks have been able to break through the haze and I have to marvel at their efforts. HBO and FX are two that stand out and I strongly associate quality programming with their respective brands. Other than that, it might as well be one big channel.I am also excited about the future of content delivered over the Internet. Akimbo has a product that does this already and TiVo has recently previewed a similar feature. I think this would only ... Wed, 31 Aug 2005 10:14:46 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/11455/ I recently finished watching the latest season of 24 and it occurred to me that that show would not have really been possible without the use of cell phones. I bet if I went back and watched it again, every episode would have at least one cell-phone conversation, if not every major scene.The villains used them to keep their deteriorating evil schemes on track, the heroes used them to coordinate offensives - and even to exchange intimate moments. I think Motorola should have been listed in the credits. Perhaps even a new Oscar category will open up someday - best gadget in a supporting role.One thing that did stand out for me was how unrealistic many of the scenes in these shows are. I know that I sound like most geeks who jump at every opportunity to discredit the use of technology on-screen - "There's no way he can realign a satellite with his PDA!" - but seriously, are we supposed to believe that these special agents can get cell phone reception below the surface of the earth? And who has a cell phone that makes a call in less than a second? There was not one single voicemail during ... Mon, 27 Jun 2005 20:08:07 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10270/ You may have looked at the front of a home theater receiver or at the back of a DVD box and wondered what "DTS" stood for. DTS is the acronynm for Digital Theater Systems. This company develops standards for compressing multi-channel audio information for movies and music into a single digital signal. After a movie soundtrack is made, there are many different channels of sound that need to be put together into one digital signal. However, when digitizing several audio channels, they can take up a vast amount of space. In fact, all of the sound wouldn't even fit on the DVD without compression. DTS is an encode/decode system to compress audio information to a size that can fit into a certain amount of space, while maintianing pristine sound quality (similar to how MP3s are compressed from the original CD). That way when you play it back through a DTS decoder, it uncompresses all of the audio information into the original sound channels with near perfect audio quality. DTS first unveiled its 5.1 digital encoder in 1993, when it was used to encode the soundtrack for that summer's blockbuster hit Jurassic Park. Since then it has been used as ... Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:13:17 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10240/ Sound is a major part of the movie experience. Past formats like VHS provided admirable sound quality when connected to a home theater receiver, but nothing rivals DVD for its superb digital sound. Unfortunately, the movie experience isn't the same when you connect your DVD player directly to your TV. Even though some TVs have good built-in speakers, the experience when playing the sound through the TV just doesn't bring the cinematic experience to life in your living room. Although surround sound systems are becoming commonplace in homes today, many homes still rely on a television's internal speaker to produce all of the sound when playing DVDs. Since TV speakers aren't generally designed to provide a realistic and dynamic sound experience, the use of existing stereo equipment found in most homes can dramatically improve the DVD sound experience. Most people have a stereo system for playing CDs and cassette tapes. It could be an older rack system with large floor standing speakers, or even a smaller bookshelf system with a built in CD or tape player. Even if the stereo is older and not up-to-date with current standards, it is still compatible with DVD players. Just about any stereo ... Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:13:17 -0500