Left Turn at Albuquerque

The Video Home System (VHS) was first developed by JVC and launched in Europe/Asia in September, 1976 and the U.S. in June, 1977. It has been a long time coming but the company that started it all over 30 years ago just ran the last batch of standalone VCRs off the assembly line. Due to the popularity of DVD, Hi-def discs and downloads, there’s just no reason to make the bulky media anymore. Over 900 million VCRs have been produced worldwide.

More @ AV Watch (translated)

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I recently got a Motorola Razr and I love the design of it but the latest cell phone Motorola is working on is breathtaking. The MOTOAURA’s unique circular screen features sapphire glass, and because of its shape has custom applications designed for it including a bunch of screensavers. At $2,000 you’d really have to be into cell phone fashion to buy this but if it’s this beautiful on the screen, imagine how it would look in the palm of your hand.

Check out Mobile-review for tons of more pics.

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I bought the 19PFL5422D to replace the aging tube TV I had in my bedroom. This stylish TV was designed with a glass base and a great easy to use/hold remote. It features 1440 x 990 pixels, a digital tuner, HDMI connection, Energy Star and fast channel loading. There also are many audio and picture modes to choose from from like 6 video formatting options.

Although I really like this TV there are couple gripes I have with it. The picture quality is OK but the TV has white bleeding on the top and bottom which is more noticeable in dark rooms. The auto-format feature is nice but it will sometimes change the format of what you’re watching while you’re watching it so I just turned it to widescreen always.

In conclusion, this stylish TV is packed with features you’d find on higher end models If you can get past the mediocre contrast ratio and picture quality, I am confident that it is one of the better 19″ LCD Televisions you will find out there.

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The Asus EEE PC from is a laptop that retails for just under $300 and you do get a decent amount of features for the price. This laptop or ‘netbook’ computer is not going to replace your desktop or 15″ laptop but it would be nice to have one for business trips, vacations, or just for limited time everyday mobile computing around your house. I say limited time because there’s only so much your eyes can take while viewing the EEE PC’s 8.9″ screen.

In addition to the smaller screen then what you may be used to, the Eee PC’s compact design makes it super-light at 2.18 lbs. The systems typically come with a Linux operating system loaded with more than 50 useful applications for gaming, entertainment and communication. Some features include: Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 4GB flash storage and built-in camera and microphone. With the status of the economy, only spending $300 is not a bad idea for someone who needs a portable computer on a budget.

More @ Asus

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I’m a sucker for a good addictive game so when I heard that MotionX Poker recently dropped in price from $4.99 to $.99, I had to check it out. The game is really well made. Great graphics, unlockable content and addictive gameplay. The game plays similar to Yahtzee. The neatest feature about this game is also its greatest enemy. To roll the dice you actually shake your iPod Touch/iPhone. While it’s fun to shake at first, it loses its joy after a while and I wish there was an alternative ‘roll’ button. The sound and music in the game is top notch. Overall it’s well, well worth the one dollar and I’ve never been able to buy anything this much fun at the dollar store.

MotionX also released a free dice application that’s not really game but just a dice rolling simulation that will give you an idea of how MotionX Poker will play.

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The latest version of iTunes, version 8, introduces a new feature entitled Genius. Genius will make song recommendations in your music library based on the song you’re currently listening to. It also states that the recommendations will get better over time. I tested it out with a few songs and while it may not be a ‘Genius’ at choosing similar style songs, it is pretty smart. Hopefully the feature gets better over time with future versions.

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At the big Tuesday event Apple introduced a new iPod lineup including Nano’s, Touch’s and Shuffle’s. The iPod Touch now has a WiFi antenna looks more integrated, a better speaker, volume control on the side and is thinner. The Nano is now oval shaped and also thinner than ever. There are a rainbow of colors introduced and it now features an accelerometer. The Shuffle’s were also updated in new colors.

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Next Tuesday will be a big day for Apple and Apple enthusiasts as Apple is expected to unveil the next generation of iPods. No one except Apple insiders will know exactly what will go down on Tuesday but I’m expecting price drops for the iPod Touch line with new features like GPS, memory bumps and total redesigns for the Nanos and possibly updated Macbooks.

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The largest vinyl record collection is for sale for $3 million dollars. The owner must sell it due to health issues and a struggling record industry. This is a really good documentary of the story of the man and his records. You can view the official website of the collection for more information.

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USB 3.0 is almost ready to hit the market with amazing new transfer speeds and more!

Features include:

• Backwards-compatible with USB 2.0
• Transfer rates up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 (4.8Gbps)
• Uploads and downloads are kept on separate lanes with thicker cables
• Charge devices more quickly
• Much more mindful of energy waste

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This is an interesting concept and I love it. I’ve seen the iHomes around which are good alarm clock replacements but this one is great because it rotates depending on 1. your mood and 2. the vertical or horizontal orientation of the iPod entertainment you’re watching/listening to. In addition, rotating the unit will automatically adjust the alarm clock rotation to the desired position. The unit sells for $79.99 and inclides a remote.

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I have the iPod Touch 2.0 update and downloaded a few free applications and games for it. Here are my favorite ones.

• AOL Radio: Listen to the radio on your iPod Touch.
• Google News: An easier way to view news stories through Google.
• Picasa Web Albums: View your Picasa album over your iPod touch.
• Remote: Control your iTunes through you iPod Touch.
• Jirbo Break: A breakout style game with decent graphics.
• Weatherbug: Similar to the Weather that comes on the iPod Touch but with more features like webcams and wind speeds.
• Wikipedia: An app that handles viewing Wikipedia much better than Safari.

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I’m guilty of ordering things online but the packaging of the material can be a bit bizarre. You can get a huge box the size of a toaster oven with nothing but a thumbdrive and a ton of bubble wrap in it. The first time you get a package like this you think they just ran out of the small boxes but it seems like retailers consistently over box. Not great for the environment. More pictures here.

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I picked up an iPod Touch 32GB. I was surprised how thin this model is. Here are some pictures of my unit. Enjoy!

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I was in the mall last week and knew I had $150 credit towards a Sprint cell phone to replace my too thick Palm Treo 650, so I decided to stop at the Sprint Kiosk. Right away that sales clerk told me that the most popular cell phones were the new Katana and the S1. The Katana is a flip phone with a camera, and a sleek look. However I never really use cell phone cameras due to poor picture quality and no optical zoom so I thought about my other priorities and kept in mind that I needed a thin phone.

After looking at the new Razr v3 which is an amazing looking phone but too expensive, I decided on the S1 because it was thinner than both the Razr and Katana and only cost me $20 after the $150 two-year contract credit.

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the S1 is that it is very light weight but also feels well made. The rubberized profile makes the phone very comfortable to hold. The keypad has a glossy finish which makes sliding across it easy while navigating the menus. The menu interface seems elegant with fancy 3D icons. The menu is simple. Nine categories, most that lead to sub categories which let you perform tasks all controlled by the four-way and enter buttons.

The speaker is very loud which is great if you’re not always right near your phone like me. It also has a loud speakerphone. The phone is longer than most other phones which I like because it makes it easier to hold and talk into it without compromising any width. It charges extremely fast and lasts longer than other phones due to small screen and efficient energy settings.

The S1 is one of the most basic phones you can buy for a Sprint plan. No camera and no qwerty keyboard can be found here. The screen is small and low-res but plenty big enough for everyday calls. The one thing I’m not happy about with this phone is the speaker when it rings. I downloaded a free ringtone from Sprint.com and the quality sounded so horrible that I decided against using any real songs and sticking with the default simple tone tunes that come with the phone.

Overall I am happy with the S1. For someone who just needs a phone and nothing more, it’s a great choice. Someone who wants an all-in-one phone will have to look elsewhere. Although you may not be happy with the amount of features the S1 has to offer, you will be happy with the size, style and value. The official website of the S1 with a features list and demos can be found here.

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