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Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | Website: TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | 206-98-geek-1 | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |
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Items of Note:
Mike Lazazzera & Amber MacArthur of the vidcast CommandN will be on the next episode of The Geekcast, which is part 1 of a two-part interview. CommandN can be found at www.commandn.tv
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Tech news:
TiVo Officially Introduces TV Downloads. Following the unexpected leak of screenshots that had company executives fuming, TiVo on Monday officially introduced a trial of its new video download service, touting IFC as the first broadcast partner. TiVo users will be able to download IFC content using a broadband connection, rather than record it off the air.
The company says the trial is the first of several broadband features it intends to roll out to TiVo Series2 DVRs this fall. It’s not clear whether all users will have the opportunity to join the download trial, which was initially limited to a group of select testers.
Through the 18th episode of TWiT (this week in tech) from Leo LaPorte’s mouth, Call For Help is going “worldwide” with details to follow. So stay tuned all you techie freaks and TechTV lovers, cause Call For Help is coming back to US shores soon!
Google/iTunes collaboration?
Posted Aug 15, 2005, 9:45 AM ET by Dave Caolo
Filed under: iTMS, Rumors
The Street.com is reporting that Apple may be preparing to announce a deal with Google that would make the iTunes Music Store available through the Google website. Information on when this might happen, as well as just how it would be implemented, are not available.
Dave Matthews Band Doesn’t Want DRM. According the band’s official website, they don’t seem to support the many DRM inconveniences that users have to put up with. They have posted instructions on how to get their music into iTunes, by bypassing the included DRM.
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Geek Audio: Audio is from a 1993 news story introducing the internet to the general public. This originally aired on CBC News on October 8, 1993. From the website: “Punctuation marks that look like smiley faces express happiness on a new communication tool known as “Internet.” The computer network is already being used by 15 million people worldwide to chat or do important research.”
See the video at http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-710-4205/science_technology/computers/
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How To:
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Ask A Geek:
This segment will return on a future episode of the Geekcast.
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Hack:
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The geek’s view: Ten Technology’s naviPlay
Ten Technology is a company, somewhat new in the tech community. creating a line of iPod products, Ten seems to have some interesting ideas on what you can do with your iPod. This episode of The Geekcast, I review the naviPlay.
The naviPlay is a two-part accessory for our favorite white mp3 player. The main base is a docking station for your iPod. You plug your iPod into it and the device connects via the bottom docking port. There is a stand on the back that holds it up at an angle. The second part is a small remote control that is approx 2×3 inches and about half an inch thick. The idea of the naviPlay is simple: use Bluetooth to stream your music from your iPod to the remote control that you can plug your headphones into.
When first checking out the naviPlay I had high hopes but dissapointment came again and again. First, the box design is trying very hard to match Apple’s elegant package design. Ten falls a bit short of this, as it took me 10 minutes to get the naviPlay out of the box completely. Once out of the box, I charged the base and remote for an hour and then set it up.
The first thing you have to do is attach a clip to the base that holds your iPod in nice and snug. They are all clearly labeled, which made finding one for my 15gig G3 iPod easy, yet the plastic is extremely flimsy and feels cheap. Interesting enough, when putting my girlfriend’s iPod mini in, it was so tight I thought it was going to get scratched. Once attached, you put your iPod in and you’re done on that end. Next up is the remote.
The remote is small and can fit in any pocket easily. It has a rocker switch that can change the volume and skip tracks back and forward. There is also a play/pause button on the side. While the rocker switch works good, the play button feels out of place and I kept having to look to see where it was. The remote does have a hold switch on it which works great and you can also use a lanyard that is included to make the remote easier to carry. Range on the naviPlay is good, with me moving over 15 feet with no interruption in music.
The real issue with the naviPlay is the practicality of this. The box states the the naviPlay “is designed for active users, freeing you from the cumbersome cable connections between you and your iPod.” If your headphones are hooked up to a remote, how are they less cumbersome than hooking them to a remote that’s getting a stream from a remote iPod that has to be close to you to begin with? I feel that if you want to listen to your iPod, you’re going to hook up right to it and go from there. Adding bluetooth streaming, while nice, isn’t necessary for such a portable device. Additionally, the remote is only a third smaller than the iPod itself so there is bairly any space saved.
Perhaps someone with a very outdoors lifestyle can find a real great use for the naviPlay, but I came up with nothing during my time with it. Given that it retails for $199, I couldn’t ever see myself buying something that is half the cost of the iPod itself.
Overall the naviPlay does what it does good and the function of it worked flawlessly. Included internal batteries was a plus and the setup was a snap. If you can find a use for the naviPlay in your iPod life, this can be an ideal product for you. To learn more, visit Ten Technologies at www.tentechnology.com
Final grade: (1 to 5 stars)
Ease of use- ****
Does what it’s supposed to do- *****
Price- *
Practicality- *
Girlfriend Grade- *
Overall (avg) score: 2.5 stars
Note: The ‘girlfriend grade’ is the overall grade my girlfriend gives, which is from the viewpoint of a non-techy person. This is important to see how the product appeals to the average person who doesn’t covet everything coming out of the pipeline.
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