jkOnTheRun

Would paying to send an e-mail reduce the noise?

I was just glancing through my feeds and see an interesting post by Robert Scoble having to do with noise reduction. By that he means the increasing "noise" by the new social services like Twitter, FriendFeed and the like. Good stuff in his post and worth the read... plus it got me thinking. And I mean thinking radically. The biggest "noise-box" in my environment isn't the hottest, new social networking-Web 2.0-AJAXy-AIR tool. It's my inbox. And I suspect it is for most of you too. So here's the radical thought (that will never see the light of day, which is probably a good thing):

What if you were charged for sending an e-mail to someone? As in: micropayments to the recipient, who sets a rate to receive your note? Just like a sliding-CPM model in the web advertising world, as a recipient, you would place a value on your time or on the "impression" of that note.

Got plenty of time to have e-mail conversations? Set your CPE or Cost-Per-Email at a lowly $0.01. Backed up with e-mails or need to spend time on a project that commands more of your attention? Raise your CPE to $2.00 a pop. Off for the weekend to spend time with the family? Hey, it's going to cost you $10 to get my attention on your note during my off-time.

Yup, it's a crazy idea and certainly wouldn't work as stated in a corporate environment. But something in Robert's post resonated in me because the new noise-makers are "unlimited and free". I think way, way back when folks had to pay for each phone call they made at their house. Let me tell you... there was a lot less noise back then. Then the trend became "unlimited calling", which I fully take advantage of. It also means "unlimited noise" when you think about it. OK... no more thinking for me today. ;)

You know you're a hopeless geek when:

1. You can't concentrate on anything while waiting for the gadget delivery person.
2. You get your box cutter out first thing on delivery day just so it's ready when the gadget arrives.
3. You stop in your tracks every few minutes every time you hear a truck drive down the street.
4. You feel your heart drop every single time a FedEx truck drives past without stopping.
5. You plug in all the peripherals for the new gadget before it even arrives.
6. You go over everything you need to build your new system multiple times while waiting for it.
7. You make a list for everything you need to install on the new system and the order you need to do so.
8. You rearrange every plug in the power strip just to make sure there is room for one more.
9. You greet the UPS man brusquely because he's not the FedEx guy.
10. You keep checking the delivery status online every 15 minutes just to make sure it hasn't changed.

No tech this holiday, but there was joy

I've been relatively quiet on the blogging front lately and mentioned that there were no gadgets for me this holiday. The reason why is shown above as we decided to give a good home to a dog this holiday. We hit up our local SPCA and rescued Kelso, the adolescent Labrador Retriever shown above. Needless to say for anyone that's raised a dog before, we've got our hands full. I've had to move my home office down to the kitchen table to keep Kelso company. As if it wasn't bad enough that he almost had no home this holiday, he's forced to do the "lampshade on the head" routine: he had minor surgery and was chewing at his stitches.

In any case, I'll be getting back online more as Kelso allows. Although there was no new tech here, doing something nice for someone less fortunate is more than good enough this holiday time for me. Actually, the kids had plenty of tech enough to keep me happy anyway; configuring devices is a heck of lot easier to me than putting toys together!

Win a Nokia N95 from your BFF, CrunchGear

Shout out to Tony who gave us the heads up on this one. With just a little effort you can enter a CrunchGear contest and win one of two unlocked Nokia N95s. You'll need to hit up the CrunchGear BFF site and let 'em know which open source application you'd like to see on a smartphone. All the contest details are right here, so run, don't walk; there's not much time left to enter! Winners will be announced this coming Monday based on whose ideas are voted the best. It's only appropriate to point out Tony's three ideas; not that we're playing favorites, but a little jkOTR love never hurt anyone... Besides, I like his Gphone Product Shopper idea.

Update on earlier Absolute / Laplink post

Just a quick note on a post we ran early this morning regarding Absolute's Computrace LoJack and Laplink's PCsync & PCmover software. The information for that post was provided to me via e-mail in the form of a press release. It looked interesting from a mobile technology perspective, so I shared the information as I would with any news I feel our readers would benefit from.

Late this afternoon, I was contacted by a Laplink representative and asked to pull the post. Apparently, the press release went out early and it's possible there could be changes to the information provided. While the press release wasn't under any NDA or embargo, I have pulled the post as I believe it's the right thing to do in the case of an inadvertent accident such as this. I know I've hit the "Send" button too early more than once, so I hope you can understand and respect the decision to pull the post. It's a very rare circumstance to do so and one we don't take lightly here at jkOTR. As always, we thank you for reading and hope you find continued value here.

Random mobile tech thoughts while running

I just got back from a seven mile run to break up the day and had some random thoughts come to mind. Don't worry, I've already showered, so the post is sanitary.

• The Asus Eee PC looks like a nice little lappy and many folks seem excited about it. Is it really that different from the Palm "please don't remember my name" Foleo? Are they miles apart or actually relatively similar in terms of use cases?
• Some versions of Vista include all of the Tablet PC bits, so there was much talk last year of Vista helping the Tablet PC market. Is it me or have we seen no more or no less new Tablet PCs introduced than in the last few years prior to Vista?
• Speaking of Tablet PCs, why does inking get such a bad rap? All of the folks in the keyboard camp: have you truly given inking a several week trial or did you give up in under a week? (Note: if you tried and it doesn't work for you, I respect your choice.)
• Related: as nice as it is to have an indicator of textual input speed percentages across multiple input types, i.e.: keyboards of various sizes, speech, ink, etc... when did it become vogue to benchmark humans?
• Did UMPCs fail the concept of a "companion device" or did we fail to grasp the concept when we (myself included) attempted to use them as full time mobile devices?
• Will the fact that Apple is releasing an SDK for third party iPhone apps add further momentum for consumers to buy the device or did Steve have you at "Hello"?
• Related: what are the odds that Apple finds a way to sell the iPhone apps solely through iTunes so they can make a cut off every title?
• Why is it in my Commonwealth that we buy our liquor in a State Store and still try to state our case for Liquor Stores? OK, that's not mobile tech related, but those archaic laws have been in place since Prohibition and I want to know why. ;)

While I sit back, drink a protein shake and read RSS feeds, talk amongst yourselves in the comments.

Are you "Lost in Technology"? Here's a way to check

I came across this list over at Tech Digest and it was too funny not to share. The list is comprised of 30 ways to tell you're lost in technology. The full list is here, but a few relevant bits follow.

• Your computer runs Linux, Windows Vista and Mac OS X. Oh, and said computer is actually a vintage Commodore 64.
• On an absent-minded day, you actually answer your phone with your World Of Warcraft name.
• Your toilet roll holder doubles as an iPod dock.

And my personal favorite because it's nearly true: the only way you can remember how to write with a pen is to pretend it's a stylus. :)

A1Pro USB keyboard with Handwriting Identity Feature

At first, I thought this was the best of both worlds: a USB keyboard for the typers and a handwriting panel for the inkers. At under $26, I wonder if the A1Pro K88 is the best of either world. It looks like a usable USB keyboard complete with multimedia keys on the top. But what about the Handwritten Identity Feature and pen? Perhaps there's software included that's used to log you in to your system once it verifies your sig. I don't expect any Tablet PC users to drop their slate form-factor for this feature, but maybe it's a hidden gem. For such a small investment it might be worth taking the plunge to find out.

(via Crave)

Three reasons I haven't been sleeping well

I don't know what their names are but these three baby birds are quite the trio. It took me nearly a half-hour to find the source of the incessant singing, which of course was in the bushes right under the bedroom window. This might explain why I've needed to visit the coffee-houses so much lately; of course, it also gives you a desktop wallpaper for the heck of it. Enjoy...I know I will when they finally fly away. ;)

Are we too tied to Google; are we supplying the rope?

Woke up this morning to the news about iGoogle, the latest official product offering from the search company. Actually, as I read through the various Techmeme story links, I see that Google really calls it a service. Let's get the name out of the way first: unfortunately, anything preceded by an "i" will cause most consumers to think "Apple". I'm willing to bet that some immediate reactions will be "Oh, Google joined with Apple for some service". Not a big deal and from what I understand, the name concept is at least two years old. Still, something I might have considered changing unless I wanted people to perceive this as a Google venture with Apple.

'OK Go' YouTube video wins; enjoy!

Nothing here about mobile tech, just a nice way to get over the hump of the week on a Wednesday. Musical group "OK Go" won one of the inaugural YouTube Awards, and I can see why. The music video is choregraphed with the band members bouncing around on various treadmills in near-perfect synchornization. Well worth the few minutes and looks like it would be a good high-intensity workout to boot!

Happy 21st to Tracy at The Student Tablet PC!

If you have time today, swing by The Student Tablet PC and wish that Tablet gal, Tracy Hooten, a happy birthday! Tracy turns 21 day, which in my book is the last good "milestone" birthday. Sorry Tracy; the rest of the milestones are all downhill! Now that I think about it, I still have computers that are older than Tracy..... ;)

Zatz placeshifts his job: joins Sling Media

Just a quick shoutout to Dave Zatz over at ZatzNotFunny! He just announced that he left the glitzy government I.T. sector in favor of a new role at Sling Media; couldn't happen to a nicer guy. As I just commented on his blog: this is a win both for Sling and for Dave. Although Sling is based in California, Dave will stay on the East Coast for now. He says:

"I’ll have a variety of roles here at Sling — the two most visible ones will be my presence on the Sling Community Forum and as the point man for writers/editors in the blogosphere. The communication will be two-way: not only will I be conveying company information, I’ll also be taking everything in to keep the executive team and various internal groups informed. As a blogger, I’m also hopeful you’ll see me heading up something, somewhere, at some point."

Best wishes on the new role, Dave! Hope you can keep slinging swinging by here and continue the frequent commenting.....not on work time, of course. ;)

Get a free movie download from AOL's Video Beta

InformationWeek caught my attention this morning with the following blurb: "AOL is offering a free movie to people who agree to become a beta tester of its movie download service." Here's the catch: you'll have to hurry up and test because the offer ends tomorrow. The test and service runs on both Mac and Windows, which is nice to see.

Apparently, AOL has tweaked the download process to speed things up, so this round will test that and provide feedback to AOL on the overall experience. Anyone using AOL Video on a mobile device that can share the experience?

Friday's question: have you ever "struck out" with a device?

I mean in the real sense as in: "one, two, three strikes; you're out!" Earlier this week, jkOTR reader Mike shot me a note to share his strike-out story with the Motorola Q. Here's the summary:

Mike had "a recurring issue I have been having with my MotoQ. The first one I had after 2-3 months it started acting funky. The second one after 2-3 months started having THE SAME ISSUE. And then the third one I got today I programmed it and set it up on my account and then turned it off and when I turned it back on it just sat at the Verizon Wireless screen for ever."

Mike has contacted Verizon directly and will be getting a new MotoQ and I hope this one works out better. Mike also has more patience than I do as I rely on my computing devices for my work, not just for fun; I'd probably give the Q a shot or two, but not more than that because the downtime is just too much of an impact.

How about you? Any similar issues with your Moto Q? Would you drop a device after the first, second or third strike? Got any device horror stories to share?

[Sidenote: congrats to Mike and his wife as their second baby was just born last night. Best wishes on the new addition...now go get a mobile device for that baby and some sleep for yourself Mike!]

Friday's question: do you want console game titles on your handheld?

I was scanning my feeds early this morning and noticed some press releases over at MoDaCo, a fantastic Windows Mobile site. One of them indicated that "Project Gotham Racing" was finally coming to the small screen on WinMo; the original announcement was back in May. I've enjoyed (read: wasted) countless hours playing PGR on the Xbox 360 and while I love the game, I'm not so sure I'd want it or any other console games ported over to my handheld. I think it would make me less productive since I'm the type of gamer that will play for hours and then wonder where the time went.

Am I "all work and no play"? How about you: do you really want ports of popular games on your handheld or are you fearful of losing too many productive hours? It probably doesn't help that I played 3.5 hours of Hexic HD on the 360 just before bed last night....no wonder I'm tired today! ;)

Friday's question: what tech did you buy already this season?

Here in the U.S. many retail stores open up at 5 a.m. and many have special sales that just last for a few hours. In my experience, if you haven't bought everything you wanted by 8 a.m., you've missed the super sales since quantities are usually low and the "mob-factor" is high. A few years back, I decided never to shop on Black Friday again OR do all of my shopping on-line.

Barb and I already bought some cool tech for the kids via on-line retailers; nothing beats getting great deals while shopping in your pajamas while sipping coffee! I can't share what we bought the kids just yet, they're savvy-enough to navigate over here. You do know I bought a Zune player (more on that later) and although it doesn't count as a holiday purchase, I bought an Xbox Live HD video rental. The real question is:

What did YOU buy today? Did you battle the crazy crowds and what was the experience like? What was the best tech deal you found? If you had a bad experience and need some uplifting, just read my Xbox 360 debacle from one year ago; hopefully, your day wasn't as bad as that one.

Black Friday is Red at the Apple store

Apple is starting off the holiday shopping season with their version of Black Friday. Figuring that not everyone can get to an Apple store (or folks just don't want to battle crowds at the Genius Bar), they've got a one day online sale going on today. I woke up to an e-mail early this morning with the news; just what exactly was Steve Jobs doing up at 3:35 a.m. this morning? His early to rise approach can net you some good on-line deals.

That Intel Core 2 Duo Mac Book I've been lusting after is $101 off today; hey Santa, I've been a good little mobile-blogger, whaddya say? Anyway, just about everything from iPods to iMacs to headphones is off-price. Wow! Even the Shure headphones are on sale, which would be great for my Zune! Oh, just kidding Stevie, I'd ONLY use them in my iPod nano....shure I would.

Lightning strikes twice thanks to PC Mag and Dave Zatz

I consider myself very lucky. I get to interact with dozens of jkOTR readers every day and share my thoughts with thousands of our readers daily. Through all of this I get to work with James; a talented writer and good friend. Last year, James provided me the support and drive to get my first print article published, which was an amazing experience. Who thought that lightning would strike twice? Lucky for me, it did.

This time around, I was blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with Dave Zatz. Dave is a frequent commenter here and runs what is arguably one of the most insightful and fun to read blogs on DVR topics, called Zatz Not Funny (oh but it is funny Dave!). Dave and I worked together on a print article that you'll see in the December 5th issue of PC Magazine, which is thrilling; it simply doesn't get bigger than PC Magazine. OK, an Oprah appearance might be bigger, but the Harpo folks weren't interested...go figure! ;)

Just to illustrate Dave's good nature, he invited me to work with him on this article even though he was more than capable of authoring it on his own. He's a talented writer who not only let me share in the work and the spoils, but he even drove up from the Washington, D.C. area to my home in the Philadelphia region for a day so we could crank out the article. (Well, that and to watch some college football in high-def on a 60-inch 1080p set.) Dave did all of this when he could have simply done it himself....

The digital edition of the PC Magazine issue is now available if you subscribe via Zinio like I do. If not, expect to see us on pages 107 through 112 in next week's issue that's devoted to HDTV; if the article is published on-line, we'll provide a link next week. Our article shows you the simple and inexpensive steps it takes to receive and watch HDTV over the air on your home PC. I hope you enjoy it....and thanks Dave!

Windows Live Messenger not working? Try this

Folks have been reporting issues signing in to Windows Live Messenger, as in: they can't. Ed Bott reached out to the Live support team and received a fix, but it does require a registry edit, so by all means be careful. According to Ed, you'll need to delete the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\Policies

I think I'll stick with GAIM and Miranda for my IM'ing needs at this point: they're pretty stable and support chats across IM platforms. Oh, and no registry hacks to make 'em work! ;)

(via Download Squad)

Win a Zune or 30GB iPod from Mobility Site!

Wow, a contest doesn't get any easier than this! Hop over to Mobility Site for the full details, but all you have to do is vote and\or take a photo of your current MP3 setup. The contest is to celebrate the new site design which looks great. Run, don't walk, over to the contest post here and good luck!

Hey, if YOU win, which would you pick and why?

My Xbox 360 broke just in time

A little off-topic from our normal mobile tech theme, but worth sharing. We're about to pull the trigger on our third HDTV tonight; no, we didn't win the lottery, this is a progressive upgrade: I've owned a high-def set since 2001 and due to a move, our new family room has outgrown the five year old 34-inch widescreen set. Our other set (2 years old) is a smaller 27-incher, and we've got to go bigger. So here I am all ready to do some big screen high-def gaming on the Xbox 360, when I get red lights on the console and it won't boot. Uh, how do you explain that? "My gaming console won't boot and there's not Control, Alt or Delete keys here...."

The three lights indicate a hardware failure, so I've removed the external hard drive. She now "boots", but freezes after 3 to 5 minutes. Not good. Turns out the new Microsoft goodwill warranty just came into play and is going to save my wallet...a good thing since the new HD set will empty it.

Any Xbox 360s purchases prior to January 1 of this year get a one-time free fix. Since like so many other knuckleheads, I camped out for an Xbox last November (and even blogged my plans), I'm eligible and just in time too. I don't have my proof of purchase, but the console itself has a production date of 10-12-2005, making it among the first (and glitchy) batches of 360s. My support rep indicated that even thought I don't have the proof of purchase, Microsoft would be sending me a pre-paid UPS box to return the unit at no charge. Kudos for standing behind a product that was rushed out the door, not to mention the level of customer service!

Apple product launch on September 12th? Join the meme with your guess

iLounge reports of a special Apple press event on September 12th; the clear expectation is that new products will be launched, so for this holiday weekend here in the U.S., why not place your bet guesses before kicking back?

Here are my thoughts to start the creative juices: with yesterday's Wal-Mart vs. Apple headline indicating that Apple will offer movie downloads at $14.99, folks are likely expecting a new video iPod. Even with only Disney, er Pixar, Disney on board, odds are pretty good on that. Factor in any one of several Apple patents that could (and should) be applied to an iPod for a larger screen and you might have a winner with that guess.

What about Apple Tablet PC rumors? As much as I (and many readers) would like to see that, I don't think Apple is quite ready just yet. Believe me; I hope I'm wrong, but I think Apple will take an incremental step there by putting a touchscreen in another CE device first and then make the OS work with the screen.

Having said that, I'll put my vote in for Merom-based Apple computers. I'd like to think that we'll see the more efficient Intel chips in the MacBook and MacBook Pro line, but the Mac Mini is a nice trial platform for the new chip. End users will get a nice boost in performance and Apple can learn from the experience, so that's my guess. Where does that leave us in terms of my thoughts and the odds?

• New Apple iPod with more video functionality / capability: 11- 2
• Apple Tablet PC: 15 - 1
• Merom-based Apple notebooks: 7 - 2
• Merom-based Mac mini: 2 - 1
• Steve Jobs wears a black mock-turtleneck: you have to ask?

Step right up and place your bets in the comments below. If you've got a blog, post your predictions; if you know a blogger, shoot the odds sheet over to them and let's see what they think! Let's see how many folks we can get voting on the Apple product predictions; hey, it's a holiday, so let's have some fun!

Verizon DSL surcharge roller coaster continues: new fees dropped like a runaway car

Oh Verizon, why must you make me ride this DSL roller coaster? First, I rejoiced when the the Universal Service Fee was removed from my account, saving me about $2.83 per month. Next you hammered my emotions and my wallet by adding your own $2.70 fee to help offset YOUR network provider costs, netting me a $0.13 savings over the old Universal fee. Today you finally came to your senses (or just got beat over the head enough) and removed the fee you just added.

Here's the thing: I don't like roller coasters. In fact, I like them as much as I like made-up fees to offset a service I already pay you for. If you created your DSL network and didn't plan to charge enough for the service you provide, go back to your business model and see where you made a mistake next time. Thank you for not penalizing me; I don't recall having input to your business strategies...go find those people and make up fees for them to pay. Thanks.

Props to Verizon Wireless for leading the pack (for a change)

Typically equated with industry high fees and rigid contracts, Verizon Wireless might finally be listening to all the mobile masses who glibly chant "Can you hear me now?" The wireless voice and data company is making changes that break from the traditional company approaches that appear to bully customers around. Instead of the standard and time-honored full cancellation fee for customers that terminate the contract early, Verizon Wireless will prorate that fee to adjust for what I like to call "time served."

Instead of treating new and potential customers better than existing customers, Verizon Wireless will also look to allow handset upgrades at new-subscriber prices. To qualify under the new handset upgrade rules, you'll need to have a calling plan at $50 a month for 12 months, which appears to replace the "new every two" plan currently in place. OK, now who's scopin' out a new Smartphone as a result?

(via Phone Scoop)

-kct

Sandisk 1GB SD card down to $29 starting tomorrow

While I'm restoring Sammy to his factory defaults, I had some time to review the advertisements that hit the newspapers tomorrow. Circuit City will be dishing out 1GB Sandisk SD cards for only $29 after a $12 instant savings and an $18 rebate. This was too good a deal not to pass along for folks that have SD card readers in their notebooks, cameras, phones or other mobile devices!

-kct

Mobility Site's "Case a Day" giveaway

I must have been under a rock for the past two years. Mobility Site is running their third annual Case-A-Day giveaway contest and it starts today! The rules are fairly simple and you get the opportunity to win a mobile device case from their sponsor, Cases.com, so run (don't walk) over to their entry post for the details!

-kct

Mini-auction: Dell Axim X50v and extras

I really don't want to part with my Dell Axim X50v, but as they say: "if you love something set it free..." I nabbed this VGA device as soon as it went on sale, probably around December of 2004, so it's not a brand-new device. In fact, Dell refreshed this device to the X51v, so you can't buy it new. However, this device easily keeps up with (or exceeds) many of the current devices on the market and got decent reviews. Since I have the new XV6700 WM 5.0 phone, I simply don't need this any longer. Wow. It took a lot for me to say that.

Anyway, I'll place this on eBay if nobody wants it here, but I thought to offer it to any interested jkOTR readers first. Here's what you get:

Dell Axim X50v, cradle to synch and charge both the Dell and a second battery, the included battery, and the manual. Extra bonuses included: 256 MB CF card, second battery, form-fitting custom leather Sena Case.

Basic specs:

• 3.7-inch diagonal touchscreen at 640 x 480 resolution.
• Integrated WiFi and Bluetooth
• Windows Mobile 2003, Second Edition
• 128 MB ROM / 64 MB of RAM
• Intel PXA270 CPU running at up to 624 MHz
• CF slot and SD slot

This device did take a slight fall and therefore has some small nicks in the casing in the front upper right, but its functionality wasn't impacted. There are no dead pixels that I know of either. I can take some pics or provide any additional info, just ping me at kctofel@gmail.com with questions or to make me an offer. If you are interested, make me one single offer and after a few days, I'll ship it at my expense to the person with the best offer. If nobody's interested, I'll place it on eBay next week. Thanks!

-kct

Mobile Tech News two years ago: Optical Camoflage

Yup, back on May 17, 2004 we saw something every mobile maverick needs: a way to blend in with surroundings to become virtually invisible. I suppose this could come in handy if you wanted to lift your best bud's new handheld or Tablet PC without getting caught. Either way, the Optical Camouflage project site is still alive and kickin' and it's well worth a look at the very last video of this happy camper dancing in front of a flat panel TV. The premise of the technology is to project an image onto a person so that the individual appears to blend in with their surroundings.

So when will we see a practical application of Optical Camouflage? Well, I reckon if the product works as advertised, we'll actually never see it, now will we?

-kct

Mobile tech news a year ago: The TabletKiosk Mojave

It's funny how much mobile technology can change in just a short year or two. I thought it might be interesting to occasionally, or even daily based on your feedback, "go back in time" and see what was happening on this day a year or two ago. Let's look into the hourglass and check out jkOnTheRun on this day one year ago, May 16th.

On that day, James eye-spied the TabletKiosk Mojave i-Tablet that was "Coming Soon". We never did see the Mojave, but TabletKiosk today makes some solid Tablet PCs and even a UMPC in the eo. One year ago, if someone had told you that TabletKiosk would have a 7-inch touchscreen handheld running the Window XP Tablet Edition, what would you have said? Ironically, we never got the Mojave small slate, but the eo certainly qualifies, no?

- kct

Programming break: will you help the cause?

While we're all excited about the latest ultra, itty-bitty, micro-sized Windows Vista capable computer from Sony, I was hoping to catch your attention for a more personal matter. Most of the info I want to share is after the jump as I don't wish to intrude with an off-topic post. However, I'm looking for your help.

My significant other, Barbara, and our two kids, Sydney & Tyler are participating in the Tour de Cure next month. The Tour de Cure is our way of helping raise awareness and funds to combat diabetes through the American Diabetes Association.

Dell deal: 35% off Inspirons over $999

Oh how I wish Dell made a Tablet PC right about now. I just received an e-mail from Dell Direct Deals providing a 35% off coupon code good for Inspiron PCs and notebooks over $999. You can't use the code for a Dell XPS as a result, but there doesn't seem to be any other system limitations; just spec out your PC or notebook and enter LNB2339KQ35MMR as your discount code during checkout for the deal.

Just for kicks, I spec'd out an Insipiron E1505 notebook with an Intel Core Solo 1.66 GHz, WMCE OS, a TV tuner, 2 GB of RAM, 15.4-inch UltraSharp Wide Screen SXGA+ display with TrueLife, 100 GB 7200rpm drive, WiFi, Bluetooth and 8X CD/DVD burner. The list price was $2,025, but after 35% off, I could nab this config for $1,316.25 before taxes, shipping and handling. If you're interested in receiving Dell Direct Deals, just hit their site up and register. I find that the deals are outstanding and the e-mails frequent enough, but not intrusive.

-kct

Gmail: the one thing I don't like about it is...

I'm addicted to Gmail. There, I said it. Now that I've come out of the closet, I wanted to briefly share my reasons for this infatuation, along with the one beef I have. The fact that I can access my email from any Internet connection wherever I am is huge. Having EV-DO on two of my devices doesn't hurt, but I'll make use of a hotspot as needed; I'm not fussy. Staying up to date on key websites is another "Yeah, we've got that" in Gmail. Just use the Web Clips function to stay on top of your favs thanks to RSS. Gmail on a mobile phone? It's in there if you want to direct your mobile to the right URL for proper formatting. No Internet Explorer required. So what's my problem, if I'm so in love with Gmail?

 

New Video iPod and other Apple announcements

Yesterday was the “big day” for Apple to make some noise about it’s most recent contribution to tech with the video iPod, updated iMac’s, a remote control for Front Row and a new version of iTunes (primarily to support video content for the new iPod’s).

For the detail people, the new fifth generation iPod are thinner than previous versions, sport a 320x240 pixel screen on a 2.5” display and can decode MPEG-4 and H.264 at up to 30fps and has video out.  There is a 30GB and 60GB model priced at $299 and $399 respectively.

[via everyone :)]

Carly Fiorina steps down

Chairman and CEO of Hewlett Packard Carly Fiorina stepped down from her position with the tech giant today citing disagreements over strategy with the board.  Fiorina was a constant source of discord with the board and shareholders dating back to the 2002 merger with Compaq and has never had a good relationship with the board.

(via Computerworld)

MSN Music- iTunes clone?

With all the hoopla that's been going around about Microsoft's forthcoming entry into the online music retail world I thought you might be interested to see what the beta site looks like. It's a preview so it will probably change before going official but it's definitely MSN Music. As expected it's a lot like iTunes but without the cool factor.

Gang warfare goes high tech

In Garland, a Dallas suburb, nearly three dozen people, including 27 high school students, were arrested this week after being indicted in the March 3 brawl in Garland, a Dallas suburb. Several people were injured, including one person who suffered a broken arm.

These were all gang members who fought in the street in a rumble organized over the Internet. And they say there are not enough computers in public schools.