Digital Trends

Nokia Adds Lonely Planet To Mobiles

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 PST

If you’re heading out of the country but don’t know much about your destination, now Nokia lets download a Lonely Planet guide to take with you on your mobile device on your laptop through Nokia Maps. Nokia Maps uses vector maps from the company’s recent $8.1 billion acquisition, Navteq, as well as Teleatlas, and offers maps for over 200 countries. The Lonely Planet guides, which cost $13.99 per download, cover over 100 destinations, the company says. Stephen Palmer, CEO, Lonely Planet Publications

Live Mesh Expands To Three More Countries

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 PST

CNET reports that Microsoft has expanded its open invitation to join its Live Mesh service to people in Ireland, India and Canada, joining those in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand who already have access to Live Mesh without an invitation. However, there’s still a cap of the numbers allowed from India, Canada and Ireland. So what does Live Mesh do? At the moment it stands as a way to synchronize data among a number of computers, but the eventual aim is to move desktop apps to cloud computing and vice versa, as well as synchronizing among multiple devices. So far,

Google Tries Ads On Mobile YouTube

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PST

Google spent a lot of money to buy YouTube two years ago - $1.65 billion in fact. It’s still looking for ways to make money from its purchase, and it’s hopeful that its latest idea might bring in some cash. The company is experimenting with ads on its mobile version of the video-sharing service to see what happens. In a blog, Christine Tsai, product marketing manager for YouTube, announced the ads on Monday: "You may have noticed that we started running a test of display ads on select pages of the YouTube mobile site in the U.S. and Japan. This is our first step in testing mobile advertising for YouTube -

Fill in Our Form, Win a Free 22-in. Monitor

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:45:00 PST

We realize that Lenovo is mostly known for its iconic ThinkPad notebooks, but the company also makes a mean monitor. The ThinkVision L220x is one of the company’s finest, and for the month of August, we’re giving one away. The L220x boasts impressive full HD resolution (1092 x 1200), a wide viewing angle for sharing content, HDCP support, and one of

Archos Intros New Internet Media Tablets

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:15:00 PST

Archos has been sticking with the personal media player market, gamely continuing to compete with the Apple iPod juggernaut by consistently offering players that offer more storage, better specs, bigger screens, a wider degree of compatibility, and a wider range of features. Now, the company is rolling the sixth generation of PMPs—dubbed "Internet Media Tablets"—that all pack Wi-Fi, and which include models offering HSDPA mobile broadband and up to 320 GB in storage. And they come with a new—some might say improved—look. The new line consists of the Archos 5,

Yahoo Opens Buzz to All

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:10:00 PST

When Yahoo’s Digg-like Buzz ranking system debuted in February, Yahoo opted to keep its fledgling service in the kiddie end of the pool for the first few months by closing content submission to all but a few select publishers. But Buzz is all grown up now, and Yahoo will open up the deep end on Tuesday night when Buzz moves out of Beta and into its final format, in which anyone can submit links.

Google, Apple See Satisfaction Gains

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 PST

The American Consumer Satisfaction Index is a long-running study, conducted every quarter, that measures U.S. consumers' perceptions of the quality of services and products. The ASCI is one of the mide widely-cited and most respected measures of perceived brand quality and consumer satisfaction in the nation, and its results are often seen as significant economic indicators for industries. This quarter, Apple and Google found their stock in the ASCI going up…while U.S. automobile manufacturers and major appliance maker Whirlpool took it on the chin. In the pe

Sony Teases Music Controller Compatibility

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:30:00 PST

Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero may have created a whole new class of gaming where, instead of paying $20 to $40 for a game, players now spend twice to four times more for a game and some plastic doo-dads they can jump around with—or hit. And the music industry has fallen in love with the genre, realizing it can turn its deep library of classic rock riffs and leather-clad rockers into a new revenue stream. Unfortunately, not all music video game players can jam together: the genre h

NPD: Americans Buying Fewer Cell Phones

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 PST

It might seem that American culture is currently obsessed with everything mobile: mobile phones, mobile media, mobile advertising, and mobile connectivity. But that obsession might not be as strong as some people think: according to the NPD Group, sales of cell phone handsets during the second quarter of 2008 actually declined 13 percent, considered year-on-year. "Quarterly unit-sales of handsets fell to their lowest level, since NPD begin tracking the category in 2005," said NPD industry analysis director Ross Rubin, in a statement. "Even so, most major manufacturers picked up market share that was lost by Motorola."

Mike Ming Swaps Canvas for Notebook Lids

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:45:00 PST

If the array of colorful metallic finishes available on Dell’s Studio 15 and 17 laptops don’t really scream personality to you, Dell’s new line of tattoo-like designs should definitely do the trick. Designed by urban artist Mike Ming, the new finishes bring vibrant, abstract designs to the otherwise bland lids of Dell’s latest notebooks. Available designs include Sunburst, Red Swirl, Seaweed, Sea Sky, and Bunch O Surfers, many of which feature tight, bold black lines over bursts of watercolor. The designs are applied in Dell’s own proprietary manufacturing technique, which should give the note

Japan Issues Fire Warning on iPod nanos

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:00 PST

Japan's trade ministry has in investigating a possible battery defect in the first-generation Apple iPod nano digital media player in the wake of fires that have caused minor property damage and injury. According to the trade ministry, it is aware of three fires caused by overheating iPod nanos which caused no injuries but burned paper and a tatami mat. However, the ministry also says Apple has reported additional incidents, including two cases where users had suffered minor burns. In all cases, the iPod nanos apparently overheated while being recharged, and officials are apparently looking into the possibility of a defect in the lithium-ion batteries used in the units. The trade ministry has isued a warning to iPod nano

Apple Extends MobileMe Subscriptions Again

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:15:00 PST

Apple's MobileMe service aimed to be "Exchange for the rest of us," and that's proven to be far truer than the company hoped, as the service's launch was plagued by lost mail and connectivity issues…you know, the same thing corporate and enterprise users and Microsoft's Exchange service have been dealing with for years. The rocky launch already prompted Apple to add 30 days to subscriptions to the service, and now the company is adding another 60 days to trial and paid MobileMe subscriptions as an apology to customers. And yes, the 60-day extension is in addition to the 30-day extension. Apple began launching MobileMe the same weekend

HP Unveils Ultralight 12.1-inch EliteBooks

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:40:00 PST

Apple has the MacBook Air, Lenovo has the X301, Toshiba has the Portege, and now, HP has the EliteBook 2530p. HP unveiled its latest ultralight notebook on Tuesday, along with its tablet equivalent, the EliteBook 2730p, and the chunker Compaq version, the 2230s. The $1,499 notebook version comes close to Air territory with a weight of 3.19 pounds (to the Air’s 3.0), but has a screen size of only 12.1 inches, putting it more on par, from a size perspective, with Lenovo’s X200. On the hardware si

Game File Sharers Fined

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:00 PST

A British woman put the game Dream Pinball 3D on a file-sharing network, allowing anyone to download it. It’s proved to be a very expensive action, as yesterday, in a London court, she was ordered to pay the game’s creator, Topware Interactive, over $32,000 in damages. The decision, made at London’s Patents Country Court, awarded Topware Interactive over $12,000 in damages plus $20,000 in costs. It’s likely to be the first of many cases from Topware. Last year the company took legal action against British ISPs in order to identify people it claimed had been pirating the game on P2P networks. The company then sent out let

Windows To Support Blu-ray

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 PST

When the hi-def wars began, Microsoft came down on the side of Toshiba and its HD DVD format. But Toshiba threw in the towel earlier this year, leaving the Blu-ray format as champion – and Redmond out in the cold. Now Microsoft is taking steps to catch up. According to Information Week, the forthcoming Windows Feature Pack for Storage will let users burn Blu-ray HD discs from their computers without having to resort to third-party software. The company has told developers through a site that the feature "enables the Windows platform to do

MSI Wind U100

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:09:12 PST

It’s been almost a year since the original Asus Eee 701 appeared stateside, making traditional ultra-portables look fat with its size and weight, sending prices plunging with its $400 price tag, and triggering a landslide of imitators. In that time, many have tried, but few have succeeded in one upping Asus at its own game. The Wind is MSI’s freshman effort in the emerging subnotebook genre, but the company has managed to run with the best of them by offering a 10-inch display, a fast and efficient Intel Atom processor, and loads of storage.

Denon AVR-2808CI

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:37:41 PST

Its predecessor, the AVR-2807 was one of the best midrange receivers of the last couple years. The 2808CI adds digital goodies like HDMI 1.3 and 1080p upscaling, as well as the Audyssey MultiEQ XT auto-calibration system, which tailors the amp's sound to your room acoustics. It's a complex amp to set up, and the user guide is so-so, but when you're finally done you'll be rewarded with great sound and power across three independent zones. The bottom line: You can't do better than this for around $900 USD. For a few extra bones, you can step up to the Denon's 2809CI was recently released and adds adds a few extra inputs, including an HDMI, and Audyssey Dynamic Room EQ.

Casio Boulder Rugged Phone

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PST

Everyone has a cell phone destruction horror story. Whether your sensitive electronic marvel been has dunked into the toilet, fumbled out a car window, or whipped against the wall in anger, the indispensable devices we depend on every single day inevitably catch a wave of bad luck (or abuse) sooner or later. The latest phone from Casio’s well-established line of G-series mobile handsets is ready for that unforeseeable mishap whenever it comes. The Gz’One Boulder follows in the boot prints of the older Casio Type-S with extreme durability, but also piles on new features and adds an outlandishly rugged-looking shell. It’s probably no accident that the phone’s styling calls to mind a Hummer H2. From i

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Mint 220 Wireless Digital Music Station

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:44:21 PST

Manufacturers will do anything to put a different spin on their iPod docks – from using halo-shaped speakers to building party games into an orb. Mint’s 220 iPod speaker dock falls onto the far less gimmicky side of this spectrum by introducing a much more useful feature: wireless music streaming from a PC or Mac. Using a thumb-drive-style USB adapter, the 220 pulls music from any computer, allowing it to serve double duty as both a pair of wireless computer speakers and an iPod stereo.

Optimus Maximus

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:11:11 PST

Thanks to a glowing array of 115 individual OLED displays fitted under its keys, Art Lebedev’s Optimus Maximus is the first and only keyboard that literally morphs before your eyes. Pressing shift and watching all the letters beneath your fingers leap to caps gives you some idea what the Maximus is capable of, and why it’s become one of the most hyped-up, fawned-over and generally talked-about devices on the Web. While it delivers sheer novelty value in spades, we found that its princely pricetag, layout and reliability woes may threaten its practicality as a typing device.

Student's Starter Guide to College

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PST

Kodak W820/W1020 Wireless Digital Photo Frame, 8-inch, $219.95; 10-inch, $269.95 This frame grabs pictures from your computer or online accounts like Flickr via WiFi. Or swap out that picture of mom and dad for the latest news, sports, weather, and other RSS feeds. (Check Prices)

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Lenovo ThinkPad X200

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:04:18 PST

While Lenovo’s ultra-sleek X300 may have stolen the show as the company’s MacBook Air competitor back in April, the machine’s astronomic price tag also left most would-be buyers pressing against the window glass like gawkers at a Maserati dealership. To fill the gap between the flagship X300 and the smaller, but far more affordable 12.1-inch X61, Lenovo released the X61’s successor in July, the X200. The reworked machine has grown in width to make room for a new widescreen XGA screen, picked up Intel’s latest generation Montevina mobile chip for better speed and efficiency, and stirred in some extra features and refinements as well.

Back to School Gift Guide

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PST

Voltaic Backpack, $249 Green is in, and this solar-powered backpack saves the planet in style. Made from recycled materials, the backpack harnesses and stores enough of the sun's energy to keep gadgets like your iPhone, PSP, and digital camera charged without an AC outlet. (Check Price)

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CherryPal C100 Cloud Computer

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PST

Computer visionaries have been preaching about grandiose visions of "cloud computing" for years. The concept: Offer basic computer functions - like office software - as subscription services provided through the Web, rather than software installed on a hard drive. The point is to hide it behind the scenes, allowing the guys running the cloud to upgrade, tweak and maintain the software, taking that load off the user. It's a bit like going to the store for vegetables instead of planting your own garden. Everything you need is just magically there. For computer-savvy types who like to play with different programs, keep them updated, and even write their own, this sounds like a bad case of control from Big Brother. B

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