Archive for October 14th, 2005
Following on from Sony President, Howard Stringer’s announcement that the PSP was going to be equipped to stream video from your home PC while on the road, Sony Japan has released a firmware upgrade that makes it possible.
With ‘LocationFree’ you can stream TV or movies from your home over broadband internet to your PSP - virtually anywhere in the world (as long as you have a WiFi connection).
At home you connect your AV components and broadband internet to your LocationFree Base Station. Yes, unfortunately you have to fork out around $350 for some extra hardware.
On the road, connect your PSP to a wireless hotspot and click on the LocationFree icon to start streaming your favourite TV programmes. Change channels, pause or record on your components at home with the onscreen universal remote.
For the record, the other changes with the 2.5 firmware (which is currently only available in Japan) are:
- [Text Size] and [Display Mode] settings of the [Internet Browser] can now be saved.
- The input history of online forms accessed through the [Internet Browser] can now be saved.
- Copyright-protected video can now be played under [Video].
Source: Media Center PC World
October 14th, 2005
The press are getting well and truly carried away with the most recent iPod announced by Apple. The launch has polarised opinion with most commentators split into one of two camps.
- It’s the most wonderful thing sliced bread and it will revolutionise portable video as we know it
- It’s a fairly ordinary portable video player and Apple are making fools of themselves
The truth is somewhere in between. Look at the way that Steve Jobs unveiled the new device. He didn’t call it a video iPod - the press have dubbed it that. He called it the new iPod and then added “and yes….it plays video”. Video is an important part of the new package, but just as important is the larger, but still not very large, screen and the new thinner overall size. It almost would have been stupid for Apple NOT to include video, but they certainly haven’t built the new iPod around the functionality.
Steve Jobs has often declared his belief that users do not want to watch movies on a portable device. The good sales of PSP UMD discs would seem to dispute that, but despite what many are saying, the new iPod is not a U-turn. Apple are still targeting the device at shorter video such as music video or TV shows, not at movie watchers.
One gets the impression that this is just a first, tentative step for Apple into portable video. It hasn’t revolutionised the field, but then Apple haven’t claimed that it will - video is just another weapon in the iPod’s armory. It isn’t a gobsmackingly brilliant video player, but then it doesn’t have to be. The public will buy it because it’s an iPod.
Interestingly, the press event was also used to announce the launch of an iMac with a lot of media center tools. Noticeably this did not include a TV tuner, but that can’t be far off.
October 14th, 2005
The new Belkin TuneFM lets you listen to the music from your iPod through any FM stereo receiver. Offered in a new, sleek design, the TuneFM plugs into the remote/headphone jack on your iPod. Just tune your stereo to any clear FM frequency, and you can enjoy your iPod music anywhere with full sound and fewer wires. It will be shipping in North America in November 2005.
Unlike other FM transmitters, the TuneFM features its own LED display that indicates FM frequency and memory preset—eliminating the need to use the iPod interface for frequency selection. Because the TuneFM is powered by the iPod, no batteries are required.
* Numeric LED Display: Shows FM frequency and memory preset on demand
* Channel Up/Down: Scans in 1/01MHz intervals quickly and seamlessly
* Programmable Memory Slots: Let you toggle between 2 channels conveniently
* Rear Hold Switch: Locks buttons to prevent unintentional toggling or selection
TuneFM for iPod will set you back $39.99.
October 14th, 2005