Pocket PC eBooks Watch - eBook and beyond  
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TechnoFetish Watch
Portable Gaming, Sony-Style
A powerful gaming machine is packed into that small form factor. Inside, a 333-MHz CPU with 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of embedded DRAM produces an audiovisual experience that rivals that of the PlayStation 2 home console, with detailed 3-D graphics and CD-quality background music. All this is rendered on a giant 4.3-inch wide-screen display with three different levels of backlit luminance.
But perhaps the PSP's most attractive feature is its price -- just 19,800 yen (about $190) for the basic set, which includes the system, a removable lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack and an AC adapter. A separate 24,800 yen ($240) bundle pack includes a pair of headphones, strap, carrying case and a 32-MB Memory Stick Duo. (Sony has yet to announce any details on the U.S. packaging.)
...The PSP won't be replacing the iPod as the digital listening device of choice anytime soon, mostly due to memory considerations. The largest-capacity Duo cards are only 1 GB -- and those are quite expensive, especially the Sony brand. We tested our PSP with a SanDisk 512-MB card, which worked perfectly and retails for around $80.

posted by Jerry permanent link

UnFair Crack
Cracking iTunes' DRM with JHymn
Howard Wen has interviewed 'FutureProof' of the JHymn project, a DRM removal application for iTunes song files laden, or 'crippled' as some say, to prevent filesharing. FutureProof tells us how Apple's DRM works, how to rip it out using JHymn.
IMHO, iTunes has one the fairest DRM systems that is not killing honest buyer, no use of cracking it.

posted by Jerry permanent link

iPod Therefore iAm
My IPod, My Self
PT Marketing professor Markus Giesler has some colorful ideas about Apple's music player. He argues it transforms listeners into "cyborg consumers," plugging them into a "hybrid entertainment matrix" where they can achieve "technotranscendence."

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Kewl
iPod Linux
Someone was able to extract the bootloader from the 4G iPod by sounding out ticks with the iPod's squeaky piezo. With some tweaking and a makeshift recording studio, he was able to dump the 64 kb file at 5 bytes/sec. And yes, this means that 4G iPods can now boot linux!"

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/28/2005

How-To PodCast 101
Podcast with Your Mac
You can create your own Podcast using Apple’s GarageBand and iChat applications, and the freeware tools Soundflower and LineIn.
For step-by-step instructions on creating your own Podcast with GarageBand, iChat, Soundflower, Soundflowerbed, and LineIn see Engadget’s tutorial How To: Podcasting.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/27/2005

iPs
iPs replacing most people's iPod
Travis:
My 1GB iPs has replaced my 4G 40GB iPod for everyday use. Didn't
realize how easy it is just to plug it in, hit autofill and take off
for the day. Quick access to around 240 songs for the day. Been doing
this for about a week and I can tell you I really don't miss a screen
at all.
It's amazing how much difference there is carrying around the iPs
everywhere versus my bulky and heavy iPod (can't believe I am saying
that). The only time I see myself using my iPod will be when I am away
from my computer for longer than a day or so.

Elizabeth:
My iPod mini is languishing since I got my iPs.
It's just so easy to sling the iPs around my neck and go . . .
I only have the 512, but 130 songs (number currently on there) can
keep me amused for a long time.

Archurban:
the same thing happens to me. I've used mine more than 7 days now. I
carry it everywhere, everyday. so my 4G 20GB ipod is just on my table
all the time. it's like storage for more songs, albums.
even when I stay at home, I listen to music with ips, wearing my
neck. I am kind of addictive into it. so far, I only charged three
times fully. I saw only orange light one time last week. it shows
green light all the time.

Darren:
Good someone else. I thought I would be shot for saying that. Me too.
My 60GB started dropping album art and locking up so I think it's
going on eBay. It seems I'm constantly tweaking my iTunes Library so
my iPod is always syncing so why not just use the shuffle instead.
Snowboarding is so much more carefree when you don't have a 1000
dollar iPod in your pocket to fall on. Most people would say don't
fall then but if your not falling your not learning. I'm glad to see
I'm not alone.

Anthony:
I too must admit, I use my shuffle more than my 20 gig. It is much
easier to carry and for some reason, I worry less about it than my
other iPod.

Jason:
I have to agree. Since I got my 512MB shuffle I haven't used my 20GB
iPod (4G) at all. I never thought I would complain about the size of
an iPod, but once you go shuffle it is hard to go back. My iPod seems
freaking HUGE. I just leave it plugged into my inMotion speakers and
use it as a stereo.

Nick:
Hahaz.. Me too.. I still tot carrying an iPod Mini is already very
light but now then i realise it is wrong.. I am using my IPs more than
my mini. In fact, I havent on my mini since I got my IPs..

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/26/2005

What Next? Pocket PC/eBook Reader?
Missouri Bans Video Games From Prisons
Blunt, a Republican who took office two weeks ago, called video games "a luxury that inmates should not be allowed to enjoy."
"Our penitentiaries are punitive institutions where those who have committed crimes against society are sent to pay for their actions. They are not meant to be arcades," Blunt said in a statement.

posted by Jerry permanent link

mmmmm, neat idea dept.
HP focuses on paparazzi-proof cameras
U.S. patent application 20040202382, filed in April 2003 and published in October 2004, describes a system in which an image captured by a camera could be automatically modified based on commands sent by a remote device.
In short, anyone who doesn't want their photo taken at a particular time could hit a clicker to ensure that any cameras or camera-equipped gadgets in range got only a fuzzy outline of their face.
Maurizio Pilu, an engineer in HP's Bristol, England, labs, says in the application that such a system would balance the proliferation of digital imaging capabilities with growing concerns about privacy.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/23/2005

Esspc eBook Update
Inaugural Addresses Of The Presidents Of The United States From George Washington To George W. Bush
January 20, 2005. George W. Bush has just delivered his second inaugural address to the nation and the world. As soon as it was made available we captured it and included it in this book. Here in one volume are the inaugural address of the presidents of the United States. Presented in chronological order they are a living reminder of those men who have lead this nation in times of peace and war. In times of prosperity and want. In good times and bad. Their words reflect the spirit of the nation over the past two centuries and the beginnings of the third. This is a reissue on January 20, 2001, Inauguration Day, with the inclusion of the second Inaugural Address of George Walker Bush.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Apple Spectrum
Infographic: Macs for the Masses
Apple's Tipping Point Infographic by Paul Nixon, a graphic/web designer at the University of Arizona: "The idea for this infographic came to me while I was eating lunch today and I had to create it (using Adobe Illustrator)...the concept seems to capture Apple's strategy with the iPod Shuffle and Mac mini in the bigger picture sense (as I see it of course). Enjoy."

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/22/2005

aacPlus
The skinny new audio format that will replace MP3s—and revolutionize Internet radio.
It's a given that fat broadband lines are the future of online media. But right now, for Internet radio, the future is about slimming down—creating skinny little streams of data that don't eat up too much bandwidth. The key is a new and better audio compression format called aacPlus, or sometimes HE-AAC, which has been chosen by the industry committee that standardized MP3 13 years ago (the Motion Picture Experts Group). If you've tried to listen to online stations, you know they sound grainy if they're streamed at any less than 128 kilobits per second—maybe 96 kbps if you're not fussy. That makes a broadband connection a must. But aacPlus sounds nearly as good as a CD, even when it's compressed enough to play through a dialup line. Don't take my word for it—see the results of the European Broadcasting Union's listener tests, in which aacPlus was deemed the "clear winner" at a dialup-friendly 48 kbps.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/21/2005

Sodumb
Sony exec admits strategic music mistakes
"Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, said he and other Sony employees have been frustrated for years with management's reluctance to introduce products like Apple's iPod, mainly because the Tokyo company had music and movie units that were worried about content rights."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Wet Dreams
Dell and Creative: Challenged by the iPod?
For Creative's Sim Wong Hoo, the iPod shuffle is "a big let down … worse than the cheapest Chinese player." For Dell's Kevin Rollins, the iPod is "a fad" and the Mac mini poses no threat to the company's 17 percent market share.
Some analysts have already cautioned that both men might be mistaken about the impact that the iPod and Mac mini might have on the industry. In a posting on his blog, Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg called Wong Hoo's comments "foolish." "Creative doesn't get it and is going to dismiss Apple to their own peril. … You can see why [it's] going to get beat up in this market pretty bad."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Real Blog WATCH
Beijing’s blog problem
China’s blog monitoring is pervasive, but largely ineffective
The Chinese government is notorious for its aggressive censorship of dissent and obscenity on the Internet. Human Rights Watch produced a report on the country’s Internet surveillance activities in August 2001. Besides China, countries that monitor web surfers’ reading habits include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. But China is the most persistent, says Nart Villeneuve, director of technical research at the OpenNet Initiative, a collaboration of three academic groups that analyzes Internet filtering and surveillance.
For the past year, the Chinese government has been filtering blogs. Censors have filters at all levels, from Internet service providers to Internet cafés. The OpenNet Initiative recently released a study detailing how three Chinese blog providers—blogdriver.com, blogbus.com, and blogcn.com–have filtering mechanisms to control the content of the blogs they host.

posted by Jerry permanent link

New Face of P2P
eXeem opens new file-swapping doors
Underground programmers hoping to capitalize on the BitTorrent file-swapping community on Friday unveiled highly anticipated software that some peer-to-peer advocates believe could blunt recent legal attacks from Hollywood.
Called eXeem, the software aims to merge the speedy downloads of BitTorrent with the powerful global search capabilities of Kazaa or eDonkey. The first public version of the program was released by a company called Swarm Systems but has been associated with SuprNova, a Web site that, until recently, drew millions of people seeking free content online through the popular BitTorrent software.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Must Read
Digital music is moving into the mainstream of consumer life
The biggest challenge for the digital music business has always been to make music easier to buy than to steal. At the start of 2005, as the legitimate digital music business moves from a niche market into the mainstream of consumer life, that ambition is turning into reality.
As this report testifies, 2004 has seen an amazing change in the digital music landscape. And the market will grow apace in 2005. Here are some key highlights from this report:
* Record companies have digitised and licensed over a million songs. In 2004 the
available catalogue on the biggest online services doubled from around 500,000 to around one million tracks
* The number of online services where consumers can buy music has increased
four-fold to more than 230 worldwide – and over 150 of those are in Europe
* Services like iTunes and Napster have become household names internationally – but local repertoire services in many countries are also developing fast

posted by Jerry permanent link

Thanks to Mr. Jobs
Global Digital Music Market Soared in 2004
The market for digital music on the Internet and mobile phones boomed in 2004 with the global recording industry collecting significant revenues from the segment for the first time.

posted by Jerry permanent link

ebook extended
Author's friend to be his Guide
STEPHEN Fry is to join the cast of the big-screen adaptation of Douglas Adams' cult novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
On hearing he had been chosen as the voice of The Guide, the electronic book that guides Arthur Dent on his galactic travels, Fry said it was "like having your birthday on Christmas Day, discovering a winning lottery ticket in your stocking and having chocolate poured all over you".

posted by Jerry permanent link

Time Out!
New Ways to Manage Your Photos
And if this month is any indication, 2005 will be the Year of the Software to Organize the Pictures You Took With Your Digital Camera.
This week alone, two companies are releasing versions of popular photo-organizing programs: from Apple comes iPhoto 5 for the Macintosh. From Google (yes, Google) comes Picasa 2, for Windows 98 and later. These two programs are very similar in design, features, visual effects and a bend-over-backward effort to keep things simple.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBundled
Pocket PC Magazine - combined February-March 2005 Issue - is available now as eBook
Unfortunately it is available only in Microsoft Reader format so it is readable only PC and Pocket PC but not in Microsoft Smartphone. This magazine is partially dedicated also to Microsoft Smartphone so it is pity, that it is not available in eBook format that could be readable in it.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Hard to Find Classic Dept.
The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe by Michael Gall
An account that delves into what poor Crusoe must have been during those long years he stayed alone on his island. The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe is a well-written guide to onanism, beastiality, homosexuality, memory and the power of fantasy. Author Gall was a close friend of Olympia Press founder Maurice Girodias, as evidenced by the celebratory preface. This work is a comic classic that could hardly have been produced anywhere else.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free eBooks
Monsieur Beaucaire by Booth Tarkington
Twilight in Italy by D. H. Lawrence
Youth and the Bright Medusa by Willa Cather

posted by Jerry permanent link

Shuffling
More iPod Shuffle Blunder
MacFixIt reports that some readers have reported problems with loose buttons, overly sensitive buttons, and issues with synchronizing the iPod shuffle with multiple computers.
And according to iPodloungers in our forum, the iPod shuffle's lack of an internal clock--the first iPod to not have one--means that "last played" counts are not being updated when users sync the device back with iTunes.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/20/2005

iPod Blunder
From MacNN:
iPod shuffle may not play well with all ACC files
A document on Apple's support website says that users may not be able to play songs that are encoded by applications other than iTunes. AC format (.M4A) by an application other than iTunes.
+
iPod shuffle digital music player is not directly compatible with the USB port on some computers, including the company's own line of iMac G3 and eMac computers.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/19/2005

HolliPod
Web iPod Bible Sync
Web iPod Bible Sync is an applescript program I put together to sync your daily Bible reading to your iPod. It gets all the chapters from www.biblegateway.com, and then reformats them iPod-ready. And tomorrow, it downloads the next chapter! It has support for:
-Footnotes (use it and see)
-Over 4000-character chapters (Text to iPod Notes SE is used for this)
-Reading Plan (a version is included for reference, but editing that document will not change the reading plan, as it is built into the source code)
-Concordance (also included, built-in like the reading plan)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Tech Soft Watch
The Portable Mac OS X Geek
Who says you can't run Mac OS X on a Pocket PC?

posted by Jerry permanent link

Pottery Scam
Scam Site Offering Potter Ebook Offering Shut Down
A web site claiming to offer early electronic copies of the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was shut down by author J.K. Rowling's camp after being alerted to the homepage by the BBC. The site claimed that, "this book is available now in electronic variant only. If you do not wish to wait for six months more, buy and start reading right now! Be the first to reveal all the secrets!" The e-book was selling for $9.95, with Rowling's previous titles available for $6.95 apiece with a special offer of all six books for $29.95.

posted by Jerry permanent link

DRMonopoly
ContentGuard talks DRM futures
ContentGuard has followed the traditional development path of most intellectual property businesses. First it thought is was a product company with dreams of building a DRM monopoly on the back of technology leadership, then it found the going tough and the pickings too small and finally it dropped back to pushing intellectual property with a handful of key staff.
Today it is a 32-man operation encompassing two locations, selling IP and software tools, as well as standing behind the standard for a rights expression language called XrML, backed by both MPEG and ISO. The company is now owned by Microsoft, Time Warner and Thomson, the French CE manufacturer.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/10/2005

Aloha
I am in Hawaii using my Nokia 9500 try to access, but can't update it often. Sorry for the inconvinience. Thanks to Jorgen for updating this site oftens.
ALOHA TO ALL

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/06/2005

Three Hits
Gates: Apple is Impressive
"They had a hit with the Apple II, they had a hit with the Macintosh, and they have a hit with the iPod, so this is a company that's had three hits, and that's very impressive," he said in the interview. "There are a lot of companies that don't have three hits. And in the same way that Macintosh helped get people exposed to the graphical user interface, the iPod is doing a great job getting people to think about digital music."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Strike Out
Bill Gates Experiences Three Windows Crashes During CES Keynote
During his keynote address for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, Bill Gates experienced not one, not two, but three Windows crashes and glitches while showing off new products. (that Blue screen again)

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/05/2005

Brave New Hope
A new hope for BitTorrent?
Just weeks after legal attacks crippled the popular BitTorrent file-swapping community, an underground programmer from its ranks has stepped forward to announce new software designed to withstand future onslaughts from Hollywood.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Trend Watch
Netgear and Orb Networks Team Up for Digital Mobility
Using NETGEAR's line of wireless home networking solutions and Orb's service, customers can stream their live television, music, videos, photos and other digital content to any device that can connect to the Internet such as a cell phone, PDA, or notebook from everywhere they are connected.

posted by Jerry permanent link

iPdf
iTunes Manages PDF's?
Did you know that PDF's can be managed by iTunes. Doug Adams pointed out that this was first mentioned on MacOSXHints.
Apple has clearly added pdf support to iTunes in order to manage album artwork/liner notes. The only known music store files with associated PDF's are U2's "Complete" & "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb."

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/03/2005

Pardon my French
French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano
The French Maid: And 21 More Naughty Sex Fantasies to Surprise and Arouse Your Man by Don Macleod

posted by Jerry permanent link

Gutentag
Top 100 Gutenberg
To determine the ranking we count the times each file gets downloaded.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Hehe Simply Stupid
Forest Gorog
"Chris Gorog is convinced that people won't continue to pay $1 a song for online music.That is despite Apple's string of recent achievements, including 200 million songs sold at its iTunes Music Store, and nearly 4 million iPod digital music players moved into consumers' homes in 2004. Gorog runs Apple rival Napster, which offers digital downloads and a music subscription deal. Consumers get unlimited access to listen to 700,000 songs for $9.95 monthly. The hitch is that to move songs onto a portable digital device or to a CD costs extra: $1 a song. That's one of the reasons digital music fans have not taken to the subscription model

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/02/2005

A-duh-be Pocket PC
Adobe DRMed books on Pocket PC
Yes, you can now read DRMed Adobe ebooks on your Pocket PC, as reported in Acrobat 7 and my continuing Pocket PC DRM battle

posted by Jerry permanent link

iFilm
Best Movie Clips of 2004
We watched hundreds of clips this year: some great ones for great films; some bits of bad films you couldn't squeeze a good clip out of if you put them on the rack for their sins.
But even a film you'll only watch at 3 a.m. when it's free on TBS can have an excellent sequence that deserves appreciation. One you'll view over and over because it'll always make you laugh (or whatever you're into).

posted by Jerry permanent link

  1/01/2005

Bit by Bit
The BitTorrent Effect
Movie studios hate it. File-swappers love it. Bram Cohen's blazing-fast P2P software has turned the Internet into a universal TiVo. For free video-on-demand, just click here.

posted by Jerry permanent link