Sprint undercuts Apple with $129.99touch-screen smart phone

Sprint Nextel will be taking on the iPhone with a lower price for its own touch-screen smart phone, the Samsung Instinct. The Instinct will cost $129.99 when released on Friday. That compares with $199 for the least expensive model of the new iPhone, which goes on sale July 11 from AT&T.

The Instinct shares many features with the new iPhone, including access to a fast wireless data network and a GPS receiver. Sprint was unusually involved in the phone's development, and plans to promote it heavily.

The new iPhone costs half as much as the old one, since AT&T is now subsidizing the phone, like carriers do for other phones. Previously, Apple had a unique arrangement with AT&T under which the phone was sold at full price, but Apple got a share of revenue from the carrier.

Before the announcement of the iPhone price cut, Sprint had indicated that the Instinct would cost more than $200. Afterward, it said it would match the price. Wednesday's announcement lowers the price further, and shows the intense competition in the smart-phone market, which has been very strong.

The Instinct's price is with a two-year contract and after a $100 rebate.

The purchase price of a smart phone is only a fraction of the total cost of ownership, since the phones require a data plan. The lowest monthly plan for the Instinct costs $69.99, which ends up closer to $80 with taxes and fees. The cost for two years of service totals about $1,900. (info from the Associated Press)

Sony cellphone will have 8.1 MP camera

New cellphones announced by Sony-Ericsson for release in the last quarter of the year include the company’s most advanced camera phone, with 8.1-megapixel resolution, which was better than you could get in a non-phone camera not too long ago.

The camera phone, called the Cyber-shot C905, is the company’s first slider in the Cyber-shot line and will be available in two worldphone versions. It’s equipped with Wi-Fi and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certification for wireless home networking. The C905c version is a quadband GSM/EDGE model operating in the 850/1900MHz US bands and foreign 900/1900MHz bands. The C905a adds W-CDMA HSDPA operation in the US 850/1900MHz bands and foreign 2100MHz bands.

The C905 looks like a camera when closed and includes a Xenon strobe light. It will be available in three colors. Pricing was not announced.

Features include face-detection auto-focus, GPS, 2.4-inch scratch-resistant glass display and included 2GB Memory Stick Micro memory card. Using DLNA-certified Wi-Fi, users can send photos wirelessly to DLNA-certified PCs, TVs and other devices. Other features include stereo Bluetooth and Sony’s BestPic to quickly select the best of multiple pictures taken in rapid succession. (info from TWICE)

Hydrogen-powered Honda

If four-buck gasoline pisses you off and you live in southern California, you may be able to get a Honda that runs on zero-emissions hydrogen. Yesterday Honda announced its first FCX Clarity customers and the world's first fuel cell vehicle dealership network.

The announcements were made during a ceremony for the start of FCX Clarity production at the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle manufacturing facility in Japan.

Film producer Ron Yerxa will take delivery of the first FCX Clarity in July. The remaining four early adopters for Honda's next-generation fuel cell vehicle are author/actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her filmmaker husband Christopher Guest; business owner and car enthusiast Jim Salomon; actress Laura Harris; and Jon Spallino, already the world's first retail fuel cell vehicle customer, who has been leasing the current generation FCX since 2005. Yerxa, Harris and Spallino attended the event in Japan.

To provide its customers with service support and as a critical step in advancing fuel cell vehicles in the real world, Honda announced the establishment of the first network of dealers to facilitate the sales and service of fuel cell vehicles. The three Southern California Honda dealers are Power Honda Costa Mesa (Costa Mesa), Honda of Santa Monica (Santa Monica) and Scott Robinson Honda (Torrance).

"This is an important day in the history of fuel cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel cell cars will be part of the mainstream," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Our customers and dealers share in our vision for a cleaner and more sustainable transportation future, and share in our challenge to embrace a new generation of automotive technology that we think will carry the auto industry and its customers into the future."

The five customers announced were among the very first people to share with Honda their passion for the environment and interest in the FCX Clarity, dating back to its debut as a concept model at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. The initial criteria for fuel cell vehicle ownership, including proximity to hydrogen refueling stations, driving patterns and vehicle needs, all played a part in Honda's customer selection process.

"Auto companies can't explore the potential for fuel cell technology as the ultimate solution to our world's energy and environmental challenges by ourselves. Our customers are true pioneers and leaders in the effort to bring fuel cell technology to the marketplace," said Mendel.

Honda previously announced plans to deliver about 200 FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles in the US and Japan to customers in the first three years of production, with leases beginning in July. The lease program marks the world's first large-scale retail initiative for fuel cell vehicle technology.

Reinforcing its commitment to further advance Honda fuel cell technology, American Honda announced that three Southern California dealerships will comprise the world's first fuel cell automobile dealership network. Power Honda Costa Mesa, Honda of Santa Monica and Scott Robinson Honda are each located in close proximity to hydrogen refueling stations and will be well-positioned to support Honda's growing base of FCX Clarity customers.

American Honda is working with its dealer partners to implement processes for fuel cell vehicle lease, delivery and service support for the duration of their leases. Establishing a dedicated sales network and service infrastructure provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest quality of service. When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local FCX Clarity dealer.

American Honda will perform all required work at its specialized fuel cell service facility, in the Los Angeles area. Upon completion of the work, the dealer will return the vehicle to the customer.

The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, hydrogen powered fuel cell-powered vehicle. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, the vehicle's only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile. Based on the entirely-new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by a highly compact, efficient and powerful new Honda V Flow fuel cell stack, the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the fuel cell car.

Advances over Honda's previous generation FCX include:

an advanced new four passenger sedan design
a greater than 30 percent increase in driving range up to 280 miles
a 25 percent increase in combined fuel economy to 72 miles/kg-H2
(74 mpg GGE )
a 50 percent improvement in fuel stack power output density by volume
a 40 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter new lithium ion battery pack
Honda is responsible for the development of the world's first fuel cell car (Honda FCX) to be certified for regular commercial use by the U.S. EPA and California Air Resources Board; the first deployment of a fuel cell car with a fleet customer; and the first individual retail customer for a fuel cell vehicle.

The cars cost several hundred thousand dollars each to produce, and should drop below $100,000 in less than a decade as production volumes increase. In the meantime, Honda will be subsidizing its customers, who will lease the cars for $600 a month.

Wireless BatPhone available from Verizon

Hoping to cash in on the hype surrounding the July 18 release of “The Dark Knight” Batman movie, Verizon Wireless and Nokia have teamed up to distribute the Nokia 6205 Dark Knight edition, available exclusively online at www.verizonwireless.com.

Clad in a "mysterious" black color and embellished with a Dark Knight emblem, the themed-edition flip phone comes pre-loaded with wallpapers, voice tones, animated screensavers, and a movie trailer.

Features include touch-sensitive external music keys for V CAST Music service; two-inch display that supports up to 262,000 colors; 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and 4x digital zoom; 58 MB internal memory (expandable up to an additional 4 GB with an optional microSD™ memory card); support for text, picture and video messaging; Get It Now®-capable for downloading games, ringtones, wallpapers and other mobile content; VZ Navigator(SM)-compatible for audible turn-by-turn directions and location information; Mobile Web for access to the latest news, sports, weather and more; Voice dialing and voice commands for touch-free phone operation; speakerphone; Bluetooth®.

The packaging features images from Gotham City. Customers will also find a Joker playing card with a code and a link to the www.fightforgothamcity.com website. On the website, customers can find out if they have won The Joker’s “bag of cash” containing $10,000, play games to win more Dark Knight-themed prizes, and download exclusive Dark Knight content from Verizon Wireless’ V CAST service.

The phone is available online for $69.99 after a $50 online instant rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Following the premiere release of The Dark Knight edition, the standard edition of the Nokia 6205 phone –- containing all of the same features and a metallic blue and silver color scheme -– will be available both online and at Verizon Wireless next month.

If you prefer a traditional red BatPhone with a flashing light, go to RedHotPhones.com

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This is a preview, not a review.

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Magnetic Multi-Mount holds lots of things

If you ever lost a light, or wanted to hang WD-40 on your tool cart, or put a salami on the tailfin of your 1960 Cadillac, the magnetic Multi-Mount® is the solution. It provides storage, security, availability, organization and portability for the things you need to keep handy.

It has hundreds of uses. It can hold flashlights, trouble lights, spray cans, small power tools, brooms, tape guns and more. It firmly grips metal beams, walls, storage racks, file cabinets or tool cabinets for easy access.

Powerful magnets and adjustable straps allow it to attach objects weighing up to 3 pounds to smooth, ferrous metal surfaces that are at least .06” thick. CLICK to order from PhoneGeeks.com

Jumbo scanner from Plustek

If you need to scan images bigger than the traditional 8-1/2 by 11, this could be perfect for you.

The new OpticPro A360 scanner from Plustek can handle documents up to 12 by 17 inches. It has hardware resolution of 600 by 1,200 dpi and scans in 48-bit color

The $1,199 unit can scan an 8-1/2 by 11 inch document in 2.4 seconds at 300-dpi resolution. More at Plustek.com

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This is a preview, not a review.

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VTech DECT cordless has QWERTY keyboard for instant messaging

VTech has introduced what it says is the world's first cordless phone system with a full-QWERTY keyboard along with instant messaging and instant voice (peer-to-peer calls) features. The IS6110 gives users the option to make and receive landline calls or instant messages or instant voice calls.

The cordless phone gets connected to a standard phone jack and to a PC with the included USB cord. Support for AIM, MSN and Windows Live Messenger gives users access to these services anywhere in their home, while freeing up the family PC for other activities.

Other features inlude DECT operation, large, color LCD for easy viewing, integrated speakerphone, multiple ring tone options and a built-in 50 name and number phonebook directory. Suggested retail price is $99.95.

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This is a preview, not a review.

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New iPhone: Twice as fast and half the price

There's undeniable status to being one of the first to own a cool new toy, but leading edge and bleeding edge technology had its price, both in tech glitches and prices.

I've generally made it a rule to wait for gen-two and save some money and avoid some headaches (but I found Blu-ray too compelling to delay).

Yesterday Apple boss Steve Jobs revealed the second generation iPhone. As with most things in electronics, it's smaller, better and less expensive. It will probably piss-off a lot of the early adopters who were on line at midnight to buy the original iPhones at twice the price when then they first became available.

Despite the ample coolness of the original iPhone, there was considerable criticism of the slowpoke internet speed using AT&T's EDGE network, when WiFi was not available. With the "3G" (third generation network) iPhone, peak download speeds should reach up to 1.4 megabits per second, about 10 times faster than what iPhone users had been doing with EDGE, but still slower than a typical wired connection. AT&T said its 3G wireless network was working in 275 markets. They expect to have it operating in 350 areas by the end of the year.

Other improvements that may make you put your old phone on eBay include a thinner body (with a cheaper plastic back), built-in GPS, support for Microsoft Exchange software, a new Web-based service called "MobileMe," which Apple describes as "Exchange for the rest of us," a consumer-friendly way for people to link their iPhones to their home and work computers so updates entered into one device automatically appear in the others.

An 8-gigabyte version of the new iPhone will sell for $199 when it goes on sale July 11, and a 16 gigabyte model will sell for $299. Current iPhone owners who buy a new model and sign up for a new AT&T contract won't have to pay any penalties to get out of their current contract. Anyone who bought an iPhone in an AT&T store after May 26 can return it before Aug. 1 for full credit against a new one, less a 10 percent restocking fee. (some info from AP)

YouTube available on Sony Bravia TVs

Yesterday Sony announced that YouTube is the latest online video provider to join the company’s Bravia Internet Video Link service. The service provides Bravia Internet Video Link users access to millions of videos on YouTube at no additional charge.

Joining YouTube are Wired.com and C-Spot, which offers original episodic short comedy.

The Bravia Internet Video Link is a small module that attaches to the back of a some Sony 2007 and 2008 Bravia LCD television. The service streams on-demand entertainment including movies, TV programs, your YouTube videos and other free content as well as news, weather and traffic informaiton via an existing Ethernet connection without the use of a personal computer. A broadband connection of at least 2.5 Mbps is recommended. Content is navigated with Sony’s Xross Media Bar user interface.

Once the TV and BRAVIA Internet Video Link module have been purchased, videos are available at no charge, bringing content to Sony televisions not found on network or cable/satellite TV stations.

The new content adds to existing channels including Yahoo!, AOL, Sports Illustrated, blip.tv, CondéNet’s Style.com, Men.Style.com, Epicurious and Concierge.com channels, Sony Pictures’ Crackle, The Minisode Network and Inside Sony Pictures channels, FEARnet, Ford Models, SingingFool, and VideoDetective.

Sony will continue to add new content partners and increase the growing list of on-demand video content.

The Wired.com channel delivers exclusive, original reporting at the point where technology intersects with business, entertainment, politics, culture, science and art. Content will include Game|Life, Wired.com’s weekly web video covering the world of gaming, and AltText, a satirical commentary on technology, business, entertainment, communications and culture.

Crackle’s C-spot offers original character and story-driven episodic series. The channel will offer series including “Hot Hot Los Angeles,” The Writer’s Room,” “Penn Says,” and The Roadents.”

Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link module is currently available for about $300. It can be purchased online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores and at Sony authorized dealers. The module used with a consumer’s existing broadband Internet connection is compatible with a majority of the latest 2007 BRAVIA television models, as well many new 2008 models.

Free classified ads on Wal-Mart website

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has launched an online classified advertising site, a move that opens a broader range of shopping to Wal-Mart's Internet customers.

The site is run through Oodle.com, a three-year-old company, and links to Oodle's online offerings.

"This free, community-based resource allows customers to buy and sell items locally, find local jobs and learn about events in their area," Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said. The site expands goods and services that Wal-Mart customers can buy through the company.

"It also further connects our community of 130 million customers who shop the Wal-Mart brand each week," Jariwala said. Go to walmart.oodle.com

Wal-Mart adds more Hi-def TVs and Blu-ray, and has Dad's Day bargains

Wal-Mart has redesigned its consumer electronics departments, adding hundreds of new products and making changes intended to help customers better understand the uses and options of the products, including a “hi-def Blu-ray experience area” in 1,200 stores.

Wal-Mart has made about a 60% increase in 1080p HDTVs with the introduction of new models and brands, and an expansion in larger TV sizes. There's also been an increased assortment of Blu-ray, with new players such as Magnavox, Samsung and Panasonic to the Sony line, plus an increased selection of Blu-ray movies.

From June 8-14, Wal-Mart is offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player in its stores.

In addition, the stores will have select Blu-ray movie titles for only $15 starting June 8, including 3:10 to Yuma, WAR, Shooter, 300, and The Fifth Element.

Really good, really cheap cordless from (GASP!) VTech

The VTech CS5111 cordless comes from a company I’ve had little respect for.

Despite the company's pioneering work in 900MHZ cordless phones, VTech’s quality control has been so erratic, that I doubted the company's ability to make two properly-functioning phones in the same week.

It was really frustrating, because VTech had the ability to make some really excellent phones -- but you might have to open up a dozen boxes and charge up a dozen phone batteries to find that one excellent phone.

In my other life as the owner of a company that sells phone equipment, I refused to sell anything with the VTech label, and in recent years I was wary of AT&T-branded phones that were really made by VTech (actually they're fine phones).

Vtech's quality was often so bad that some people in the business referred to the company as V-dreck. (“Dreck” is the Yiddish word for crap, or inferior merchandise.) At one time Vtech made multi-handset cordless phones for Panasonic and Sony. Panasonic quickly replaced it with their own Panasonic-made phone. Sony got out of the phone business. Should we blame VTech? Maybe a little bit.

In April, my parents needed a cordless phone with a particular combination of features and color, and the only phone that had what they needed was the Vtech CS5111. The price was so ridiculously low ($17.95) that I was afraid to try it. But, on the other hand, the price was so low that the risk was also low.

I am pleased to point out that after more than a month in the hands of my decidedly low-tech parents, the phone is still performing flawlessly, and it would have been a fine phone at two or three times the price.

Features: 5.8GHz radio transmission to avoid interference with wireless networks, Caller ID on call waiting, stores Caller ID information on 45 calls, 20 name-and-number directory, 9 number speed dial, any key answer, backlit keypad and display, handset volume control, last number redial, page/handset locator, selectable ring tones, trilingual prompts (English, Spanish, French), voicemail waiting indicator, wall mount bracket included.

The only bad thing about the phone is that the profit is so low (less than one dollar difference between wholesale and the suggested retail price), that you may have trouble finding a dealer who sells it.

For Father’s Day, Graduation Day, and any day: PizzaPhone automatically calls for America’s most popular delivered food.

An exciting alternatative to the traditional ties and wrench sets that often appear at this time of year, the PizzaPhone® is a unique gift for Father’s Day, Graduation Day or almost any day. It can be easily programmed to call a favorite pizzeria, and the number is dialed as soon as the handset is lifted.

If another restaurant becomes the new favorite, it takes just a few seconds to re-program the phone’s memory. A manually-dialed PizzaPhone is also available.
The PizzaPhone is the ultimate status symbol for a college dorm, fraternity or apartment, or an executive office; and it's a great "power tool" for garage or basement.

It's also good for a lodge or club, the kitchen or break room at work; and although women can use it, it will be particularly appreciated anywhere hungry guys hang out.

The PizzaPhone is a great gift for others, but people can also use it to reward themselves. If a husband puts it on the kitchen wall at home, it might even encourage his wife to cook more. Or he might get hit with the phone.

PizzaPhone easily mounts on a standard "RJ11W" wall phone jack. It works with an ordinary analog phone line, or VoIP, or cable TV phone service, or in a business or institution's phone system. It can also be installed in a hotel or motel lobby or on a military base. PizzaPhone is powered by the telephone line. No AC power or battery is required.

Two models are available. The automatic-dialing PizzaPhone, which can be easily pre-programmed by the user to call a favorite restaurant, sells for $177, with free shipping anywhere in the United States, and has a two-year warranty. The manual-dialing PizzaPhone, which can also be used as a conventional telephone, sells for $77, with free shipping anywhere in the 50 states, and has a five-year warranty. It can even be used to order Chinese or Mexican food. Both phones can answer incoming calls.

The PizzaPhone is a product of RedHotPhones, the developer of the BatPhone and the Presidential HotLine Phone. CLICK for more information and ordering.

time out

I need to re-charge my battery. I should be back the first week in June.

Shop, eat, and explore in Kittery, Maine

If you are heading up the New England coast this summer, plan on spending at least a half a day in Kittery -- on Route 1, right at the bottom end of Maine.

There's over a mile of outlet stores, but unlike most outlet areas -- there are actually stores with stuff that will appeal to MEN: Black & Decker, Brookstone, and Seiko (best bargains are in the rear of the store). There's also candy, clothing, luggage, shoes, sunglasses, etc. plus all of the stores that wives, girlfriends and daughters want to go to.

The town has a number of excellent places to eat, including Bob's Clam Hut, Weathervane and Warren's Lobster House. The Mickey Dee's used to serve lobster rolls, but hasn't had them in the last few years.

Allow an hour for a side trip to ancient Fort McClary, overlooking the Piscataqua River that divides Maine from New Hampshire. The hexagonal fort is on a defense site that dates back to the late 1600s. The present blockhouse was built around 1845. The fort was abandoned at the end of World War I, after being prepared -- but never used -- to defend against invaders in five wars. There's a fantastic 360-degree view of the land and sea; and check out the super-sturdy granite and log construction (done pre-Black & Decker).

If you have the time, drive along the coast for a half hour or more, starting just north of the Fort. It's easy to get stuck, so use your GPS or a detailed map.

If you're not just passing through, consider staying in Portsmouth, New Hampshire -- just south of the Maine/NH border. There are lots of nice Hiltons and Marriotts and a Sheraton (some are dog friendly) plus good shopping, eating and lots of nature to look at. There are even two brew pubs. Also super-cheap gas, and NO SALES TAX. The NH state motto is "Live free or die."

CLICK for more about the outlets, including coupons. Fort photo from SeacoastNH.com

Ridiculously cheap Hi-def TV from Costco.com

I used to point out one of the wonders of the consumer electronics industry. Year after year it was always possible to get a 19-inch color TV for $299, despite inflation.

The prices of cars, houses, appliances and food went up. But TV prices stayed the same, even theough quality got better. Then, at some point, the price dropped to $199. Then, at some point I stopped paying attention, and stopped talking about it.

For years, I've had an old 19-inch CRT TV in my garage. It's one of the few-non-flat screens in my house, and only used a few hours a week, typically for the History Channel when I'm playing around with my historical 30-year old Fiat Spider. The TV has not aged gracefully. For the past couple of years, it has required a few forceful thumps to get it to do anything. Last year, it often had sound but no picture. This year, it often has no sound or picture.

For the few hours that I use it, it would be hard to justify buying my seventh Hi-def set, and I've been wondering about going to Goodwill and trying to buy back one of the CRT sets that I've previously donated.

BUT... I just saw a ridiculously cheap LCD flat screen set on the Costco.com website. It's only $249.99 plus just ten bucks for shipping. At that price, I couldn't imagine it was HDTV, but it is. HDTV is overkill for my garage, but WTF.

It does have 16 x 9 aspect ratio and contrast ratio is said to be 1000:1 Resolution is 480i / 480p / 720p / 1080i scaled -- not equal to my Sony XBR5s inside the house, but I'm not likely to play Blu-rays while I'm changing spark plugs, and the price was pretty close to freebie.

I've never owned any Sceptre products before, but they seem to be a substantial company and I trust Costco. Costco extends the manufacturer's warranty to 2 years, and accepts returns within 90 days from the date of purchase, so I don't think I have much to lose. Price is effective through 6/1, while supplies last. CLICK to order. I'll let you know how this thing looks when I get it, but I suspect it should be fine for garage, workshop, kid's room, guest room or kitchen.

Save big bucks on Sony Hi-def packages and get one year to pay with no interest

Get a bundle, save a bundle. Do you crave Hi-def movies? Save up to $490 on Sony Bravia HDTV packages when you pair an eligible HDTV with a Blu-ray player or home theater system. It's like getting the Blu-ray player for free, and saving additional money to pay for a bunch of movies, and popcorn. And you get a year to pay, with no interest. CLICK or call 1-877-865-SONY (7669).

Bundles include top-of-the-line XBR5 models, like I have in my movie room and bedroom. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

New JVC camcorder does one-touch uploads to YouTube

A new JVC GZ-MS100 camcorder provides one-button uploading to YouTube, the online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. It should be available in June. Suggested retail price is $350.

The camcorder was designed to make sharing simpleand also provides the versatility to do more than shoot short Internet videos.

It looks like other Everio G Series camcorders, but is smaller and weighs only 0.60 lbs. including battery, because it records to an SD Card (user provided) instead of a built-in hard disk drive. The ever-increasing capacity and affordability of new SD Cards appearing on the market means that over time Everio S will be able to offer expanded recording time at a lower per-minute cost.

Once the provided CyberLink software is installed on a Windows® PC, uploading video clips to YouTube™ is quick and easy. The camcorder has an UPLOAD button that works in two ways. In the camera mode, press UPLOAD and then press the trigger, and this limits recordings to 10 minutes in length, which matches the YouTube™ file size limit. This eliminates the need to manually time recordings or go back to edit and shorten footage. After recording is done, connect the GZ-MS100 to a PC via a USB cable and press the UPLOAD button. This automatically launches the supplied application for uploading to YouTube™. After just a few mouse clicks the video will be on the Internet for everybody to see. The original quality is maintained in the camera, so it can be used for any other purpose.

For storage and cataloging, recorded videos can easily be transferred to a PC via USB2.0 or directly using the SD Card. The provided CyberLink application also allows easy burning to DVD using the computer’s optical disc drive.

Or, to create DVDs without using a computer, JVC offers the CU-VD3 Everio SHARE STATION as an option. Since it was designed as an Everio companion, this DVD burner accommodates Everio’s USB Host function that allows scene playback order to be rearranged within the camera before transfer.

The GZ-MS100 features Laser Touch Operation, first offered in the Everio G Series camcorders released earlier this year. The feature’s scroll bar and buttons are touch-sensitive so the user just glides a finger up or down the bar to choose menu items while its blue light follows the movements. The LCD screen itself is never touched, so it won’t get dirty, smudged or covered in fingerprints.

The 2.7-inch LCD screen, the same one used on Everio G series models, has Auto Backlight Control to automatically adjust brightness for comfortable viewing indoors or outdoors. And with Auto Power ON/OFF, the user simply opens up the LCD to power-on and start shooting (takes only about one second if Quick Restart mode is engaged), and closes the LCD to shut the power off and avoid draining the battery. The shape of the camcorder itself facilitates ease of use, with a contoured grip that snugly and securely fits the palm of the hand.

In addition to the supplied BN-VF808 rechargeable battery that provides 2 hr. 5 minutes of operation per charge, higher capacity batteries are available: BN-VF815 for 4 hr. 15 minutes and BN-VF823 for 6 hr. 25 minutes of continuous operation per charge.

The GZ-MS100 is equipped with a KONICA MINOLTA LENS that provides a 35x optical zoom. JVC’s proprietary Gigabrid Engine also contributes to quality by incorporating six digital noise reduction systems to improve the S/N ratio by about 30 percent (3dB) over previous models, and integrating the MPEG-2 encoder to help reduce block noise and mosquito noise. Other camera functions include Program AE with shooting modes to accommodate a variety of situations (Night, Twilight, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Spotlight), Digital Image Stabilizer to minimize camera-shake, and much more.

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This is a preview, not a review.

Pananoids take note: Dutch study warns about brain damage from European DECT phones

A recent study from the Dutch Electrohypersensitivity Foundation has found that DECT cordless phones increase the risk of brain tumors and lesser maladies such as headaches, fatigue, heart palpitations and sleep problems.

Professor Lennart Hardell, a cancer researcher told TWICE magazine that while the "health effects of DECT are not well understood" his research group has "consistently" found "an association with DECT phones and brain tumors." His advice: "disconnect the phone" and buy a corded one instead.

Part of the issue is the DECT base station, which emits a constant stream of RF energy whether the phone is in use or not. Some DECT phone makers in Europe have begun to sell DECT phones whose base stations will power down when not in use, reducing RF power.

The Dutch study was conducted on the European implementation of the DECT standard which emits 250mW. In the United States, DECT phones emit half the power.

Makers of DECT phones and the DECT Forum noted that DECT phones must meet wireless safety standards before being sold in the US. They also pointed to a general consensus among major scientific institutions, including the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration, that RF energy at the levels emitted by DECT phones do not constitute a health risk.

"International independent scientific organizations, such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, have developed guidelines which define exposure limits to electromagnetic fields. The ICNIRP guidelines include substantial safety factors (margins) to protect people," said a spokesperson for Philips. "These guidelines set by the ICNIRP have been widely adopted in standards around the world, and are also endorsed by the World Health Organization. Philips DECT products comply with all applicable standards regarding electromagnetic fields."

According to the DECT Forum, "There is no established evidence of any adverse health effects from exposure to radio waves within the limits applied to wireless communications."

VTech said it was looking at new DECT base stations that would power down when not in use, less for any health concerns but out of a desire to reduce energy consumption. "This issue definitely deserves more study and we'll watch it closely. When any new technology is introduced into the market, health fears frequently arise.

A few years ago there was an inconclusive scare about possible brain damage from the use of cellphones. Motorola was sued for $800 million by a Maryland doctor who claimed his phone caused his brain cancer. Judge Catherine Blake ruled that none of the evidence submitted by Dr. Christopher Newman was substantial enough to warrant a trial. (info from Twice & CBS news; photo by ELLIS, LOGAN & DIXON)

Neil Young collection coming to Blu-ray

Since the 1980s, Neil Young has been telling fans he is close to releasing an exhaustive, interactive archive of music, photographs, video footage and other material from his storied career. The project achieved legend status, not for the music it contains but because it has never appeared, despite Young's periodic promises. Young attributed the delays to technical shortcomings and sound-quality problems in media ranging from CD-ROMs to DVDs.

Last week, he announced his most concrete plans yet for the long-awaited project, using a medium few people can play and fewer still associate with music: Blu-ray.

Mr. Young's first, five-disc installment is due this fall, and is to cover his career from 1963 to 1972.

Among the memorabilia and artifacts to be digitally reproduced are letters from Young to his parents while on tours with his first band, the Squires, and business records. Some gigs in bars and high-school gyms around Canada paid the Squires as little as 10 Canadian dollars apiece.

Larry Johnson, the project's producer, says the first installment is to include about 128 songs, 18 of them never released before. There are to be 200 photographs, 160 lyrics manuscripts and more. Among the 90 articles and reviews are some less-than-favorable ones.

Young has long been one of the audiophiles, including Bob Dylan, who complain about the sound quality of CDs, saying it is inferior to that of vinyl records and the reel-to-reel tape still used in some recording studios. Young's "Archives" is the first major use of Blu-ray as an audio medium. (Other performers, including Céline Dion and Shakira, have released concert videos on Blu-ray.)

Even DVDs, which theoretically offer higher-quality sound than CDs, have drawbacks, Young said last week. "It wasn't really quite good enough. You couldn't go through the archival materials and listen to the high-res music at the same time, which is what I thought that most of my users would want to do." Blu-ray's audio "sampling rate," a key factor in digital-sound quality, is more than four times higher than that of a standard CD.

Larry Johnson, who has worked with Young since the two met at Woodstock, says Youngr talks of "Archives" as a near compulsion. Thanks to his love-hate relationship with technology, Young has obsessed over the project for years but had been unwilling or unable to complete it. "When we get it out," Johnson says, "he won't have to think about it anymore."

In Blu-ray, Mr. Young found a medium that resolved his two main problems, thanks to higher-quality audio and an animated, on-screen interface he says is "sort of like a videogame." The format addresses other issues, too. For instance, a purportedly exhaustive undertaking like "Archives" is bound to leave out material that surfaces later, or for which there isn't room. Thanks to a feature called BD-Live, Young and his collaborators can add material later, via Internet download, which can be stored on a hard drive in the Blu-ray player itself, where it will appear to a user as though it were part of the disc.

Still, not many fans own Blu-ray players. There are around six million Blu-ray players in North America, more than half of them in the Sony PlayStation 3 videogame systems. (That's equal to 0.8% of the 750 million CD players, including those built into PCs, in North American homes and vehicles.

Peter Standish, senior vice president for marketing at Reprise and its sister label, Warner Bros., says the company is working out how best to balance Young's concern with sound quality against the reality that few consumers can listen to Blu-ray discs. "We want to do right by Neil and by his fans," Standish says. "We're still formulating a decision" about whether and when to release the set on DVD and CD. As for plans to issue Blu-ray music releases for other artists, the executive adds, "It hasn't come up yet, but why not?"

The track record for physical music formats that purport to improve on CDs has been mixed at best, even as digital downloading has taken off. An alphabet soup of would-be successors have come and mostly gone without making a commercial dent. It's unclear whether a Blu-ray music disc can gain traction where SACD, HDCD, CDVU-Plus, DualDisc and DVD-A have not.

Young's collaborators say they are at work on volumes two through five of "Archives." Among the gems set for inclusion in the second volume is footage of Young jamming in a Northern California Chinese restaurant/nightclub with an early incarnation of the band Devo.

The footage includes some of the "warts" the rocker has opted to leave in. Devo's punked-out fans, apparently unimpressed by Young's legendary status, mocked him with a play on his name, according to Johnson, who filmed the episode. He recalls with a laugh that they welcomed Mr. Young to the stage chanting, "Real Dung!" (info & photos from The Wall Street Journal

Wal-Mart is a better place than AT&T to get an AT&T cellphone

Last year I replaced my Moto flipper with a new Samsung Sync. Initially I was impressed, but the love quickly ran cold.

I frequently struggled to flip open the wrong end, never learned the multiple button sequence to operate the camera or the hands-free speaker, and after a month I canceled the slooooow TV programming that was cute but totally impractical.

I knew it was just a matter of time before I'd replace it. It was just a matter of when, for what, and for how much.

The answer came two weeks ago, when the outer screen cracked. Apparently it collided with keys that I carelessly carried in the same pocket. I probably could have paid to get the Sammy fixed, but why prolong the agony?

I went to my local ATT store, and settled on a familiar Moto flipper. It was older technology. The display was not as sharp as the Sammy, but there was no doubt about flipping it open, or which button turned on the speakerphone or the camera.

"Regular" price, which no one pays, was $250, but with a rebate for contract renewal, the the price came down to $150. It seemed a bit high for older tech, but I went along with it just to end the shopping. I was more upset about having to use the ancient US mail to get my hundred bucks back.

Last week I was in Wal-Mart and I saw the same friggin phone with the same two-year AT&T deal for $48 and change. I used my new Moto to take a picture of the sign, and planned to show the evidence to the folks at my AT&T store to demand either a price match or a refund.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

The Wal-Mart website offers "my" Motorazr V3xx as well as the more advanced Motorazr2 V9 (bigger display, better camera, streaming radio, Stereo Bluetooth, touch-sensitive external music keys). AND THEY'RE BOTH FREE with the same two-year contract renewal I would have gotten with a $150 phone at the AT&T store.

Up-yours, AT&T.

Nearly-new red rotary dial phone: Show your kid how people lived before VoIP and wireless.

No Caller ID. No voicemail. No flash button. No batteries. No power cord. No MegaHertzes. No GigaHertzes. No mute button. No speaker. No redial. No memory. No headset jack. No antenna. No octothorpe. No pound sign. No shipping charge.

The last company to make rotary-dial phones in the USA stopped making them a few years ago. However, if you want a phone that looks and works like Elvis-era telecommunications, there is a good solution.

FrillFreePhones.com recently discovered a stash of New Old Stock parts, and for a while, they'll be able to supply what they're calling Nearly New Phones. They have a one-year warranty, just like when they were factory-fresh.

When a call comes in, instead of a wimpy 21st-century warble, you'll hear the sound of a powerful mechanical "dual-gong ringer," just like on Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best, and Happy Days.

The plastic shell is new and shiny. The handset has never been held by anyone outside the factory or assembly plant. The dial has never been dialed, except for testing. The cords are brand-new, too. No one will now it's not 100% new unless they turn the phone over. Price is $123, with free shipping to all 50 states, even if you live or work in Dutch Harbor, Alaska or Niihau, Hawaii. CLICK to order.

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Note: a rotary-dial phone should work fine even if your other phones are touch-tone, BUT may not work with some VoIP companies. Check with your service provider. BUT, you may receive incorrect information.

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off-topic medical warning

A Do Not Resuscitate, or DNR, order is a written order from a doctor that resuscitation should not be attempted if a person suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest. Such an order may be instituted on the basis of an advance directive from a person, or from someone entitled to make decisions on their behalf, such as a health care proxy; in some jurisdictions, such orders can also be instituted on the basis of a physician's own initiative, usually when resuscitation would not alter the ultimate outcome of a disease, and is designed to prevent unnecessary suffering.

(Above from Wikipedia)

My wife's cousin Barbara has had a DNR order for years. She thought it made sense. She didn't want to live "like a vegetable."

She was recently hospitalized. Her heart stopped. Her regular doctor was not at the hospital, and no one at the hospital knew that there was a DNR order. She was resuscitated and is doing fine and will be coming home soon.

DNR orders may make sense in some cases, but if it was is followed in this case, Barbara would be dead. If you or a loved one has a DNR order, you should review it.

If you bought an old iPod, Apple may owe you money

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I'll be away on Monday, so I'm doing the Monday blog on Saturday.

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Apple has agreed to settle two class-action lawsuits in Canada alleging it misled customers about the staying power of iPods, the latest settlement over the dwindling battery life of early iPods.

According to a court document, Apple is offering credits for its online store of about $45 to people who live in Canada and bought certain iPods there on or before June 24, 2004.

To be eligible, the battery life of their iPods - while continuously playing music - needs to have dropped to five hours or less for the first and second generation of the device and four hours or less for the third generation.

The lead plaintiffs in the lawsuits - iPod owners Ines Lenzi and Bradley Waddell - claimed Apple misrepresented iPods' battery life by claiming they were capable of eight to 10 hours of continual music playback. After recharging, however, the iPods' battery life began declining.

In 2005, the company settled a separate class-action lawsuit in the US over similar claims about iPod battery life. In that case, Apple agreed to give some iPod owners $50 in store credit or $25 in cash if the battery life in their early-generation iPods dropped below certain levels. (info from the Associated Press)

2-conductor line cords for H-P fax machines

A few times each year I get inquiries from people who need to replace the line cord for a Hewlett-Packard fax machine. The instruction manual and the HP website warn that only a two-conductor cord should be used instead of the much more common four-conductor cord, but people have trouble finding one.

There is no technical reason why a fax, or a phone, or any single-line telecom device that normally requires two conductors, would not work with a four-conductor cord, when the extra wires are not connected to anything; but HP keeps insisting on it.

I checked with HP tech support. I was told that 99% of the time, their fax machines will work just fine with four-conductor cords, but in about one percent of the time, the extra two conductors (wires) can act as an antenna and pick up interference that hurts faxing.

Why a 1% chance leads to the "You must use a cable that has only two copper leads" warning is beyond me.

And I also don't understand why Panasonic, Brother, Sharp, NEC and other brands don't worry about it.

And I don't understand why HP chooses to ignore all of the other pairs of wire that may be inside the wall behind the jack where the fax is plugged in.

I think the real reason why HP supplies two-wire cords with their fax machines is that they save a couple of pennies on each one.

However, keep in mind that if your faxing is going gaflooey, and you’re using a four-conductor line cord, there is a 1% chance that the cord really is the source of the trouble.

Now you know the truth. So, if you’ve tried everything else, now try another cord. CLICK to get one at CordsForPhones.com. The website also has a huge selection of phone cords and accessories, and bargain priced flat rate shipping to all 50 states. and lots of info about phone cords. (Disclaimer: it's my website.)

iPhone rival has faster web & better camera

On Tuesday. HTC unveiled its new flagship phone, the HTC Touch Diamond, a rival to the Apple iPhone, notable for "unmistakable style, meticulous craftsmanship, compact size, game-changing Internet and its new captivating 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D," according to the manufacturer.

TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. In addition, HTC is introducing a new touch-sensitive control for interacting with Touch Diamond.

With the introduction of the Touch Diamond, HTC delivers broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of websites. Users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.

In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Diamond includes a customized new, HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content as well as utilizing Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

The 2.8 inch display is said to provide near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens. Other features include advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting.

The HTC Touch Diamond will be available from major European carriers in June. It will be available later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The North American and Latin American versions will be available in the second half of 2008.

Key Specifications

Size: 102 x 51 x 11.33mm
Weight: 110 g
Connectivity: WCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA
Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
Camera: 3.2MP, with video calling
Internal memory: 4 GB Internal Storage, 256 MB flash, 192 MB RAM,
Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Interface: HTC ExtUSBTM (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
Battery: 900 mAh
Talk time: GSM: up to 4 hours
Standby time: GSM: up to 300 hours/100 hours with push email
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM 7201ATM 528MHz

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This is a preview, not a review.

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Put (almost) any picture on a postage stamp

If you're tired of licking the backsides of dead presidents, you can lick and stick your favorite photos on bills, love letters and greeting cards. PhotoStamps are authorized and recognized as official postage by the US Postal Service. A sheet of 20 stamps costs $5 to $10 more than the cost of postage. You can upload your own photos or select team or college logos or stock photos from the website.

Now you don't have to be a mailman to go postal. CLICK for Stamps.com.

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This is a preview, not a review.

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Sunkist shelled pistachios are too easy to eat

Probably nothing tastes worse than a bad pistachio nut. And unfortunately, by the time you know it's a bad nut, it's too late. Even if you spit it out, you're stuck with the disgusting slimy taste in your mouth.

However, it's just a small price -- sort of a tax -- that pistachio lovers willingly put up with to indulge in each bag of joy.

Because of international politics, the pistachio situation in the US had seriously declined until recently. Most pistachios had come from Iran (which used to be called Persia). Back in the days of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was a US ally who spent lavishly on his family but tortured and imprisoned many of his citizens, there was a plentiful supply of excellent pistachios.

The administration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977 created a strain on relations between Iran and the United States. Carter, unlike previous American presidents, was outspoken about his criticism of the Shah's government and its human rights record. Carter pressured the Shah to allow more freedom for dissidents.

In 1979, Iranians revolted and the Shah was ousted. Ayatollah Khomeini became Iran's new leader and soon began issuing vicious rhetoric against the United States, describing the country as the "Great Satan".

On November 4, 1979, a revolutionary group, angered that the recently deposed Shah had been allowed into the US for cancer treatment, occupied the American embassy in Tehran and took 52 US diplomats hostage for 444 days

The crisis led to lasting economic and diplomatic damage, and a disruption to the flow of rugs and pistachios. On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran, a break which has yet to be restored.

The ordeal reached a climax when the United States attempted a rescue on April 24, 1980, which resulted in an aborted mission and the deaths of eight soldiers. The crisis ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords on January 20, 1981, and the hostages were freed.

California produces almost all US pistachios, and about half of these are exported, mainly to China, Japan, Europe and Canada. In the early days, they were dry, and tasteless, but the growers have learned and now they can compete with the Iranians.

Sunkist -- known mainly for oranges, markets a two-pound pouch of "pistachio kernels" -- nuts without the shells -- that they say equals four pounds of nuts in the shells.

They are absolutely delicious, dry-roasted and with just the right amount of salt, and with maybe just one bad nut per pound.

Unlike regular pistachios, you won't have cracked teeth, cut lips, slashed tongues or broken finger nails from opening the shells.

Unfortunately, the inconvenience of opening "normal" nuts is a self-limiting factor. Sooner or later you get tired of opening the shells and you put the bag away for another day. The pre-shelled nuts are so convenient, there's nothing to prevent you from scarfing down a pound or two all at once!

I buy mine at Sam's Club, but they're also available at Amazon.com and elsewhere. Price is about $20.

CLICK for more info, and a chance for win a year's supply of pistachios.

Most people buy pistachios for the taste, but they might also be good for you!

In July 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first qualified health claim specific to nuts lowering the risk of heart disease: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces (42.5g) per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease". In research at Pennsylvania State University, pistachios in particular significantly reduced levels of LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol, in the blood of volunteers. Pennsylvania State University's Department of Nutrition and Sciences has also conducted related research on other health benefits of pistachios, including an April 2007 study concluding that pistachios may calm acute stress reaction, and a June 2007 study on the cardiovascular health benefits of eating pistachios. (info from Wikipedia)

Just look and drool. No reason to say anything.

Bell & Ross is only making 500 of the BR01-92. It sells for about four large, so it may be time to finally crack open your piggy bank, or send your kids to a cheaper school. Even Cynical Cousin Dave thinks this watch is OK. CLICK for more

Movies from iTunes on same day as DVDs

Yesterday Apple today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes Store website on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod with video, iPhone, Mac or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV, with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.

New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include “American Gangster” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Other popular titles now available for purchase include “Juno,” “Cloverfield,” “I Am Legend,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”

The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over six million songs, 600 TV shows and over 1,500 films including 200 in hi-def video.

Movie purchases and rentals from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows require iTunes 7.6.2, available as a free download immediately from www.itunes.com. iTunes movie purchases and rentals require a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. iTunes Movies are available in the US only and cost $9.99 for library title purchases and $14.99 for new release purchases and $2.99 for library title rentals and $3.99 for new release rentals, and high definition rental versions are priced one dollar more. Short films are available to rent for 99 cents.

If you have a real crappy phone cord,you can win a free BatPhone

Despite the boom in wireless and cordless phones, most phones still use two cords.

CordsForPhones.com is a new website with a huge selection of high quality telephone cords for your office and home, and can help you replace worn out cords, tangled cords, or cords that are too short, too long or the wrong color. A money-saving shipping program can get up six cords to any address in the USA in two or three days for just $9; or up to 20 cords anywhere in the 50 states for just $12 -- even to Alaska and Hawaii.

While the purpose of the website is to get people to replace their crummy old telephone cords, they're having a contest that will reward some folks who have resisted warnings to upgrade.

People with crappy, crummy, cruddy, tangled, mangled, faded, melted, twisted, foul-smelling, bug-infested, run-over, static-prone, intermittent, paint-dripped, ink-dipped, chewed-up, stretched-out or wrong-color cords are encouraged to email a picture of the cord.

If your cord is ugly enough, or your digital picture is funny enough, you'll win a bright red BatPhone with a flashing red light. It's similar to the one Commissioner Gordon used when he called Batman for help when there was trouble in Gotham City. Your BatPhone will have two perfectly good, brand new cords. CLICK for contest details.

Did Starbucks read my mind or my blog?

Yesterday I complained that Starbucks' hot chocolate -- the only warm beverage they offer for people who don't drink coffee -- is "too-sweet, too-thin crap."

This morning's Wall Street Journal reveals that Starbucks plans to unveil two new drink lines later today as it tries to combat the decline in customers visiting its US stores.

This summer, the company will introduce smoothie-like drinks made with fresh fruit and whey powder at all US locations. Starbucks says they're the first stage of a broader push into healthier drink and food offerings.

The company also will begin selling a more-indulgent sweet, icy beverage developed with an Italian company. That drink will only be sold in select markets, including Southern California.

Unfortunately, neither effort will improve the crappy hot chocolate.

Pizza you can eat while you drive,from Dunkin' Donuts

I'm probably the only regular customer of Dunkin' Donuts who has never tasted their coffee. Actually I've never tasted anybody's coffee. I was once accidentally served coffee ice cream and I hated it, and that was close enough. My mother has never tasted coffee either. Her mother drank about 14 gallons each day, so maybe mom was rebelling against grandma. My wife tasted coffee once and hated it and never tasted it again. Maybe she married me because she knew she knew she'd never have to make coffee for me.

I've heard that Dunk makes great coffee and there's a Dunk conveniently next door to my office. The coffee smells good, but I've never been tempted to try it. On the other hand, Dunk does make the world's best hot chocolate, which I drink every morning in cold weather.

It's infinitely better than the too-sweet, too-thin crap they serve at Starbucks. I was in an airport yesterday at breakfast time and Starbucks hot chocolate was my only warm beverage option. I hated having to to say grande instead of medium. If English was good enough for Moses and Jesus, it's good enough for me. Grande is Starbucks-Italian for medium. In Italian-Italian, however, grande means large and medio means medium. Dunk lets you order in good old American English.

Anyway, back in February, Dunkin' Donuts, which calls itself "the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain," officially launched its all-day Oven-Toasted menu. The new program is an effort to get people to spend money at the chain after breakfast, and includes easy-to-hold-and-eat Flatbread Sandwiches, Hash Browns, and Personal Pizzas.

Having grown up in New Haven, the spiritual heartland (or maybe the bellyland) of American pizza culture, I have very high standards for pizza. I regard white pizza as heresy, and what most Americans consider to be good pizza -- whether it comes from neighborhood independents or national chains like Domino's or Sbarro -- I think is barely above the level of cardboard with ketchup and American cheese.

Pizza Hut is in a special category. Fellow pizza maven Cynical Cousin Dave and I are willing to eat it and simply don't compare it to the genuine article. We've put PH in it's own classification. As we say, "It's not pizza, it's pizza Hut."

The new Dunkin' Donuts Personal Pizzas are five inches in diameter, a tad bugger than a CD or a DVD. They're basically clones of the Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza. You can select three varieties: Supreme (sausage, pepperoni plus green and red peppers); Pepperoni (with mozzarella); and Cheese (four varieties blended.)

The first time I got one, I was surprised at its DVD size and assumed I would want a second; but found it both filling and satisfying. Although I hate green peppers, I ordered the Supreme, and didn't bother picking out the peppers. They didn't kill me. I've had about six more since then. That's a good sign.

Yesterday, after my plane landed, I drove to a Dunk near the airport and picked up a pizza to eat as I drove. When I got near my office, I got in line at the Dunk drive-up window, put the empty pizza box in their trash can, and bought a hot chocolate. Maybe I should buy some stock as well as food.

As with PH pizza, a Dunk pizza is not "real" pizza. But it's cooked much faster, available much closer, costs much less, is tasty, and can be carried, opened and eaten with one hand, and it's NEAT.

There's no way I could drive a car while eating a slice from Sally's, Pepe's or Papa's. The sauce, mootz, oil and clams would be all over the upholstery, dashboard and carpet.

Just as Mickey Dee's Egg McMuffin turned out to be the perfect one-handed mobile breakfast, Dunkin' Donuts has devised the perfect one-handed mobile pizza. It might even provide some McMuffin competition, because you can get it in the morning, or any time.

Bravo! Dunkin' Donuts. Bravo! When can I get a pizza grande?

day off

come back tomorrow

62-inch screen for your faceworks for games and TV

The Vuzix video iWear AV920-C is described as the first personal video display that allows multiplayer gaming off a single video game console. The AV920-C connects to Xbox360, PlayStation3, Nintendo Wii and other consoles, then allows users to select their half or quadrant of the TV video screen and view it on their personal 62-inch virtual screen. With the ability to daisy-chain the devices together, up to four players can game without distraction or fear than an opponent can view their screen, the company says.

The iWear AV920-C is designed to connect to almost all audio/video devices with video-out capabilities. It is 3-D-enabled for automatic 2-D/3-D control, and includes removable, integrated speakers and AccuTilt viewer that pivots up to 15 degrees for a comfortable viewing angle. The iWear can be worn with or without eyeglasses, and includes an integrated rechargeable lithium-ion battery as well as mini USB AC charger. It is available with the AV920-C Console Kit bundled or sold separately.

The AV920, with its 62-inch virtual screen and twin 640 x 480 high resolution LCD displays, brings video content to life for all electronic devices with video-out connections. Compatible devices include iPods, cell phones, portable DVD players,
and gaming consoles. With a starting price of $349, the AV920’s are good for the business traveler, commuter, college student or the techno-geek that wants it all.

Weighing just 2.9 ounces, the AV920 is fully adjustable for maximum comfort, includes an AccuTilt™ viewer that pivots up to 15 degrees up and down. The design allows for use with or without glasses. The speakers on the AV920 can even be moved out of the way or removed completely for users that want to plug in their own
high-end audiophile or noise-canceling headphones. The AV920 also supports iWear 3-D® with a growing list of 3D DVD titles available at www.vuzix.com.

Features include:
• Virtual 62” screen viewed from 9-feet
• iWear 3D Enabled for automatic 2D/3D control
• Twin high-resolution 640x480 (920,000 pixels) LCD displays
• 32-degree field of view
• 24-bit true color (16 million colors)
• 60 Hz progressive scan update rate
• Rechargeable lithium ion battery with approximately 4-5 hours of continuous
operation
• Removable, integrated speakers
• AccuTilt™ viewer with 15 degrees of angle

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This is a preview, not a review.

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Samsung intros HDTVS with 3D and networking

At a press preview Wednesday, Samsung demonstrated some of the industry’s first Hi-def plasma sets capable of supporting 3-D content in the form of PC software, video games and digital movie file sources, as well as InfoLink Internet connectivity and networking .

Samsung’s “Touch of Color” (ToC) models started arriving in stores about a month ago, and additional models will arrive through May. The new style features gloss-black cabinets, floating glass frames in some SKUs and narrow accent borders in red around the edges of the bezel frames. The accents are added using a special dual-injection fabrication process that places the color into the plastic of the frame.

Depending on the model line the red accent stripe is designed to stand out when backlit, or in other models, when lighted head on. Depending on the viewing angle, the accent takes on a crystalline appearance.

“ToC is just the latest step in our company's commitment to constantly introduce innovative designs along with innovative technologies,” a Sammy spokesman said. “Developed from years of research and design, specifically in the design-conscious automotive and fashion industries, we hope our Touch of Color design can redefine the role HDTVs play in the home by holding both entertainment and artistic value.”

The Series 6 and 7 LCD TVs are being distributed to Samsung’s big-box and A/V specialty dealers, but will not be offered through mass merchants or discount chains. Samsung's InfoLink RSS service delivers news, weather, stock reports, sports and other content from USA Today directly to the TV screen using a networked broadband connection to the set. Users will also have access to digital media from their PCs via USB 2.0 with WiseLink.

Series 6 650, which began shipping in March, and Series 7 750 LCD HDTVs feature 1080p picture resolution, up to a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios, Samsung's Auto Motion Plus 120Hz frame rate and Ultra Clear Panel technologies. The sets are also EPA as EnergyStar rated. Models include an InfoLink RSS function to access USA Today news content from the Web.


Models in the Series 7 750 LCD line will all ship in May and include the 39.9-, 45.9- and 52-inch screen sizes. They will add enhanced networking and multimedia management with WiseLink Pro, which plays MPEG4 and DiVX video files as well as MP3 music and JPEG photos through a bridge to user’s PC, and an illuminated Wheel-Key remote. The sets also Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compliant, allowing consumers to share content with other DLNA certified products.

Series 5 550 LCD TVs ship in May and include the 31.5-, ($1,099), 37.1- ($1,399), 40- ($1,699) 46- ($1,999) and 52.2-inch ($2,799) screen sizes. Forty-inch models and larger all offer 1080p resolution and 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios. Smaller models have 720p resolution.

Series 4 450 series LCD TVs began shipping in March and feature the 18.9- ($429), 21.9- ($549) 26- ($749), 31.5- ($899), 37- ($1,199) and 39.9-inch ($1,299) screen sizes. All feature 720p resolution.

In plasma, the company is offering Series 6 650 models in the 50- ($2,599), 58- ($3,999) and 63-inch ($4,999) screen sizes. All will include TOC design styling with invisible speaker placement, 1080p resolution, a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe) Pro 18-bit Natural True Color video processing. Features include Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) interoperability, WiseLink (USB 2.0) JPEG and MP3 support and four HDMI 1.3 inputs.

Series 5 550 plasma models, which began shipping in March, are offered in the 50- ($2,299) and 58-inch ($3,599) screen sizes. Models will offer three HDMI 1.3 inputs, DNIe+ and Natural True Color 18-bit processing, 1080p resolution, and a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

Samsung said its Series 4 720p plasma displays will have the ability to present 3D content, when viewed with a special emitter and glasses. Samsung will begin distributing the glasses under its own brand as an accessory item this year. Series 4 models, which began shipping in March, include the 42- ($1,199) and 50-inch ($1,699) screen sizes.

Series 6 650 models are offered in the 50- ($1,299), 56- ($1,499), 61- ($1,799) and 72-inch ($2,999) screen sizes. All offer 1080p resolution, 10,000:1 dynamic contrast and feature Cinema Smooth 120Hz frame rate light engines, 3D capability via a separate kit, DNIe image processing, WiseLink (USB 2.0) with MP3 and JPEG playback, and compatibility with Digital Media Adapter technology.

Series 7 750 models are offered in the 61- ($2,099) and 67-inch ($2,499) screen sizes and add Cinema Pure LED 120Hz backlighting. (info from TWICE)

New Nikon can use Wifi for photo sharing

Next month you should be able to get two new compact Nikon COOLPIX digital cameras with with 9.0 effective megapixels, a 3x, 38-114mm Zoom-NIKKOR lens, Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization and manual sensitivity settings as high as 3200.

The COOLPIX S52 and S52c feature Optical VR Image Stabilization technology, which compensates for camera shake as well as ISO capabilities up to 3200, which provide more opportunities to capture fast moving subjects and greater flexibility and clarity when shooting in low-light settings. These cameras also have an AUTO ISO control, which automatically selects the optimal sensitivity across a range between ISO 100 and ISO 800, and up to ISO 2000 in High-Sensitivity mode.

Providing even more control and freedom in photo taking, the S52 and S52c come with a 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens designed to capture brilliant detail and vivid colors in every photo and a huge 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD screen allowing easy sharing and viewing of images. Also, these new cameras are built on Nikon's innovative EXPEED™ digital image processing system designed to enhance noise reduction and improve the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio.

Like all cameras in the COOLPIX line, the S52 and S52c include Nikon's unique image innovations including enhanced Face-Priority AF, which automatically finds and focuses on up to five faces within the frame; In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, which can automatically detect and correct red eye in a photo; and D-Lighting, which compensates for excessive backlight or insufficient flash in images.

The Wi-Fi enabled S52c can send images directly via email through its Wi-Fi connection, as well as support my Picturetown, Nikon’s photo sharing and storage service. Through my Picturetown, users can email pictures directly to friends and family, publish pictures to the photo community sharing Website Flickr®, and link their photos to blogs and social networking sites. Pictures can also be sent to the email addresses of a BlackBerry® device for viewing.

The S52 and S52c both feature the Pictmotion function which will allow users to combine their favorite movies and photos and create in-camera slide shows with music including songs uploaded from iTunes®.

The COOLPIX S52 and S52c come packaged with Nikon's exclusive COOLPIX Software Suite for organizing, editing and sharing photos. The S52 and S52c are SDHC compatible and utilize Nikon's ultra-compact EN-EL8 rechargeable Li-ion battery. The S52 will be available in Crimson Red and Midnight Black. The S52c will be available in Vibrant Black.

The COOLPIX S52 and S52c will be available nationwide in May. The S52 has an MSRP of $249.95, and the S52c has an MSRP** of $299.95. For more information about these and other COOLPIX cameras, see www.nikonusa.com.

Ritz Camera and Nikon have teamed up for a “green” promotion with a special-edition Coolpix and the promise of reducing consumer’s “carbon footprint.”

When a consumer purchases a special-edition green Coolpix S52, Ritz will make a donation to Carbonfund.org.

When a consumer purchases a special-edition green Coolpix S52, Ritz will make a donation. The effect of the donation, Ritz said, would make the consumer “carbon neutral” for one month by off-setting 1.91 tons of carbon dioxide.

According to the company, the goal is to remove 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment through Carbonfund.org’s tree planting efforts.

The “eco-green” color S52 is the first camera Nikon has offered for an environmental promotion and will be available while supplies last. It will be sold exclusively through Ritz.

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This is a preview, not a review.

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Two new music phones from Nokia

On Tuesday, Nokia introduced two new music-enabled cellphones as additions to its XpressMusic series. The Nokia 5320 and 5220 are expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of the year.

Featuring 3G social entertainment capabilities, the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic delivers music and web 2.0 access. With new voice-controlled Say and Play feature, users can merely say the name of a favorite artist or song to automatically play it. Additional features include dedicated XpressMusic keys, a 3.5mm audio jack, up to 24 hours of playback time, an audio chip for hi-fi sound quality, extendable memory up to 8GB, HS-USB for fast music transfer and HSDPA for fast access to data.

The full featured Internet browser, access to Ovi and Nokia Search 4.1 allow users to find and share media content and information "with ease," according to Nokia. In addition, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys and landscape view deliver a true gaming experience, Nokia says, while HSDPA provides fast access to N-Gage, which will be available for download. The Nokia 5320 XpressMusic has an estimated retail price of $350 before carrier subsidies.

The Nokia 5220 XpressMusic device offers instant access to music on-the-go with a unique, asymmetrical design. Featured for the first time on a Nokia XpressMusic device, a built-in lanyard makes the device easy to carry. Additional features of include up to 24 hours playback time, dedicated XpressMusic keys and a 3.5mm audio jack. The 5220 XpressMusic has an estimated retail price of $250 before carrier subsidies.

Both phones are compatible with the recently launched Nokia Music Store and offer easy music side-loading. With Nokia Music Store, consumers can choose from more than 2 million tracks from both major and independent labels; international and local artists and simply browse, download, stream and sync either to a PC or side-load directly to a mobile device.

Complementing the new Nokia XpressMusic devices, Nokia also announced today the MD-8 Mini Speakers. With a sleek, pocket-sized design, these ultra-portable mini speakers feature battery playtime of up to 40 hours, an FM antenna, and a tangle-free cable. It will begin shipping in the second quarter of 2008.

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This is a preview, not a review.

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