On vacation

We'll be away for a bit of relaxation and recharging. New posts will resume in the first week of October (unless I discover something really important before then).

If you miss me, you can read all of the old posts on all of my blogs

Artificial boy

David Hanson has two little Zenos to care for these days. One is his 18-month-old son Zeno, and the other is the robotic Zeno. It can't speak or walk yet, but has blinking eyes that can track people, and a face with a range of expressions.

At 17 inches tall and 6 pounds, the artificial Zeno is the culmination of five years of work by Hanson and a small group of engineers, designers and programmers at his company, Hanson Robotics. They believe there's an emerging business in the design and sale of lifelike robotic companions, or social robots.

Unlike clearly artificial robotic toys, Hanson says he envisions Zeno as an interactive learning companion, a synthetic pal who can engage in conversation and convey human emotion through a face made of a skin-like, patented material Hanson calls frubber.

"It's a representation of robotics as a character animation medium, one that is intelligent," Hanson beams. "It sees you and recognizes your face. It learns your name and can build a relationship with you."

Hanson said he was inspired by, and is aiming for, the same sort of realism found in the book "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," by Brian Aldiss. Aldiss' story of troubled robot boy David and his quest for the love of his flesh-and-blood parents was the source material for Steven Spielberg's film "Artificial Intelligence: AI."

He plans to make little Zenos available to consumers within the next three years for $200 to $300. Until then Hanson makes a living selling and renting pricey, lifelike robotic heads. His company offers models that look like Albert Einstein, a pirate, and a rocker, complete with spiky hair and sunglasses. They cost tens of thousands of dollars and can be customized to look like anyone. (info from Zeno and The Associated Press.)

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---

Kid phone works as game controller, and more

Firefly Mobile is debuting a cellphone for the age 8 through 12 market.

The new FlyPhone has an electro-luminescent keypad that automatically morphs into a game controller. The phone includes a portable media player, camera, mobile games and texting ability. It has a software filter for downloading age-appropriate media. It also comes with software to let kids create their own ringtones, wallpaper and slide shows to load onto the phone.

The FlyPhone allows pay-as-you-go payments and does not require a contract. The unit will be available in October at retailers including Toys "R" Us, Kmart, Barnes & Noble's Web site, Ritz/Wolf Camera, Target and cellular carriers at a suggested retail price of $125. (info from TWICE)

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---

Wine chiller keeps water cold all night, too.

Vacu Vin is a Netherlands-based manufacturer and distributor of food and wine gadgets for home and professional use.

Their Prestige Wine Cooler is designed to allow you to chill your wine is five minutes, with no mess from melting ice and no wet label sliding off.

The key is a flexible cylindrical "Rapid Ice" pouch/pod that you freeze in your freezer, and then insert in a stainless-steel container. Put in the wine, wait a few minutes, and sip or slurp.

I am not much of a wino. However, I do like to keep Poland Spring water on my night table to relieve overnight dry spells. Warm water is no joy. I tried a tiny electrical bottle/can cooler, but the noise was annoying. Wrap-around and drop in "can cozies" are not tall enough to protect a water bottle, and only work for a few hours.

The Prestige Wine Cooler, OTOH, is a perfect solution. At bed time, I put the cooling pouch in the bottom, a bottle of Poland Spring in the top, turn on the XM and turn off the light. In the morning, the pouch goes back in the freezer, and any left-over water goes back in the fridge. It's simple, it's neat, and it works.

Price is $30 at Amazon.com. My wife got one at Xpect Discounts for $3.99. Amazon also sells the naked chilling pods, in sizes for cans or bottles, for as little as two for $8.99.

Second-Gen LG dual-format hi-def player

Fence-sitters who want hi-def video discs but can't decide between Blu-ray and HD DVS, will soon have another option in dual-format players. LG Electronics, the first company to introduce a dual-format high-definition disc player, last week announced its second-generation player. The LG Super Blu™ Player (model BH200) carries both formats’ logos, and provides BD-Java and HDi interactivity, enabling consumers to choose from the widest variety of high-def content regardless of disc format. It should be available in mid-October at a suggested retail price of $999. The price is $200 less than the gen-one model, and has more features.

The Super Blu Player offers increased HDTV entertainment choices, because it can play 50 to 60 percent more high-def movie titles than either single-format player. With full networked interactivity available from selected HD DVDs, and the capability to handle networked “BD-Live” interactivity in forthcoming Blu-ray discs, it is the latest available technology that plays both disc formats.

Viewers can enjoy advanced options such as “Picture-in-Picture” available from many Blu-ray discs as well as HDi web-connected interactivity available from many HD DVDs. Access to these features enables viewing of storyboards, production videos and director’s commentary as the movie is playing, as well as accessing up-to-date information. The Super Blu Player also accepts additional entertainment content via a network connection, making for an unmatched entertainment experience.

In addition to supporting the latest high-def disc technologies, the Super Blu Player is the ideal match for movie enthusiasts and even music enthusiasts as it supports audio CDs and the ability to up-scale standard DVDs to 1080p resolution.

The LG Super Blu Player, which can output up to 1080p video resolution at 24-, 30- and 60-frames-per-second, supports various A/V formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio. The unit also includes multiple inputs/outputs such as HDMI 1.3 out, component/composite video outputs, digital optical and analog audio outputs as well as a LAN Ethernet port for network interactivity.

LG Super Blu Player users can enjoy superior quality video output with HDMI 1.3 Deep Color output to improve color tones and achieve finer color gradations to deliver the smoothest and most brilliant video output available. The player also features QDEO™ advanced video processing for superior up-scaling accuracy up to 1080p, improved noise reduction and consistent color precision.

The new Super Blu Player incorporates LG’s SimpLink™ connectivity solution, enabling easier control of other LG SimpLink compatible equipment. The units are connected with an HDMI cable and use the HDMI-CEC communication standard. This allows the user to control other components on-screen or directly from each component. The BH200 also is equipped with a USB Media Host for easy access to digital music and photo libraries.

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---

iPod-dock radio has “Push To Buy” button

Last week at CEDIA Expo, Polk Audio introduced their I-Sonic Entertainment System 2, the first radio that allows listeners to buy songs heard on HD Radio broadcasts using Apple's new iTunes Tagging technology.

The iTunes Tag button on the I-Sonic ES2's front panel and remote control lets you tag songs broadcast by HD Radio stations, and stores information about the tagged songs to its memory, and transfers the tags to an iPod when docked. When you connect the iPod to your PC, iTunes automatically presents the songs in a new Tagged playlist to preview, buy, and download.

The I-Sonic ES2 features four-speaker I-Sonic technology "that delivers room-filling stereo sound 360-degrees around the entertainment system." Polk designed the new system to serve people who prefer to use an iPod for video delivery, while the original I-Sonic ES has a built-in DVD player.

The I-Sonic ES2 includes a second generation HD Radio tuner with full multicasting. It accepts all iPod models with dock connectors in its top-mounted dock hidden beneath a sliding door. S-Video and composite video outputs allow the user to connect a TV for viewing video content stored on an iPod.

An auxiliary stereo input allows connection a portable CD player, cassette deck, etc. The I-Sonic ES2 is also a full function dual-alarm clock that can use the radio or iPod as the alarm. It also has a headphone jack, 24 radio presets, and a wireless remote control. On-radio controls allow it to operate when you lose the remote.

The I-Sonic ES2 measures only 14.5" x 9" x 4.75", making it suitable for use on a kitchen counter, night table, or shelf. It should be available from select specialty retail stores, Apple stores and PolkAudio.com in October 2007 for $499.

HD Radio is digital radio technology developed by iBiquity Digital that offers high quality reception from FM stations, and also allows broadcasters to multicast program streams over a single FM frequency to serve multiple audiences. A variety of data services that range from text-based information -- artist name, weather alerts, school closings, traffic alerts, etc. -- can be scrolled across the receiver display.

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---

New iPhone-like iPod, and other iPod news

Yesterday Apple introduced a new iPod, called the Touch, that is essentially the iPhone without the phone. Like the newly-reduced-priced iPhone, the 16 gb iPod Touch will sell for $399, and it will include Wi-Fi, a Web browser and the "cover flow" software to virtually flip through your music collection with a finger.

The new Touch uses Apple’s multi-touch user interface that enables users to find music, videos and more on its widescreen display with just the touch of a finger. First introduced on iPhone™, the multi-touch interface uses pioneering new software to present the proper user interface for each application.

The iPod Touch also includes Wi-Fi wireless networking, the first on any iPod, and three applications that use it: Safari™ browser; Apple’s YouTube application; and the new iTunes® Wi-Fi Music Store lets users wirelessly browse, preview and buy songs and albums from Apple.

Apple also announced updates to its existing product line.

It renamed the original iPod the iPod Classic, which will be available in two sizes: The biggest has 160 gb of storage, priced at $349, and an 80 gb version will sell for $249.

Both models feature the visual cover-flow software found on the iPhone.

The 160 gb iPod will put "40,000 songs in your pocket," Jobs said. The first iPod, released in 2001, had 5 gb of storage and held 1,000 songs.

"This is like a test about storage," said Tony Marengo of Themactutor.com and the former manager of the Apple store on Michigan Avenue. "For $50 less, I can get 10 times the storage than on the iPod Touch" he said of the 160 gb iPod Classic. "But if there's ever been an argument for storage versus sexiness, this is it. I think the Touch will sell far more than the Classic. Even naming it 'classic' takes away from the sexiness."

The Nano is getting a face-lift as well. The new version will play video, a feature added to the iPod two years ago, but hold only 4 gb of content for $149 and 8 gb for $199. It also has the cover- flow feature.

The new iPod Classic and Nano models should be in stores by this weekend. The iPod Touch is expected to be available this month.

Apple slashed the price of the top iPhone by $200. The 8-gigabyte iPhone will now cost $399 - one-third less than when it went on sale June 29. The 4-gigabyte iPhone, which sold for $499, will be discontinued.

Prior to the Apple announcements Wednesday, Microsoft cut the price of its Zune digital music player by $50. The 30 gb Zune now sells for $199. (Info from Chicago Tribune)

Fluke TS19 buttset is priced low enoughfor amateur phone guys

The buttset (or butt set) is one of the most versatile and important pieces of telephone test equipment -- a handset with touch-tone pad, alligator clips, and various features that allow you to know if a circuit is dead or alive, good or bad. It can also make and receive phone calls.

Professional phone guys couldn't live without them. Narcotics agents use them to spy on drug dealers. FBI agents use them to spy on the mob. Teenage boys use them to spy on their sisters.

No one seems to be sure why it's called a buttset. Maybe because it can be used to "butt-in" to a conversation, maybe because it's usually hung from a tool belt on a phone guy's butt, or maybe because phone guys use them while sitting on their butts.

Some buttsets cost $400 or more, way beyond the budget of most people who just sometimes need to test a phone line. Fortunately, Fluke Instruments makes a reasonably-priced buttset with the quality and features you'd expect from a top brand, plus a few extras. It's just fine for use in your office or home, or helping out a neighbor.

Fluke's top "pro" models can survive a 20-foot drop onto concrete or a flop into a swimming pool. The TS19 is made for lighter duty. Don't expect it to survive jumps from helicopters, or white water rafting. It does not belong in the back of a truck with bad springs; and if you misplace your hammer, don't use the TS19 as a substitute. It has an 18-month warranty, but in normal use, the TS19 could last as long as you do.

The Fluke TS19 has both tone and pulse dialing, last number redial, talk and monitor modes, continuous polarity indication, 18-digit last number redial, an electronic ringer, and angled bed-of-nails clips that can grip wires, screws or terminal block clips, and even bite through insulation without destroying the insulation. It's hearing aid compatible and has a high impedance monitor circuit that's safe for data circuits. We like it a lot. Price is just $111, including shipping, at PhoneGeeks.com

Presidential Hotline Phone :Make people think you're really important,or give it to someone who's important to you

Imagine people's reactions when your bright red phone rings, with the presidential seal on the face plate, and you pick up the handset and say, "Yes, Mr. President."

At that moment, you are probably the second most important person in the world.

Suitable for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Whigs, Tories, anyone. Used in movies made by Paramount Pictures and Disney Studios.

SADISTIC or SARCASTIC?: Send them to Al Gore, John Kerry, Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, Bob Dole, Mike Dukakis, George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Alf Landon, Wendell Wilkie.

This is not an empty shell or a fake phone. It's a real high-quality made-in-America phone, warranteed for SEVEN YEARS (nearly two presidential terms), and ready to plug in and ring. Price is $90, with FREE shipping to any destination in the 50 states. CLICK for RedHotPhones.com

New Panasonic DSLR has face detection& dust suppression

Yesterday Panasonic announced its newest digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, the LUMIX DMC-L10, the company’s first SLR with Face Detection.

The feature can focus, set auto exposure, and detect up to 15 human faces simultaneously, capturing the subjects clearly and brightly, according to Panasonic. Combining Face Detection with Intelligent ISO Control settings, which measures the movement of the subject and sets the ISO level accordingly, helps give crisp, blur-free images.

The DMC-L10 also offers an advanced 2.5 inch Live View LCD which can rotate 270 degrees, enabling versatile shooting options, and making it easy and convenient to shoot from high or low angles. Complete with a 10.1-megapixel Live MOS Sensor, the DMC-L10 includes an advanced, Supersonic Wave Filter system that prevents dust from collecting on the sensor and degrading photo quality.

The Live View LCD lets users check the image on the camera after making exposure compensation adjustments, but before taking the shot. The LCD also features an Intelligent LCD function that offers an automatic brightness level control function, making the screen visible regardless of a bright sunlit or dark environment. In addition, the DMC-L10 adopts advanced hybrid-type AF system, which gives users the option to choose either the phase difference AF system or the contrast AF to suit the preferred shooting style. While in manual mode, the user can enlarge part of the subject on LCD and also freely move the magnified area for easy framing.

A common concern among digital SLR camera users is the potential of dust entering the camera’s body when adjusting interchangeable lenses. To combat this, Panasonic has equipped the DMC-L10 with a Supersonic Wave Filter system that uses supersonic vibrations to shake off dust clinging to the sensor, which also simplifies the maintenance process.

The DMC-L10 incorporates a variety of functions to help people transitioning from a compact digital camera to a digital SLR, helping them to take high-quality digital photos. For instance, the Mode Dial on top of the camera provides easy access to the most frequently used settings including Auto mode, each P/A/S/M mode, and five scene modes (Portrait, Scenery, Macro, Sports and Night Portrait) and one custom mode that can be set per the user’s preference.

The DMC-L10 comes equipped with a LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-50mm / F3.8-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. lens, which has a focal length from 14mm to 50mm, and offers a more compact and light-weight body than its predecessor.

Other features of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-L10 include:

Film Mode: Allows users to choose a setting which mimics the effects of analog film. Users select from nine modes including Standard, Dynamic, Nature, Smooth, Nostalgic, Vibrant, Standard B/W, Dynamic B/W and Smooth B/W, with the capability to finely adjust contrast, sharpness, saturation and noise reduction. All these settings can be confirmed before you take the picture and the result is always as you intended.

Venus Engine III: Image processing LSI developed by Panasonic to maximize the performance of the Leica D lens and Live MOS sensor. This LSI helps reproduce images with outstanding resolution, superior color and detailed gradation. It also distinguishes chromatic noise from luminance noise and selectively reduces the chromatic noise, one of the chief sources of image quality problem.

Image Stabilization: This is a system that prevents blurring from shaky hands.

Advanced Scene Modes: As part of the L10’s intuitive usability, the photographer can make finer adjustments when using frequently-used scenes such as Portrait, Sports, Landscape and Night portrait. For instance, when selecting the Portrait or Sports mode, users can further define whether the scene is in outdoors or indoors. When using the Landscape mode, users can specify if it is a nature or an architectural shot.

Auto-Focusing Methods: To match the shooting situation and subject's position, the user can select from six auto-focusing methods: Face Detection, 9-point, Multi, 3-point, 1-point and Spot. With the 1-point AF or spot AF method, the auto-focusing area can be chosen from as many as 11 points. Various group area patterns can also be selected in the new Multi method.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-L10 should be available in October 2007 for about $1300.

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---

Adult bib keeps food off your clothes and car

If you can't resist scarfing down a Subway Foot-Long, or a Wendy's Frosty Float, or a Taco Bell Gordito or a McDonalds Big Mac while you're behind the wheel of your nice car; or if you order messy foods in restaurants that don't have lobster bibs, or if you're married to a slob, or have sloppy kids, or if you have a big belly, this is a good investment.

The Drib is an adult bib, that will help shield your clothes, the car, and the dining room floor.

It's a foldable, washable, shoulder-to-knee bib with an absorbent fabric front and moisture-resistant back to keep spills off your shirt or jacket and pants, and large pockets on the bottom to catch wayward tomato slices or globs of whipped cream. The Drib has weighted shoulder tabs to keep it in position without ties or clips (kinda like the chest-protecting lead-filled apron you wear when you get a dental X-rays). It folds into its own pocket for storage.

Price is $23.95, From AutoSport Catalog. They have a lot of cool car stuff, so spend some time exploring their website, and request a catalog subscription.

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

Mini multi-tool has high quality, but price is low enough so you won't cry if it's confiscated before you get on a plane.

There are lots of multi-tools available in all sorts of sizes at all sorts of prices. You can find dollar-store tools that are not much stronger than aluminum foil, and high-quality models from Victorinox, Wenger, Leatherman and SOG, that may be too good to carry around and risk losing.

Here's a good compromise. The GREEN MIDGET pocket-sized tool is extremely high quality, yet compact, and inexpensive. It has a FIVE-YEAR unlimited warranty, but the price is so low, you won't cry if you lose it, or if it gets confiscated before you board a plane.

Blades are polished stainless steel. It has a really good spring-loaded long-nose pliers, with internal gripping ridges and wire cutting blades. Even Cynical Cousin Dave was impressed. You also get straight and phillips screwdrivers, a serrated saw, a sharp pointy knife, a mini LED flashlight, and a bottle opener. That's eight functions (or even nine if you count the key ring, or ten if you use it as a book mark, or eleven if you use the pouch to stash stuff).

It's a great tool that can get you out of jams, impress babes, and even cut sheetrock and remove olives from martinis. Buy one for your pocket, and for every vehicle and desk you use. Price is just $14. Battery is included. CLICK to order from PhoneGeeks.com

NEC wireless conference speakerphone

Conference room speakerphones are very useful. They allow a group of people in one room, to have a lifelike conversation with people many miles away.

Unfortunately, the speakerphone is often used in the center of a beautiful marble or maple table, and you're faced with either seeing ugly cables, or drilling a hole that might crack the furniture.

NEC has a great solution that has eluded other companies: a wireless speakerphone that can be used up to about 150 feet from its base unit. The base can connect directly to phone company dialtone, or to an analog port in a phone system.

It has a 150-foot signal range between the speaker unit and the base station, and 12-hour battery life, so you can have lengthy conferences without recharging.

The unit uses 2.4 GHz radio transmission for good wall penetration. Full Duplex design provides natural conversations (no need to be polite and take turns). Noise cancellation removes background noises from fans or HVAC systems, and Automatic Level Controls keeps speakers' voices consistent. Three microphones provide complete 360° voice pickup. First-microphone priority eliminates echo by activating only the mic closest to the person speaking.

Price is under $500. CLICK for more info, or to buy one

Mitsubishi shows 3-D hi-def TV

Mitsubishi recently showed a new 73-inch 1080p DLP rear-projection TV with three-dimensional content. It uses specially produced or mastered 3D images for people to view while wearing special “stereoscopic” eyeglasses.

Mitsu spokesman David Naranjo said the technology produces a dynamic immersive viewing experience through the combination of the mastered stereoscopic 3D content and 1080p DLP rear-projection sets, which make images appear closer than other display technologies.

“This, we believe, is the next evolution in the immersive experience of TV. We believe this technology is going to drive big-screen TV and DLP technology,” Naranjo said. “The 3D leverages an inherent part of the DLP set, which is a 120Hz engine. It delivers 60 frames for each eye. We believe this will revive the DLP category, and for the price per inch, there is no better value than DLP.”

Special glasses worn by viewers shutter images stereoscopically, “and unlike polarized lenses they do not cause eye strain and headaches, which is what most people complain about with red/green glasses,” Naranjo said.

Mitsu has already delivered 3D systems across the country to over 300 Regal Cinema DLP movie theaters, which have shown 3D re-mastered movies including “A Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Meet The Robinsons.” In October, they will also present the new Angelina Jolie movie “Beowulf.”

“There is nothing else today that exists on this level of maturity,” Naranjo said of the system. “You could run this content off of a PC, off of optical disc players and off of live broadcasts carried by cable and satellite TV. So, there are many different ways to bring this content to the television.”

He said Mitsubishi plans to bring source devices to market next year that will accept the 3D content. However, the most dramatic 3D effects were seen in live produced events, including NFL games that present images that create the illusion that the viewer is on field.

“We are looking to have live broadcast 3D events soon,” Naranjo said. “NFL games have been produced in 3D already, the NBA playoffs were shot in 3D back in April, and other events have included surfing and X Games events,” he said “A lot of producers and studios are telling us that this is so compelling to them that they want to move very quickly on it. Also, you can imagine the kind of traction this would give advertising.”

Going forward, he said, the NBA playoffs will be shot in 3D again next year, and several sports franchises are looking at filming in 3D. “Events are shot using a two-camera system. There is an added cost to production, but everyone recognizes that is a significant added benefit to doing this,” said Naranjo. (info from TWICE)

mmmmmmmmmmmm, Utz

Utz is a maker of chips (potato and tortilla), pretzels, cheese balls, cheese crunchies, cheese curls, pork rinds and lots of similarly delicious snack foods.

You can get potato chips packed in 3/4-ounce wussie bags, or 6-pound macho boxes, or almost any conceivable size in-between. They're available in regular or kettle or thick or Mystic or BBQ, or sea-salt-and-vinegar or almost any other variety you can conceive of. Even chocolate-coated. I'm not kidding.

Utz also makes great crunchy pretzels with chocolate coating, or no coating, or mustard and onion flavoring, or honey-wheat, or no salt, or God-knows-what-else versions... in different shapes and sizes, packed in bags, barrels and boxes.

The company also has a growing line of lower-fat, lower-salt, natural and organic snacks, if that's important to you.

If you want to enhance your chips or pretzels, Utz will gladly sell you salsa, or Jalepeno & Cheddar, Mild Cheddar Cheese, or Sour Cream & Onion dip to stick them in. They also have lots of gift packages, including a baseball-stadium-shaped tin that plays "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and is filled with chocolate covered pretzel wheels; and a 20-gallon can filled with 75 one-ounce bags of Utz's assorted snacks.

The company has been making people smile since 1921 and is based in Hanover, PA. (near Lancaster, Gettysburg and Three Mile Island). Their magnificent munchies are available in supermarkets or online or at the factory.

The factory tour is a lot of fun. It smells wonderful, and you can buy munchables that you might not find in your local stores.

In addition to "purist" packs of snacks, Utz also offers good stuff to eat that's packed in sports logo containers and gift boxes. You can get bags of Hokie Chips to honor Virginia Tech; and there are chip-of-the-month and snack-of-the-month programs to keep you crunching with no more effort than opening your door, the package and your mouth.

Seasonal specialities include the pictured Tailgate Mix: a 26-ounce football-shaped barrel for your next tailgate party or couch-potato session. The barrel is packed with Cheese Crunchies, Pretzel Wheels, BBQ Corn Chips and Oriental Rice Crackers. All that's missing is beer.

All of the canines and humans in our family (even Cynical Cousin Dave, who doesn't like much) agree that Utz Cheese Curls are the best in the world. Maybe in the universe. They make both puffy and crunchy curls; and if you don't like orange fingers, you can get white cheddar.

You can even order a hand-packed barrel o' goodies filled with up to 56 ounces of your personal Utz favorites. It's like having your very own factory, and a great gift idea. A case of snack-size pretzels or chips is perfect for treating trick-or-treaters. The sugar deprived population will love the Utz TWO GALLON tin of Caramel Popcorn with Chocolate Drizzle.

And, if you're a major Utz fan, you can cover your body and fill your home with Utz clothing, toys and gadgets, play golf with official Utz balls and golf umbrella, and write love letters and do homework with an Utz pen.

Visit the factory or the website. Request a catalog to salivate over. Spend twenty bucks or a hundred bucks. You won't regret it. Also, get on the Utz email list for special savings, and to find out about new treats. Email dmmyers@utzsnacks.com

New website can get you on beta-testing lists

As many techies know, getting in on a hot new startup's invite-only "beta" test can be tough. Some resort to posting pleas on blogs, others beg friends of friends and some are even willing to purchase invites through eBay.

But with the July launch of InviteShare, things might get a little easier for those aching to pass the online equivalent of the velvet rope outside the trendy nightclub. InviteShare connects users who have or want access to new Internet offerings, including the online TV service joost and GrandCentral, a one-phone-number-for-life communications service owned by Google.

Although some sites open beta testing to anyone to raise awareness and work out glitches, many initially limit access to a select handful, creating a certain cachet through their scarcity. Many tech-savvy early adopters, clamor for access to such invite-only sites.

On InviteShare, users register for free and then submit their e-mail addresses to lists kept at the site for particular startups to which they want access. Those with spare invitations respond directly to individuals and are encouraged to give priority to users listed higher -- those who have done their part in the past to share similar offers.

Created by Jeff Broderick, a computer programer and Web designer in Denton, Texas, the site was sold to tech news blog TechCrunch recently for $25,000. TechCrunch founder and editor Michael Arrington, tired of negotiating with startups for beta test invitations to pass on to his readers, said his company was already looking into creating a similar site when he discovered InviteShare. In fact, he wrote about the site on the TechCrunch blog before buying it.

As of Monday, InviteShare had more than 28,000 users, who collectively sent more than 34,000 invitations. Nearly 50 different startups had listings -- sometimes without the startup's blessing. Arrington said he has yet to get a complaint.

Adam Healey, co-founder and chief executive of InviteShare-listed VibeAgent, said he is happy to have his hotel-recommendation site included and has even sent invitations to InviteShare users. "InviteShare provides another channel for startups to access early adopters, which is so critical in building community," he said. Ten percent of his site's traffic in the past month resulted from InviteShare.

And although InviteShare isn't currently a big money maker - Arrington estimates ads placed on it bring in a few hundred dollars per day - he believes there is real value is in its user base.

While signing up for the site, 80 percent of users have indicated they want to be notified about future private beta opportunities, he said. Eventually, he'd like to pair startups with users, either for free or for a fee, depending on the company.

"All these people want to know about all the new services," he said, "and this is a gold mine for a new startup to have access to." (This is NOT a review. Info from The Associated Press)

Wendy's Frosty Float

410 calories of heaven. If you can't slurp it all at once, freeze some and finish later.

Chocolate or vanilla, plus the soda of your choice. We recommend vanilla with root beer.

It can get messy -- don't imbibe in a nice car.

LG cuts price of Hi-Def combo DVD player

With the arrival of Samsung's $1,049 dual-format player on the horizon for this fall, LG has lowered the price of its existing BH100 HD DVD/Blu-ray player by $200.

The first dual-format player to hit stores shelves, LG's BH100 has remained at its original retail price of $1,199 since its introduction earlier this year.

Of course, even at its new reduced price of $999, the LG player remains good deal more expensive than buying two separate stand-alone players (Toshiba's HD-A2 and Sony's BDP-S300 retail at a combined cost of $898), but it's a step in the right direction.

This latest pricecut from LG comes just months before Samsung's planned BDP-UP5000 is scheduled to hit store shelves. That deck was previously announced with a retail price $1,049. Unlike the LG player, the Samsung is slated to include full support of both BD-Java and HDi, as well as web-enabled features on both formats.

No word yet from Samsung on any price drops for its upcoming BDP-UP5000, but don't be surprised if it hit the market at something below its originally announced MSRP. Stay tuned... (info from High-Def Digest)

New Sirius satellite radios, and car TV

Sirius yesterday announced new products including its long awaited Sirius Backseat TV for the car, and a new version of the "wearable" portable Stiletto.

Sirius became the first satellite radio company to announce delivery of rear seat TV for the car with the unveiling of a $299 system slated for October shipping. The service will cost $6.99 per month and requires the user also subscribe to Sirius audio at $12.95 per month.

Three channels of family programming from Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network will be available. Rear-seat passengers will be able to watch shows such as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and Jimmy Neutron, Disney Channel’s Cory in the House and Hannah Montana, and Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and Dexter’s Laboratory. The service will also be available with receivers built-into some 2008 Chrysler corp vehicles.

Sirius’ new Stiletto 2 receives live Sirius programming on the go. New features from the original Stiletto are a microSD card slot for importing MP3 files into the unit, improved WiFi and a 25 percent smaller form factor so that the unit more closely resembles a typical MP3 player. The Stiletto 2 can also now access Sirius’ premium audio quality Internet Radio service for an additional fee.

The unit stores up to 100 hours of Sirius programming, which users can playback at a later time, in case they are out of range of a satellite signal and WiFi reception). It has a built in antenna and also ships with Altec Lansing headphones that include a second antenna built into the head band. The Stiletto 2 ships this fall at a suggested retail price of $349.99

Sirius is offering new tuners that can convert cars offering XM service to Sirius service. A GM version, model SIR-GM3A can swap with an XM tuner to deliver Sirius to GM cars and control and display Sirius programming on the GM radio at a suggested $149. New tuners will also ship for Honda and Toyota models and these also work with certain Sirius Dock & Play tuners.

Also new is a Sportster 5 Dock & Play receiver with a color display and 60-minute DVR-type recorder to ship this fall at $169.99.

Sirius also unveiled several new products for home use, including some targeted to the custom-installation industry.

One of the custom-friendly products is Polk’s first component Sirius tuner, the $299-suggested SRH-1000 due in November. It provides two-zone capability when an optional palm-size $49-suggested SiriusConnect home tuner is plugged in. The tuner also features RS-232 port and 5-12-volt remote-trigger inputs.

Sirius plans September shipments of its first SiriusConnect tuner designed for the custom market. The one-rack-high, half-rack-wide SCH2P plugs into Sirius-ready AV receivers, and two can be mounted side-by-side in an AV rack for connection to a two-zone Sirius-ready AV receiver. Compared to the existing SiriusConnect tuner, the SCH2P adds RS-232 port, wired-IR input, signal-status display, and channel-changing know. It ships in October at a suggested $99, including indoor/outdoor antenna.

In another change, Sirius unveiled a step-up SiriusConnect Home Dock, the $59-suggested SCHDOC1, which joins an existing $49 dock. The new model enables Sirius-ready home-audio products such as AV receivers to take control of docked transportable tuners and docked Stiletto-series wearable tuners. As a result, the remote supplied with a Sirius-ready AV receiver will control all Sirius-tuner features and channel selection, and the Sirius menu and channel metadata will appear on the receiver’s display or on the screen of a connected TV.

Like existing home docks, the SCHDOC1 also connects to non-Sirius-ready audio products via the product’s audio inputs, but the Sirius tuner can be controlled only by the tuner’s supplied remote, and the Sirius menu and metadata won’t appear on the larger displays of an AV receiver or TV. (info from TWICE and Sirius)

---

This is a preview, not a review.

---