eReaders, CES 2010, and DRM

January 18, 2010

CES has had plenty of coverage and one of the biggest trends were the throngs of eReaders announced.  It seemed that they were every where.  Prior to CES 2010 we had the big players; Amazon, Sony, and Barnes and Noble.  But now you have all kinds of choices for E Ink devices.  Or do you?

We have had a Sony eReader in the family for some time and we have been very happy with it.  No it doesn’t have wireless but we seem to be able to plan our purchases and load the eReader up without it being an issue.  For Christmas we decided to purchase another eReader as a gift.  I personally don’t care for the Kindle and we were very interested in the Nook.  The intended recipient might be able to take advantage of the wifi and wireless built into the Nook.  I was also open to it because according to the Nook specs it supported ePub and Sony had just announced their support of ePub.  That sounded open and great, not closed like the Kindle.

We purchased some gift cards from Barnes and Noble in anticipation of getting a Nook and then the delays.  More delays and no review units.  So we got “cold” feet and purchased another Sony.  The recipient could still use the gift cards to purchase eBooks from the Barnes and Noble store but then load them on the Sony.  ePub is ePub right?

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Kodu, build your own games for free

January 13, 2010

Kodu, from Microsoft, was previously available only on the Xbox 360.  Now it’s been released for Windows.  It’s a free application that servers two purposes:  it teaches programming without programming and you can create your own playable games.  If you have kids, it’s a great way for them to discover programming in the guise of creating a game.  Check in out at the Kodu site.

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Lifehacker’s Best of 2009

January 4, 2010

One of my favorite sites, Lifehacker, has their annual “Best of” rundowns.  Check it out here.


Make your Linux desktop shine – Techradar

December 20, 2009

If you have a Linux box and want to get the most out of your desktop and borrow the best of the Mac, take a look at this article at Techradar.  It has everything you need to know on how to get your Linux install to look like OSX and more.


Lifehacker’s Best of 2009

December 17, 2009

I love Lifehacker and their “best of” series are always great.  You can catch up on the years most popular “top 10s” here and the “best of 2009” here and the best “DIY” here.


Windows 7 tweaks

December 14, 2009

Techradar always has some very thorough articles, this one walks through several tweaks and hacks to make Windows 7 more your own.


Create a Windows 7 bootable flash Drive

December 11, 2009

ARS Technica has a good walkthrough of creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 installs.  With netbooks it’s a must and the convenience is good.  Take a look over at ARS and download the tool from Microsoft here.


EeeTop 1602 updated with 2 GB and Windows 7

October 13, 2009

I snagged one of the clearance 15.6” EeeTop touch screen all-in-ones from Best Buy.  Rumor had it that it could be upgraded from the standard 1 GB to 2 GB.  After removing a lot of screws, I was pleased to find that it could be upgraded (unlike the MSI Windtop).  I updated the RAM to 2GB and booted to a USB installation of Windows 7 Home Premium RTM.

IMG_1510 The installation went as expected and the touch screen worked “out of the box”.  Although not a great speed demon, I thought that it would make a great Media Center kiosk.  I installed the Beta 3 Home Server connector and the Media Center Add-in.  This integrates the Windows 7 library and Media Center watched folders with the Home Server.

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Navigating though Media Center with a touch screen is a great experience.  There are times where it seems to stutter, but all in all it’s been a great addition to sharing media and it’s not much more expensive than a high end Wi-Fi picture frame and this does everything.

Music, Videos, and Photos all worked without a hitch.  I have a large music and photo library and I noticed that upon the first launch into Photos or Music it takes time to build the library.  This could be due to the size of the library or using wi-fi.  Other than that it’s been a pretty good self service media kiosk.  If you can find one on clearance at Best Buy, pick one up.


9 DIY Projects

September 23, 2009

MaximumPC has a great DIY article on 9 projects including; powering everything with a hacked USB cable, controlling your PC with a Wii remote, hacking your Canon camera, and more.  My favorite is fitting a retro Star Trek phaser with a blue laster. 

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Easy Peasy for netbooks

September 12, 2009

Another netbook distro of Linux is available.  I haven’t tried it myself but it looks pretty good and the price is right.  Check out EasyPeasy.

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