Gateway today announced its new back-to- school line of retail desktop PCs, all featuring the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 operating system. This is the first time PCs with a combination of 64-bit dual core processors, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and BTX chassis’ will be available at leading technology and electronics retailers. MORE »

Popularity: 8% [?]

Not wanting to be left behind in Microsoft’s MCE Plug-ins’ wake, TiVo, and its hoard of aficionado developers, have been busy working on releasing Home Media Engine (HME) plug-ins for Series 2 TiVos over the past few months. But, recently, TiVo conducted a “Developer Challenge” to see which plug-ins were the best of the crop. And the winners are: MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sling Media, Inc., a digital lifestyle consumer electronics products company, today announced the nationwide availability of the much-anticipated Slingbox. Transforming Windows XP based PCs and laptops into personal on-the-go digital TVs, the Slingbox allows individuals anywhere-anytime access to their own living room television experience with no additional monthly service fees. MORE »

Popularity: 4% [?]

High prices and limited video content will inhibit demand for HDD (hard disk drive) portable multimedia players (PMPs), which will reach only 17% of U.S. online households by 2010, according to Parks Associates’ Portable Multimedia Players: Analysis and Forecasts. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Am I the only one who thinks the AP story that reports that Microsoft is considering licensing an Xbox lite variant of its OS to TV manufactures for video game playback makes no sense? I’m a strong believer in adding network functionality to a TV (like Microsoft’s Media Center Extender technology), but giving a TV the ability to play cutting edge video games is out of the question. At this time, as far as I can tell, it’s near impossible unless you slap on a mini PC to the back of TV to add both a CPU and a High-Performance Graphic Card, which is required to playback Xbox 360 titles as they were meant to be enjoyed. What do you think?

Popularity: 2% [?]

As the first and only company to deliver video via the Internet to the TV, Akimbo continues to forge ahead, leading the way for consumers to experience TV like never before. Now, Akimbo has given video bloggers and other small publishers the capability to reach TV audiences by delivering their content on the Akimbo Service. This marks the first time that such videos are being delivered to the television. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Jason Dunn over at Digital Media Thoughts is ready to take a sledgehammer to his new MediaMax DRM protected music CD. Reason: MediaMax requires you to download their software in order to have PC playback – of course, ripping music from the CD is out of the question. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Hawking Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of innovative wired and wireless networking solutions for home, workgroup, and corporate users, unveiled today its plans to begin shipping the HBB1 Broadband Booster. The HBB1 is a device that eliminates internet lag within home/work networks and boosts the speed of time-sensitive internet applications (such as online gaming, VoIP internet phone calls and video streaming ) by up to 400%. MORE »

Popularity: 4% [?]

Open-E GmbH, the software developer in Network Attached Storage (NAS) provisioning pre-installed software that combines advanced storage management with cost-effective systems, today announced that the company is broadening her product line and introducing a complete new line of Open-E iSCSI products for building cost-effective, high performing iSCSI Target systems. MORE »

Popularity: 3% [?]

Apple today announced it is taking Podcasting mainstream by building everything users need to discover, subscribe, manage and listen to Podcasts right into iTunes 4.9, the latest version of its award winning digital music software and online music store. iTunes users can now easily subscribe to over 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]