I love it when I ruffle some feathers (though I don’t try to do it intentionally). This time I’m getting some heat for calling AMD’s Live! offering “underwhelming”. The funny thing is people think I’m taking this stance because AMD chose to not include DRM friendly software applications in its Live! Entertainment Suite. However, that’s not entirely true. It’s really more complicated than that (read the original post). So I decided to elaborate on what I think AMD should have done with Live! MORE »

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Everything you ever wanted to know (or least as much as Microsoft Marketing is willing to tell you) is now available in a handy 60MB download. In fact, there’s 350 pages of Vista goodness to look over. The guide even covers Vista Media Center, Windows SideShow, and host of built-in utilities to hopefully make using Windows Vista the best Windows experience to date. MORE »

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PC Magazine has a detailed write-up on AMD’s Live! venture that competes with Intel’s Viiv platform. “The difference between the two companies […] lies in the attitudes towards digital content: Intel’s Viiv program has tied itself to premium content, including first-run movies that are only available from online video rental agencies. AMD, on the other hand, has initially designed Live! with user-owned, DRM-free content in mind,” explains PC Magazine. At first glance, this approach sounds good (and welcomed) until you actually read how they are going to go about it. MORE »

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There’s software to convert videos for your portable devices. There’s software to move those videos to your portable devices. There’s also software to capture video for you from various sources. Finally, there’s software that allows you to edit your videos, cutting out commercials or applying video effects. Oh yeah, there’s also sites like YouTube and GoogleVideo that let you upload your videos for others to enjoy (non-copyrighted material, of course). So what? Well, what if you could find all of those features in one software package? Well, it looks like MAGIX is trying to do the impossible with it’s Movies2go software package (via Digital Media Thoughts). MORE »

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Reg Hardware broke the news today that AOpen’s lastest high-performance small form factor MiniPC is now being offered in Black. The model will be known as the MP945-VXR and retail for $899 for the Intel Core Duo version or $699 for Core Solo. You can check out the specs here or read the official press release for the MP945 product line. Key features: DVI / Y/Pb/Pr / S-Video out, Windows MCE compatible, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in wireless, near silent cooling, slot loading multi-format DVD burner.

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A while back I played with the idea of possibly buying a Mac mini and designing an under-desk plastic mount (with the help of my local Tap Plastic retailer) that would help keep valuable desktop space free. Well, it looks like a company called Cinnamon Peripherals had the same idea but took it a step further and designed a beautiful, precision fit mount out of anodized aluminum. 123Macmini has a review of the CinnaRack (MSRP $27.00, with power adapter mount $33.00) and gives it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Note to Mac mini HTPC users: the CinnaRack would add a nice touch to an entertainment rack and clear up shelf space for your other gadgets or movie discs.

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Orb Networks, the pioneering developer of software for instant enjoyment of content everywhere, today announced the release of the Orb™ MyCast™ plugin for Nullsoft Winamp users. MORE »

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Steve Makofsky, a software engineer at Microsoft, proposes on his blog (after a night of endless channel surfing) that a new TV model should be created where providers offer subscribers a way to opt-in to receive content of their choosing free of charge with commercials or sans commercials for a price. The service would also wrap content in DRM-free codecs for easy transfer and playback on multiple platforms and devices. Steve goes on to say: “Think of the really neat things you could do with a service like this: friends lists (RSS feeds, of course), new trailers, video podcastings, etc. The possibilities are really endless.” MORE »

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If you’ve ever been frustrated with the lackluster reception your wireless laptop or wirless USB adapter has been giving you, it’s time for something more industrial strength. Checkout WIFI-Link’s wireless-g USB adapter (WL-USB-RSMAP) featuring a 15 dBm output female reverse polarity (RP) SMA connector so users can optionally add an assortment of range extending wifi antennas – similar to how traditional PCI wireless-g adapters work. I noticed that the product page mentions that the company has filed for a patent on the device, so I went ahead double checked that none of the big networking equipment manufactures – Netgear, D-Link, Linksys, Hawkings – were already producing them. Result: this product is exclusive to WIFI-Link. MSRP is $49.50 and it’s compatible with Windows 98se/ME/2000/XP and offers up to 256-bit WEP and WPA2 protection.

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The kind folks at Google have ported one of their most popular Windows freeware apps, Picasa, to Linux (via Ubuntu Blog). I just downloaded the .deb version for installation on my Ubuntu system and everything appears to be working flawlessly. All functions like image import (including images from network drives) and image editing/labeling/redeye reduction/effect/slideshow/etc. are fully functional and respond quickly. Nice to see Google’s commitment to alternative platforms. MORE »

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