Gizmo Lovers Blog » PC

VM TiVo Net Remote Release for Virgin Media TiVos Running 15.2 – Works In US Too

MegaZone — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:05:33 +0000

One of the new features that is part of the 15.2 software update hitting Virgin Media TiVos in the UK is the Network Remote Control functionality that has been part of the US Series3 and later units for some time now. This functionality is a prerequisite for the iPad app VM has announced is coming, but it also opens things up to third party software.

I’ve posted about software available for US units before, here and here, and on TiVo’s blog, and these apps work with the VM TiVo; but now there is a 3rd party remote control app for Windows .Net specifically for the VM TiVo: VM TiVo Net Remote. It is much more feature-rich than the Python-based TiVoRemote that’s been out for US machines for a while.

I can confirm that it does work with US units, I connected to the Premiere Elite I have for review and it worked as expected. Except for the TV guide, nothing displayed when I selected ‘Show TV Guide’. The window expanded, but it was blank. This is probably hard coded for the UK devices. There is also a default channel list, but that’s stored as a text file that you can edit to match your lineup.

What’s really nice is that anything you type while in the remote window is sent to the TiVo. It makes text entry a breeze. There are also shortcut keys to navigate with:
Following Shortcut keys provide the following functions CTRL+H - Home CTRL+T - TV CTRL+G - TV Guide CTRL+P - Play CTRL+S - Stop CTRL+M - My Shows CTRL+V - Pause CTRL+R - Record CTRL+L - Last Channel CTRL+I - Info CTRL+U - Thumbs Up CTRL+D - Thumbs Down CTRL+F - Skip CTRL+B - Skip Back CTRL+X - Slow CTRL+LEFT - Rewind CTRL+RIGHT - Fast Forward ARROW KEYS - Left/Right/Up/Down ENTER - OK DELETE - Clear + - Channel Up - - Channel Down 1 to 9 - Send corresponding Number A to Z - Send corresponding Key when in a text search (Search TV, YouTube search etc.)

You can click on the image of the TiVo remote in the app to send commands as well, very much like using a Slingbox. The image of the remote is the UK version, but it is close enough that US users shouldn’t have any trouble.

Perhaps some US-based developer could contact the creator, Andy Wheeler, and work with him to create a localized version for the US. What’d really be nice is to see some of the features from the Android TiVo Commander app brought to other platforms. But that’s not to denigrate the work Andy has done. This is a brand new app – version 0.3 was just released on Sunday – and he’s been improving it quickly. He has a thread at TiVoCommunity.com for feedback.

Via the Virgin Media High Definition & TiVo Services blog.

Black Friday Deals Over? Time for Best Buy’s Cyber Monday Deals

MegaZone — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:15:55 +0000

We just got done with the Thanksgiving Weekend, aka Black Friday, Deals and now Best Buy is hitting us with their ‘Cyber Sale’, or Cyber Monday Deals. And they have a healthy list of them.

Cyber Sale, 2 Days Only, Sunday-Monday. Online Only.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free $10 e-Gift Card with Store Pickup Orders of $100 or More.

Sunday-Monday Only: LG 32” Class ED 720p HDTV for $299.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Home Theater Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great iPod and MP3 Player Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: All iPods on Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Music and Movies Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Kinect Games On Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Pre-Owned Games, $19.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Buy Any Sims 3 Base, Expansion, or Stuff Pack, get the Second Item Free.
Sunday-Monday Only: $50 Off GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Double ‘O’ Edition Bundle for OPS3, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Gaming and Gadget Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: 25%-40% Off Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag and Memory Card with Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag with Select DSLR Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: 19%-41% Off Select Digital Camcorders.
Sunday-Monday Only: 5%-50% Off Select Digital Photo Frames.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Digital Camera and Camcorder Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Motorola Droid 3 Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from Verizon and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: HTC Wildfire S Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from T-Mobile and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: Boost Mobile BlackBerry Style 9670 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $149.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Virgin Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8530 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Platinum Series MobileDock Dash/Windshield Mount, Sale $9.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Mobile Phone Deals.

While the last round of deals included a link for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the link never seemed to work. The deal was only available in stores. I managed to grab one as a gift for someone else. I was still up at 4am Friday so I ran over to my local Best Buy. The Transformer was a ticketed item and all of the tickets were gone, but I managed to social engineer a tablet and keyboard dock from a Blue Shirt in a different department without a ticket. I normally wouldn’t go near a store on Black Friday, but $250 for the tablet and $100 for the dock was a very good deal.

AVG Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales – Now Through 11/30

MegaZone — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:01:08 +0000

AVG is my anti-virus, anti-malware of choice. I’ve been using it on my personal PCs for a number of years now, as well as on devices I configure for others. I’ve also used it for corporate protection in a past job as Director of IT for a small company. I’ve used others, like Norton, McAfee, and Kaspersky, but AVG is the one I’ve standardized on, and so it is the one I selected as an affiliate for this site. And, like everyone else, they’re running a holiday sale. And, like everyone else, it is inaccurately named as their Black Friday/Cyber Monday pricing is in effect now and runs through the end of the month. Go figure.

But the deals are still good.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save 55% on AVG Premium Security Family Safety & Unlimited Online Backup! $74.99
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save over 29% on AVG products: Antivirus, Online Backup & PC Tuneup! Total Price: $59.99
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save over 30% on AVG Online Backup 25GB & Get AVG Antivirus 2012 FREE! Total Price: $34.99
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save over 25% on AVG PC Tuneup 2012 and get AVG Antivirus 2012 FREE! Total Price: $24.99
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save 30% on AVG Internet Security 2012!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save 30% on AVG Premium Security 2012!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Special: Save 30% on AVG Antivirus Pro 2012!

BestBuy.com Thanksgiving Weekend Sale – Thursday Through Saturday

MegaZone — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:24:47 +0000

BestBuy.com is having a Thanksgiving Weekend Sale, 3 Days Only, Thursday-Saturday. There are a number of tech deals worth checking out. These are the highlights:

Thursday-Saturday Only: Only $999.99 Samsung 55″ Class LED 1080p HDTV. Best Buy exclusive.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Home Theater Deals.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Free $50 Gift Card with Apple iPod touch 8GB MP3 Player.
Thursday-Saturday Only: $20 Off Any $100 iTunes Gift Card.
Thursday-Saturday Only: $2.99 Music CDs.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great iPod and MP3 Player Deals.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Entertainment Deals.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle with Fable III and Halo: Reach, Only $199.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Nintendo 3DS Game Console, $179.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Games for $34.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Games for $29.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Game Accessories for $7.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Gaming and Gadget Deals.

There are many more deals, so be sure to check them out. The links should be live on Thursday.

BestBuy.com Countdown to Thanksgiving Sale & Black Friday Preview

MegaZone — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:25:00 +0000

BestBuy.com has been running a Countdown to Thanksgiving Sale, it started Sunday and runs through Thursday. Each day they have special deals of the day. Today you can get a Nikon Coolpix S1100PJ 14.1-Megapixel Digital Camera in black, violet, or green for $129.99 – normally $299.99. The camera has 5x optical/4x digital zoom, a 3.0″ TFT-LCD display, 720p HD movie mode, and a built-in projector for when you just have to share you photos with everyone in the room. You can also get a 15.6″ Gateway Laptop with Intel® Celeron® Processor for $249.99.

There are new specials each day, so be sure to check back in.

In addition to the current sale, they’ve also published a preview of what they’ll be offering on Black Friday – in stores and online.

In stores only you’ll be able to grab a Sharp LC-42SV49U 42″ Class LCD 1080p HDTV for $199.99, a Toshiba BDX2150 Smart Blu-ray Player for $39.99, a 15.6″ Samsung Laptop with an Intel Pentium CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD for $299.99, and the one I think is the most tempting, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android tablet for only $249.99.

Also available in stores, the HTC ThunderBolt 4G LTE on Verizon for free with a 2-year activation and the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Blu-ray just $9.99. These will also be made available online – the Thunderbolt on Thursday and the Blu-ray on Friday.

They’ve listed specials that will be available online starting Thursday, 11/24, without revealing the prices. There will be deals on the Dynex 32″ Class LED 720p HDTV, a 15.6″ Gateway Laptop with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD, the Dell Streak 7″ Android Tablet, a Dell desktop PC with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, and an 18.5″ widescreen LCD monitor, the FujiFilm FinePix AX350 16MP Camera, a Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, the Tritton AX120 Headset, and the Nintendo Wii Console with New Super Mario Bros. Wii Game and Music CD. Check back Thursday for the pricing.

There are yet more deals, way too many to list here, so check out their webpage for the full listing. More HDTVs, laptops, PCs, phones, tablets, cameras, hard drives, flash drives, washers & dryers, PlayStation 3, games, etc.

Roxio Holiday Sale – Save up to $110!

MegaZone — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:48:28 +0000

Roxio has kicked off their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale early, with savings of up to $110!

Roxio Toast 11 Pro for Mac – Save $50 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $110 total savings! $99.99 – normally $209.99!
Roxio Toast 11 Titanium for Mac – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $90 total savings! $69.99 – normally $149.99!
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac – Save $10! $69.99 – normally $79.99!
Roxio Creator 2012 Pro for PC – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $80 total savings! $99.99 – normally $179.99!
Roxio Creator 2012 for PC – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $80 total savings! $69.99 – normally $149.99!
Roxio Game Capture for consoles – Save $30! $69.99 – normally $99.99!
Roxio PC Game Capture – Save $20! $29.99 – normally $49.99!
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for PC – Save $10! $49.99 – normally $59.99!

Remember, Roxio is the only officially endorsed third party software for use with TiVo & TiVoToGo. And the only sanctioned solution at all for MacOS, since there isn’t a TiVo Desktop Plus for Mac. This is a limited time holiday sale, so act now.

And the Winner Is…

MegaZone — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:19:24 +0000

I was waiting to hear back from the winners of the three giveaways before announcing them publicly, just in case there was some issue. Now that I have heard from all three, the winners, as chosen by Perl’s random number generator, are:

TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter – Brad Chasenore
D-Link DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Media Player – Richard Wicentowski
Slingbox PRO & HD Connect – Michael Campanella

Sorry for those who didn’t win this time around, but there is more to come – stay tuned. I’ll get the stuff out to the winners soon.

Win MegaZone’s Old Stuff – Last Chance To Enter

MegaZone — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:25:15 +0000

This is your last chance to enter to win some of my old gear. There are just under eight hours left, the deadline is midnight Eastern Time tonight. Any entries after that time will not be eligible. The winner will be determined by random drawing from the eligible entries. And entering is simple – just leave a comment on the respective giveaway post before the deadline and you’re entered. Note, comment on the giveaway post(s) not this post. And the comment needs to be on the original blog post – not on LJ, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.

There are three giveaways running:

Don’t worry, I have some other, new, stuff to giveaway as well. That’s coming.

Win MegaZone’s Old Stuff – Enter Now

MegaZone — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:50:19 +0000

I know it is used gear, but I thought there’d be a little more interest in it. It is free after all. Remember, you have until Sunday night to leave a comment on the respective giveaway post as an entry. There are three giveaways running:

Don’t worry, I have some other, new, stuff to giveaway as well. That’s coming.

Win MegaZone’s Old Stuff Giveaway 2 of 3 – D-Link DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Media Player

MegaZone — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:58:46 +0000

This is giveaway two of three, as explained in the first giveaway post. This is the D-Link DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Media Player, it handles all DivX and most Xvid files (.divx and .avi files using DivX with MPEG-1 Layer 2 and Layer 3 or AC3 audio), MP3 and MP3 playlists (.pls, .m3u and .m3u8), and JPEG and BMP images. It is designed to connect to DivX software running on a Windows PC and it has Ethernet and built-in 802.11g WiFi. The DivX software supports third party plug-ins and services.

I was sent this a several years ago as a potential review unit when it was a new product. But, to be perfectly honest, I thought it was kind of clunky and I decided I wasn’t really the target market. I was never a big DivX media user, and it really felt like the product was for that kind of user. Since all other video formats need to be converted to DivX for playback it is really best for someone who already has a lot of DivX or Xvid content. Since I didn’t feel like I could do it justice with a review I offered to return it, but they didn’t want it back. I kept it hooked up for a while, but eventually disconnected it to make room for another device and it has just been sitting here.

The DivX Connected software is still available for download, as are plug-ins and themes. There’s also a DivX Connected Community. It is in the original packaging and I’ve included all of the types of cables it came with. They might not be the exact cables – who can keep that straight and tell one cable from another? – but you should have what you need.

So how do you win? Leave a comment on this post. You have one week. Comments made before 00:00 EST Monday 11/14 will count as entries. Please, one comment per person. I’ll contact the winner based on the email address used on the comment, so make sure you use a valid address.

Sellout.Woot! – iGo Universal 90-Watt Slim Notebook AC Adapter Just $17.99

MegaZone — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:53:43 +0000

I find having a spare laptop power supply is very useful. I can leave one packed up in my laptop bag and another plugged in in my regularly work environment. Then when I need to pick up and go I can just grab the laptop and stick it in the bag. No need to pack up the power supply. Convenient, especially if doing so means crawling under a desk to unplug it, then fishing the cable out, etc. But spare OEM power supplies can be expensive, and if you switch laptops you invariably have to buy another one.

So today’s Sellout.Woot! deal may be of interest. They’re offering a refurbished iGo Universal 90-Watt Slim Notebook AC Adapter for only $17.99 + $5 S&H. And it comes with eight different tips:
- 701 for Acer, Compaq, HP
- 702 for Dell
- 703 for Compaq, HP
- 704 for IBM, Lenovo
- 705 for Asus, Compaq, HP
- 706 for Several Brands including Fujitsu, Gateway and Toshiba
- 707 for Acer, Gateway
- 709 for Sony

These were $79.99 new, and iGo sells this same refurbished unit for $49.99. I found a vendor selling them on Amazon for $22.99 + $5.49 S&H, so this is still the better deal.

This is the Last Week for Roxio Discounts – Ending 10/15/11

MegaZone — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:26:15 +0000

Back in July, just after I relaunched, I posted a number of discount offers for Roxio products. And I posted a reminder a couple of weeks ago. Now this is the last week to use them, they expire on 10/15/11. So don’t complain to me if you miss out, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Roxio is the only official endorsed third party software for use with TiVo & TiVoToGo. And the only sanctioned solution at all for MacOS, since there isn’t a TiVo Desktop Plus for Mac. Here are the discounts once last time, for your convenience:

All Products – 10% Off – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Titanium and Save $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Pro and Save $30 Instantly – $119.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Popcorn 4 and Save 50% Instantly – $24.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 and SAVE $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 Pro and SAVE $30 Instantly – $99.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (PC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $49.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (MAC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $69.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Note that since I originally posted those links Roxio Creator 2012 and Roxio Creator 2012 Pro launched at the end of August and they also have a $20 savings.

Enjoy!

Sellout.Woot! – Clickfree 500GB Portable Backup Drive Just $54.99

MegaZone — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:42:39 +0000

Sellout.Woot! is offering the Clickfree 500GB USB 2.0 Portable Backup Drive for only $54.99 + $5 S&H. You can choose from Black, Blue, Fuschia, Green, Purple, or Red if you like to color coordinate your backup drive, and they work with Windows or Mac OS X.

Woot! – Cisco Valet 300Mbps 802.11n USB Network Adapter Just $6.99!

MegaZone — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:21:50 +0000

Today’s Woot! deal is useful if you have an old computer using 802.11g and you want to bump your network to pure 802.11n and dump 11g compatibility for the increased performance. The Cisco Valet 300Mbps 802.11n USB Network Adapter supports 802.11b/g/n, and speeds up to 300Mbps on 11n, with WEP, WPA, & WPA2 encryption. And it is only $6.99 + $5 S&H.

Somewhat unbelievably, it looks like MSRP when this launched was $135.98, and Amazon is selling them for $24.99.

Need a Cheap Laptop? ASUS Eee PC Netbook just $179.99 at BestBuy.com

MegaZone — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:15:28 +0000

It is no powerhouse, but it is a cheap, functional netbook. The ASUS Eee PC with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, 250GB HD, 1024×600 10.1″ display, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, MMC/SD reader, running Windows 7 Starter edition is only $179.99 through BestBuy.com, today only. If you want something small and light as a secondary computer, maybe something not to valuable for the kids, something to play around with Linux, etc., this is a cheap way to do it.

Just Three Weeks Left for Roxio Discounts

MegaZone — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:48:35 +0000

Back in July, just after I relaunched, I posted a number of discount offers for Roxio products. Roxio is the only official endorsed third party software for use with TiVo & TiVoToGo. Well, they expire on 10/15/2011, so there are only three weeks left to act on the deals. Here they are again for your convenience:

All Products – 10% Off – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Titanium and Save $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Pro and Save $30 Instantly – $119.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Popcorn 4 and Save 50% Instantly – $24.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 and SAVE $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 Pro and SAVE $30 Instantly – $99.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (PC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $49.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (MAC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $69.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Note that since I posted those links Roxio Creator 2012 and Roxio Creator 2012 Pro launched at the end of August and they also have a $20 savings.

Sellout.Woot – HP 2511x 25″ LED Ultra-Slim Monitor with HDMI just $169.99

MegaZone — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:43:46 +0000

Sellout.Woot describes today’s deal as “Famous Maker 25” LED Ultra-Slim Monitor with HDMI” and they don’t mention the maker anywhere in the entry. Except they link to the product manual which makes it clear this must be the HP 2511x. In any case this is a refurbished 25″ 1920×1080 LCD monitor with LED backlighting. It supports VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI input and it will set you back $169.99 + $5 S&H. It seems like a good deal as the MSRP is $299.99 and Amazon sells these new for $229.99.

Amazon Back-to-School Sale on ASUS Laptops

MegaZone — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:55:56 +0000

Amazon is having a back to school sale on ASUS laptops, with five models on offer. They’re all 15.6″ screens, 1366×768 resolution, all running Windows 7 Home Premium. All with 802.11b/g/b WiFi and a Super Multi DVD drive. The lower three models have 320GB drives, while the two top models have 640GB.

The ASUS A53U-XE1 is $329.99:

AMD C50 Dual Core Processor;AMD Radeon HD 4250 Graphics
3GB of DDR3 1333MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max; 320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi DVD Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System; 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/SDHC)
15.6-Inch HD Display (1366×768); 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI and VGA Port; Wireless 802.11bgn; 3 USB 2.0 Ports
1 Year Accidental Damage Protection and 1 Year Standard Global Warranty Included

The ASUS A53U-XA1 is $399.99:

AMD Dual Core E350 (1.60GHz); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
320GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; AMD HD 6310 Graphics
15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

The ASUS A53E-XA1 is $459.99:

Intel Core i3-2310M (2.1GHz); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
320GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; Intel GMA HD
15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

The ASUS A53E-XA2 is $526.28:

Intel Core i5-2410M (2.3GHz with Turbo Boost); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
640GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; Intel GMA HD
15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

And finally, the ASUS A53SV-XE1 is $849.99:

Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz with Turboboost up to 2.93GHz); NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 1GB DDR3 VRAM
6GB of DDR3 1333MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max;640GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi DVD Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System; 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/SDHC)
15.6-Inch HD Display (1366×768); 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI and VGA Port; Wireless 802.11bgn; 3 USB 2.0 Ports
1 Year Accidental Damage Protection and 1 Year Standard Global Warranty Included

They’re all similar in appearance, the main differences are the CPU, RAM, and graphics. So you can select the one that best fits your needs.

Amazon Back-to-School Gaming Event

MegaZone — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:33:04 +0000

Amazon knows what students really need when going back to school – games. And so they’re holding a Back-to-School Event with deals on all many of gaming goods. (Why not just call it a sale? Why Event? *shrug*) It is a fairly extensive sale, with 129 items to choose from, split into three categories. There’s Back to School, with 79 items, apparently aimed at the younger crowd. Then Back to College, with 49 items, for the more mature gaming audience. And Accessories, which is just the PlayStation Move Motion Controller and Navigation Controller. The games are for PS2, PS3, XBox 360, Wii, DS, 3DS, and maybe others I didn’t notice.

Roxio Creator 2012 and Creator 2012 Pro Now Available

MegaZone — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:43:31 +0000

Roxio Creator 2012 and Creator 2012 Pro have been released, and are available for $79.99 and $109.99 respectively, after a $20 mail-in rebate. Get an overview of both products, compared the features, and decide which one is right for you. And remember, Roxio Creator is the only third party Windows software officially endorsed by TiVo for use with TiVo DVRs.

Roxio Creator 2012
Enhance, preserve, capture and share your digital media

NEW! Enhance your videos with 8 artistic effects
NEW! Convert and create DivX® videos
NEW! Powerful portrait improvement tools
NEW! 50 professional background music tracks
Enhanced conversion video tools for iPad®, iPhone®, and Android™ phones
Edit videos and create DVDs like a pro – even in 3D
Fix photos and make cards, calendars and slideshows
Burn and copy CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs
Share on DVD, portable devices, YouTube™ or Facebook®
Create PhotoShow slideshows with any music to share on DVD

Roxio Creator 2012 Pro
All the power of Creator 2012 + new software and tools worth over $400

NEW! HDR Express™ by Unified Color for photo with stunning visual contrast
NEW! 14 amazing video effects found in nature and beyond
NEW! iZotope Music and Speech Cleaner™
NEW! DivX Plus® video converter and player
NEW! 100 soundtracks from Triple Scoop Music library
NEW! Soundtrack titles in the SmartSound® Easy Livin’ collection
BackOnTrack 4 system restore & disaster recovery
SonicFire PRO® custom soundtrack creation
Roxio Securn Burn and copy discs and secure them with encryption
Burn high definition video Blu-ray discs

DirecTV Turns To NDS for Over the Top Video Tech

MegaZone — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:06:26 +0000

DirecTV has turned to NDS and their VideoGuard Connect DRM product for their over the top (OTT) content offering to subscribers. It sounds like this phase is for content delivered to set top boxes, as DirecTV said they’re not willing to talk about mobile devices and PCs at this time. However, NDS is more forthcoming, saying DirecTV will use VideoGuard for home networking and video services delivered to customers on multiple platforms, including PC & Mac and iOS & Android-based mobile and tablet devices.

That could imply that they’re planning an Xfinity-style content streaming offering in the future, as has been rumored elsewhere. Taking another leap, if they were planning to offer a direct OTT content streaming from the mothership it could explain with the forthcoming Nomad product is rumored to not have a streaming option. Of course, that’s supposition, so take it for what it is.

Via FierceCable.

BestBuy.com Electronics & Gaming Deals, and More

MegaZone — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 06:44:09 +0000

In addition to the two-day sale that started today and runs through Saturday, BestBuy.com has a number of additional deals this weel. See this Week’s Sale Events and Free Shipping Offers.

Free Sharp 3D Wi-Fi Blu-ray Player (Shipping Extra) with Sharp AQUOS 60” Class LED-LCD 1080p HDTV.

5% – 20% Off Select HDTVs.

$369.99 Lenovo IdeaPad Laptop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 15.6″ Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive

$329.99 Toshiba Satellite Laptop / AMD E-Series Processor / 15.6″ Display / 3GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive

5%-40% Off Select Digital Cameras and Camcorders, Plus Free Shipping.

Free $75 Gift Card with 250GB Xbox 360 Console.

$10 Off Madden NFL 12 (Game Guide) when you buy Madden NFL 12 for Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii.

$9.99 Sale on Select Blu-ray Titles.

DirecTV Nomad Coming Soon

MegaZone — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:42:44 +0000

Engadget noticed that DirecTV put up a ‘Coming Soon’ teaser page for their new Nomad product. The page itself doesn’t reveal much, it is just an image of a DirecTV DVR and the Nomad, along with a Mac, iPad, and iPhone. The FAQ page adds the text “DIRECTV nomad™ Take your movies and shows from your home DVR wherever you go.” All of this isn’t new, we’ve known that Nomad has something to do with making content portable (as if the name didn’t give it away).

But I did find more, the July 2011 DirecTV training video (also streaming) includes a bit about Nomad starting at the 12:15 mark. The site requires a login, but if you’re reading this you’re probably clever enough to find it online.

The video content itself isn’t really worth posting, you don’t see much. But the information given is useful. To have the Nomad you must have an HR20 through HR24 or R22 and they must be connected to the Internet. Only one Nomad is allowed per account, you must have active DirecTV DVR service, and the account must have MRV capability. The customer’s broadband service must be active during installation. At launch, wireless capability will be available in iPhone and Android clients, as well as a PC client. You’ll need to add the Nomad Mobile DVR service to the account. Also, it appears that the Nomad box requires a physical Ethernet connection – but it doesn’t need to be collocated with the DirecTV box so you can stick it with your router, etc.

Based on the video the Nomad pulls content from your DirecTV DVR over the network via DECA/SWiM and transcodes it. That jibes with the need for MRV on the account and how the unit is connected. From the brief look at the back of the unit in the video it looks like it only has power, Ethernet, and maybe a USB port. Note that also means it will not work with the new DirecTiVo as that does not support MRV, according to the info available. (Maybe in a future update.)

Unfortunately, the video isn’t clear on if Nomad provides streaming support, ala Slingbox, or simply transcodes video and makes a copy for your mobile device, ala TiVoToGo. The graphics, to me, imply wireless streaming, but I can’t say they’re conclusive and the narration never states anything either way. There are numerous discussion threads about Nomad around the net, some of which mention being able to take videos on an airplane, which would mean copying. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t stream, they’re not mutually exclusive. A survey from last year (the Nomad was first expected in late 2010 – the DirecTiVo isn’t the only delayed release) implied copying and streaming as well.

The rumor is that DirecTV is working with Morega on the Nomad. Morega and DirecTV are both members of the RVU Alliance. In July Morega received a patent on their system for ‘TV Everywhere’, and the info in their press release does jibe with the rumors around Nomad:

Morega Systems, a developer of content portability solutions, revealed today that the company received patent approval for its breakthrough content portability technology. This unique content delivery solution gives satellite, cable and IPTV service providers, and equipment manufacturers a better way to extend premium, multimedia content beyond the television and the set-top box to support the Connected Home and TV Everywhere.
…
Today, the predominant way to “placeshift” content – in other words, to deliver content to any device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or a PC – to support TV Everywhere is by streaming content across a broadband network connection. But Morega’s technology takes TV Everywhere to a new level by allowing consumers to placeshift via two methods: adaptive bit rate streaming with quality-of-service or sideloading. With Morega’s unique sideloading solution, authorized users can securely download content either directly from the cloud or from a set-top box onto alternative viewing devices.
This solves two key challenges posed by cloud-based mobile video delivery solutions: First, streaming or sideloading from cable, satellite or IPTV networks at the edge is much more bandwidth-efficient to the operators and requires fewer network resources for transcoded content management and storage. Second, it preserves the original broadcast ads while providing the ability to track and report mobile viewing metrics. Also, with the sideloading option, users no longer need a broadband network connection to view the content.
In addition, Morega’s sideloading technology uses a sophisticated back-office, standards-based and proprietary authentication, encryption and digital rights management (DRM) system to protect copyrighted material and to assure the delivery of high-quality video entertainment content.
…
The new patent specifically covers the transcoding, streaming and downloading of premium content from a video source to a mobile platform such as a smartphone or a laptop or tablet computer. It also covers Morega’s unique approach to track, restrict and monetize premium content via digital rights management (DRM), which leverages both industry standards from the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP), as well as proprietary methods to protect copyrighted material and assure high-quality video when customers securely download content from either a set-top box or directly from the cloud.

That sounds a lot like what’s expected from Nomad. Also, DirecTV is known to use DTCP-IP with the DirecTV2PC offering today.

There is a thread at DBSTalk with a lot of info sprinkled about. Keep in mind this is all leaked info from a discussion thread and not official information. Reportedly, it does use MRV and the transfers count as one available MRV stream. Transfers happen in real time. The unit has 16GB internal storage and supports up to 2TB of external storage via the USB port. Content is transcoded to H.264 and ‘down converted’ from the original, but no word on what the resolution of the mobile versions will be. (Given the growing number of HD displays on mobile devices, and HDMI output, hopefully not too low.) Content will obey the ‘maximum entitlement date’ – aka expiration date, as set when recorded. (So something that says you can keep it on your DVR only 7 days also stops working via Nomad in 7 days.) It definitely does copying, but the general sense from the thread is that it does not stream. (But no one seems to know for sure on the streaming.)

If it doesn’t do streaming that would be disappointing. DISH Network has their SlingLoaded 922 DVR and the Sling add-on for the 722 DVR which both stream in realtime. And, of course, anyone can connect a Slingbox to just about any video source and stream. Copying is a nice feature for use when streaming isn’t an option, such as on an airplane, but the clear trend is toward streaming services – not just traditional place shifting via Sling Media and Monsoon, but OTT providers such as Netflix and Hulu and MSO services like Comcast’s Xfinity. With the growth of 3G, and now 4G, services, and the ubiquity of WiFi, having to plan ahead and pre-load copies just seems archaic. And if you’re on an extended business trip you can’t access anything on your DVR at home that recorded after you left. So it is useless for keeping up with your shows on the road.

I really hope it does streaming, or they have concrete plans to add it shortly after launch, or I think the Slingbox will remain a better option. Especially if this thread is correct and Nomad costs $150. You can get a Slingbox SOLO for that, and a Slingbox PRO-HD for just over a hundred more.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

From Humble Beginnings…

MegaZone — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:45:29 +0000

One of the most important software projects in history was introduced to the world with a simple USEnet post twenty years ago today by one Linus Benedict Torvalds on the newsgroup comp.os.minix:

Hello everybody out there using minix –
I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and
professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing
since april, and is starting to get ready. I’d like any feedback on
things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat
(same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons)
among other things).
I’ve currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work.
This implies that I’ll get something practical within a few months, and
I’d like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions
are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them
Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)
PS. Yes – it’s free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs.
It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never
will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that’s all I have .

As you might have guessed from the name of the poster, or the image of Tux I’m using for this post, the project is what the world came to know as Linux.

But “One of the most important software projects in history”? I think that’s a fair statement. You may not be a ‘Linux geek’ – you don’t run a Linux desktop, maintain a Linux server, etc. (Yes, I’m sure some of you do.) But odds are you use Linux every day.

Android, of course, is based on the Linux kernel . So if you use an Android phone, Google TV, etc., you benefit from Linux. ChromeOS is also based on a Linux kernel.

Many home routers and WiFi access points use the Linux kernel. TiVo famously uses the Linux kernel in their products. Google’s servers run a custom version of Linux. The New York Stock Exchange runs on Linux – frankly countless corporations use Linux for core servers, trying to list them all would be pointless. The ‘LAMP’ platform is an industry standard – where LAMP is Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl/PHP/Python. (The P tends to vary.)

Linux powers cash registers and ATMs. It is used in set top boxes and automotive applications.

Linux is used in network gear that caries vast quantities of Internet traffic. My day job employer, F5 Networks, uses the Linux kernel on our boxes, which are used by pretty much all of the leading banks and financial institutions, major corporations, and web services that you probably use every day. Ever use Facebook? Or Microsoft’s Xbox network? Your traffic very likely passed through a box running the Linux kernel.

Beyond the direct effects of having a free and open source UNIX-like operating system available to jump start countless projects, and avoid reinventing the wheel and/or paying big fees to license a proprietary platform, Linux has had an even greater impact by popularizing open source. The success of Linux inspired countless open source projects. It helped people realize you can do open source and still be a successful business. Linux is free and open, but it is still a big money maker for countless vendors. The two aren’t exclusive. I feel that Linux did more to raise awareness of this than BSD or GNU which preceded it.

My first exposure to Linux came nearly twenty years ago, not long after it released. I was in college at the time and I remember downloading it in the campus computing center to try out. What has since been jokingly dubbed the ‘stack of floppies’ distro, since that’s how you got it. I vaguely remember it being eleven 3.5″ floppies, but time may have fuzzed that memory. Later moving on to my first ‘real’ distro, Slackware. Still later on, in my professional career, I was a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) for a while, having long since switched to Red Hat Linux as my primary choice. I also worked with SuSE, RHEL, CentOS, and a few others. (Sorry, I was never a big Debian fan for some reason.) Linux never really caught on in the desktop world, but it did well for itself everywhere else. And with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets setting the world on fire, and conventional PC sales slipping, Linux may win the long game yet.

And it all started with one man doing something as a hobby twenty years ago. On the one hand I feel like “Wow, has it really been twenty years already?” But even more so I feel “Wow, have things really come so far in only twenty years?”

That one simple post was the start of something unimaginably huge.

Happy 20th Birthday, Linux.

And thanks for the gift, Linus.

Got an Amazon Rewards Visa Card? Save 20% on Office & School Supplies – Like PCs and Tablets!

MegaZone — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:35:14 +0000

This is almost tempting enough to get me to sign up for another credit card. Amazon is getting into the back to school spirit, and clearly trying to sign up more card holders, by offering 20% off office & school supplies through August 31, 2011 – but only if you use your Amazon card. Now, when I think of office & school supplies I tend to think of pens, paper, notebooks, rulers, etc. But I guess I think too old-fashioned, or just too small, because the offer includes desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and netbooks! And, yes, pens, paper, notebooks, paper clips, binders, and all the mundane stuff. All the top computer and tablet vendors are part of the promotion, so if you’ve been thinking about picking up a new tablet or laptop – get an Amazon Rewards Visa and take 20% off!

Must resist… have wedding to save for… Wait, my fiancee does have an Amazon Rewards Visa Card. Oh, honey…