scattered technology news

Blue Microphones Snowball (Review) 0

Although most laptops now feature built in web cameras and microphones, they often produce mediocre results. Those components might be great for video chat, but not for producing semi-professional content. For the audio portion, a new market has introduced USB-based microphones, that produce surprisingly good recordings. The California-based company, Blue Microphones (Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics), produces many high quality retro-looking audio products. The one I’m taking a look at today is the Snowball. It’s quite affordable, easy to setup, and produces great results.

Hardware: 5/5 stars
Blue Microphones includes all the essentials to get started with podcasting or recording audio. The box includes the baseball-shaped microphone, a tripod stand, and a USB cable. The tripod extends upwards, rotates a complete 360 degrees, and even allows tilting the head back and fort. Rubber tips on the legs of the tripod are a neat addition as they offer a strong grip and reduce vibrations. The unit also has a standard threaded connector, so it can attached onto any standard microphone stand. There’s a red LED indicator on the front and the USB port resides right below the mode setting switch on the back. The unit stands sturdy and has a unique retro look that catches glances. Read More

Top 5 Movie Downloads Of The Week 0

Last week I brought you guys a quick post about the most legally downloaded MP3s of the week and today here’s a list of the 5 most digitally downloaded movies of the week. The data has been collected from online download and rental services such as iTunes and Amazon On Demand. So enjoy:

I’ll be switching off each week between the Top MP3s Post and this one, so check back next week!

Netflix Finally Reaches The PS3 0

Since launch, Sony has advertised the PlayStation 3 as a household center for entertainment. In addition to Blu-Ray playback, Sony soon took it a step further with a few software updates giving it access to tons of Movies and TV Shows through the PlayStation Network Store. It even supports DLNA streaming to share music, photos, and videos between computers on your home network. Despite those features, it lacked something that Microsoft was able to put into the Xbox: Netflix Streaming.

Fortunately Sony has caught up with the times and has partnered with Netflix. They plan to offer PS3 owners and Netflix subscribers streaming access to their library as early as next month at no additional cost. This will be a great complement to their snail mail Blu-Ray rental service.  To enable your PS3 for the service, you’ll need to get a special free disc from Netflix that will enable the service. Let’s hope there will be more features such as this one coming down the line. Hulu please?

Links: Netflix.com/PS3

Top 5 MP3s Of The Week 1

This is the first of many upcoming Skatter Tech segments where we’ll be keeping you updated with a bit of digital entertainment news. Today I bring you the top 5 digital MP3 downloads of the week.

Stay tuned for more updates including the top digital movie downloads of the week!

Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch (Review) 1

As someone who has become accustomed to the touchpad on the Macbook Pro, I was a little nervous going back to a tablet. The only one I’ve ever used before had an enormous body and a small work area, while the lag was just too much to be useful. I soon realized the times had changed when I first un-boxed the Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch.

Tablet
The tablet itself is incredibly thin – about the size of a number two pencil at its thickest, with beveled edges for a more comfortable wrist-rest. The four side-buttons are large, accessible, and as I later found after installing drivers, configurable to a certain extent. An LED indicator located between the buttons lights up white when the device is on and changes to a warm orange color when the stylus is within range. I found the small red tag on the side of the device to be a little obnoxious, but it’s supposed to store your pen after use. It can easily tucked away under the device if it’s too annoying.

The drawing area is very generous with an area about 3.5 times that of my Macbook’s touchpad. The Bamboo’s matte texture that feels paper and though I was nervous to test the amount of pen pressure it could handle, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it could handle quite a bit. Read More

The Beatles: High Resolution Album Art 43

Exactly a week ago, on 09.09.09, the entire original Beatles catalogue was re-released in a new digitally remastered format. True fans might be willing to spend $180 to buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set, but I’ve got a treat for everyone else. I obviously can’t the music without a hefty lawsuit, but can share the high resolution Album Artwork that I received in the Official Beatles Press Kit. If you are listening to your favorite Beatles tracks on an iPod, Zune, or other media device; throw in the official artwork to brighten things up! (Apple iTunes and Windows Media Player will allow embedding the artwork into your music.)

The download contains official album artwork for the original 12 studio albums by The Beatles. (Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, and Let It Be) The image above is a preview of what will be included. There’s a link to download a ZIP file below. All the files are JPG images in an amazing 1636×1482 resolution. Grab them and enjoy!

Download:
the-beatles-remastered-album-art.zip (~4.6 MB)
Note: Download only contains JPG images, we never distribute spyware/malware/adware.

Buy: The Beatles on Amazon.com

Update: As requested, the ZIP above has been updated to include two more Beatles Album Art: Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters. And it’s been updated again, now to also include The Beatles in Mono. (15 Album Covers Total)

Wallpapers: Windows 7 & Snow Leopard 2

2009 is the year for the launch of two new next generation operating systems: Apple’s OS X Snow Leopard and Microsoft’s Windows 7. Just as with every prior version of both those operating systems, they come with a set new stunning backgrounds. If you aren’t willing to spend the cash to upgrade or can’t afford to do so in these difficult times, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy these new wallpapers. So as a treat, our readers can download the entire set of backdrops included with both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard in full high resolution glory!

The download includes 31 Windows 7 Backgrounds plus two bonus ones we’ve thrown in all at a 1920×1200 resolution. And it also includes 35 Snow Leopard Backgrounds, all at a whopping 2560×1600 resolution. So what are you waiting for? Download a copy and let us know which set you like best!

Download:
next-gen-wallpapers.zip (~79.8 MB)
Note: Download only contains JPG images, we never distribute spyware/malware/adware.

Pre-Order: Snow Leopard | Windows 7

Pinnacle PCTV HD Mini 4

About a decade ago when you said television it would mean watching media on a traditional TV set. Today, TV content has spread across many platforms and has reached just about everything from treadmills to cell phones. For the past couple of years the technology savvy have been using TV Tuners to access off-air and cable channels on their computers. Things today have gotten easier than ever before. A simple USB Flash Drive sized gizmo plugged into an average computer provides instant access to High Definition Television content.

I personally wasn’t a fan of the idea of having content that would normally be on a TV brought over to my laptop’s display. I’m also sure that this isn’t exactly an idea too many others either. But there are many scenarios that the Pinnacle PCTV HD is an excellent solution. For example take a college student who may not have enough space in their dorm for a TV unit or the cash to afford one. For a minimal price a student can turn a laptop which they most likely already have purchased into a multifunctional device that doubles as their TV. As a bonus, most computers running Windows Vista are bundled with Media Center which can instantly turn their machine into a DVR that can automatically schedule and record shows.

When I opened the packaging the PCTV HD Mini came in, I was astounded by the size of the device. The USB device which is about the size of an average flash drive was supposedly capable of receiving Full HD content and playing it back on my laptop. The last generation of tuners were much larger and would even hog up any extra room around USB ports, Pinnacle thoughtfully also threw in a USB extension cable to prevent the tuner from rendering any other ports useless in case it were to be obtruding. The largest component of the package was the antenna and its base. Putting everything together was quite a cinch, with some intuition, you’ll have all the hardware setup in a few minutes even if you don’t have much familiarity with technology. A CD is included which is fairly straightforward, just pop it in and follow the onscreen instructions. The software will automatically scan for digital channels in the area. Positioning the antenna is quite important; placing it a location with minimal obstructions will result in better reception, more channels, and image clarity. Read More

Microsoft Updates The Zune 2

Yesterday Microsoft announced a couple of updates and upgrades to their current Zune lineup. New capacities such as a 16GB flash model and a 120GB HDD version will hit store shelves in about a week. The new firmware upgrade will allow “tagging and purchasing” songs that you hear on the player’s built-in FM radio, offer wireless access to the Marketplace store, recommend music using a newly developed engine, and works with the upcoming Zune Pass subscription. This is a fairly decent upgrade and most existing Zune customers will truly appreciate it, however I wouldn’t yet say it’s a good enough of a reason to purchase another Zune. It is still satisfying to be able to purchase songs on the go at hot-spots like you would be able to do on Mobile Phones or on the iPhone. I probably wouldn’t be using the FM tagging feature too much, but the Zune Pass sounds appealing. For a flat rate of $14.99/month you can download or stream as much music as you would like.

The Zune desktop software will also be getting some improvements with Mixview and a new Now Playing page which both offer new graphical and interactive ways to browse and view your library. And the new firmware will also bring support for a couple of games, audiobooks (supports Audible), and real ebooks through OverDrive. Most of those are great, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to read a whole book on a Zune. Anyways if you are interested in getting a new Zune, starting on September 16th, pricing will be set at $250 for a 120GB HDD model, $229 for a 80GB HDD model, $199 for a 16GB SSD model, and $149 for a 8GB SSD model. Apple is also rolling out new iPods today, so I might suggest holding off until the end of the day if you happen to be deciding between the two.

Links: Zune.net

Sony Announces Smallest HD Camcorder 3

Yesterday Sony announced the smallest full-HD camcorder for consumers. The device is only 1.3-inches wide, 4.7-inches tall, and 2.5-inches deep but has the capacity to record 1920 x 1080 HD video content and capture 4.0 mega-pixel photos. Instead of recording to a miniDV tape, all content is recorded onto the Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. And Sony even includes a 4GB Mark2 card along with the camcorder so you can start recording immediately. The camcorder also features an innovative 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen. The camcorder is also loaded with plenty of Sony’s automation technology to recognize faces, focus, and adjust to the environment. Although this may irritate professionals, it will however satisfy the consumers it was intended for. The audio is also captured in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound which will provide top notch audio quality to complement the HD video.

“Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.”

The compact HDR-TG1 HD camcorder will become available next month (May 2008). The current manufacturer’s suggested retail price is set at $900. When it becomes available it can be purchased on SonyStyle.com. in Sony Retail Stores, or through authorized dealers. Pre-orders begin on April 4th.

Links: SonyStyle.com