High Tech Household

Forget the iPad, this tablet by Freesource can run Linux, Chromium OS, or the Android OS.  It has a 7″ screen, can run HTML5 video, and retails for $199, roughly $300 cheaper than its Apple counterpart.  The look is pretty cool, and the open architectures of Linux/Chromium/Android make the possibilities for development far greater than for that of the Apple iPad.  It is still a prototype, but it looks pretty cool.  A video of the workings of prototype in action is below the break.

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Microsoft has recently announced that it is phasing out some versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista as of July 13, 2010.  Specifically, if you have any edition of Windows 2000, Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or the original release of Windows Vista without any service packs (Release to Manufacturing or RTM) then support is dropping for your operating system.

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Texting while driving is a big no-no.  It is impossible for a driver to keep their eyes on the road while simultaneously reading and typing a text message.  Researchers hope to change that, by introducing voice recognition which converts the text to speech, and speech back to text.  This would allow a driver to hear the text message through their headset or speakers, and then respond by simply speaking.

Having done some work in the voice field, I can attest to the fact that voice recognition is quite challenging.  It is hard to get all aspects of the unique qualities, accents, and cadences of individual voices into a software program that can then transcribe the speech into text.  Still, the research is interesting.

• Ars Technica:  Researches hope to make texting by voice a safe alternative

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s knew The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo’s breakout game series that revolutionized home video games.  The series has been prolific at pushing video game innovation through every system that Nintendo produced, with the N64’s Ocarina of Time being rated in many places as one of the top video games (if not the top) of all time.  Now, for all Zelda fans (myself included), a new game is on the horizon for the Wii. Unlike the last console Zelda offering, Twilight Princess, the new Zelda game will be made exclusively for the Wii (Twilight Princess was essentially a GameCube game ported to the Wii with a new control scheme).  The new game is planned for release this year, is going to utilize the Wii Motion Plus for sword control, and the game will be showed off at this year’s E3.  For Zelda fans, it can’t come soon enough.

Google announced this week that it is going to be phasing out support for Internet Explorer version 6 from its Google Docs and Google Sites applications as of March 1.  If you are a user of IE version 6, now may be the time to consider an upgrade or a new browser.  To see what version you have, click on the “Help” menu, and then click on “About.”  This will give you a version number, something like 6.0.1234 or something similar.  It’s the first number that you care about.  If it is version 7 or version 8, you’re OK.  If you are version 6 or lower, you should really consider using another browser, as Internet Explorer 6 is becoming increasingly obsolete.

It is important to note that if you are using FireFox, this doesn’t apply as Google is only dropping support for FireFox versions 3.0 or lower.  Since Firefox prompts the user to upgrade, most Firefox users are up-to-date.  Google is also planning to stop support forr Chrome 4.0 or lower and Safari 3.0 or lower.  For more information on the different web browsers and where to download newer versions, see our primer on web browsers.

Anyone who has been to the movies in the last year has noticed the latest trends of releasing movies in 3D.  Movies ranging from films such as Pixar’s Up to James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar have made heavy use of 3D technology in a way that hasn’t been tried since the failed 3D movie craze of the 1960s.  The conversion from analog to digital has made 3D much more workable and less gimmicky, so motion picture studios are scheduling even more 3D films.

The emergence of 3D is also set to impact homes.  With HD becoming far more mainstream, the latest trend among TV manufacturers is the 3D television experience.  At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month, home-3D was the largest new innovation, with all of the major TV manufacturers unveiling HD 3D offerings.  While pricey at the moment, technology prices typically fall as demand increases, so look for affordable 3D-HD TVs in a few years time.

Besides movies and TV shows, video games are the next logical step.  As the big three (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) fight over the next round of video game and console wars, will 3D enter the picture?  Some say yes, especially for the hard-core gamers.

3D also has its detractors.  There are many who say that the glasses are uncomfortable, and that the forced perspective that 3D creates can take away from appreciating a film and cinematography in general.  3D also can cause eye strain, nausea, and motion sickness.  So while 3D is an interesting new technology, and is all the rave this year, it remains to be seen if it is simply a fad or is here to stay.  The emergence of digital certainly improves the 3D experience, but as the failed experiments of the 1960s and 1980s show, just because the content creators want to make it, it doesn’t mean that people will want to buy it.  We shall see.

After a bit of a hiatus, High Tech Household is back.  Look for more content and potentially some new contributors as we ramp up over the next month.  As always, thanks for stopping by.

A new technical standard, WHDI has been developed that promises wireless 1080p HD resolution at distances of up to 100 feet.  The standard utilizes the same bandwidth area as the newest WiFi protocol, 802.11n.  Gone will be the days of endless cables, and forcing all devices to be in proximity to your television.  Think of the possibilities:

• A computer across the room that uses WHDI to stream Hulu or YouTube to your TV
• A smaller, portable television for your kitchen that simply receives its signal from the wired cablebox
• A home media server stored in a closet used to archive movies and recorded television without taking up precious space on your TV cabinet or living room.

Upon first release, WHDI devices will likely be fairly expensive, but over time will come down in price.  The move to WHDI will likely have a similar effect on homes that WiFi has had, making it easier for people to create complex media ecosystems without complex wiring schemes.

In part 1 of this series, we looked at the phenomenon that is social networking, and the various social networks.  In part 2, we looked at Twitter, what it is and how it works.  Here in part 3, we will explore social bookmarking, a way of aggregating the Internet and sharing content.  While the various social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can all be used to share content and bookmark, there are several sites such as Digg, del.icio.us, and Reddit that are specifically created to share good content from around the net.  Bookmarks end up being ranked based on user recommendations, and tags are added to allow for the indexing and searching of resources. Read more…

I have been wanting to build a Home Theater PC for a while, but was waiting for the launch of Windows 7 to do so.  When Windows 7 was released on October 22, I started researching what I would need to assemble my own Home Theater PC, and began ordering parts.  Last week, the parts arrived for building my home theater PC using Windows 7 Media Center.  I spent a good deal of Friday night and Saturday putting it together and getting it ready for use.  By Saturday afternoon, I had the PC up and running and connected to my television.

Windows 7 Media Center has a lot to offer as a Home Theater PC (or really, a Home Entertainment PC), including Recording and Playback of TV (DVR-functionality), Movies and Netflix, Hulu and Internet TV, Music and Photo Libraries, and more, all controlled via a remote control and optional wireless keyboard.  Media Center also supports hardware (called Media Center Extenders) that allow you to stream your Media Center content to other TVs throughout your home.  What sets Media Center apart from just a traditional DVR or TiVo is the extensibility.  Third party developers, enthusiasts, and hobbiest programmers can create programs that extend the functionality of Windows 7 Media Center, much like people write apps for smart phones such as the iPhone and Google Android.   Best of all, it comes included in all editions of Windows 7.

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