All posts by Don

RawVoice Podcast Statistics Update!

Information, photocasting, , ,

The team at RawVoice have released their new Podcast Statistics Interface and new features to their 13,000 podcasters. As one of the podcast producers that have been exposed to this new interface for a few weeks, and the data that it brings to table I find the insight into my show pretty incredible.

I have relied on their stats now for over a year, and while the old interface was good this new interface and the additional data points they are sharing is worth the $5.00 a month premium charge.

Let me be frank I am probably biased here a bit due to my relationship with Todd, but the team over their has done a hell of a job with this. RawVoice in my opinion is very much under appreciated in what they do. They provide an awful lot to the community to help them build their shows, so I encourage podcasters to do as Todd says, please support the company that is supporting podcasters.

My show here is hosted on their high performance CDN, I run my audience surveys, advertising, distribution onto Boxee, Samsung Smart TV, Google TV, Roku, and probably more that I am unaware of. That’s only part of it, they have the PowerPress plugin as well. See for yourself what they have done with the new stats interface in the Video that Todd released earlier today.

ASUS Combines Smartphones and Tablets With The Padfone

Android, Gadgets, Gear, tablet, tech, , , , , ,

Considering the relative success ASUS has already seen in the tablet space it’s no surprise they want to keep them coming. The EeePad Transformer, according to them, is selling pretty well and they recently revealed another impressive Android tablet… err phone… no, tablet phone… Oh yea, it’s the Padfone.

What if we could take our tiny smartphone screen and blow it up to 10.1-inches whenever we wanted? We’d never have to squint again and when our phone rings we could just squish it back down to handheld size and answer the call. See where ASUS is going with this?

Rather than going out and spending money on a smartphone and a tablet, ASUS is going to combine the two… sorta. The smartphone will be just like any other Android handset we’ve seen before. What separates the Padfone from the competition isn’t the handheld itself, but the dock. In essence, the “Pad” aspect of the Padfone is just a 10.1-inch touch screen USB monitor with a battery shoved in it.

The phone provides all the computing power and a 3G connection for access to the web. Toss it in the back of the Padfone tablet-dock and your ready to go. The phone connects to a mini-HDMI and mini-USB at the same time, then you close the lid, completely hiding the handset it from view.

Details were absent regarding which version of Android will be running on the Padfone, but speculation is already swirling the web with “Ice Cream Sandwich” in the eye of the storm. It is definitely a possibility — ASUS says the Padfone’s interface will automatically adjust to better suit the larger screen size when it is docked and Google has already told us Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) would not be coming to smartphones. If you check out the promo video on the Padfone site you’ll see the same navigation bar we were introduced to in Honeycomb. But, if Honeycomb isn’t coming to smartphones (where the “brains” of this device will be located) than we can only move forward, right?

No pricing or availability was announced so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens over the coming months. As far as Ice Cream Sandwich goes, Google’s Eric Schmidt will be talking at the D9 Conference later today — fingers crossed we’ll learn something there.

Build a Custom Gaming PC at Walmart.com!

Gaming, , ,

Honestly, this comes as quite a surprise. I would have never thought Wal-Mart and iBuyPower would team up to bring a custom gaming PC builder to Walmart.com but, that’s exactly what they have done and Walmart says there are over 10,000 combinations available.

Custom rigs start out at $599 and we can choose between 5 different cases. We’ll also be able to include up to 8GBs of RAM and a 2TB hard drive so there’s plenty of room for all those games. We won’t have to worry to much about graphics as there are 9 different cards from AMD and NVIDIA to choose from with the 1.5GB GeForce GTX480 at the top of the list. Intel and AMD processors, including the i5 and i7, will also be available depending on your customizing needs. They have even provided 3 different optical drive options including a Blu-ray writer!

Usually when I think of places to throw a custom gaming rig together Walmart is not at the top of the list. However, if you’re looking for something affordable this could be the way to go. If you want to start building right away head over to the Walmart.com Builder right now. It looks like the $599 base model is on sale for $579 so get over there and start customizing — that fresh copy of Portal 2 wants to play!

Warpia Wireless Media Streaming Adapters Now At BestBuy.com

Home Theater, USB, video, , , , ,

“Cut the cord.” in the hospital it means one thing but at home, in your living room, it refers to something completely different. With the amount of content readily available on the internet these days lots of people are fed up with enormous cable bills and have decided to end their service, relying solely on the videos they find online, thus “cutting the cord.”

Services like Hulu Plus, Netflix and Vudu only make it easier but running cables from your PC to a TV is just a pain — trust me, I know. On top of that, going all-out and buying a PC specifically to feed your home theater really isn’t an option for most of us. That’s where Warpia, and their recent deal with Best Buy, comes in.

Their wireless display adapters, the StreamHD and Wireless USB PC-to-TV adapter, provide a simple and easy way to stream any content you find on the web straight to your TV. Neither device restricts any content or web page, they both simply mirror your PC’s display and put it on your TV screen — sounds simple right? It is!

Both products come with a wireless USB dongle for your PC and a base station that connects to your TV. Both have HDMI ports for HD video but, the cheaper USB PC-to-TV model only supports 720p resolution while the StreamHD delivers full 1080p HD madness. They both come with an HDMI cable and an SPDIF optical audio cable — which is awesome — and Warpia says they’ll stream from up to 30-feet away!

The StreamHD will cost a pretty penny at about $170 but, that’s a lot cheaper than a HTPC, not to mention months upon months of cable bills. The Wireless USB PC to TV adapter is a little cheaper coming in at $130 and both are available at BestBuy.com.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what each product provides…

StreamHD $169.99
Full 1080p (1920 x 1280) HD video
5.1-channel surround sound
HDMI cable
SPDIF audio cable
Wireless USB Dongle for PC
Video Base station for TV and power supply

Wireless PC-to-TV Media Adapter $129.99
720p HD video
16-bit stereo sound
HDMI cable
SPDIF audio cable
Wireless USB Dongle for PC
Video Base station for TV and power supply

HP Workstation Timeline

HP, , , , ,

HP has been around for quite awhile and they released a pretty interesting timeline recently. It shows off key innovations from the company, starting us off with the first documented “personal computer,” the 9100A. From there we move through the years until we reach present day and HP’s newest Z-series.

Clearly, you won’t find every PC ever put out by HP in this timeline –that would be a little too long– but, it is great look back at the history of this very successful company.

If you have fond memories of those ancient floppy discs and boring displays, or just want to see where it all began, take a few minutes and look through the timeline. As you will see, HP has come a long way over the past 40 years — thankfully.

 

HP Released Two Z210 Desktop Workstations Today!

HP, , , , ,

Today HP released two new desktop workstations designed specifically with professionals in mind. The new Z210 desktop comes in two form-factors; convertible mini-tower (CMT) and highly-compact small form-factor (SFF) for those of us who simply need a more space-saving solution.

As far as specs go, it looks like both models will be able to provide customers with the same hardware. Each can be configured with the Intel Xeon E3 and second gen. Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. We’ll also have a range of choices from AMD and NVIDIA for graphics capabilities. 2D and 3D options are both on the table with a 2D dual graphics card setup able to support up to 4 monitors at once for some serious screen space.

“Built for professionals, HP Z210 workstations with the new Intel Xeon processor E3 1200 family are changing the definition of the entry-level workstation,” said Anthony C. Neal-Graves, general manager, Workstation Unit, Intel Corporation. “This processor’s greatest innovation is how it integrates the CPU and graphics engines on the same die. That means visual and 3-D graphics capabilities that were once only available to entry workstation users with discrete graphics cards will now be accessible to anyone with an entry workstation powered by the Intel Xeon E3 family with Intel HD Graphics P3000.”

These new workstations are not only faster and more efficient; HP has gone to great lengths to reduce the workstations carbon footprint. In fact, users will have access to the HP Carbon Footprint Calculator which will help us reduce environmental impact and computing costs. They have also given each form-factor a tool free chassis for quick and easy maintenance.

The HP Z210’s are available right now with the CMT starting at $659 and the SFF coming in at $569 USD. If you’re interested in a more mobile solution you should check out HP’s new EliteBooks, landing next month.

WiFi-Only Samsung Galaxy Tab Lands April 10th!

Android, Gear, , ,

Those of you who have been waiting patiently to get your hands on a WiFi-Only Galaxy Tab 7” will be happy to know the wait is over… almost.

In a press release sent out today, Samsung announced the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab will be available beginning April 10th and some online retailers (Circuit City, CompUSA, Tiger Direct) are already accepting preorders for those of you about to explode in anticipation.

The new model will provide all the same features as the 3G model that’s been available for some time now. A 7-inch screen, front and rear-facing cameras, Android 2.2 and Samsung’s Media Hub will all be there. However, the best part about the new WiFi-only model is the price tag. While we can go to just about any wireless carrier and pick one up for $299.99 after we sign a 2-yr service plan ($499.99 if we don’t), the WiFi-only model is available for about $350 and you won’t have to worry about any sort of contract!

Honestly, it’s about time. Samsung’s second generation tablets will be hitting shelves this summer. Oh, and they’ll be running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) opposed to Android 2.2 (Froyo) so you’re probably better off waiting, unless that $350 price tag has you all excited.