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Cuba Lifts Restrictions On Mobile Phones

by Dan Reilly, posted Mar 28th 2008 at 1:32PM



In a sign that Cuban residents will be getting more freedom, president Raul Castro announced that he would allow mobile phone use for the country's citizens. Previously, access was limited only to employees of foreign firms and government officials.

The announcement, made in Communist newspaper Granma, said that Cuban telecommunications monopoly ETECSA "is able to offer mobile phone service to the public." As a way around the ban, many Cubans would have foreigners sign contracts for them, but now they'll be able to purchase prepaid plans through the company. This comes as part of Castro's pledge to make "structural changes" and "big decisions," which, according to a leaked internal memo, may also allow Cubans to own appliances DVD players and computers.

Although the news is promising for Cuba, which currently has the lowest rate of cellular use in Latin America, it likely won't be priced for the average citizen. The plans can only be bought in Cuban Convertible Pesos, worth 24 times the regular Cuban peso used in normal paychecks. ETECSA says this will allow them to improve telecommunications throughout the country, with regular peso plans being available in the future.

So, great news for Cuba, but still, no cigars for us.

From Reuters/AOL News (via Engadget)

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Is VMD the Next Blu-ray?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 10th 2008 at 5:49PM

VMDs Want to Challenge Blu-Ray's Dominance
Just when you thought the format wars were over, along comes an upstart called New Medium Enterprises (NME) with its Versatile Multilayer Disc, or VMD. VMDs were originally set to debut in 2006, but for currently unknown reasons are only now making their debut.

The discs and players are much cheaper to produce than either Blu-ray or HD-DVD because it uses the same red lasers that standard DVD players use. Red lasers are cheaper and easier to produce than the blue lasers used in the other high-def disc formats.

According to an article in today's New York Times, VMD players are sold directly through the NME Web site and will be available on Amazon in about five weeks for about $200, though Michael Jay Solomon, the chairman of New Medium, seems to think prices could quickly drop to $90 a player.

Low prices, however, didn't save HD-DVD, and with the lackluster selection of VMD movies (only 17 titles available stateside), the upstart disc format is going to have a tough time even carving out a small niche for itself.

Whatever. All these next-gen disc formats are doomed, since HD-downloading on devices such as Apple TV and Vudu are only going to grow.

From the New York Times

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Graffiti-Splotched Gadgets All the Rage In 2008

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 8th 2008 at 11:01AM


Sure, iPods are cool, but they're just not the status symbol they once were, and there's nothing cool about having sleekest slimmest laptop on the market if everyone else has one, too.

Companies are realizing this and know that people, especially fiercely independent Americans, have a need to be different. So, as a way to make their products stand out (and their customers feel a little more unique), consumer electronics producers have taken to decorating many of their goods with graffiti and modern-art inspired graphics, intricate etchings, vaguely Japanese designs, and yes, even leather.

We wandered around CES and snapped pictures of some of the coolest examples of decorative electronics and customization options available to try and make you the consumer feel a little less like just part of the herd.

Gallery: Custom Design Gadgets



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DVDs Now Come With Computer Video Files for PC's and Video Players

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 17th 2007 at 1:54PM

DVD's Start Shipping with Video Files for PC's and PMP's
Looks like the movie studios are finally joining the 21st century while looking to preempt illegal ripping and sharing of movies via peer to peer networks. The proliferation of video-capable personal media players has made carrying your movie collection with you not only reasonable but popular.

Until now the only way to bring your movies with you legally was to rip your movies yourself, which can be a difficult and convoluted process. Or, as many have chosen, you could let someone else do the work and download movies via BitTorrent or some other file-sharing network.

With the release 'Live Free or Die Hard,' studios have begun including Windows media-encoded versions of movies that can be copied from the DVD to your computer or media player. Reportedly, the files have no DRM copy protection. However, a 16-digit code will be needed to download and unlock the file.

This feature doesn't end with 'Die Hard' thankfully. The 'Digital Copy' will be extended to future Fox releases, and Warner Home Video plans to introduce a similar program beginning with 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' in December.

From BetaNews

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Are Your CDs and DVDs Rotting Away?

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 20th 2007 at 1:15PM

Are Your CDs Rotting Away?When the CD was invented (25 years ago), it was sold as a replacement for audio cassettes and records not only because of its higher quality audio, but also because of its longevity. Unlike a cassette or LP, they told us, there's nothing that rubs against the CD as it plays, meaning -- in theory -- it could last forever. Turns out that's not so true. Web designer Dan Koster has discovered that 15% of his collection of 2,000 CDs has suffered from what is called "CD rot."

CDs are made of multiple layers, with a reflective layer sandwiched in the middle between two layers of clear plastic. Rot occurs when that metallic layer starts to corrode or when the plastic layers separate. This results in a disc that looks like it has tiny holes in it when you hold it up to a light, or a more noticeable discoloration spreading from the outside edge inward.

Regardless of the cause, the result is the same: unplayable music and unreadable data. Frighteningly enough, there's no reason to believe modern DVD, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD discs won't suffer the same fate.

What can you do? Creating backups is your best bet, which means ripping every CD you buy to your computer and making copies of software. But given the nature of modern copy protection, creating backup versions of many things impossible. You can also make sure you keep CDs and DVDs out of the sun, in cases, and in a cool area.

If you thought that burned CD of pictures from your honeymoon was going to outlast your marriage, you might want to think about another means of preserving those pics.

From Newsvine

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Internet Porn Tolls DVD's Death Knell

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 6th 2007 at 4:37PM

It should be obvious by now that the Internet will eventually become the world's premiere delivery system of video to consumers. DVD? Already obsolete. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? Please. If either format survives another decade, it'll be a niche fascination for circles of home theater geeks.

When it comes to the future of technology, there's no better crystal ball than the porn industry. After all, many believe it was pornography's availability on VHS that helped the format beat Betamax into submission. And, good or bad, look what it's done for the Internet: Pop-up windows, e-commerce, members-only content and streaming video were all pioneered by smut.

Likewise, the extinction of DVD and its circular brethren is being foretold by what's happening in porno today. According to USA Today, sales of dirty DVDs are plummeting as perverted eyes turn their focus toward the Internet. All told, porn DVD sales have fallen by 15 percent since last year, which had already seen a drop of 15 percent over the year before. Meanwhile, online porn sales are up 14 percent, which has left companies such as Hustler and Vivid scrambling to set up shop online while their brands can still be salvaged.

But, it might already be too late. As with traditional media companies, these brands are also finding themselves threatened by the democratization of the Web. YouTube knock-off PornoTube, for example, offers thousands of short, user-submitted videos for no charge. The site isn't even a year old and already nets between 10 and 15 million hits per day, which places it within the Web's top 200 sites.

That said, there's still some hope for DVD, as not everything in porn is an indication of things to come. Thankfully, the mainstream has done just fine so far without cardboard dialog, virtual bodily functions, crotchless clothing and really bad mustaches.

From USA Today

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Robbing DVDs Gets a Little Bit Harder

by Tom Conlon, posted May 10th 2007 at 7:36AM

Stealing DVDs Just Got HarderWith all the cries of bloody murder coming out of the MPAA about people stealing movies online, it's easy to forget that folks haven't given up on stealing them old-fashioned way from off of store shelves. But, it appears those days may be drawing to a close.

Two companies have recently joined forces to develop a new technology that will render ripped-off DVDs unplayable. The system, invented by NXP Semiconductors and Kestrel Wireless, involves covering the bottom of a DVD with a thin coating that prevents the DVD from being read. A tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is also placed on the DVD that sends an electronic pulse through the coating, which turns it clear and allows the DVD to be read. The chip is activated at the register only after the disc is paid for.

The companies are currently in talks with movie studios and expect to have deals in place by summer. But DVDs aren't all they've got their sights set on. This RFID technology can also be applied to other electronic products where, at the register, the chip would activate an otherwise disabled feature critical to operation.

We're not fans of this technology, and here's why: Nowadays, when you buy something at a store, how often do the alarms sound when you walk out the door because an employee improperly disabled the security tags? At least it happens right there in the store. With this new system, you'd be all the way home before discovering that the genius behind the counter forgot to activate your DVD.

From USA Today

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Handbag Multiplex

by Tom Conlon, posted Apr 24th 2007 at 7:00AM

Handbag MultiplexLadies: You've always dreamed of the day that you'd be able to wear your favorite 'Grey's Anatomy' moments on your handbag -- and now that day has finally arrived! Bubble Gear's new, custom-made leather bags are each fitted with a 7-inch LCD, which displays DVD movies, MP3s, and photos from a connected media player hidden within. The bags are made in Italy, cost $400, and take between two and four weeks to arrive at your door. Just think: a handbag you'll never grow bored of!

From Shiny Shiny

Erase CDs and DVDs Forever

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Apr 11th 2007 at 12:15PMFeatured Story

DiscEraserPaper shredders are standard home office equipment these days, since making sure that all those credit card offers and bank statements are safe from trash-stalkers is always a good idea. But what about all your electronic data on CDs and DVDs from backups? Sure, you can try to crack or scratch the CDs, but a little peace of mind isn't such a bad thing when you have five years of tax records on there.

Enter DiscEraser, a simple tool that scratches CDs at the precise angles to make them unreadable. There are other options, but this one is as portable and basic as a stapler. The people at DiscEraser say that this eraser is superior as it uses "optical strip technology" (which is probably just another way of saying that it really messes the thing up).

From gizmowatch


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