Archive for the Category ◊ Tech Reviews ◊

Review: Harmony Remote for Xbox 360
Friday, November 16th, 2007 | Author: Paul Ellis

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Harmony Remote - Small Like many of you, my TV room has been experiencing an annoying phenomenon that I will call remote-creep. You all know what I’m talking about, it happens all the time. Here is the recipe.

Start with a TV and maybe a DVD player. Slowly add a game console, then a DVR, maybe some surround sound, another game console, etc. Then one day your wife will start complaining commenting that she doesn’t know how to watch a DVD or can’t switch it back to the TV. I had four remotes, and I was thinking of adding another one. I knew that wouldn’t go over well; not that I liked having to manage a pile of remotes either. Fortunately there is a better way…

more…

BookMoochI came across a site today, one that illustrates an interesting phenomenon of the Internet.

TriggerStreet bills itself as “the place to go if you wanted to find exposure and feedback for your Screenplays and Short Films online.” They also do short stories, and more recently, books. The idea is that you can upload your work and other people can critique it. And if enough people like it, maybe that will catch the eye of a filmmaker or a publisher.

more…

Digg LogoDigg founder Kevin Rose announced that Digg buttons will now be available on the Wall Street Journal website (WSJ.com). Not only that, but anyone will have free access to any WSJ articles visited via Digg. Coincidentally, this news comes around the same time Rupert Murdoch suggested that he might take down the Wall Street Journal’s online subscription pay wall. Whatever the circumstances, I’m a daily user of both sites and welcome the collaboration.

In fact, here’s a walk through of how the integration looks and works:

more…

Netflix LogoApparently I can’t get enough of trying new ways to get my digital entertainment. This time around Netflix’s “Watch Now” is going to get the spotlight. I’ve used it before, but this time there was something new. Want a hint? It’s the content.

more…

Joost 1.0 beta: new features, open for everyone
Thursday, October 11th, 2007 | Author: Paul Ellis

Joost LogoThe video service Joost has finally reached 1.0 beta. As one of the people who were in on the Joost for Friends alpha testing, I decided to download the latest client to see what was new in the latest version. So far my experience has been that the new 1.0 beta isn’t as stable as the 0.19 alpha I used to have installed.

more…

FriendFeedAnyone familiar with digg, Netflix, del.icio.us, flickr, Picasa, LinkedIn, Last.fm, StumbleUpon, reddit, etc. knows that any sort of social networking at any of these sites (that is, sharing / commenting / befriending) happens in isolation. Want to see what your friends are up to in terms of music listening, picture uploading, movie watching, career changing, or Internet bookmarking? Well, clear your schedule because you’ll need the time to log in to your dozen or so favorite social networks. Being social has never been so fragmented and time consuming.

more…

Halo 3 - The Website (AAA Game meets Social Network)
Friday, September 28th, 2007 | Author: Paul Ellis

Master ChiefSo I (and apparently a few million other people) picked up my copy of Halo 3 on Tuesday (about 11am if you must know). I beat the campaign last, and although it does start off a little slow I can say that it is by far the best Halo of the three.

Something has surprised me more than the twists and turns of the plot though, and that is Bungie’s Halo 3 website. It is a whole new level of game and interweb integration. Dare I say it, it is almost a social network.

more…

Amazon MP3So everyone and their dog is talking about Amazon’s announcement today to offer MP3 downloads. In brief, Amazon MP3 songs are DRM-free and start at $0.89/track with the top 100 best-selling albums priced no higher than $8.99. The store opened with 2 million songs from 80,000 artists. EMI and Universal are the two big labels on board. Song quality is even very high - 256 kbps. All of this, of course, is available via iTunes for $1.29/track or $9.99/album.

more…