Category: Technology

I just found this link which busts the biggest technology related myths. Here are some of the questions that are answered for example:

– Is using your cellphone on the plane dangerous?
– If you pull out your USB memory stick without ejecting do you mess it up?
– If you turn off your PC without shutting down Windows do you cause damage?
– Does turning off your PC daily to save power shorten its life?
– Can hackers destroy data on your computer’s hard drive?
Find out the answers to these questions and more. [Link]

[source Digg]

TivoKuwait.com is up and running with lots of juciy info on getting Tivo running in Kuwait. The site is run by Tivo Guy, Rami. [Link]

In one of the forums I usually visit somone had a post asking for everyones home theater setup. This is mine:

TV: Panasonic TX-33P100X
Receiver: Kenwood KRF-V8881D
DVD Player: Sony DVP-NS575P
Speakers: Jamo X870 for left and right. Paradigm CC370 for center. Two OEM Kenwood speakers for surround (they came with an older amp). No subwoofer (Jamo’s have 10″ woofers built in)
Universal Remote: Sony RM-AV3000
Tivo: Series 1 Philips with 120GB drive

Future plans:
– Need to upgrade rear speakers to Paradigm ADP-170
– Need to get a Definitive Technology SuperCube Subwoofer
– Need to upgrade my TV to a Sony 34″ HDTV CRT
– Need to upgrade receiver, probably with a Denon

Click here for a largeer picture of my setup

Whats your home theater setup?

Update: I just replace my Kenwood receiver with the Denon AVR-2106 and the Sony universal remote with the Harmony 880.

I passed by Al Ghanim Electronics tonight to check out their HDTVs. They had a whole bunch of plasmas on display but none grabbed my interest, I was there looking for regular (tube/crt) high definition television. Turns out they only had 1 which supported the 720p resolution and it was the 36″ Sony which a regular reader (hola) pointed out to me was on sale for KD590 because it was the last piece. Sadly its widescreen which won’t fit in my display and also I was looking for a regular 4:3 ration TV not the 16:9. They had 2 other Philips TVs which supported HD and were pretty cheap BUT neither of them supported the high resolution 720p, just the low res 420p and 1080i. The 34inch was for like KD300 while the 29″ for like KD200.

So if anyone is interested in the Sony 36″ HDTV, its selling for an amazing low price (actual price is around KD800) and they only have 1 display model left.

Well the Xbox360 is coming out in a few days and its time to move onto the next generation of videogame consoles. I have been reading most of the Xbox reviews online and I have concluded one thing, I need a High Definition Television. The majority of the reviews I have been reading have been saying that unless I have a HDTV I won’t be seeing much of an improvement over the current generation of consoles. So it seems the wise thing to do is to upgrade my TV which I have been wanting to for a while now. I don’t want to get a plasma/LCD TV for numerour reasons including the fact that the only plasma I can afford are the cheap Panasonic Viera series which are currently being advertised on billboards around Kuwait. The problem with the Viera is you get what you pay for and according to online reviews the Viera series have numerous issues with the most important one being they doen’t support the 720p resolution. I also believe that a high definition tube television would give a better picture quality then the plasmas and LCDs, so until OLED TVs get released I will be sticking with the old tube.

This is where the problem starts, I haven’t found many HD tube televisions in Kuwait. I only found two models at Sony, a 29″ and a 34″ and I haven’t found any other anywhere else. The 34″ seems like my best option at the moment but it costs around KD700-KD800 which brings me to the following question, is it worth getting HDTV in Kuwait?

In the States they already have cable and satellite channels broadcasting at High Definition, from what I know we don’t have anything like that in Kuwait. So paying KD800 for a TV so I can play high definition games on it doesn’t make a lot of sense. DVD’s are supposed to look better on HDTV’s but I don’t buy that many DVD’s and I mostly use my TV for watching TV shows.

So any HDTV experts here? Any tips and advice in purchasing a HDTV and using it here in Kuwait?

I just found out that the new Jaguar XK uses Macromedia Flash for its interface. The touch screen control panel uses Flash and with it you can adjust the audio, navigation, climate control, telephone and vehicle settings. I just really hope it doesn’t start up with a stupid flash intro page. [Link]

Apple turns 30 on April 1st. When Apple turned 20 they released the Twentieth Anniversary Mac. It cost $10,000 and was delivered to your home in a limo. The system looked like nothing else at that time. It had a very small foot print kinda like the current iMacs and the sound system was designed by Bose. The Mac came with a remote control so you could turn it on and off plus control the volume. You could even watch TV on the Mac and change channels using the remote. Due to the price though they only sold 12,000 world wide. I was able to purchase a brand new TAM three years ago from a local dealer for KD150. I gave it as a gift to my parents who proudly display it and use it today. Even though the TAM was released in 1997, it still grabs the attention and curiosity of visiting guests.

If Apple would release a Thirtieth Anniversary Macintosh this time around, it has to follow the footsteps of the previous one. It has to look like nothing else available which shouldn’t be too hard for Apple to accomplish. It should cost $10,000 and this time they probably would team up with Bang & Olufsen. Finally every hardcore Mac user would want one but none of us would be able to afford it. [Link]

The rumors were mostly right, here are some highlights from todays Apple event:

PowerBooks Updated
– Upgrades to the 15″ and 17″ PowerBooks.
– 15″ gets a new display with 1440 x960 resolution, while the 17″ will get 1680 x1050. Both will be brighter than previous models and have better battery life.
– SuperDrives will be standard
– Prices start at $1,499 for 12″, $1,999 for 15″ and $2,499 for 17″.
– Powerbooks ship today

PowerMac G5s Updated
– Dual core processors, up to 16GB of DDR2 RAM, 1TB of internal storage
– Four new nVidia cards, including the Quadro FX 4500
– PowerMac G5 Quad, with dual dual-core processors
– Single dual-core 2.0 GHz CPU version is $1,999; single dual core 2.3Ghz is $2,499; dual CPU dual-core is $3,299

[Link]

I love the way how Wired always give credit to Tony Fadell for the creation of the iPod. Majority of other media outlets usually make Steve Jobs the star. [Link]

New iPods, they look exactly like the older ones… yawn. [Link]

I got my CueCat today from Aramex. So far I have been having problems with it. The CueCat works like a keyboard, when I scan a barcode with the CueCat, it types out the barcode number on my mac. The problem I have is that when I scan the number in the organizing software Delicious Library and when I scan a number into TextEdit (like Notepad on Windows) I get 2 completely different numbers where the one in TextEdit is the right one. For example I picked up a random book lying around here, when I scan it into Delicious Library I get the barcode “978908090103408” but when I scan it into TextEdit I get “9780891348382 90000”.

I don’t know whats wrong with Delicious Library, I am going to try and google it now and figure out the issue. Other then that the CueCat is pretty cool, works like a charm. Unlike regular barcode scanners you don’t hold the CueCat from a distance and highlight the barcode, you have to take the CueCat and touch the barcode and then swipe it across. It doesn’t matter if you hold the barcode upside down or vertically it will still scan it right.

Anyway if you are interested in the CueCat it sells for only $9.99 on Amazon. The cheapest barcode scanner you can get.

Update: Ok figured out the problem, or atleast figured out how to get the barcode scanned right. Instead of clicking on “Add a new item” and then scanning, I should just scan right away and it will add it for me. Cool.

Where did this come from?? I was just at the SonyStyle website when I found the Walkman Bean. The MP3 player looks really cool but the coolest thing about it is the built-in USB connector! So you can use the Walkman as a flash memory drive and a MP3 player. A full charge also lasts 50 hours! A 3 minute charge will give you a 3 hour charge! They come in funky colors and the most expensive one, the 1GB is only $149! The only downside, the ONLY downside is the fact that it doesn’t play AAC files.. but I guess I could get over that… [Link]

Just checked out the new Roku SoundBridge Radio and it looks really sweet. It has built in wifi to connect to the web and gives me access to over 10,000 radio stations and even allows me to connect to my itunes. The only thing putting me off is the price tag of $350. The only way I would be willing to pay this much is if the sound turn out to be pretty good. If it turns out to be built using some cheap ass speakers it might be better off for me to get a media streamer and connect it to my Nakamichi alarm clock. [Link]

I know I want the black one. [Link]

I think this is such a good deal. Something so slick and sexy for only $199. I never liked the large iPods thats why I sold my second generation 20GB iPod and got a 4GB iPod mini instead.. even though I have over 60GB worth of MP3s. I like the iPod shuffle because its a memory stick and an mp3 player. Its practical for moving work from my office to my house and Nat loves taking it to the gym because its so light and unbreakable. I love the iPod mini because its small, gorgeos and blue. The large iPod to me serves no purpose. Its ugly, big and doesn’t hold all my MP3s. Maybe once they come out with an 80GB iPod then it might attract me but for now I believe the Shuffle and mini (ok now Nano) are both all I need.

Even recent survey says that on average a person carries 375 MP3s while on average an iPod user carries 504. That fits the Shuffle and Nano perfectly. Now I just need to find someone who will buy my mini so I can go order a Nano.

Update: Cool you can preorder it already from Amazon.com. [Link]

Saw the N90 today, its A LOT bigger then I imagined and extremely over priced. The shop I was in was selling it for KD350. I played with it for like 2 minutes and I personally think it looks cool when closed but cheap when opened. The keypads design is the biggest culprit, I think thats what hurts its looks the most.