The latest news on television certainly had the United States’ broadcasting industry shaking.  Just recently, the United States Congress has ruled that all conventional television broadcasts will be put to a total halt by February 17, 2009 in order to make way for digital television.  This means that television broadcasting stations will have to convert their existing equipment in order to be able to transmit digital signals and remain in business when the 2009 deadline comes.

But even more importantly, this means that the consumers, the television viewers, will have to throw out their old television sets and purchase new digital television sets to replace them, or else buy a digital converter box that will enable them to continue using their trusty old television units.  According to some news and reports on television, some 19 million Americans are not subscribed to either cable or satellite television services, which would otherwise let them continue watching their TV regardless of the complete cessation of analog broadcasts by 2009.

Industry observers are bewailing that the new ruling will cost the industry hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.  Moreover, a lot of these insiders have noted that not a lot has been happening in terms of educating the consumers on the possible outcome of this ruling come 2009.  Perhaps the only people smiling about this new ruling are the manufacturers and retailers who will make big bucks with this conversion.

So, it is not really a surprise when the recent news on television contained statements from the likes of Samsung Corporation, LG Electronics and RCA announcing their intentions of developing a set-top box that will convert digital signals to analog so that the television viewers of the United States will still be able to use their old analog television in order to enjoy their favorite TV shows by 2009.  How much do these new set-top boxes cost?  Their manufacturers have yet to show the price tag of their new converters.

For Americans who believe they may not be able to afford a digital converter by 2009, another news on television carries an announcement saying that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has released a ruling for the purchase of digital converters.  The NTIA stated that every U.S. household can apply for a couple of coupons worth US$40 so they can get themselves a digital converter box.  This ruling has been met with both jeers and cheers.  The jeers came from some congressional Democrats, who said that these rules will only make “a fuzzy picture” regarding the transition to digital.  On the other hand, the cheers came from the Consumer Electronics Association, who claimed that the ruling will make the transition more successful.

In other news on television, a review on the widely cited technology website CNET.com has just panned Apple TV.  Apple TV is a device that can be used to transmit computer media content to a widescreen TV through wireless transmission.  According to the CNET.com review, while the Apple TV converter box looks sleek and has a nice and elegant user interface, the big downside of it is that the content it can transmit to the consumer’s television set is limited to the ones in iTunes.  So, if the user’s desired media is in YouTube or in any website other than iTunes, he or she can forget about it.  Apple TV currently sells at $299.

With the cellphone, it is all about new features. It is not unusual to hear of cellphones being thrown out and replaced with an upgraded model within a time span of less than a year. So, whenever one looks at news about cellphones, the news is often about announcements of new models with cool new features, improvements to existing models, and rumors of new models being developed.

Speaking of rumors, some current news about cell phones circulating around the Internet revolves around what might be the new Nokia 8820. There are 3-D rendered images sprouting all over blogs and news sites about what might be the latest offering of Nokia to the cellphone market. Not much can be said this early about Nokia and if it has plans of launching a Nokia 8820 model, but the images that purport to be of this model look slim and sleek, with a sliding cover and a luminous keypad.

Another image being spread about on the Internet is supposedly that of another Nokia model, the Nokia 7088. With the online grapevine is rife with stories that this Nokia 7088 is going to be part of Nokia’s 40 new Symbian series handsets, the only thing confirmed about the Nokia 7088 is that it already has the approval of the Federal Communications Commission.

Yet another rumor that is making the news about cellphones is what is supposedly the new Sony Ericsson W910i or W890i handset. What is being said about this unit is that it will be sporting a two-megapixel camera, a memory card slot and dedicated music controls. It is also said that this phone will be available in both 3G and non-3G versions.

As much as so many rumored news about cellphones are now making the rounds of the Internet, here is one rumor that has definitely been confirmed. One of Google’s chief executives in Spain and Portugal, Isabel Aguilera, has stated that Google’s plans to enter the cellphone service arena will be underway soon. However, unlike most observers have been speculating, if ever Google does not pull the plug on this project, they will be focusing on developing countries rather than in the United States. Thus, it is certain that the Google unit will not be the rival people are slating for the iPhone.

Before one thinks that there are only rumors abounding about news on cellphones, here are a few things that are real and confirmed. One, the Federal Communications Commission has given Nokia its approval to release to the consumer market their Nokia E90 model. This E90 will soon be available in the T-Mobile Network’s roster of units. While the price and the date of availability is yet to be unveiled, it is certain that the E90 will be able to work on 850/1700 and 1900 MHz on WCDMA. On GSM, it is going to be 850/1900 MHz. Another is that the Canada-based Telus network will soon be carrying the LG8600 model as part of their cellphone unit lineup. This LG8600 phone has a one-megapixel camera and a stereo Bluetooth connectivity.

Nokia E90

Nokia 7088

There is always something exciting happening in the world of mp3 players, and it shows whenever one reads news about mp3 players.  Below is a roundup of the latest and the most current news about these mp3 players and related gadgets.

For audiophiles who cannot seem to have enough space for their music and videos on their mp3 players, here is a piece of news about mp3 players that they will love. PDASmart recently released a statement that hard drive upgrades worth 100 gigabytes are now available for users of fifth-generation iPods.  For iPod users who have 60 GB or 80 GB 5G iPods, they can grab these 100 GB upgrades without having to make modifications with their iPods and instantly enjoy the additional space for 25,000 songs or 125 hours of video in their hands.  If the iPod is just a 30 GB 5G model, a new rear casing is necessary in order to install this new hard drive upgrade.

Another cool new feature for iPod users, according to some news about mp3 players, are the new widgets released by Koloroo.  These new widgets are the TipKalc and the KolorWheel.  What do these new babies do?  The TipKalc is designed to calculate how much tip you have to leave behind when dining out, as well as how much you will have to shell out when you are splitting the bill with someone else.  As for the KolorWheel, it is a neat piece of software that allows the user to mix and match colors for whatever purpose he or she may have in mind.  These widgets can be uploaded onto the iPod through both the PC and the Mac.

For runners who love listening to their iPods while going on their morning jogs, here is one piece of news about mp3 players that they can certainly look forward to.  Nike bigwigs have announced recently their plans to create an entire line of Nike running shoes that are compatible with the iPod.  Just how it is going to happen, these Nike officials are being tightlipped about it, so running enthusiasts will just have to wait for more details.

For those who cannot have enough of their iPods and would love to have their mp3 players installed in the kitchen – or in the bathroom, as the case may be – Philips Consumer Electronics have made announcements about a new multimedia player that can hang from under a cabinet and is compatible with the iPod.  Called the Philips DCD778 Docking Entertainment System, this wonderful gadget has an 8.5-inch LCD screen.  It is capable of playing audio and video files from iPods, DVDs, VCDs, and mp3 CDs.  What is more, this system has a built-in TV and digital AM/FM tuner, a clock and a cooking timer, and can be manipulated using a remote control.  How neat is that?

For those who love traveling but cannot bear to part with their music library, here is another interesting piece of news about mp3 players that you will surely appreciate.  Hyatt Hotels and Resorts have stated some time ago that they have installed iHome clock radio speaker systems in the guestrooms of their properties in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.  These systems are now iPod ready, so travelers do not have to despair about leaving their music libraries behind.

Philips DCD778

One of the biggest news involving camcorders and digital videos right now has a lot to do with YouTube. After the video sharing giant has been acquired by Google, YouTube seems that it is now facing a lot of ire – and a number of lawsuits – from Viacom. Viacom has just recently filed a suit against YouTube translating to billions of dollars with the accusation that YouTube is not adequately protecting the legal rights of owners of copyrighted materials being posted by YouTube users on the website.

This particular news about camcorders and digital videos does not end there, however. Aside from Viacom slapping YouTube across the face with that billion-dollar glove, FOX and NBC have joined the fray. In retaliation to the still-growing popularity of YouTube, through the alleged misuse and minimal protection of copyrighted material, FOX and NBC have both announced that they will launch websites that will function just the way YouTube does – except that the materials posted will have adequate protection, of course. Just how FOX and NBC intend to do this, there are not any details yet. And Viacom is not that far away from such a move either. Recently, the company has released details about the launching of Joost.com, a new video sharing website that will showcase Viacom’s library from MTV Networks, BET Networks and Paramount Pictures.

Joost.com will not be alone, however. Another related news involving camcorders and digital videos is BitTorrent launching its Entertainment Network subsidiary, which might eat up Joost.com’s expected share of the market despite the delays faced in its implementation. The peer-to-peer file sharing company has signed deals with Hollywood bigwigs like Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Paramount, MTV Networks and Egami Media to feature legal film and television content. Entertainment Network will work like an online video rental store where titles can be enjoyed – for a small fee.

Speaking of acquisitions, another news involving camcorders and digital videos is that JVC has recently been acquired by the US-based private equity firm Texas Pacific Group from its parent company Matsushita. The deal between the two companies over Matsushita’s currently underperforming electronics subsidiary is expected to be completed and signed by the end of March. Reports say that the deal will cost Texas Pacific Group approximately US$680 million.

Yet another news involving camcorders and digital videos has something to do with new video editing software. The digital video world is rife with rumors that Apple will launch a more powerful version of their Final Cut Pro software on the National Association of Broadcasters’ conference, which is scheduled to happen in Las Vegas this coming April. This new version of Final Cut Pro is slated to cost significantly less than its competitors.

Adobe will also be releasing an online version of their Adobe Photoshop. This announcement comes closely on the heels of another recent announcement by the company that it has struck a partnership with Photobucket.com to make their Adobe Remix video editing software available to users of Photobucket.com. According to Adobe, this is a response to the growing trend that some users of camcorders and filmmakers are shooting their films primarily for sharing on the Internet.

Facebook has just announced today some new functions in their blog. Techcrunch are betting there will be a user “riot” since the Facebook users seems to be very conservative in regards to change.

Facebook will try out the new functions for certain user groups in order for the transition to be smooth. The new look seems well in line with the OS X and Windows Vista user environment so I guess it will be user friendly.

Techcrunch are also trying to start a rumor of an Google + Facebook deal, well we’ll see about that…

If I have to choose between Facebook and MySpace I’ll take the lesser evil of the two (Facebook) and thats both because of the design and function. However the success of a social community is always about the critical user base, both myspace and Facebook has enough users.

I’m on the hunt for a new digital camera buy maybe I should spring for a new camcorder instead, a camcorder that takes descent enough photos. I found Sanyo Xacti HD which a is a HD capable camcorder (720p) that is suppose to take very descent photos also.

I’m going crazy over this problem why can’t I just make up my mind about this. Testfreaks helped me once again to find the best camcorder reviews and and the interactive demo from Sanyos home page was nice.

It’s a small and capable camcorder I like but will it be enough as a digital camera also?

If you are going to keep track of everything that goes on in the world without spending the entire day browsing trough all the sites you need a good starting point.

Getting a personalized home page were you get a quick overview will save you a lot of time and you will get smarter too

I started using Googles personlized home page when they launched it but now I have drifted over more and more to Netvibes. I think it’s the slick design that makes me choose Netvibes over Google but now there are a few other choices out there. Schmedley is another one that seems to have a lot eye candy but I still prefer Netvibes at the moment at least Then there is Pageflakes which is also a good alternative and have many similarities to Netvibes. Another Flash based alternative is Goowy.

The point here is not to list all the alternatives rather to state that you could realy improve your efficiancy (and knowledge) by using a home page were you have your top new sources and blog feeds.

The next chapter is of course what news sources should you read. I started you off earlier with a few examples but I will give you my list in a short while now I need to try out Goowy a little more.

Mike!

What tech sites do you need to read in order to know whats going on? Here is a short list to get you started.

Techcrunch - Watching interesting web sites

Digg - Everything under the sun

Techdirt - The not so clean side of tech

Wired -Still a extremely useful resource

There are of course a lot more to read but I will try to give you the best of the best here in the blog.

Now days it’s not easy to buy a new digital camera, you have a lot to chose from. In my hunt for new and exiting sites I found TestFreaks who could be a big help in my hunt for a new digital camera. They collect reviews from the best sources on the net today. However they are still in beta so I guess I will get a lot more help in the future

I made a list of interesting cameras that I thought were interesting.

Casio EX-Z1000 - A nice pocket sized camera

Canon PowerShot G7 - Has a 10 Megapixel CCD

Nikon D40 - Maybe I should go for a nice SLR camera, or what do you think?

Samsung NV7 OPS - Samsung has started to make some real nice cameras.

Or maybe I should go with a more entry level camera such as the HP Photosmart M-537 I found at DP Review.

Anyways we will se what the future holds for me in terms on digital cameras. Remember to look for some interesting digital camera reviews at TestFreaks.

Cheers,

Mike