October 14, 2005, 4:56 PM PDT
Alltel's first Samsung phone
Posted by: Kent German

Alltel customers who want a little more variety in their life can now buy the Samsung N330, the first Samsung handset for the carrier. Originally picked up by Verizon Wireless (as the SCH-N330), the candy bar handset offers a creative pop-up display, a speakerphone, and voice-activated dialing. The price is $69.99 with a two-year contract.

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October 14, 2005, 2:10 PM PDT
The Toyota Prius recall
Posted by: Wayne Cunningham

After a National Highway Transportation Agency investigation into sudden stalls reported by Toyota Prius owners, Toyota has initiated a worldwide recall of 160,000 of the cars. Affected cars are from 2004 and early 2005. Toyota calls it a Voluntary Special Service Campaign, which will amount to a firmware upgrade at the dealership. The problem stems from a programming error that can activate all the warning lights, causing the car to think its engine has failed. The car enters a fail-safe mode in which it runs under electric power only, giving the driver enough time to pull over to the side of the road.

Although some people might assume the complexity of the Prius allows for such problems, I look at it as a testament to the safety of having an extra power train onboard. If a normal car has catastrophic engine failure, you're lucky if you can coast off to the side of the road. With the Prius, you're not going to be stalled in the middle of the freeway, stopping traffic for miles.

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October 14, 2005, 2:10 PM PDT
Off to Tokyo
Posted by: Wayne Cunningham

Toyota released a data sheet on its high-tech exhibits at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, which include the Fine-X. This experimental vehicle uses a fuel-cell system for power and four independent hub-attached electric motors. All the wheels turn, letting the vehicle maneuver in extremely tight spaces. It has seats that adjust to let drivers and passengers exit or enter more easily, as well as gull-wing doors. Toyota will also be showing off its bB concept, tagged by Toyota as "a music player in the shape of a car that can function as a local hangout for young people." The bB is widely thought to be the basis for the next-generation Scion xB. I'll take a close look at these concepts next week, where I'll be reporting back from the auto show on Thursday.

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October 14, 2005, 1:31 PM PDT
HP's bad notebook batteries
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

HP is recalling 135,000 battery packs, used in a variety of notebook computers manufactured from March through September of last year, because they overheat. Perhaps your small business, like mine, lives and dies by its laptop battery?

In other HP news, this week the company updated its small-business area, which includes various free online classes, such as an introduction to XML.

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October 14, 2005, 12:59 PM PDT
Seed money from Siemens
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

The German tech giant is helping eight small companies in Berkeley, Ca., launch their products in the hopes of reaping some of the rewards. Siemens gets a lab without building one, the companies get about $500,000 —: without being prevented from getting more funds from venture capitalists — and also the leg up of having Siemens as a very big reference and potential customer.

If you want to try to get some money from the big German mama, well, we guess you can try their Berkeley office, at (510) 665-1330.

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October 14, 2005, 12:32 PM PDT
Digital Life highlights
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

My highlights, at least. Your mileage may vary. There's a ton of cool stuff to see at the open-to-the-public Digital Life technology show, going on all weekend at the Javitz Center in Manhattan, including few significant products for Media Center and home-theater PC fans.

Akimbo, a company that offers on-demand IPTV, has announced that its programming will now be available on PCs through Windows Media Center. Previously, you needed an external set-top box to use the monthly subscription service. We got a run-through of the service recently, and it seems pretty cool, especially if you're in the market for specialty programming, like foreign language content and VegTV (for vegetarians, of course).

HP showed off a few new systems, including some new entries in its Digital Entertainment Center z500 series. The z556 and the z558 seem similar to the z555 we reviewed (and liked) a few months ago, but the new systems include the new Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Speaking of the long-awaited Rollup 2, everyone else who has Media Center Edition 2005 can now get the latest update, which was released today and includes Xbox 360 support, support for multidisc changers, and support for multiple over-the-air HD TV tuners.

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October 14, 2005, 11:33 AM PDT
Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile get new BlackBerrys
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Sprint Nextel is helping itself to another piece of BlackBerry pie with the addition of the RIM BlackBerry 7100i to its buffet of smart phones. The latest in RIM's BlackBerry 7100 series, the 7100i sports design features similar to its siblings, the 7100t and the 7100g, including a slim form factor, a 240x260-pixel display, and a quasi-QWERTY keyboard with SureType technology. There's 64MB of flash memory, 8MB of SRAM, and of course, BlackBerry's famed push e-mail service. In addition, the BlackBerry 7100i offers some new tricks: GPS and walkie-talkie capabilities. With the GPS functionality, you can get real-time voice and visual turn-by-turn directions right on your device, while Nextel's walkie-talkie service provides you with domestic and international push-to-talk capabilities. The BlackBerry 7100i will be available starting next week and will cost $349.99, but you should be able to get it cheaper with service.

In other BlackBerry news, T-Mobile and RIM announced the availability of the BlackBerry 7105t, which now features a new BlackBerry Internet E-mail service for Yahoo mail users. With this new service, you get real-time delivery of e-mail messages sent to your Yahoo account. Other highlights of the quad-band 7105t include integrated Bluetooth, a speakerphone, wireless e-mail, text messaging, a Web browser, instant messaging, an organizer, and RIM's SureType technology. The BlackBerry 7105t is available now for $299.99 ($199.99 after rebates).

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October 14, 2005, 11:29 AM PDT
Game-hating lawyer discredited
Posted by: Rich Brown

If you've followed any of the news stories dealing with video game violence, you may have noticed that Miami attorney Jack Thompson has been associated with nearly every effort. His most recent involvement was the suit brought against Rockstar North and the "Hot Coffee" scandal, but Mr. Thompson has spearheaded decency violation cases since the 1989 suit against rap group 2 Live Crew.

Mr. Thompson's Wikipedia entry outlines many other cases he's initiated (as well as a series of bizarre allegations against former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno), but for gamers, many consider him an inflammatory killjoy who unfortunately has the ear of the mainstream media. Today, however, the Weblog Game Politics reports that Mr. Thompson may have lost some credibility from an organization that might normally be considered an ally to his cause.

Citing a copy of a letter to Mr. Thompson from the National Institute on Media and the Family, the institute asks Mr. Thompson to cease referring to the NIMF in his commentary, which, according to the author, the NIMF's Dr. David Walsh, "has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect." Copied on the letter are the likes of Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), and Sam Brownback (R-KS), who have all at one time or another proposed media decency legislation.

If you search online, you'll find plenty of articles and commentary on Mr. Thompson from the various game publications. The game sites are obviously biased, but given the tone of his correspondence with them (the sites have no compunction against publishing his e-mails), it can't be said that Mr. Thompson has been exactly disposed to meaningful dialogue. Game Politics also reports that it has copies of a pair of response letters from Mr. Thompson to Dr. Walsh, and that it will be publishing them tonight or tomorrow. The culture wars rage on. (Thanks, Blue's News.)

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October 14, 2005, 11:21 AM PDT
Microsoft Media Center update has Xbox in mind
Posted by: Molly Wood

While Apple is delivering its digital home hub in the form of a new iMac, Microsoft sees the Xbox 360 as its traveling Media Center salesman. A new update to the Media Center OS adds digital media streaming via your new Xbox 360. Because nothing goes with first-person shooters like family vacation photos!

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October 14, 2005, 11:13 AM PDT
Windows' 20th anniversary: that kid made it big
Posted by: Molly Wood

It's the classic 20-year reunion story--the nerdy, unlikable kid in class with the crazy invention that he swears will change the world, but that everyone makes fun of, shows up in a 30-foot limo toting roughly $40 billion. Or something like that. Long story short, Windows turns 20 this month.

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