July 06, 2006, 7:26 PM PDT
Free backup. What's the catch?
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

I am a dweeb about backup. I use FolderShare to synchronize files on my two main PCs, and I pay for Connected Backup for offsite storage. Connected is far too expensive, though--$279 a year for a measly 10GB of storage--and its user interface is awful. So I'm seriously thinking of switching over to Mozy (download), even though it's still in beta. There are three big reasons.

First of all, it starts out free: 2GB of storage costs nothing. Sixty dollars a year gets you 30GB. (Connected charges $800 a year for that.) That means that Mozy is an affordable solution for photo and video backup, while Connected is most definitely not.

Second, the interface is very straightforward. I was up and running with Mozy in a few minutes. Third, it's secure. Data is locked with a private key, to which there is no backdoor. (I have to take CEO Josh Coates's word on this, but it's a good policy.)

Advanced features that I haven't yet tried are the backup of open files, including Outlook (even Microsoft's own FolderShare won't do that), and sophisticated scheduling and bandwidth management (for example, you can tell the system to back up as much as it can between midnight and 5 a.m., then shut off or go into low-bandwidth mode during the rest of the day).

Mozy can't be used for sharing, since it limits users to five restore sessions per month (a session can be one file or an entire backup set). For online sharing, check out Box.net. But as a backup solution, Mozy is tops.

If Mozy sounds interesting to you, also check out Carbonite.

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July 06, 2006, 5:36 PM PDT
Student + Mac = free iPod!
Posted by: Andrew Gruen

Now that July is upon us, we're only a month away from some college students making the trek back to campus, exchanging their summer frivolity for hours in the library. If you're one of those students, Apple's current promotion may interest you: a $179 rebate if you buy any Mac and an iPod between now and September 16, 2006. With Apple's discount for students (check your eligibility here), the 2GB Nano is just $179--that's right, a free Nano or other discounted iPod to help you "multitask" (distract yourself) while studying, writing papers, and doing problem sets. Check out our reviews of Apple's latest MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Power Mac.

Though we at CNET appreciate a discount on the 5G iPod or iPod Nano as much as the next geek, we're still wishing for the iPod Flea.

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July 06, 2006, 4:14 PM PDT
EA hopes option swap will help keep employees
Posted by: Molly Wood

Electronic Arts is asking its shareholders to let employees swap their underwater stock options for shares that are actually worth something. The company says the move is an attempt to retain employees and improve company morale. Of course, what I really want to know is whether they've attempted to improve morale by, you know, doing away with the 80-hour work weeks.

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July 06, 2006, 2:19 PM PDT
Host your big files in the P2P cloud
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Red Swoosh is a very cool system that enables the downloading of a big file (such as a video) to be distributed among all the people who already have it so that the original publisher of the file doesn't have to pay for bandwidth each time it is downloaded.

Wait, you say, that sounds just like BitTorrent. It is, indeed, the same idea: users who download the file share the bits they've got with others. But Red Swoosh is easier to use that BitTorrent. You don't have to create "trackers" or learn a new application--you just prefix your file link with http://edn.redswoosh.net/, and the file becomes part of the peer-to-peer cloud.

Users who want to access the file do need to install Red Swoosh software (Windows only, no Mac or Linux version yet). It's small and has no user interface, and the company promises to not abuse your PC's bandwidth or spy on you. But I'm not sure non-nerds will be willing to install the software as long as video sites, such as YouTube, and download sites, such as CNET's own Download.com, allow direct downloads for free. (Download.com used to distribute files over a P2P network, but ultimately we found the direct-download model better for users.) However, video-sharing sites may ultimately join this or another P2P network, especially when they begin serving bandwidth-intensive HD videos.

If you want to employ the service, you can't just point Red Swoosh to a file on your PC to make it available. It has to already have a public URL. This also sets Red Swoosh apart from BitTorrent and adds a measure of accountability to the system, so it's much less likely to be used for piracy. It is a minor roadblock (it adds a step to publishing) but also has a big user benefit: if there are no users online who've already downloaded a file, the Red Swoosh network can go to the online source to get it--you won't have the dead-tracker problem you have with BitTorrent.

More coverage of Red Swoosh is on TechCrunch and Scobelizer.

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July 06, 2006, 12:53 PM PDT
Samsung SCH-A990 lands at Verizon
Posted by: Kent German

Verizon today launched the Samsung SCH-A990, the carrier's first 3.2-megapixel camera phone. In a nod toward the thin design craze, the flip phone measures a slim 3.8 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches. While not as trim as the Motorola Razr, it's still impressive, considering the list of promised features. Besides the camera, you'll find a swiveling display, Bluetooth, a Micro SD card slot, a speakerphone, speed dialing, PictBridge and TV-out capability, a digital music player, and support for GPS navigation services. And since it's an EV-DO phone, the SCH-A990 will support Verizon's V Cast video service and V Cast Music service. All those features will cost you, however. The phone is $349 with service.

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July 06, 2006, 12:47 PM PDT
Nextel's new phones
Posted by: Kent German

After a long slumber, Nextel awoke this week with two new handsets in its gallery. The Motorola i580, which made its debut earlier this year at CTIA, is a flip phone with a rubberized exterior for extra durability. Features are more or less what you'd expect from a Nextel phone, but that's not to say it doesn't bring any surprises. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera (one of the first megapixel cameras for the carrier) with a 4X zoom, a flash, and a self-timer; video recording and playback; integrated GPS services; Bluetooth for headsets and data transfers; a Micro SD card slot (another Nextel rarity); support for Nextel's Direct Connect and Direct Send push-to-talk (PTT) networks; and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Also, in a departure from previous Nextel phones, where the speaker is on the back of the phone, the i580 has dual speakers on the front. The i580 is available now for $229 with service.

Nextel's other new handset is the Motorola i670. As the polar opposite of the i580, the i670 offers a simple feature set that includes a speakerphone, PTT support, voice dialing, basic organizer applications, and an airplane mode. The i670 doesn't offer an external display, but the internal screen supports 65,000 colors. The i670 is $49 with service.

And in more Nextel news, Phone Scoop reported last week that the FCC has approved the first dual-mode, iDEN/CDMA cell phone. The Motorola iC502 will use Sprint's CDMA network for voice and data calls and Nextel's iDEN network for push-to-talk calls. Few other features are known at this time, but the iC502 should make its formal debut in October.

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July 06, 2006, 11:09 AM PDT
More Microsoft "xPod" rumblings
Posted by: James Kim

We've now known for several weeks that Microsoft has under wraps a self-branded digital music and media player that hopes to give the iPod some true market competition. We've also heard that this "xPod" will work hand in hand with a Microsoft-branded music service and that this new music ecosystem will appear in time for the holidays. Everyone (Chicago Tribune, TheStreet, the New York Times) is positioning this as the MP3 battle royale between Apple and Microsoft, a potential showdown like never before. I think it's a good move for Microsoft to take things into its own hands rather than just provide the WMA platform and pray that the iRivers and Creatives can create something that (1) has mass appeal and (2) works. But the challenge of taking away from Apple's 77+ percent market share in the States will be formidable, especially since the next iPod will probably be out at the same time. In addition, who really knows if Microsoft can pull this together, especially considering it has already been heavily involved and invested in trying to capture market share (that is, WMP11, Urge and all those WMA stores, services, and players). In addition to offering a seamless and easy-to-use ecosystem, Microsoft will have to offer some big guns (design, performance, features) in the new player. Fortunately for Microsoft, I think there is disenchantment revolving around the iPod Goliath.

There are whispers that the portable media device will include integrated Wi-Fi, a big screen, and built-in social networking features. What's more, according to Engadget, Microsoft could offer to replace iPod users' iTunes tracks with WMA tracks for free if they convert to the Microsoft player. Not a bad deal, though you'll still have to buy into DRM either way. Microsoft also has the "x-factor", Xbox brainchild Robbie Bach, working on this project.

What do you think of a Microsoft "xPod" and its chances against the iPod machine?

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July 06, 2006, 10:43 AM PDT
Digital music sales on a roll
Posted by: James Kim

According to this News.com article, the rise in legal digital music downloads has made up for the slumping physical album market, which is down 4.2 percent for the first half of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005. According to Neilson SoundScan, sales of digital albums soared 126 percent during the first half of the year, while digital tracks rose 77 percent. Looks like the CD will someday join the vinyl record as an antiquated music medium.

The article also has interesting stats such as 2006's top-selling albums, including Walt Disney Records' "High School Musical" soundtrack, which has sold more than 2.6 million copies to date, and Universal Music Group's 31.6 percent share of the market (Sony BMG is second at 23.9 percent).

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July 06, 2006, 10:18 AM PDT
Alienware laptops go Core Duo
Posted by: Andrew Gruen

Gaming PC manufacturer Alienware updated its line of laptops this morning, adding three models with optional dual-core processors. The new systems come in two form factors: one desktop replacement, the Area-51 m5750, and two thin-and-lights, the Area-51 m5550 and the Sentia m3450. All three models are powered by an Intel Core Solo or Core Duo processor at speeds from 1.66GHz to 2.33GHz and can be configured with up to 2GB of 667MHz RAM. Either a CD-RW/DVD combo drive or a dual-layer DVD burner, in addition to 802.11a/b/g, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel high-definition audio, USB 2.0, FireWire, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and S-Video out are all standard on the new notebooks.

The 8-pound, 17-inch wide-screen (with a 1,440x900 or a 1,920x1,200 native resolution) Area-51 m5750 supports two 5,400rpm or 7,200rpm hard drives on a RAID controller for between 60GB and 200GB of total storage. The notebook features a discrete graphics subsystem powered by either the ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 with 128MB of dedicated VRAM or the X1800 with 256MB of VRAM. The system also has a full-size keyboard with a number pad and programmable application-launch buttons. The Area-51 m5750 starts at $1,499.

The Area-51 m5550 is a 6-pound thin-and-light with a 15.4-inch wide-screen display (1,920x1200 or 1,280x800 native resolution). Alienware offers two different discrete graphics subsystems: the 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 or the 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600. The system can be configured with a 5,400rpm hard disk up to 120GB or a 7,200rpm hard disk up to 100GB. The Area-51 m5550 starts at $1,399.

The Sentia m3450 has a smaller, 14.1-inch wide-screen display (1,280x768 native resolution) and weighs 5.5 pounds. The system comes with either a 5,400rpm hard disk up to 120GB or a 7,200rpm hard disk up to 100GB and an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics subsystem. The Sentia m3450 starts at $1,099.

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