July 13, 2006, 9:01 PM PDT
Core 2 Duo is here, and it's fast
Posted by: Matthew Elliott

Intel released its Core 2 Duo desktop processors tonight. We threw our full suite of benchmarks at two of the five new chips. Read our reviews of the Core 2 Extreme X6800 and the Core 2 Duo E6700 for all the details. The takeaway? The chips are fast, and they're efficient--they don't run nearly as hot as previous Pentium chips. With Core 2 Duo, Intel finally wrestles the desktop performance crown away from rival AMD, a feat it was unable to pull off with either of its previous two dual-core desktop processor lines.

This is no paper launch; Core 2 Duo processors will be available immediately in shipping systems. Given that prices range from $183 (for the Core 2 Duo E6300) to $999 (for the X6800), we expect to see the chips show up in a wide range of PCs. The first two Core 2 Duo systems we've tested are high-end gaming machines, the Dell XPS 700 and the Falcon Northwest Mach V--we've got a full review of each.

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July 13, 2006, 1:47 PM PDT
Another dead-simple invoice tool: Simplybill
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Blinksale is not the only utterly simple invoice generator out there. There's another utility, Simplybill, that offers a lot of the same functions, such as very easy data entry, a clean view of outstanding and overdue invoices, and a simple system for creating recurring bills. Paid customers of Simplybill also get access to a downloadable time-tracker widget, which could be very useful for consultants.

Simplicity is a good thing when you have a simple job to do, but I fear that Simplybill has gone overboard. For example, when you want to e-mail an invoice to a client, one press of the "e-mail" button sends it. That's simple, but you should have the opportunity to at least add a cover message or attach CCs to the address. Worse, there's no way to edit an invoice that's in the system, which is a bummer if you've entered a bunch of data into an invoice but realize after that fact that you haven't changed the default 10 percent sales tax.

Like Blinksale, Simplybill is free for up to three invoices per month. For the unlimited plan, Simplybill is cheaper: $25 per month, vs. Blinksale at $49. Both products have competitive intermediate pricing plans.

For the moment, I recommend Blinksale for simple invoices.

Source: WorkHappy.net.

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July 13, 2006, 11:51 AM PDT
SiteKreator: the Mama Bear of small-business site builders
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

There are several Web-based site-building tools, but many are either too simple and build boring sites or too complex for a nongeek to get productive with in a reasonable amount of time.

A newer tool, SiteKreator, is trying to split the difference by offering both professional and customizable designs and an editing system that will enable a typical small-business person to get a site up and running quickly.

SiteKreator has a small but good collection of business-friendly templates. It also makes it easy to modify the templates without creating a hideous mess. More importantly, it has interactive features, such as a form builder and a message board application, that are easy to integrate into your site. The platform also allows you to register visitors to your site and to restrict some content to authorized people or groups.

The builder/designer interface is nearly WYSIWYG. In the administrator view, there are tiny letters that hover near content elements; they anchor editing menus. You won't remember what the letters stand for, but it doesn't matter: they do a nice job of collecting your editing controls.

SiteKreator builds professional-looking Web sites quickly, but it is not the only good tool for building small-business sites. See also Homestead and GoDaddy's utilities.

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July 13, 2006, 11:48 AM PDT
Find your celebrity look-alike
Posted by: Tim Moynihan

MyHeritage, an online genealogy and facial-recognition service, has an addictive little application on its site.

Find the Celebrity in You allows you to upload your own photo, which is then run through a facial-recognition scanner and "matched up" to your celebrity look-alikes.

Keep in mind that you have to enter your e-mail address to use the service. We just came across this app today, so we can't tell you whether you'll get a bunch of spam after doing so.

The results are often hilarious, and they vary wildly depending upon which picture you upload. For example, one CNET employee somehow simultaneously looks like Arnold Palmer, Carl Lewis, Ricky Martin, and Steve Buscemi...without really looking like any of them.

Still, it's a fun little online toy. To test its chops, you can also upload a photo of a celebrity and let the application identify who it is after scanning the image.

Who do you look like? Post your celebrity look-alikes in the TalkBack section below and let us know if you really look like any of them.

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July 13, 2006, 9:26 AM PDT
Weekly retro on the way to Live Arcade
Posted by: Will Greenwald

Microsoft has announced that X-Box Live Arcade will now be getting a new game every Wednesday. These games will cost between $5 and $10 each, and will include, in the words of XBLA product manager Grag Canessa, "the cream of the crop." Among the games slated for release are Pac-Man, Galaga, Lumines, and the long-awaited Street Fighter 2 port. Many of these games will have new online multiplayer modes, so gamers can compete in classic arcade action across entire continents. First up is a new cooperative mode-equipped Frogger, clearly looking to pull in the George Costanza demographic.

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July 13, 2006, 9:20 AM PDT
The dying days of UMD movies are upon us...
Posted by: David Rudden

It looks like one of the multimedia feathers may be falling out of the Sony PSP's cap. In one of the biggest hits to the faltering UMD format, Target has stopped carrying the movie discs in favor of DVDs from the Independent Film Channel. As a tech geek, some part of me should be saddened by seeing American Pie Presents Band Camp's UMD being shuffled off in favor of Me and You and Everyone We Know, but for some reason, the tears aren't coming.

As if it weren't enough that most major studios and retailers and the general consumer public have turned their back on the format, even Sony may be taking the hint, as the company seems to be exploring new avenues of distributing media on the PSP. Starting next month, special versions of the company's 1GB and 2GB memory cards will come with a special DVD that allows the user to download a full-length movie onto the PSP. The cards will retail for $60 and $100, respectively, and the first four movies available will be Hitch, S.W.A.T., The Grudge and xXx: State of the Union. Gosh, with a lineup like that, how could it not take off?

Sources: Kotaku (Target) and The Digital Bits (memory cards)

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July 13, 2006, 8:52 AM PDT
Palm announces next-gen Windows Mobile Treo...for Europe
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Interesting news out of Europe: Palm, Microsoft, and European carrier Vodafone announced plans today to launch a GSM Treo before the end of the year. According to the press release, the new smart phone "will represent an industry first by operating on Vodafone's 3G/UMTS network and delivering the hallmark Palm experience on top of the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system." (If you're keeping track, this Treo has also been dubbed the Hollywood and, most recently, Lennon.) The release went on to say that the new Treo would be available to Vodafone customers first in multiple European countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Great. But what about us here in the States? Unfortunately, there's no official word from Palm, but there are rumors that Cingular has plans to release two Treos sometime in October.

More resources: CNET News.com, Brighthand, TreoCentral, Engadget Mobile

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July 13, 2006, 8:09 AM PDT
Core 2 Duo to shake things up
Posted by: Matthew Elliott

Intel's Core 2 Duo launch isn't far away (we can't say when, but rest assured, it'll be soon). These next-generation dual-core desktop processors are certain to shake up the PC landscape. To wit, AMD says it will cut prices on its current high-end desktop CPUs to remain competitive until it can ready its next-generation 65nm processors. Prices of Socket AM2 processors could be slashed by up to 50 percent. Meanwhile, Michael Dell states that the Dell XPS 700 will offer an overclocked Core 2 Extreme processor the moment Intel makes the chip available. And we pledge to have full reviews complete with benchmark figures the second the Core 2 Duo chips are announced. Stay tuned...

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July 13, 2006, 7:25 AM PDT
Slight delay for Japan launch of Toshiba HD-DVD recorder
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Toshiba has delayed the launch of the world's first HD-DVD recorder--but by only two weeks. Originally scheduled to release on July 14, the company has pushed back the availability of the RD-A1 to July 27. But don't go camp out at your local Best Buy or Circuit City--the RD-A1 is a Japan-only product for the time being, and Toshiba hasn't indicated when or if it will be coming stateside anytime soon. The device has the specs to leave high-def fan boys weeping--1080p video output, plus the ability to record HD video to the internal 1TB hard drive and archive dub it to single- or dual-layer HD-DVD discs--but it will cost Japanese consumers around $3,500 to take one home.

Interestingly, Blu-ray recorders such as the Panasonic DMR-E700BD have been available in Japan for some time. But thanks to the multiple layers of copy protection that have been added to the format to mollify Hollywood studios (AACS, ICT, BD+, BD-ROM Mark), those recorders can't play the any of Blu-ray movies that are finally beginning to appear on store shelves. (The Toshiba HD-DVD recorder--and, presumably, eventual Blu-ray recorders--will play store-bought high-def movies in their respective formats.)

The ability to archive your favorite TV shows in high-def is a great idea, but look for the Hollywood community to fight it with all its collective might. Whether it's as onerous as a copy-protection scheme (a broadcast flag that just prevents you from making a backup copy) or as subtle as the increasingly pervasive "pop-up ads" that are springing up on many cable channels (who wants to keep a copy of The Closer when an animated NASCAR ad takes up a quarter of the screen at 10-minute intervals?), TV networks will do everything in their power to make sure that viewers will pay one way or another. TV shows on DVD remain a huge cash cow, and Hollywood is looking to take that "monetization" of their broadcast assets to the next level--be it video on demand, downloadable and streaming online video, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, or any combination thereof. Needless to say, DIY box sets--home-burned and royalty-free--aren't on the agenda.

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