August 04, 2006, 4:16 PM PDT
Cars.com assesses car tech innovations for the next decade
Posted by: Kevin Massy

Cars.com has published a thought-provoking article on the shape of car tech over the next 10 years. Based on analysis of news articles and industry trends, the report looks at technologies that are breaking into the market, in development, or are still Jetsonian pipe dreams. Perhaps most notable is the time frame that the report gives for each of its featured technologies. According to its assessments:

Within two years we can expect to see: keyless fingerprint entry and ignition systems; adaptive brake lights that increase in brightness according to brake force; centralized computer centers to manage all cabin tech systems; collision mitigation systems; auto black boxes; and built-in economy modes for fuel-efficient driving.

In the next three years look out for lane-change warnings; camless engines (for increased air-intake efficiency); self-repairing, self-cleaning paint; and navigation systems with integrated real-time traffic data.

Beyond that there is the prospect of self-parking cars; automatically tinting windows; advanced flex-fuel systems that can run on gas, ethanol, diesel, or a mixture of the all three; and the ultimate car tech grail of self-driving production cars.

The interesting thing about this assessment is that some of the advances that the article sees as a long way off (self-parking, integration of real-time traffic in nav systems) have already made it into production, while others that it sees as coming soon (fingerprint ignition) are still largely conceptual.

Nevertheless, it's an interesting read, and a good roundup of the things that will be keeping us in column inches for the next few years.

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August 04, 2006, 3:19 PM PDT
GreatCall announces service plans
Posted by: Nicole Lee

A few days after we answered a question from a reader regarding cell phones for seniors in our Ask the Editors feature, we received news of the price and availability of GreatCall, a new MVNO that has seniors as its target demographic. GreatCall will be available some time this fall and will offer service plans ranging from $9.95 a month for a very simple emergency plan to $39.95 a month for 200 minutes of talk time. It looks like you can even preprogram numbers into the phone before you receive it, and once you receive it, you can press O for Operator to make changes to your contacts (instead of you having to do it yourself). This is potentially very useful for seniors who don't want to go through all the trouble of handling their own contacts list. We look forward to getting a closer look at these Jitterbug phones and will let you know when they're available.

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August 04, 2006, 2:21 PM PDT
Going widget-happy with Widgetbox
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

I am a rotten HTML coder, which is why I really like Widgetbox, a new utility (still in closed beta; it should open in mid-August) that makes it easy for a klutz like me to add functionality to a blog without having to touch code. Widgetbox's widgets currently include tools such as a Flickr photo strip, a Technorati tag tracker (see example below), and a location finder (it uses your IP address). The Widgetbox library is about 75 widgets strong right now. I think building Web sites from pieces and parts--widgets like these--is going to be a big part of the future of Web publishing.

Currently, Widgetbox widgets can be automatically placed onto blogs on several different platforms. In the future, you'll also be able to add widgets to social network pages such as MySpace and portal pages such as My Yahoo. If all else fails, you can also get a code snippet from the site to add a widget to you site manually (that's what I did yesterday for MeeboMe, for example, and how I integrated Widgetbox's Technorati widget below). CEO Ed Anuff told me that in the future, widgets will also work on your computer's desktop.

For widget publishers, it's also supposed to be a simple affair: You submit your widget to Widgetbox, which then handles all the integration into blogs and Web pages. Through advertising revenue shares, both widget developers and users can make money.

Some blog tools have widget capabilities already. TypePad, for example, has its own Widget Directory, and in fact, it offers more widgets than Widgetbox does right now (but Widgetbox is still in beta, as I said). Configuring widgets on Widgetbox is easier, though: All widgets are configured within the site, instead of on the widget creators' sites, as some of the TypePad widgets are. And, of course, with Widgetbox you can place your widgets on multiple sites, not just on TypePad blogs.

I hope more Web developers adopt this system, so klutzes like me can more easily take advantage of their work.

Widgetbox sample:

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August 04, 2006, 1:55 PM PDT
SageTV shows love for Linux
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

DIY types love building and tinkering around with Linux systems. Anecdotally, we can also say they love TV, despite a professed antipathy toward corporate entertainment. It's too bad that the most popular software app for watching and recording TV programming through a computer is Windows Media Center--not exactly the first place a Linux fan is likely to turn.

Fortunately, one of the big names in DVR software, SageTV, has been supporting Linux for some time now (there are also other Linux-friendly DVR apps, such as MythTV). Sage is now offering a Linux edition of SageTV 5, including the add-on Placeshifter app, which we looked at when it was released for PCs back in April. The whole package is called SageTV Media Center for Linux V5 OEM Edition and runs $99.99, or $79.99 without the Placeshifter software.

Placeshifter, kind of like a software version of the Slingbox, lets you log in to your home media library and stream videos, music, and photos, plus live and recorded TV, from any remote machine with the Placeshifter client app. We tried out the Windows version in April and generally liked it. The new Linux version also works with Sage's Wireless Media Extender, a $159 box that connects to your TV and gives you access to media on your home network.

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August 04, 2006, 11:05 AM PDT
Circuit City ripping DVDs for customers
Posted by: James Kim

Circuit City has apparently started a DVD-ripping service where it'll rip a movie for use on a portable video device. Prices: $10 for one DVD, $20 for three DVDs, and $30 for five DVDs. This bold move by the tech retail outlet is akin to spitting in the face of the MPAA, and the service will probably be forced to shut down soon enough.

I just don't understand why we can rip CDs but not DVDs, especially when we've already paid full price. Plenty of software online can get you from point A (DVD) to point B (compressed version that will play on your iPod or PVP), but all those DMCA-related legal issues can be a heavy burden. If Circuit City sticks to its guns on this matter, the ensuing legal battle should be interesting. Anyway, Ken Fisher at Ars Technica has interesting things to say about it here.

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August 04, 2006, 8:43 AM PDT
Motorola Q headed to Sprint
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Sprint Nextel customers, rejoice! Looks like Verizon's exclusive hold on the Motorola Q is coming to an end, and the next stop for the much-hyped, razor-thin smart phone is Sprint. During an investors' meeting yesterday, Sprint Nextel chief operating officer Len Lauer revealed that the carrier has plans to add the Q, as well as the Motorola Slvr, to its lineup by Q4 2006. No word yet on exact release dates or pricing, but we'll keep you posted as we get more details.

Sources: Qusers.com, Chicago Business

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August 04, 2006, 8:38 AM PDT
Holographic storage by year's end
Posted by: Matthew Elliott

Hitachi Maxell stated this week that we'll see holographic storage products by Christmas. At prices that make $1,000 Blu-ray burners and $500 HD-DVD players look downright cheap, holographic storage will be the plaything of the enterprise market and not this year's Tickle Me Elmo hot holiday gift. The first holographic storage discs will hold 300GB of data and cost $120 to $180. Sitting down? Good, because here comes the part where we tell you that you'll need a $15,000 drive to read or write the discs when they're released in November or December. Capacity is expected to increase; Maxell's director of technical marketing expects we'll see 800GB discs in 2008 and 1.6TB discs by 2010. Pricing will obviously come down by then, too. Media is expected to range from regular CD-size cartridges to smaller formats the size of credit cards and postage stamps.

Want to know how holographic storage works? Check out this illustrated explainer.

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August 04, 2006, 6:22 AM PDT
What will we see from Apple next week?
Posted by: Matthew Elliott

Let the speculation begin. Apple's World Wide Developers Conference kicks off next Monday in San Francisco, and rumors are, of course, flying about what Steve Jobs has in store for his developers and, well, the rest of us. First, someone snapped a shot of a banner Apple has set up in the Moscone Center that depicts various Apple products, including the Power Mac and a 64-bit emblem. We've long thought Apple was waiting for 64-bit Core 2 Duo chips to arrive before moving its high-end desktop line to the Intel platform; it didn't make sense for the professional-grade Power Mac to begin its Intel era with mobile Core Duo chips, which the Mac Mini and the iMac adopted earlier this year. We wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the Power Mac G5 will shed its PowerPC G5 chips for Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo parts.

And while Intel's Core Duo (a.k.a. Yonah) laptop chips were a fine choice in January for both Apple's laptops and compact desktops, the chips now take a backseat to the newly announced Core 2 Duo T-series (a.k.a. Merom) mobile CPUs. It's only a matter of time until Apple updates its MacBook Pro and MacBook lines with the new chips.

Apple Insider reports that Apple is scheduled to receive its first shipment of Core 2 Duo chips around Labor Day and that the company will be among the first with systems. We'd guess that Core 2 Duo-based Power Mac desktops and MacBook Pro laptops will be released next month.

Lastly, we were told earlier this year that Boot Camp will be rolled into Mac OS X Leopard and the first glimpse we'll see of the OS will be at WWDC in August. We'll have editors at the show on Monday to either confirm or deny the rumors you're reading today.

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