October 12, 2006, 4:00 PM PDT
SimpleCenter: iTunes for the rest of us?
Posted by: John P. Falcone

If you have a hard drive full of digital media--photos, videos, and music--and you have the need to sync to a portable device, Universal Electronics' updated SimpleCenter may be right up your alley. The software, which has just been updated to version 4.1, boasts a variety of new and updated features that digital media mavens will appreciate.

SimpleCenter is a Windows software package that works with a variety of devices, including the Sony PSP, the Nokia N80 and N93 smart phones, and most USB mass storage and Plays For Sure devices. In addition to being able to sync your media to those devices, SimpleCenter can also transcode files to compatible formats (particularly useful for getting video files onto the PSP and the iPod, for instance). The software can also act as a UPnP server and stream media to other devices on your home network (it's compliant with version 1.5 of the working draft DLNA standard). There's an option to access and share your photos and movies online via the Web.

For those keeping score, quite a few of those features are not available on iTunes and Windows Media Player. There's a catch, of course: most of the good stuff is available only if you pay $30 to upgrade to SimpleCenter Premium. But Universal Electronics offers the Premium version as a free 30-day trial, and the basic media management and playback functions remain enabled even if you choose not to upgrade. In other words, if any of those features pique your interest, you should download SimpleCenter and kick in the tires to see if it's the right media manager for you.

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October 06, 2006, 10:11 AM PDT
Earthcode's sweet Wi-Fi finder mashup
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Andre Lewis, who writes the geek blog Earthcode, told the crowd at the recent New Tech Meetup at our offices about his little mashup, wifi.earthcode.com, that tracks free Wi-Fi hot spots.

More than a few Wi-Fi finders are on the Web (including JiWire, started by a former CNET exec), but Earthcode's system wins points for its simplicity and speed. You just select a city and zoom in on your location (using the embedded Google maps), and it will show you Wi-Fi locations that other users have added. If you want to add one yourself, it's very easy, and you can also rate the food and the likelihood of finding a convenient AC outlet for your laptop. I put the CNET lobby (free Wi-Fi, nice tables, no food) in the database before Andre had finished his 60-second pitch.

Andre might want to add a way to find your location on a map (this might be necessary if you're visiting a new city), and it would be helpful if the list view sorted by proximity. And, of course, more entries would be good. But this is a great start.

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October 04, 2006, 9:47 PM PDT
Hava Wireless: a better Slingbox alternative for Windows Media Center owners?
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Remember Hava? When we previewed it back at January's Consumer Electronic Show, the folks at Monsoon Multimedia were touting it as a better Slingbox than Slingbox. But once the show ended, we promptly forgot about the Hava box. Until those same Monsoon folks knocked on our door last week to give us a demo.

Like Slingbox (and Sony's LocationFree TV products), Hava lets you digitize your home TV signals and stream them to any broadband-connected PC. But the Hava includes a few noteworthy features you won't find on the Slingbox. First and foremost, it has a built-in 802.11g wireless capability, so it should be able to interface with any existing wireless or Ethernet network (Slingbox is Ethernet only). Secondly, it can be tightly integrated with a PC running Windows XP Media Center Edition, which enables the ability to record live streaming video directly to the PC (a standalone PC viewing application is provided for non-MCE machines). And finally, the Hava allows multicasting--multiple clients can view the stream within a home network while a single remote client simultaneously views over the Internet (Slingbox allows only a single viewer at a time). The Hava box includes component (HD), S-Video, composite, and RF inputs and can control set-top boxes with an IR blaster--by comparison, the Slingbox Pro requires a $50 component-video dongle to accept HD video.

You can buy the Hava Wireless box right now at the snappymultimedia.com Web site for $249, but Monsoon is planning on expanding the line to include a Hava Pro model for $199 (with the same overall feature set, but with no wireless capability), and a Hava Pro Compact (composite and S-Video only) for just $99. Moreover, the company is looking to license its technology to OEM partners, so it's possible you'll be seeing Hava-powered boxes from a variety of third-party manufacturers.

The current hardware and software iterations on the Hava Wireless box certainly didn't have the refined polish that we've come to expect from Slingbox products. But given the comparatively rich feature set as well as the low prices of the Hava products, we suspect a lot of prospective placeshifters would say, "So what?" While the built-in wireless and multicasting capabilities were enticing, it's the Media Center functionality that was particularly impressive. Essentially, the Hava lets Windows think that it is the PC's built-in TV tuner--whether it's two rooms or two continents away. That leaves you with all of the great Media Center functionality--including DVR-style controls (pause, play, rewind, fast forward) and recording abilities--without the need to be tethered to your cable or satellite box.

We're looking forward to putting the Hava to the test in the near future. Our review sample is on the way, and we'll be following up with a full, hands-on review soon. Stay tuned.

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October 04, 2006, 8:47 AM PDT
Symbian and Palm support for Slingbox: later rather than sooner?
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Will you be able to stream your favorite TV shows from your Slingbox to your Treo 700p or Nokia N-series smart phone? Eventually, yes, but maybe not quite as soon as some had hoped.

When second-generation Slingbox products began hitting stores last week, it didn't take long for astute observers to notice the presence of logos for Symbian and--concealed under a black sticker--Palm on the side of the box. We've since confirmed with Sling Media that the company is "working with partners to deliver clients for other mobile platforms including the two mentioned [Symbian and Palm]." However, the same Sling spokesman threw a bit of cold water on an Engadget report pegging the Symbian release by the end of October and the Palm version by the end of the year. Instead, his e-mail specified that he wanted to "reiterate the fact that we have not communicated a release date for these clients."

What does it all mean? I think Sling is just trying to manage expectations. Delays happen (the logos on the boxes certainly indicate that the company expected those clients to be ready by the time the hardware launched), and withholding an "official" announcement gives the company a degree of plausible deniability when the inevitable consumer frustration mounts. Just ask Mac users, who've been waiting for the Mac SlingPlayer client for months. They're the ones who've been the most vocal detractors of the new Slingbox products, and rightfully so: despite the Mac OS logo (right next to Palm and Symbian) on the Slingbox packaging, the Mac client remains in a closed beta.

Of course, we've seen the Mac client in action (Sling execs demoed it for us a few weeks ago), so I'd guess that will be the first non-Windows one to become available. And we hope Sling is just being overly conservative by not officially announcing release dates for the Symbian and Palm versions, both of which would bolster the products' potential usefulness (and audience) immensely.

For all we know, there are even more potential SlingPlayer versions on the agenda. Interestingly, in a recent interview, Sling execs went out of their way to point out the Nintendo DS would be a "better platform" for remote TV viewing than Sony's PSP, and were noncommittal on the possibility of a Zune client. Hmmm...

Photo credit: Zatznotfunny

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September 21, 2006, 4:35 PM PDT
Three new Slingboxes?
Posted by: Matthew Moskovciak

Last week, we reported on information leaked from the FCC Web site pointing to the probability of a new Slingbox model. Now comes word from Slingcommunity.com that new FCC documents point to not one but three new Slingboxes: the Slingbox Tuner (SB220-100), the Slingbox A/V (SB240-100), and the Slingbox Pro (SB200-100). The major differential between the models--based on this leaked info, at least--is connectivity. The Slingbox Tuner appears to be limited to RF coaxial inputs and outputs, the Slingbox A/V appears to have a composite video input with S-Video, and the Slingbox Pro appears to be a high-end version loaded with inputs and outputs, including possibly some HDMI connectivity. The biggest disappointment, as mentioned before, is that none of these seems to support wireless network streaming.

The most interesting of all these is the Slingbox Pro, which seems like a perfect fit for those with an HD DVR. But the big limiting factor, right off the bat, seems to be upstream speeds. As we mentioned in our review of the original Slingbox, even when we maxed out our bitrate at around 350Kbps, the original Slingbox wasn't able to deliver all the quality of standard-def programming--although it was definitely still watchable. Since most DSL and cable users probably have similar real-world upstream bandwidth, we're a little skeptical that the alleged high-def inputs on the rumored Slingbox Pro would translate to a notable increase in video quality when watching video streamed across the Internet--even if that remains a shortcoming of ISPs more than a fault of the Slingbox. Of course, the better video quality offered by an HD input could very well be notable for those with good upstream speeds (for instance, FIOS) as well as those who are viewing within a home network (watching the living room cable box on the bedroom PC, for instance). We're hoping the Slingbox Pro has some new compression technology to make the most of those bandwidth constraints.

Sources: Sling Community via Engadget

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September 14, 2006, 1:48 PM PDT
New Slingbox on the way?
Posted by: Matthew Moskovciak

A new Slingbox is on the way, according to information posted on the FCC Web site. The folks over at TG Daily and Zatznotfunny unearthed the news--and a nearly complete manual--for the so-called Slingbox A/V. The main upgrades from the existing (original) Slingbox appear to be a new design that offers a smaller footprint and a dedicated composite-video input. Of course, the original Slingbox could accept composite signals, but you needed to use the included adapter cable.

Unfortunately, according to the manual, it seems like the new Slingbox will not have built-in wireless networking capability--which was our biggest gripe with the original Slingbox. That's a potential turnoff for those who don't want to run an Ethernet connection (or invest in a wireless bridge or a pair of power-over-Ethernet adapters) to their home theater. That's doubly true when you consider that the Sony LF-B20 LocationFree TV Base Station--due in October--does offer built-in 802.11a/b/g wireless capability. Of course, the LF-B20 has a list price of $250, and it's a fair bet the new Slingbox won't cost any more than the $200 street price of the current model.

Sources: TG Daily via Zatznotfunny via Engadget

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September 13, 2006, 2:21 PM PDT
Apple's iTV: promise and peril
Posted by: John P. Falcone

It's rare that the notoriously secretive Apple ever gives a sneak peek at a forthcoming product. But that's exactly what the company did at yesterday's press event, giving a guided tour of the "iTV" (the device's developmental codename). Scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2007 for $299, the iTV is little network media box that will stream all of your iTunes-based media--including music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos--from your PC or Mac to your HDTV and home audio system. The goal is to let you enjoy all of that content on your big-screen TV and home-theater system while you're parked comfortably on the sofa, rather than having to be hunched over your computer--or having to jury-rig A/V cables from your laptop to your TV. Indeed, the iTV is essentially a video-enabled Airport Express.

A veritable army of wonks and pundits have been salivating at the concept of such a "Home iPod" for years; take Steven Johnson's August 22 article at Slate.com: An iPod for TV: how Apple could make it work, for example. But before the Apple faithful pop the champagne corks and declare the company the new king of consumer electronics, let's look at the unanswered questions--and potential shortcomings--of the iTV. Is it really the über-media box that everybody's been waiting for? Here are several issues that give us cause for concern--along with our suggestions on how to address them.

File compatibility and media support: how extensive?
What we know: The iTV will stream anything you buy at the iTunes store--music, movies, and TV shows--as well as most of the other media that you use iTunes to access, including ripped music, photos, and video and audio podcasts.
What we'd like to see: We'd assume that any video you've already imported or transcoded into an iTunes or iPod-friendly format will be able to stream as well. But it'd be nice to drop the transcoding step altogether and just be able to point the iTV to a directory on our computer's hard drive, where we can stream all of our video files already encoded in standard formats--DivX, AVI, WMV, QuickTime, and the like--straight to the TV. Yes, some of these files could indeed be pirated, but that was always an unacknowledged key to the iPod's success: it let you enjoy the fruits of your illicit gains (a hard drive full of ripped MP3s) while giving you a path to the straight and narrow (paid, copy-protected downloads via iTunes). While we've got the wish list out, it'd be great to see support for Rhapsody. There's no way that'll happen, so how about a flat-fee iTunes music service instead? (See Pricing, below.)

Resolution: standard- or high-definition? Aspect ratio: 4:3 standard or 16:9 wide-screen?
What we know: The first movies available from the iTunes store will be at 640x480 resolution. That's identical to standard TV resolution but short of the 720x480 wide-screen EDTV resolution offered by DVDs. But the iTV offers only HDMI and component outputs--no composite or S-Video--which pretty much guarantees that it's going to be connected to HDTVs--and wide-screen HDTVs, at that.
What we'd like to see: Ideally, we'd like to see movies and TV shows at optimal HD quality: 1080p wide-screen with full Dolby Digital surround sound. Of course, that would entail massive file sizes and networking bottlenecks, even using the efficient H.264 video codec; opting for 1080i and 720p wouldn't save too much space, either. A good compromise would be 480p wide-screen: 720x480. Then the movies could be accurately advertised as "DVD quality," and still look relatively sharp on HD screens. But this transition--from 320x240 (the old iTunes video format) to 640x480 (the new iTunes video format) to a possible future high-res or wide-screen version--begs the urgent question of whether it's worth holding off on any video purchases until Apple unveils its ultimate video format. Otherwise, you're stuck in the same upgrade cycle we've all come to hate: buying the same favorite films on VHS, then LaserDisc, then DVD, then HD-DVD/Blu-ray, and so on--albeit with digital files rather than physical media. (See Pricing structure, below.)

Wireless networking protocols: 802.11 what?
What we know: The iTV will support connectivity to home networks via Ethernet and "802.11 wireless" networking. But Apple remained mum on which flavors of Wi-Fi it would support. The standard 802.11b and faster 802.11g are givens--but even at 11g speeds, video files can break up.
What we'd like to see: Rumors of support for 802.11n are already making the rounds. In addition to being backward-compatible with 802.11g routers and access points, the faster 802.11n standard would offer the potential for smoother video streaming, even at HD resolutions, and make the iTV a lot more future-proof.

Storage: PC-based or online?
What we know: Since the iTV doesn't appear to have any built-in storage (such as a hard drive), you'll still need a computer to act as a server for most media. That means you download your media to your PC first, then stream it to your iTV. It also means you'll need to keep that computer up and running when you want to watch anything.
What we'd like to see: Pulling media off a remote PC is the standard operating procedure for network media devices, but most of them are also able to stream some content--such as Internet radio--straight off the Web. Ideally, you'd even be able to make the purchase of a movie straight through iTV and start watching it as soon as the first few minutes buffer up on the networked PC, rather than having to run into the other room, click to download, then run back to the iTV to start watching. But that USB port on the iTV looms large: it could easily be tethered to an iPod (or an external hard drive) for PC-less storage. Even more enticing is the possibility that the iTV could eventually just pull large media files straight off the Web (the iTunes store) without the need for them to be first downloaded to the PC or Mac. Of course, you'd need superfast broadband speeds--true 5Mbps, 10Mbps, and 20Mbps throughput--become more widely available, rather than the pokey real-world 768K DSL and cable speeds that many of us currently have. (To wit: our first iTunes movie took about four hours to download.)

Pricing: à la carte or all you can eat?
What we know: The first slate of iTunes movies are currently priced from $9.99 to $12.99, though that could well change when and if additional studios enter the mix. Also, there's no telling if HD versions--if they're eventually added--would get a price premium. TV shows are generally $1.99 an episode and songs are usually just 99 cents, though some exceptions exist, such as "season passes" for certain shows and sports highlights. As we mentioned in the Resolution and aspect ratio section above, we seem to be going down a potentially problematic path where Apple could keep rolling out higher-resolution content periodically and forcing you to "buy" the same movie or TV show again and again, in order to get the best-looking image on your HDTV.
What we'd like to see: The option for a subscription model would be great. If not "all you can eat" for a flat fee, then the possibility of getting, say, all current episodes of five TV shows of your choice plus five movies a month--and maybe some music?--would be a nice start. Moreover, the ability to future-proof your purchases--getting an automatic upgrade to higher-resolution versions when and if they were released--would be another great option. The dream, of course, would be a "Netflix box"--pick any one of 70,000 movies to watch on demand, for a flat monthly fee. But given the fact that Hollywood makes billions on selling you the same content again and again, that option seems strictly relegated to the world of fantasy.

Studio support: anyone else besides Disney?
What we know: The iTunes Movie Store is launching with just a few dozen films, almost all of which are from Disney and its affiliated studio brands (so there's plenty of adult fare from Touchstone and Miramax, in addition to family-friendly movies). Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on the Disney board--thanks to the mouse's acquisition of Jobs-owned Pixar--so the entertainment giant was a natural fit for a launch partner. But other studios seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude, afraid of cutting into their DVD revenue. They're also apparently scared of retaliation from Wal-Mart--the retail giant is the country's top seller of DVDs, and there's talk that it may retaliate against companies that put their movies online for fear of cutting into its DVD receipts. (The irony is that Wal-Mart supposedly loses money on DVDs, selling them below cost just to get foot traffic in the store for big ticket items.)
What we'd like to see: Obviously, the more content partners, the better. If Apple can demonstrate that its movie sales are as potentially lucrative as its TV downloads, it's a fair bet that other studios will join the fray.

As we said, the iTV definitely offers some impressive potential, but there are also enough unanswered questions and potential issues to give us pause. That brings us to the next point: iTV competitors and alternatives. There are already plenty of hardware solutions as well as online and cable services that deliver a lot of what the iTV is promising. We'll return soon to examine how they stack up against one another. In the meantime, feel free to add your comments in TalkBack.

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September 12, 2006, 1:49 PM PDT
Apple previews iTV network digital media player
Posted by: John P. Falcone

In the first quarter of 2007, Apple is set to debut a digital media player that can stream movies, music, and photos from networked PCs and Macs. In an unusual move, Apple CEO Steve Jobs provided a detailed preview of the product at his "Showtime" press conference, which also saw the announcement of new iPods, iPod Nanos, and the launch of full-length movie availability on iTunes. Dubbed iTV, the Apple digital media device will retail for $299 when it hits stores next year.

While the "iTV" moniker is just a temporary code name, the product's features were laid out in fairly explicit detail. Like other network digital media boxes, the iTV will stream video, photos, and audio from networked PCs--and perhaps straight off the Internet--so they can be enjoyed on a big-screen living room TV and home audio system. Unlike all of the previous competitors, however, the iTV will start out with several huge advantages: it will offer seamless integration with movies, TV shows, and music purchased from Apple's iTunes Store. Additional media content on the PC--such as digital photos, video and audio podcasts, MP3 audio, and, presumably, downloaded video files--should be able to be streamed as well.

The box itself looks like a thinner version of the Mac Mini--from a distance, it could easily be mistaken for a Netgear or Belkin network router. It interfaces with home networks via built-in Ethernet and 802.11 wireless and has an impressive bevy of audio/video connections: HDMI and component-video outputs, as well as analog stereo and optical digital audio out. The dearth of S-Video and composite outputs imply that the iTV will be aimed squarely at HDTV sets, while the digital audio output will enable full surround sound when connected to an A/V receiver. Finally, a single rear-panel USB jack is present as well, and Jobs was mum as to how it would be employed--but iPod connectivity is definitely a fair bet.

The little white box may be slick, but it's what users will see on the screen that's really important. Based on the previews at Jobs's press conference, the iTV's onscreen display and navigation looks just as polished and intuitive as that of the iPod, albeit optimized for the larger real estate of a big-screen HDTV--and with plenty of animated eye candy thrown in. The onstage demo had Jobs easily jumping in and out of menus and listings for movies, podcasts, music, and photos, just as simply as one would with the iPod--think Front Row, but with a lot more options. What's more, all of the iTV's onscreen navigation is handled with the same ultrasimple six-button remote that ships with current Macs.

As always, it's tough to judge an unreleased product based simply on a demo--especially a demonstration run by Apple's eminently enthusiastic and persuasive head honcho. That said, the iTV is easily one of the most promising developments in the network-media category that we've seen to date. Competing products have been hobbled by a combination of a lousy interface (nonintuitive, hard to navigate, and/or just plain ugly onscreen menus), underwhelming feature set (HD streaming and HDMI output are still comparatively rare), and lack of content. And it's that last point that may very well be Apple's ace in the hole. The company's iTunes store has been the leading online retailer for music and TV shows, and it's a fair bet that movies will be a popular offering as well. When the question, "Is it compatible with all the songs (or TV shows or movies) I've purchased from iTunes?" is asked, every other network media device has to answer "no;" Apple's iTV will be the first to respond with an enthusiastic "yes."

We'll have more information on the Apple iTV as soon as it becomes available, and a full hands-on review once it's released in 2007.

UPDATE: For a more detailed examination of the iTV--including its long list of unanswered questions--check out our follow-up blog, iTV: Promise and peril.

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September 05, 2006, 5:01 AM PDT
Look out, Slingbox: Sony announces new LocationFree TV models
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Sony today updated its LocationFree TV product lineup with three new models due to hit stores in October. In addition to two new Base Stations, the $200 LF-B10 and $250 LF-B20, the LocationFree line will now include the $230 LocationFree TV Box, a first-of-its-kind receiver client that enables LocationFree broadcasts to be viewed on other TVs in the user's household--essentially creating a virtual cable or satellite box in any room within the reach of a home network.

Like the Sling Media Slingbox, Sony's LocationFree products enable viewers to view and control TV channels from their home cable or satellite boxes on any broadband-connected PC, be it elsewhere in the home or anywhere in the world. In fact, Sony's first LocationFree products--the LF-X1 and the LF-X5--were available a year before Slingbox's summer 2005 debut, but they were hobbled by high prices, the need for proprietary hardware, and a steep learning curve when it came to installation and setup. The company followed up with the improved LF-PK1, a simplified Base Station that let users watch TV with a PC software client or on the Sony PSP (so long as it was in range of a Wi-Fi signal), but that $350 device remained more expensive and harder to use than the Slingbox, which had since undergone a number of substantive firmware and software upgrades.

But the third time may well be the charm for the Sony. On paper, at least, the latest LocationFree offerings offer a compelling mix of features and value, including some that trump the Slingbox. Both new Base Stations equal the Slingbox's ability to control one or two devices (a cable or satellite box plus a DVD player or DVR, for instance) that are connected via composite or S-Video inputs. But the new LocationFree boxes boast updated chipsets that can utilize H.264 AVC video encoding (the same efficient video compression used by the video iPod, as opposed to the older MPEG-2 version found on previous LocationFree boxes), and the LF-B20 incorporates 802.11a/b/g wireless, so--unlike the Slingbox and the otherwise identical LF-B10--it can interface with a home network via Wi-Fi without the need to connect an Ethernet cable. Moreover, Sony is expanding the ways in which you can watch LocationFree streams. Currently, the video from existing and future LocationFree Base Stations can be viewed on any broadband-connected Windows PC (using Sony's software); Mac OS X machine (using software from I-O Data); Sony PSP (just upgrade to the latest 2.50 or later firmware); or even one of the original LocationFree LCD tablets, such as the aforementioned LF-X1. The company is also working with Japanese software developer Access (owner of the Palm operating system) to develop a Windows Mobile client for handhelds and smart phones. But the introduction of the TV Box is a notable addition: the hardware client can turn any TV in the house into a LocationFree viewer. It can receive signals from the LocationFree Base Station via Ethernet or wireless (802.11a/b/g) networking, and you can use an onscreen soft remote to access the full functionality of the source devices.

If you're keeping score, the Slingbox can stream to software clients on all things Windows (PCs running Windows 2000 and XP, plus Windows Mobile PDAs and smart phones), and a long-delayed Mac client should finally be available before the end of 2006 (CNET's seen a working beta, and yes--it's a universal binary that works on older PowerPC and newer Intel OS X Macs). Slingbox beats the Sony offerings on price: it's available online for between $150 and $200, though you'll need to pay $30 extra for the Windows Mobile software--but the built-in wireless on the LF-B20, the TV Box client, and the PSP viewer are intriguing and worthwhile upgrades that Slingbox can't currently match. (When asked if the PlayStation 3 could act as a LocationFree TV client, Sony's answer was a curt "no comment.")

Of course, we have yet to actually test the latest incarnation of LocationFree TV, so it remains to be seen if it can approach the ease of setup, smooth operation, and overall polish found with the current iteration of Sling's software and firmware. Moreover, it's a safe bet that the Slingbox team won't take Sony's challenge sitting down. But the increased competition in the "placeshifting" market is certainly great news for consumers, who are getting more choices at more affordable prices.

CNET will have a full review of the LocationFree LF-B10 and LF-B20 Base Stations and the TV Box client as soon as they're available.

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August 23, 2006, 9:31 AM PDT
Microsoft testing free Wi-Fi detector
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

In case that hot-spot-sniffing keychain doesn't do the trick, Microsoft is testing a new tool to help you detect Wi-Fi hot spots. The Windows Live Wi-Fi Center beta is built to walk you through hooking up to public wireless networks and accessing them securely within a virtual private network, or VPN. We haven't tried it yet, but with this service, Microsoft pairs a searchable hot-spot-locating Web site with a download for Windows XP (Vista support coming soon). Windows Live Local maps the hot spots as well as driving and walking directions to them. No support for mobile devices is available.

This 12-syllable service adds to the confusion about just how many Windows Live products are out there. We've assembled our own list of 10 Windows Live favorites (not to be mixed up with the online service, Windows Live Favorites), and we continue to update our evolving list of Windows Live's multisyllabic, Web-based tools.

Update: The correct name of the new beta app is Windows Live Wi-Fi Center (not Windows Live Connection Center Wi-Fi, mentioned earlier). And while that remains in limited beta testing, tomorrow the companion Windows Live WiFi Hotspot Locator is set to become available at hotspot.live.com.

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