The Digital Home

Netbooks are helping boost the PC market as it continues to slide with the economy, but it's only a matter of time before something precipitates a market upturn.

Thanks to the announcement of the Archos 9 PC Tablet on Wednesday, there's even more evidence helping fuel speculation that touch screens can transform the Netbook experience from basic computing into multitouch bliss.

Touch screens are undoubtedly popular in the mobile market, but they have yet to break through in the computing space. Will they be as revolutionary for PCs as they have thus far been for smartphones?

Should the Wii stick with its current price?

(Credit: Nintendo)

More rumors have been surfacing about the possibility of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 price drops.

According to reports, the Xbox 360 Elite might be reduced to $299 from its current price of $399. The possibility of a PlayStation 3 Slim is also causing a stir. Sony hasn't made any confirmation that it will, in fact, release the PlayStation 3 Slim, but it could help the company appeal to those who have balked at buying its expensive console.

Rumors have even surfaced that Nintendo might be planning a Wii price cut to maintain price leadership in the market.

But are any of those price cuts necessary? We need to consider each console on its own merit to determine if it's time for a price cut.

The new Windows 7 packaging.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Before Microsoft announced Windows 7 pricing, the company detailed earlier this week how it plans to package the operating system.

Microsoft claims that Windows 7 packaging "has a 37 percent weight reduction, and the econometrics score has improved by 50 percent over its predecessor." Instead of forcing customers to read instructions on how to open the box, Windows 7 packaging will open just like a DVD case.

"We've reduced the number of elements in the package down to three: the plastic case, the paper sleeve, and a simple Getting Started Guide," Microsoft wrote in a blog post. "The plastic case opens easily like a standard DVD case, and it will have a single easy-to-remove seal at the top--and that's it!"

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, packaging accounts for a third of consumer garbage. And as CNET pointed out on the Green Tech blog, "plastics comprise 12 percent of U.S. waste each year, but are rarely recycled, while some scientists fear that irresponsible dumping is making a plastic soup of the world's oceans."

Although software arguably should not require any packaging, instead relying purely on Internet downloads, and plastic packaging could (and should) probably be avoided altogether, Microsoft's reduction of packaging materials corresponds with a trend that I think is better for all of us.

The Netbook is looking more like a notebook nowadays.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

According to a study released on Tuesday by market research firm NPD Group, Netbooks are confusing customers. Sixty percent of the nearly 600 adults surveyed said they bought a Netbook instead of a notebook because they thought they had the same functionality. Had they known that they didn't, many of those respondents would have purchased a notebook instead.

"We need to make sure consumers are buying a PC intended for what they plan to do with it," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. "Retailers and manufacturers can't put too much emphasis on PC-like capabilities and general features that could convince consumers that a Netbook is a replacement for a notebook. Instead, they should be marketing mobility, portability, and the need for a companion PC to ensure consumers know what they are buying and are more satisfied with their purchases."

Baker makes a fine point. Netbooks aren't notebooks. They're not nearly as powerful as their larger counterparts, they're cheaper, and they're typically more suitable for those who want to go mobile. But that line between Netbooks and notebooks is quickly blurring. And it's starting to backfire.

The Entertainment Merchants Association, an organization that represents North American entertainment retailers, reported in the latest edition of its trade publication, Inside EMA, that point-of-sale video game activations could help save the industry "billions of dollars" in lost sales due to theft and piracy.

Will benefit denial be coming to your video games?

(Credit: Sony)

Dubbed Project Lazarus, the organization's initiative plans to determine "the feasibility of deploying 'benefit denial' technology on retail optical discs."

According to the EMA, its study has found that benefit denial, the "concept of denying a shoplifter or internal thief the ability to use stolen goods," could lead to reductions in theft and piracy.

The study isn't complete, and associated costs still need to be analyzed. But the EMA says benefit denial could substantially improve the process of buying games.

According to the organization, games should be shipped to retailers in a "locked state and then automatically 'unlocked,' based on a point-of-sale transaction." So if anyone attempts to play a locked game on a console, it won't boot up. Only after the sales transaction is complete will the game be activated. It can then be played on the game machine of their choice.

The EMA thinks that this is the future. I think that the plan is a loser.

Howard Stern won't be coming to the Sirius XM iPhone app.

(Credit: Sirius XM)

When Sirius XM released its iPhone application last week, one of the conspicuous omissions was Howard Stern. After fielding a call from a fan on Monday, Stern discussed why his channels won't be featured on the iPhone app.

"It was a rights thing, a contractual-rights thing," Stern told listeners. "It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it. Maybe one day, we will be."

Stern sidekick Artie Lange chimed in, saying, "Apple shouldn't profit off Howard Stern."

After trying to find the words to answer Lange, Stern responded with a simple, "Yeah, that's it."

Stern's production company is paid $100 million each year by Sirius XM. I guess that fee just isn't enough to include his channels in its iPhone app.

The iPhone 3G S is having some activation troubles.

(Credit: Apple)

Some iPhone 3G S customers are having trouble getting their new handhelds activated.

An Apple e-mail sent to those being affected by the issue said that it could take up to 48 hours to complete the device's activation. The e-mail claims the delay was due to "system issues" and "high activation volumes." It started after the iPhone 3G S was released last Friday.

But not all is lost. Apple told affected customers that it would offer them a $30 iTunes Store credit for "the inconvenience this delay has caused."

Apple has a proven record of trying to do what's right after it makes mistakes; this is no exception.

Wikipedia: The future home of video.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

The long-rumored addition of video to online encyclopedia Wikipedia is finally near. According to a report in the Technology Review, Wikimedia, the company behind Wikipedia, is just a few months away from adding video to the site.

The Technology Review is reporting that Wikipedia will soon feature an "Add Media" option, which will allow users to search for copyright-free video. They will be able to drag the clip into the respective Wikipedia article.

Users will also be able to edit clips, as well as rearrange segments.

I'm excited. Wikipedia is one of my favorite destinations on the Web. From updates on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" (I have no shame) to information on brain surgery, the site provides us with a lot of great information.

That said, one of the issues facing Wikipedia is that the information can't always be corroborated. And some feel that it can't be trusted, due to editor bias or shallow research.

I think that video can help change that.

Sirius XM is at it again. The company that has faced numerous financial issues over the past few years has finally released its much-anticipated app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. There's just one problem: it leaves out much of the good stuff.

The Sirius XM app (and its missing channels).

(Credit: Sirius XM)

The new app allows users to access some of the service's sports, talk, comedy, and music channels. The available channels include, Oprah Radio, MLB Home Plate, NFL Radio, NHL Home Ice, Mad Dog Radio, The Foxxhole comedy channel, and NPR.

Users will also have access to a variety of Sirius XM music channels, including E Street Radio, The Grateful Dead Channel, Eminem's Shade 45, Radio Margaritaville, Siriusly Sinatra, and others. All told, users will be able to listen to 120 channels. Any music track can be purchased in iTunes while listening to it in the Sirius XM app.

But it's the omissions that will undoubtedly sway public opinion. According to Sirius XM, "some select programming, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, Nascar Radio, and Howard Stern, will not be available on the iPhone and iPod Touch."

In its press release, Sirius XM didn't provide any reason why some of its most popular channels aren't included. But after some digging, I found that those omissions may be due to "mobile-performance rights."

"Sirius and XM offer all of the channels for which we have mobile-performance rights," the company wrote on its iPhone app's FAQ page. "For that reason, certain channels which may be available on your satellite radio or online radio service may not be available on a mobile device like the iPhone."

Sirius XM is giving users a free seven-day trial with the app. After that, it's charging a fee to access the content. I called a Sirius XM customer service representative to see how much it would cost to get that service. He told me that as a current Sirius XM subscriber, I would need to pay an additional $2.99 per month after the seven-day trial. Those who currently do not subscribe to the service will be forced to pay $12.95 per month for access.

Amazon is bringing the Kindle to all kinds of devices.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Lee/CNET)

Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos spoke on Monday at the Wired Business Conference, discussing his company and the future of the Amazon Kindle.

After discussions on Google Book Search and other topics, Bezos sprinkled in a few tidbits of information that could have a lasting impact both on the e-book business and the tech industry as a whole. According to Bezos, he plans to break the Kindle business into two parts: hardware and software.

Amazon's e-books are already available on the iPhone. Users who want to access titles can download the Kindle app and buy books from Amazon's store. But Bezos wants to do more. He believes that the path to success is through sharing e-book technology with competing hardware makers.

"The device team has the job of making the most remarkable purpose-built reading device in the world," Bezos said at the conference. "We are going to give the device team competition. We will make Kindle books, at the same $9.99 price points, available on the iPhone, and other mobile devices and other computing devices."

It might be the smartest move Amazon has made yet.