dash

Read the news and blow away monsters on the run: iPhone apps of the week

Even with the huge success of the iPhone 4 and the iPad, we all know Apple hasn't been resting on its laurels. We still have a big hardware event to come this fall with Apple's now annual iPod launch event. Among the rumors and speculation around the Web, some news Web sites are saying we might see a full revision to the iPod Touch, a new iPad, and maybe a completely rebuilt Apple TV.

The guys over at AppleInsider uncovered a particularly interesting tidbit by studying the "Configuration Descriptors" within the USB configuration files of the most recent iOS 4.1 beta. Apparently, by following Apple's past releases, they were able to pick out new versions of devices by the code names Apple uses for its products. Check out the story linked above to see how they figured it all out. Especially interesting is the "unknownHardware" named in the third configuration file--could this be the smaller iPad people have been talking about or maybe the Apple TV?

Like everything Apple, we will not know what the company has in store for new hardware until the event (oh, the drama), but it's always fun to watch the rumors unfold on the many Apple rumor sites.

This week's apps include an easy to use news reader and a game that challenges you to run the longest distance while killing off monsters.… Read more

Insignia Infocast may leave Dash in dust

If the Sony Dash is too rich for your blood, and the Chumby One is too puny, then feast your eyes on the $169 Internet media viewer from Insignia that boasts an impressive 8-inch touch screen.

The Insignia Infocast is currently available through Best Buy's online store, and will hit shelves in the next few weeks. Like the Sony Dash, the Infocast is powered mainly by the customizable Chumby app platform, and can act as an alarm clock, Internet radio, photo frame, news reader, social-network viewer, video player, and all-around time killer.

Under the hood, the Insignia Infocast uses … Read more

Sony Dash: A good bang for your buck

I gotta give Sony some credit for giving misfit products a chance. The company won me over with its Rolly dancing robot egg, and the $500 PFR-V1 totally shattered my expectations for home audio headphones.

The company's latest foray into misfit tech is the Sony Dash, a $199 tabletop "personal Internet viewer" with a 7-inch touch-screen display and a lot of potential.

The Dash isn't for everyone, and it's hard to argue for its practicality--but you do get a good bang for your buck. Whether you're looking for a cool way to stream Pandora … Read more

Teenagers design dashboard of the future

If Ford's MyFord Touch and the Chevy Volt's digital instrument cluster are any indicator, future vehicle instrumentation may be much more complex than the handful of analog gauges to which we're all accustomed.

Judging from the ideas of high school students tasked with designing conceptual dashboards that encourage green practices, teenagers may have a hand in shaping that future dash.

Their suggestions include an in-dash avatar that coaches drivers toward efficiency, a smart navigation system that tells you when it's better to skip the car and take public transportion, and a Web-connected dash that rewards the … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1217: Where's the digibeef? (podcast)

Steve jobs picks a digital beef, or digibeef, with Adobe over Apple's holdout on Flash, Palm and HP get married, we talk about the Sony Dash and whether or not we will give it to our mama's for Mother's day. Also, Natali knows nothing about the Boy Scouts, and Donald knows way too much about Lifetime, Television for Women. And Natali is also a little too familiar with iPhone Apps for those over 17.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1217

Palm and HP, sittin’ in … Read more

Sony's Dash gets Netflix streaming

Sony's Chumby-like Dash was one of the pleasant surprises of CES 2010, and today the company announced that the device will feature a dedicated Netflix streaming application when it's released in April. It's a great addition to what Sony calls a "personal Internet viewer," which was already announced to be capable of streaming other Bravia Internet Video sources, such as YouTube, Pandora, Epicurious, Crackle, Livestrong, and Blip.tv.

We still feel like the $200 list price is a little on the high side, but Netflix streaming takes a lot of the pain out of that … Read more

My CES adventure

Vegas, baby! Long lines, high prices, sore feet. If there was any real cutback in the show, it was by consolidating some exhibit space, but it was still crowded and lively.

If you've seen any coverage from CES at all, then you know the headliner was 3D television. And though what I saw from Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and others was terrific, there is one thing I just don't get yet: wearing the glasses and concentrating at the screen. It's one thing to be at the movies, in the theater with a huge screen and a shared … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1140: Live from CES 2010

Though the conference opens for the public today, this is our second live show from CES 2010. Leo Laporte joins us on stage to discuss the impressive penetration of 3D at this year's show, Skype on your television, and the soon-to-be growing catalog of Netflix streaming titles.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1140

HP: ‘Slate’ PC shown by Ballmer set for some time in 2010 http://www.betanews.com/article/HP-Slate-PC-shown-by-Ballmer-set-for-some-time-in-2010/1262879692 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8444672.stm

Microsoft promises Natal for 2010 … Read more

Look out, Chumby--here comes the Sony Dash

LAS VEGAS--If you've been following Chumby Industries at all, you know the company was more interested in licensing out its Internet miniapps than in making actual hardware devices. Yes, there's the recent Chumby One, but it's good to see that Sony's now enlisted Chumby's services to help power its upcoming Dash personal Internet viewer, which arrives this April for $199.99.

The Dash features a 7-inch color touch screen (measured diagonally) and has access to more than 1,000 free Internet apps, including news, calendars, weather, sports, social networking, and more via your existing home … Read more

Time warp table service

Diner Dash: Flo Through Time is an action-packed game in which users must use speed and skill to keep all of their hungry diners satisfied. Although the premise is simple, juggling all the game's tasks turns out to be quite a challenge.

It all starts when Grandma Florence has an accident with her time machine that sends her and granddaughter Flo hurtling through time. To earn enough money to repair the time machine and get home, Flo opens a restaurant, and this is where the fun begins. The first place we landed was in the Stone Age, and we … Read more