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Who else has stopped caring about the Blu-ray/HD DVD war?

Am I the only person who couldn't care any less about the HD DVD/Blu-ray war? For a while, I was captivated by the prospect of a Sony format winning the format war or the possibility of another Betamax debacle. At one point, I actually cared who won the format war and told everyone which format I believed would win.

But with Wednesday's news that cited figures showing Sony's Blu-ray format had outsold HD DVD by almost 2-to-1, I finally had enough.

Let's be honest with ourselves: at this point, who really cares which format is outselling the other? After each report of higher sales, the backers of the opposing format come out and proclaim their own dominance due to factors a and b. Once that's complete, the winning victor (in this case, Blu-ray) comes out and cites those sales figures just one more time.

Suffice it to say, I'm just plain tired of this war.

As everyone is too well aware, this high-def format war will go on for at least another two years. Regardless of where you stand, movie studios will continue to support whichever format they believe will bring in the most money without actually standing firm on one format or another.… Read more

Hands-on: Olympus Stylus 790 SW

The Olympus Stylus 790 SW is one of those devices that may not provide the best image quality and is lacking in overall functionality, but does something other products do not. And just what does the 790 SW do that many other digital cameras of this ilk do not? It takes a beating (and drenching) and continues to snap images and record video.

While many may find this shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, and sand/dustproof device to be exactly what they're looking for when they scuba dive or spend time in the outdoors, the picture quality and price preclude me from being able to recommend the 790 SW to everyone else.… Read more

Digi Home's special Sunday deals: September 23, 2007

As we enter the final week of September, there are a slew of nicely-priced tech toys at your local stores. Historically speaking, this is always a good time to find some deals and if you're in the mood for a new HDTV or Digital Camera, now is as good a time as any. So keep reading and look for some of the best deals this week. And as always, if you find another that I may have missed, please let us know and include it in the comments.… Read more

Digi Home's Special Sunday Deals: September 9, 2007

I'll admit it -- I'm obsessed with the Sunday ads. Each morning, I run to the paper, open it up, take out the electronics ads and go find a secluded place in my house to see what kind of deals are available at my favorite stores. It's one of my favorite past times.

So, with that in mind, how would you like if I gave you some deals every Sunday? This is something I just thought up today while I was reading it and thought it would be a nice summary of what deals you can get for the week. I'm going to try it out for the next few weeks and I'd appreciate any comments or feedback you may have. Hey, even better, post some of your own deals you found in the comments.

I don't know about you, but I really can't stand buying something on a Saturday for full price and seeing it offered at a 20 percent discount the next day. There's something terribly disconcerting about the fact that I just spent more money than I had to in order to buy a new device. Let's put an end to this every Sunday and see what kind of deals are available in brick and mortars as well as online.

So, without further ado, here are some of the best deals I've found in my area for some of the most popular electronics stores. As I said above: if you would like to add some, please share.… Read more

Future Implications: Will Microsoft Extender be anything special?

As Microsoft announced its new Extender solution today, many have been asking if it will be the new be-all, end-all for the home viewing experience. Some have called this an amazing development that deserves attention, while others are saying it's not all that great. I tend to agree with the second group.

For those of you who are unaware of this new product from Microsoft, Extender will be able to take any media (video, TV, music, print) from a PC to a television or from a television to another television in another room. In other words, you can have the same show playing in your bedroom and living room without missing a beat. Ideally, this would work with the help of a Media Center PC and a device being created by Linksys, D-Link and others.

This may sound great on paper, and the ability to move media around in my house like this would be nice, but is it really necessary? More often than not, I have the equipment I need to do this already. Sure, it may not be as easy as Microsoft's product, but if the current infrastructure is there, why get rid of it for something new? Simply put, this technology is a few years too late.… Read more

Where tech and business collide

For those of you who are unaware of my history, I used to work at an unnamed Big 4 auditor before I made my move to writing. Back then, my life was one big blur of hard work, mental exercise and boredom.

My whole life I enjoyed technology and the world of gadgets, but I never seemed to have an outlet to express it. So, with quite a bit of luck, I was able to start in this business as a volunteer writer who wrote feature length articles that were assigned to me. From there, I was offered a position … Read more

Future Implications: Has the Internet become as important as water?

All of this talk about reworking the Internet and IPv6 has me thinking: has the Internet become as important as water? Some would surely say that I'm off my rocker on this one and say that, of course water is more important than the Internet. And while I agree that without water we can't survive, and without the Internet we can, this is not meant to be a discussion on biology. The truth of the matter is that we, as a world, have become so reliant on the Internet that it's quickly becoming just as important as … Read more

Hands-on Friday: Bose QuietComfort 3

As a guy who prefers silence over noise and high-quality music playback over garbage, I'm an ideal candidate for noise-canceling headphones. And while I know these headphones have been out for a while and most of the people who already own them are the only people who care about noise-canceling headphones, I couldn't resist taking a look at the Bose QuietComfort 3 noise-canceling headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort series of noise-canceling headphones were originally designed as a way to block out annoying noises. If you're a frequent flyer and you can't stand the sound of the roaring … Read more

Hands-on Friday: The Logitech Transporter

Although it was originally developed a few years ago by SlimDevices, the Logitech Transporter has seen its way through a number of enhancements. Realizing its worth to the consumer, Logitech acquired SlimDevices just to sell the Transporter along with the company's SqueezeNetwork. In doing so, Logitech has added some of its own flair, but has basically kept the Transporter securely fastened in its original design. That said, the unit I used is not the silver you see pictured here, but the new fully-black design.

Regardless of its history or color differences, the Logitech Transporter is a well-built device with … Read more

Future Implications: Apple's complete home dominance

In a report that is guaranteed to make Apple fanboys proud and Apple haters scoff, the market research firm IDC has released a study claiming that Apple has officially become the third-largest computer vendor in the United States.

According to the study, Apple shipped 960,000 units in the second quarter of 2007, and the Cupertino, Calif.-based company now commands 5.6 percent of the U.S. market--a jump of 0.8 percent from the same time last year.

On the Windows side of things, Dell, while still firmly entrenched as the nation's No. 1 computer vendor, witnessed … Read more