Crave

The iP2 arrives this summer with a list price of $199.

(Credit: iHome)

Last year, iHome came out with a higher-end iPod/iPhone audio system called the iP1 as part of its new Studio Series line. That compact system had an arresting design and good sound. Now the company is expanding the line with the iP2, which isn't quite as sexy as the iP1 but carries a lower price tag of $199.

The iP2 is equipped with the patented Bongiovi Acoustics DPS technology that the company describes as a "complex, chip-based algorithm, custom-tuned to each and every product to maximize performance and provide studio quality sound, the way the artist intended it to be heard."

The iP2 will be released in the summer of 2010.

The E-P2 is Olympus' newly announced follow up to its first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, the E-P1, which also adheres to the Micro Four Thirds Standard (MFT). But while the E-P2 offers some nice enhancements over its line mate, it doesn't seem to address two of the major problems in its almost-identical body. That's too bad, because the E-P1 had serious shutter lag and focus issues. The E-P2 adds AF tracking in continuous autofocus and movie modes, which the company thinks should ameliorate many user complaints, but unfortunately the E-P1's performance woes occurred in single autofocus mode.

Olympus E-P2 photos

The E-P2 is extremely similar to the E-P1, though it will only come in an elegant shiny black as opposed to the silver and white versions of the E-P1. It'll be available with the same kit lenses, the 14-42mm and the 17mm pancake, with each kit costing about $1,100. The most notable addition to the body is an accessory port, which makes the body slightly higher. One of the first accessories Olympus will offer is an add-on tiltable electronic viewfinder that slides into the hot shoe, which the company will bundle with the camera. That's nice--it's an extra-cost option with the Panasonic GF1. The viewfinder seems pretty good and quite bright and contrasty. The other accessory is an adapter for an external microphone.

Click for pics and detailed info on Blue Wave.

When Samsung launched the P2 late last year, it was already a pretty cool device. It impressed me with a super slick interface (albeit touch screen), plentiful features (including stereo Bluetooth-streaming ability), and some of the sweetest sound to hit my ears in the history of MP3 players. Who knew then that the P2 was only three-quarters baked? Actually, it wasn't too tough to figure that out--the inclusion of a built-in mic with absolutely no usability was a dead giveaway.

Fast forward 10 months later, and Samsung finally has a complete P2 on its hands. The company issued update after update in the form of multiple Blue Wave firmware releases, and the tide has finally stopped coming in, giving me a chance to sit down with the player and test it with all features up and running. Samsung will also be relaunching the player as the P2+--with all the firmware fully loaded--starting September 14. Attractive new pricing will accompany the player as well: $149 and $179 for the 4GB and 8GB models, respectively.

Included after the jump is a comprehensive list of all the updates provided throughout the Blue Wave firmware releases. For more detailed information on several of the new features and my experience with them, check out our slide show. There was simply too much information to include in the already lengthy review, although it is worth noting that the feature additions and price drops garnered the Samsung P2 a score raise, from 7.7 to 8.0.

• Support for AAC audio
• Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity
• Bluetooth file-transfer capability
• FM radio recording
• Voice recording
• Support for Starz Play video downloads
• Two new games: Alggagi and Omok2
• New GUI themes (for a total of 12, see above)
• A-B-looping functionality
• Playlist-specific DSNe-assignment ability
• Increased audio-playback speed-control
• Video-playback speed-control
• Calculator
• Full-screen album art and info
• Password protection
• Navigate by album art
• Separate, customizable video-display settings
• Advanced touch sensitivity (such as recognizing the twisting motion)
• Subway maps

(Credit: Best Buy)

We thought we'd witnessed pretty much everything when it comes to iPod speakers, but here's one we never saw coming: a geisha theme.

This portable system from Lucky Brand is actually a special edition of the Sonic Impact iP2cc, most notable for its "hand-drawn Eastern landscape with floating, pop-art red lips," according to Chip Chick. The power output of the 1.5-inch drivers isn't listed, but the mini-system supposedly packs something called "Maxxbass psycho-acoustic technology," a term that always sounded a bit too Wes Craven for our comfort level.

The geisha case is being marketed for iPods but will probably work with most other MP3 players, with a battery that promises to cater to all your musical needs for 24 hours. But after that, you're on your own. How appropriate.

A real-world Internet test reveals that "intelligent" routing of peer-to-peer traffic can drastically reduce network utilization and speed up downloads for subscribers, according to a new study.

Verizon Communications, which participated in the study headed by researchers at Yale University, plans to release the data on Friday at the Distributed Computing Industry Association's P2P Market Conference in New York City.

Using network topology data from Verizon and Telefonica, Yale University tested a software enhancement to the peer-to-peer protocol that it developed with software developer Pando Networks.

What the researchers discovered was that when using the so-called P4P software they were able to reduce the impact of peer-to-peer traffic on Verizon's network by more than 50 percent. This is significant because peer-to-peer traffic makes up roughly half of all traffic traveling over Verizon's network.

The P2P protocol, which is used to distribute large data files, works by requesting pieces of a single file from different hosts all over the Internet. The technology has become popular for distributing high-definition video.

But applications that use P2P eat up a lot of bandwidth, which some service providers say is a problem. Cable operator Comcast has slowed down certain kinds of peer-to-peer traffic in an effort to manage its network. And Time Warner Cable is experimenting with a tiered usage model to deter people from sharing P2P files.

Traditionally, the P2P protocol has requested bits and pieces of content randomly, without considering the physical location of the data. This often results in some pieces of the content traveling over long distances across the network. For example, a user in New Jersey downloading a movie might get some bits of the file from New York and others from China or California.

The P4P software enhancements add intelligence to this process so that the bits are served from local hosts.

Douglas Pasko is Verizon senior technologist and co-chair of the P4P Working Group, which was formed by Verizon, Pando Networks, and the university to develop P4P. He said that when the P4P software was used on the Verizon network it found that 58 percent of its peer-to-peer network traffic stayed local. Using regular P2P technology, only 6 percent of the traffic stayed local.

Reducing the number of hops is key
Pasko said that keeping the traffic local is important because every link that a bit passes through costs the operator something. This means that if a Fios subscriber in New Jersey can get bits of content from Verizon customers in New York City instead of getting them from Singapore or Taiwan, Verizon can save money.

The key is reducing the number of routers or hops the traffic has to go through to get to its destination. On average, Pasko said that regular P2P traffic makes 5.5 hops to get its destination. Using the P4P protocol, those same files took an average of 0.89 hops.

Reducing hops means that Verizon can cut its network costs. Exactly how much the company saves depends on the individual links, but Pasko said the savings are significant.

Verizon broadband subscribers also saw a benefit when the P4P protocol was used. Customers using Verizon's all-fiber network called Fios saw movies downloading on average twice as fast as when they used the traditional P2P software. Some customers saw as much as a 6x improvement in download speeds, Pasko said.

For customers on regular DSL service, the improvement in download speeds wasn't as great because these customers don't have high bandwidth connections anyway.

This real-world field trial validates the value of P2P content providers working closely with Internet service providers to provide the most efficient service for customers, Pasko said. There are already 50 members in the DCIA's P4P Working Group, including some cable operators, such as Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner, he said.

"We hope this shows that using P2P in an intelligent way can benefit everyone," he said. "It allows us to use fewer resources on our network and get better performance for our customers."

(Credit: P2i)

Imagine buying sneakers and cell phones waterproofed with the same stuff.

You may be able to do that soon with the development of something called Ion Mask, a cold plasma surface enhancement technology developed by the U.K.'s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the University of Durham now being marketed by spin-off Porton Plasma Innovations (P2i.)

When applied, the technology invisibly modifies the surface of products making them super oil and water repellant. How repellant? It's three times more effective than Teflon, according to P2i.

The treatment works by decreasing the surface energy of virtually any object with an ionized gas or "plasma" mere nanometers thick, according to P2i. In the case of cell phones, PDAs, and other electronics this invisible "enhancement" not only waterproofs the outside, but the insides as well; with no damage to precision components. Water bounces off treated surfaces "like beads of mercury" with no change to the look, feel, or performance, according to the company.

"Ion Mask is extremely effective against the problem of moisture ingress as it can be applied to the most intricate electronic objects without damaging the precious circuitry," said P2i's Ian Robins. "The process is particularly well suited to high value applications such as MP3 players, which are required to perform outdoors in all weather conditions, or other small, lightweight electronic items which may be inadvertently worn in the shower or while swimming."

The technology was originally developed by the British Ministry of Defence to protect soldiers from chemical and biological weapons. P2i and its investors at Circus Capital Technology expected it to revolutionize everything from water-repellent footwear to sportswear to medical disposables to the long awaited shower phone.

P2i has shown that it's not shy about licensing the technology. Check out Whizaway.com ; "The World's First Antibacterial and Hydrophobic Urine Director" designed for both disabled and active, outdoorsy women. Plasma enhancement insures that no "residual droplets of urine" are left on the device, so that it may be confidently stowed after use. Revolutionary indeed.

(Credit: Crave UK)

There would have to be something seriously wrong with us if we willingly discussed infections--digital or other. But virus protection is something we all need, and what better way to protect ourselves than to use the scariest-sounding anti-virus software on the planet?

BullGuard Internet Security 8 launched recently, and immediately appealed to us as it combines anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, spam filter, online backup and technical support. That's almost everything you could ever need from a digital prophylactic--for 44.95 pounds a year (about $93).

Old-school file sharers should remember BullGuard: It was built into the Kazaa P2P client to help minimise the chances of downloading and using infected files, and worked pretty well, mainly because BullGuard uses scanning technology from BitDefender.

It still suffers the same foibles as most anti-virus products--such as those annoying pop-ups asking if you want to give your applications access to the Internet--but the user interface is easy to use, and you can have instant messenger chats with BullGuard's tech-heads, who'll take remote control of your PC and fix any hassles if necessary.

Aside from the live assistance, the most interesting aspect of the software is the online backup module. You get 5GB of storage space for backing up your most precious files, and you can access that data from any Internet-enabled PC. The online drive is automatically mapped to Windows Explorer so you can drag and drop as normal, or set scheduled backups for specific files and folders. Users can upgrade the standard 5GB backup for £5 per additional GB, but we wouldn't bother--standard external hard drives are as cheap as 5GB for 1 pound.

The biggest hole in the software is the lack of a proper anti-phishing module. Yes, the spam filter can detect phishing emails in clients such as Microsoft Outlook, but it's redundant if you use Web mail. Click a Gmail link purporting to be from your bank, and BullGuard won't do a thing to warn you against divulging credit card or banking details.

Should you bother with BullGuard 8? Yes, and no. Uber-geeks needn't bother--particularly if you know how to avoid viruses in the first place, and can comfortably correct the slip-ups you get while using free anti-virus products. But for the rest of us, BullGuard provides that extra peace of mind, security and support you don't get from some of its rivals. Just be wary of phishing.

(Source: Crave UK)

FrostWire hopes to breathe some new life into the much-maligned P2P file-sharing client LimeWire.

LimeWire has become the Web 2.0 equivalent of Kazaa and the late 1990s Napster. What you think is last night's episode of Heroes turns out to be a villainous chunk of malware, and litigation issues have forced its programmers to include a license filter, warning you if you're about to grab something without proper copyright information attached. Plus, the interface is ugly.

... Read More

The RIAA's justification for its strong-arm tactics against alleged file sharers is simple: file sharing acts as a substitute for music purchases and is directly and primarily responsible for plummetting CD sales (which are down 14 percent from last year). I've argued in the past that the entire drop can't be blamed on piracy, and one Harvard study suggested that piracy is having no effect at all.

This week, Billboard published an article about a study commissioned by the Canadian government that investigated the connection between file sharing and CD sales. The surprising conclusion: the most active file traders on P2P networks actually buy more CDs than their less active counterparts. This seems to suggest that the recording industry should abandon its crackdown and embrace P2P networks.

But wait: economist Stanley Leibowitz at the University of Texas, Dallas, has posted a well-reasoned critique of the Canadians' methodology. Essentially, the more active file sharers are the same people who are most interested in music, and therefore the most likely to be buying large volumes of CDs. So, of course you'll see an increase in both measurements--CD purchases and file-trading activity--simultaneously among the same users. To correct for this "simultaneity effect," you have to measure the overall volume of file sharing over time across all types of users--casual to extreme music fans--and compare it with CD sales over the same period. If you do that, Leibowitz claims, you'll see a direct correlation between file sharing and reduced CD sales.

Another problem that seems obvious to me: by focusing on P2P networks, these studies (and the RIAA) ignore other types of file sharing that I think are much more prevalent, such as burned CDs and flash drives. Ten years ago, very few CD collections included music recorded on CD-Rs. Today, almost every collection does.

Also, these studies strike me a bit like investigating why the horse escaped and arguing whether it's because somebody left the barn door open by accident or on purpose. The industry knows its predicament--it's very easy for customers to get recorded music for free. The interesting question is how (and whether) they can adjust their business models to stay viable and relevant under these new conditions.