Crave

The Zoom Q3 camcorder brings quality audio to the solid-state video camera market.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Update: CNET's full review of the Zoom Q3 is now available.

As the audiophile's answer to the Flip camcorder craze, the Zoom Q3 ($249) takes a basic pocket video camera and bestows it with a high-quality stereo microphone and advanced audio-recording options. After a weekend playing with the Q3 and testing its audio and video capabilities against the Flip Ultra HD, I have a few initial observations to share.

These days, there is a plethora of audio content available to stream over the Internet. Even traditional terrestrial radio often offers content streamed over the Web, diversifying the choices for how consumers can enjoy music and other audio. Although the legality is questionable, there are--and will always be--ways to record these streams. Streamed audio recordings for music are not going to offer the same sound quality as a ripped CD or even a purchased MP3, but it's a good option for talk programs and mixes that might not be available in other formats. This tutorial will show you how to record streamed audio as an MP3; just be sure to read the usage rules for any recording source before beginning.

Editors' note: This tutorial was completed using Windows XP.

Cost: Free

Time commitment: Varies

System Requirements: Windows

How to record streaming audio

(Credit: Microsoft/Burger King)

Happy Windows 7 Day everyone! Much to Wilson's chagrin, there is indeed another operating system out there, and the new version just came out today. Users unhappy with Windows Vista can now breath a sigh of relief, as the new OS combines a strong design with an easy-to-use interface that many are calling "Vista done right," but more.

Check out our own Seth Rosenblatt's full review of Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional), then head over to CNET's Windows 7 landing page for full coverage and a live blog of today's launch event.

Most interesting about Windows 7 is Microsoft's impressive worldwide media promotion, which includes Burger Kings in Japan rolling out the official Windows 7 burger. The meaty behemoth actually has seven meat patties and carries a 777 special price for Japanese customers.

The limited-time offer is an effort to promote the software as "leaner and meaner," although we don't get how a heart attack between two buns will get the message out there. Seth MacFarlane is getting in on the viral marketing as well--on November 18, Microsoft will sponsor a full half-hour episode of "Family Guy." Be sure to watch the sneak peak that features Stewie and Brian poking fun at Microsoft's new features.

Today's Beck's Beer Audio Draft Pick is The Audition.

(Credit: The Audition/Victory Records)

Finally, Jeff's pick for today's Beck's Beer Audio Draft is a band on Victory Records called The Audition. Although we agree with Jeff that they might be the pop-iest band we've featured on the show, they nevertheless have a feel-good sound that takes us back to our teenage years. The first song of the day is entitled "My Temperature's Rising" off the band's newest self-titled album.

Unfortunately, the band just got off a tour with our beloved Alkaline Trio, but be sure to check back on their Last.FM page for the latest concert info.

What, only Koreans need sexy voice recorders?

(Credit: Samsung)

Looking more like a remote control for the Batmobile than a voice recorder, the aluminum-clad Samsung YP-VX1 is way too sexy to record your memoir, much less a grocery list.

Announced today along with a handful of other Samsung portable audio gadgets we may never see in the U.S., the details surrounding VX1 are pretty scarce. There's no word on pricing or capacity, but this little beauty does offer MP3 playback with ID3 support, along with Samsung's DNSe sound enhancement technology.

But if you're feeling strangely compelled to buy a dedicated voice recorder, don't get your hopes up for this one. Both GenerationMP3 and PMP Today have stated their doubts that the VX1 will ever see the light outside of Korea. Hey, there's always the Sony PCM-M10.

(Credit: Rx Bandits/Last.FM)

It's only been about a week since the release of Sony's PSP Go, but hackers are already ahead of the game, despite Sony getting rid of the removable battery in an attempt to stop the siege. We don't have a link to the actual game you have to use to release the exploit, but hackers are using it as a proof-of-concept for future homebrews and pirated gaming. As usual, these guys are ahead of the curve, as we've seen before in Sony's previous PSPs. Of course, you can always get free games if you can somehow get a job reviewing them for a big Web site...right, Jeff?

In other news, Facebook can now measure what they're calling the GHP, or the Gross National Happiness. The popular social-networking site is using text analysis software to index how its users are feeling based on positive or negative words in their status updates. You can see on this chart that there were major spikes last year around November 23rd for Thanksgiving, as well as in December for Christmas and New Years. Check out the podcast to hear Jeff's reason why Hanukkah is nowhere to be found.

The Rx Bandits' newest album, "Mandala"

It's also time again for the Beck's Beer semi-weekly Audio Draft! Jeff's pick for today is an oldie but a goodie, The Rx Bandits! Jeff and I are huge fans of the bands from when we were wee lads. They're rooted in Seal Beach in Southern California, and while their ska sound grew popular in the early '90s, they have successfully pulled out those roots and progressed into a super eclectic alt/prog/rock/reggae sound. They just released another full length entitled Mandala, which also includes one of today's featured tracks, "Bury it Down Low." Here's to many more years with the Rx Bandits!

Oh yeah, everyone's password got hacked.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Some car accidents are pretty straightforward, but some are difficult to untangle. Witnesses may not remember details accurately, and it can be difficult to determine if a driver was in the wrong. The X-Driven DRS-1100 Drive Recorder attempts to clear up the facts by providing a video and GPS record of what actually happened during an accident.

We took the device for a cruise, and although we didn't have to get in an accident, our driving triggered its recording mechanism frequently. Either the device is too sensitive, or we should rein in our driving style. But the result was plenty of footage from our drive, some of which we included in this review.

Read our full review of the UB1 X-Driven DRS-1100 Drive Recorder.

Cohen spins vinyl on a Clearaudio turntable.

(Credit: Clearaudio)

Every year, the major record companies produce more miserable-sounding recordings. I'm not surprised by this. The labels know most folks listen to music with iTunes or streaming audio, and sound quality is a low priority for most music listeners. My weekend poll is ample proof of that.

Lyor Cohen, CEO of recorded music for the Warner Music Group, cares about sound, at least at home. He admitted, in so many words, to being an audiophile on the pages of the September 20 New York Times Sunday magazine. The media has been alerted! It's like learning that a fast-food bigwig is a wine snob.

Cohen was Run-DMC's road manager in the 1980s, and he now works with Jay-Z, Madonna, and the Beastie Boys. In the article, Cohen said his hi-fi is his "favorite possession." The Clearaudio turntable pictured in the article is a very high-end German model that "won a gold medal at a consumer technology convention a few years ago."

When it comes to camcorders, I won't be abandoning my Flip anytime soon. But that doesn't make the iPod Nano any less attractive. The more camera-having gadgets, the merrier.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

The official CNET review of the fifth-generation iPod Nano is done, and I am officially exhausted. Someone please tell Apple to stop adding features to this thing. Remember when all an MP3 player to do was play music? CNET's first iPod review was only 600 words long. These days, you practically have to write a textbook to cover all the features that get crammed into a device like the iPod Nano.

An extra 0.2-inch really does make a noticeable difference when you're dealing with screens this small.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Writer's exhaustion aside, the fifth-generation Nano is a fantastic little gadget that's one of the easiest-to-recommend stocking stuffers out there. The thing comes in a ton of colors, works with iTunes, helps you lose weight (pedometer), and might even get you to record the world's next completely unnecessary viral YouTube sensation. Sure, the earbuds are still garbage, but Sony seems to be the only manufacturer fighting that battle.

To prevent from boring you to tears, one area of the iPod Nano's performance I didn't go into exhaustive detail over is the video camera's image quality. If you're curious, I ran a few of tests over the weekend, shooting indoors and outdoors, and A/B testing the Nano against the Flip UltraHD. Aside from the obvious image quality differences, I also found problems with the Nano's tilt-sensor getting tripped-up on the camera's orientation and capturing videos sideways. ... Read more

Not for home use: The JVC SR-HD1500 Blu-ray recorder

(Credit: JVC)

Not a month goes by without us getting an e-mail or two from consumers looking for a set-top Blu-ray recorder. "They're available in Europe and Asia," goes the common refrain. "When will they be coming here?" Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news: JVC has just announced two new Blu-ray set-top recorders for the North American market. The bad news? They're expensive models aimed squarely at professional videographers who are mastering their own HD discs (think wedding photographers and the like). They're not intended for home use and--because of their pro-targeted features--wouldn't really be useful for home recording anyway.

Don't blame JVC for the disappointment here. The reason that consumer Blu-ray recorders don't exist in the U.S. is that they'd be so jammed full of copy-protection schemes (to placate movie studios and TV networks) that they'd be all but unusable for recording TV shows anyway. Video professionals, however, may be interested in the capability to record and master Blu-ray Discs without the need for a PC.

The JVC SR-HD1250 offers an internal 250GB hard drive and a built-in disc burner that can record MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (H.264) video content to BD-R or BD-RE discs--it can also downconvert HD content for burning to standard DVDs. The step-up SR-HD1500 doubles the size of the hard drive to 500GB, and adds an RS-232C port for external control and support for MOV files (for compatibility with Apple Final Cut Pro).

While the duo of recorders offer HDMI and component video output, the inputs are limited to standard-definition composite and S-Video connections, as well as FireWire, USB, and an SDHC slot. Noncopy protected DVDs and Blu-ray Discs can also be duplicated on the recorders.

Cementing the "professional-only" aspect of these products is the price. The JVC SR-HD1250 will be priced at $1,995 and the SR-HD1500 will cost $2,550 when they are released next month.