I’ve gone ahead and joined the netbook revolution. After originally trying to get onboard a couple of months ago with Lenovo’s 10" Ideapad (~$400), repeated shipping delays led me to cancel that order. The MSI Wind is consistently rated as one of the top models in this category, so when Best Buy dropped the price to $350 earlier this week it was a pretty easy purchase to make… and a $50 gift card sweetened the deal.

This isn’t my first foray into lilliputers. However my last unit was referred to as a sub-notebook, was imported from Japan, and easily cost more than a traditional sized laptop. So it’s nice to see these diminutive, yet computationally capable, laptops growing in popularity here in the US. And at reasonable prices.

My Wind is clearly not a desktop replacement and will serve two primary purposes: Mobile blogging platform and portable video player. The Intel Atom processor and 1GB of memory running XP has performed well streaming Netflix and a Slingbox SOLO (tip: use headphones), while this post is being composed in Windows Live Writer. So far, so good! Although, I suspect at some point, I’ll be upgrading to a 6 cell battery (4+ hours) and OS X - once those Mac Xohm drivers are available.

While the presidential electorate has just started to dabble in Internet voting, gadget lovers have been empowered at Time.com:

You’ve seen TIME’s picks for the top 10 gadgets of 2008. Now we’d like to know your choice for the best gadget of the year.

There’s several innovative gadget contenders to choose from. And, when identifying the best, I gravitate towards technology that redefines (or introduces) a product category and fundamentally changes the way we get things done. A smaller video camera, an upgraded laptop, a digicam revision, etc just don’t make the grade. Last week I would have voted connected GPS Dash Express top dog but, due to the discontinuation of branded hardware, I’m also endorsing Eye-Fi. The Eye-Fi SD card, now one year old, wirelessly transmits photos from a digital camera to a computer and/or to a variety of online destinations. Recent additions to the Eye-Fi family include geotagging and Wayport hotspot access. Interestingly, email handheld Peek has built quite a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack. And it may not be too early to call this race. However we saw a similar, yet more feature-rich (IM, SMS), device come and go… back in 2004.

So get your vote(s) in and defend your position in the comments. (via MobileDevicesToday)

From the beginning, we knew the Roku Netflix Player ($100) was technically capable of displaying high def resolutions. The only real question I’ve had - Is the buffer big enough? Turns out, that by streaming “HD at substantially lower bit-rates,” it is. According to Roku:

• Roku will be delivering Netflix in HD by the end of the year
• The UI will be updated to run in 720p and more covers will be visible on the screen at a time
• And the release will include another major new feature that you’ll have to wait a bit longer to learn about

I’m hopeful the secret addition is Hulu streaming. Roku’s indicated they’re opening the doors to other providers, and we could really use a simple method of getting Hulu content (as rumored) onto the television. Of course, YouTube has also been suggested… although UGC isn’t nearly as compelling. Regardless, we’ll most likely see a slightly revamped interface, more than just those 720p visuals, to offer additional Netflix interaction and support new or potential partners.

After attending the Baltimore Xohm launch event last month, I decided to roll the dice… And although Sprint’s Xohm WiMax 4G service hasn’t officially launched in the DC metro area, I can confirm that not only are the antennas up, but that they’re open for business.

Over the weekend I trekked up to a Baltimore suburb and came away with a ZTE USB adapter ($60). Promotional service pricing is in effect, so a mobile Xohm data plan currently runs only $30/month. Normal pricing will run $45/mo (after 6 months) which still compares favorably to the $60 wireless carriers typically charge for 3G access. Plus, there’s no Xohm service contracts to mess with.

Because Mac OS X is my primary platform these days, I was somewhat concerned that OS X drivers haven’t been released yet. However, as it turns out, anyone can register at developer.xohm.com. Which is where I discovered ExpressCard drivers have already been provided and USB drivers seem to be only a few weeks away. (Screenshot of the Mac Xohm Connection Manager below.) In the interim, I’m running the Windows Connection Manager within an XP virtual machine.

In terms of performance, it’s good to be the only one on the network. My speeds are phenomenal (see below), clearly much higher than the AT&T HSDPA data card which I’ll be shipping back to Dash shortly. Streaming Netflix was no problem. If I had to complain, I suppose I’d mention the card is fairly plain looking and runs super hot. And, of course, unlike existing 3G coverage, the WiMax footprint is geographically limited at the moment. Baltimore, DC, and Chicago are up first. (The Clearwire merger, if approved by the FCC tomorrow, will quickly accelerate Xohm deployment.) Should the team need help prioritizing metros, us geek blogger road warriors frequently find ourselves in NYC and Vegas…

Netflix Week continues (and we may not even done)…

This morning, the New Xbox Experience (NXE) was delivered to my console. After quickly creating a non-representative (i.e. slender) avatar, I jumped right into Netflix. Unlike the previous 360 interface, the new one appears to be extensible - adding functionality without requiring a massive software update. What I’m trying to say is that Netflix isn’t pre-loaded and, by clicking on the tile for the first time, I was prompted to download it.

The Xbox Netflix interface is much richer, both in appearance and functionality, than what currently exists on the Roku Netflix box. A conceptual hurdle for some, at least initially, may still be fast forward and rewind via thumnail rather than traditional video scrubbing - a Netflix streaming limitation design decision. Like Engadget, I can put to bed the HDCP requirement rumors… Netflix, Xbox, and my HDTV are all reporting high definition streaming. I suppose it’s possible that Netflix is reducing the resolution over my component connection, but wouldn’t the UI indicate that? It also may be possible that HDCP is required only when using HDMI - meaning, some early HD sets may not support the handshake.

In the video above, you can see the opening Xbox video and a brief Netflix Watch Instantly walk-thru. Keep in mind that due to my network capture technique and YouTube encoding, you’ll probably notice dropped frames and longer buffering - this is not entirely representative. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps a recording is worth 10,000. At least until that take-down notice arrives…

The NXE is currently available as a preview to a limited subset of customers and official launch is scheduled for November 19th.

Over 4 years in the making, Netflix digital video has finally found its way to TiVo!

The process probably hasn’t played out exactly the way TiVo and Netflix anticipated when they initially inked a development agreement in 2004… In fact, the struggle to find content and move this project forward drove Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to declare there’s “no work going on,” “no content,” and “no point” in 2005. Fast forward a few years and it’s pretty clear that the landscape has drastically shifted. Content is everywhere and Netflix intends to serve as many platforms as possible: “We want to be integrated on every Internet-connected device, game system, high-definition DVD player and dedicated Internet set-top box.”

Any day now, Netflix on TiVo will head into beta. What you see above is a rendering provided by TiVo illustrating the potential experience, and doesn’t represent the final UI. However, the new functionality is expected to be delivered to Series 3 and TiVo HD units quite soon - before the holidays. Why no Series 2 support you ask? The S2 chipset isn’t capable of handling the VC-1 encoded Netflix video, which also happens to be protected by Microsoft DRM. While I’ve got no insider info on this specific point, I’m hoping this new codec support and digital rights management platform paves the way for high definition TiVo video services from Amazon, CinemaNow, Jaman, and of course Netflix.

Press release follows: (more…)

The Comcast TiVo service currently offered on Motorola hardware in New England looks to be headed towards Chicago early next year, though it may still be a bit rough around the edges. From Comcast’s earnings call earlier today:

We are rolling out TiVo beyond the Boston market test, where things are going quite well and we are going to be introducing other cities, probably starting with Chicago in the first quarter next year.

Independently, I’ve also heard rumors of a possible Denver launch as one of the initial sites. And, incidentally, both Chicago and Denver are the markets where Comcast launched their Tru2way platform.