When Apple announced the MacBook Air I had an immediate reaction to the absence of an Ethernet port. It went something like this, “What, no Ethernet port?”

It’s not that I need an Ethernet port often, but when I do, it’s critical. Take CES. I was in the press room with a limited window of time and a video that needed uploading. I wasn’t going to mess with a wireless connection that had been flaky the last time I’d tried it. I went straight for a wireline, got my 42 megabits megabytes uploaded and went on my merry way.

Other folks have pointed out that some venues only have wired connections, like a lot of hotels. Sure you can get a $29 USB adapter for an added Ethernet port, but you’d probably also have to spring for a USB hub, as the one USB port on the MacBook Air is precious real estate. Isn’t the whole point of the MacBook Air that it’s supposed to be highly portable? It wouldn’t feel very portable to me if I had to sling along a bunch of add-on hardware. (Engadget also notes that a 3G USB modem won’t fit in the one USB port - space is too cramped - without an extension cable.)

As I got crankier and crankier thinking about this, I remembered that my husband’s old MacBook used to have an S-video port. It was very handy. No need for a media extender (though I still want that SlingCatcher, Dave); we could plug it right into the TV and watch downloaded shows. It would be even more convenient now with so much streaming content available from the likes of ABC, Hulu and Netflix.

Yet Apple took away the S-video port. And very few other laptops seem to have one. What’s the deal? What do computer makers have against giving me some decent ports? Yes I know there are trade-offs, but for a few good ports, I’d be willing to make them. Take away everything useful and a computer’s just no fun.

The CEA may be claiming a green CES this year, but in reality, there’s very little that’s green about the consumer electronics industry. From manufacturing, to transport, to consumer use, gadgets are less than wonderful for the environment. So what’s a gadget-head to do? Well at the very least we can recycle our old devices. I certainly got my share of electronics for Christmas, and no doubt it will be time to retire some of the other gadgets in my house in the near future. Here are some of the recycling options available.

Freecycle
If you have a gadget that’s still in good shape, consider giving it away to someone who could use the hand-me-down. Freecycle is a Craigslist-type service, except you sign up just for your local region and it’s all free trade. You can list things you want and things you have to give away. Upgrading your laptop? Or your TV? Give away your old one on freecycle.

Corporate Recycling Programs
Several large CE companies have buy-back and recycling programs now, including Apple, Best Buy and Motorola (my employer). The CEA site My Green Electronics lists what different companies collect along with links to more information. (Best Buy collects toner cartridges and rechargeable batteries among other items.)

Recycling Collection Sites
Not recycling a product from a company with a specific recycling program? There are a couple of sites online that let you plug in your zip code to find a recycling collection center. The My Green Electronics site has this feature, as does Earth 911. Unfortunately, you may find that the closest center isn’t that close, or that you have to wait for a recycling event at a particular time of year. If that’s the case, bag your old gadgets up, mark the day on your calendar and plan one trip to drop everything off.

Cell Phone Options
More and more cell phone recycling options are popping up. A recent post on Planet Green lists five novel recycling alternatives including trading cell phones in for carbon offsets and donating cell phones that can be exchanged for prepaid calling cards for soldiers abroad.
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I’ve done the bean bag thing. I’ve even done the rocking gaming chair thing. While those were relatively comfortable, I could use something a bit more sophisticated in the living room. Which is why the Jump Seat Ottoman, announced yesterday by Salamander Designs, is quite appealing.

When closed, the Jump Seat would allow me to masquerade as an adult with a fairly refined ottoman. When open, the kids can continue to kick my butt on Xbox Live. I also appreciate the recessed compartment to store my wireless controller and headset. Hopefully it’s as comfortable as it is practical.

Salamander’s PR rep tells me availability and pricing will be announced at CES. Though, each ottoman will be a custom order (type of leather, color, accessories) and prices will vary - I expect each Jump Seat to run at least several hundred dollars. (more…)

Now that we’re on to a new year of Christmas gadget giving, I thought it would be a good time to review the gadgets we gave (and received) in 2006. So I went back and looked at last year’s recap. And kinda wish I hadn’t. Of the seven gadget gifts in my household that I reviewed last December, only two can be considered unqualified successes: the Squeezebox and the Wii. Here are the other five that didn’t fare so well.

eStarling Wi-Fi photo frame
Disaster. This was supposed to be the greatest gift ever because I’d be able to email photos right to my parents living room. Unfortunately the device was recalled due to the troubling fact that it didn’t work at all. Then we were shipped a new version in March, but that one didn’t work either. We could have returned it, but we kept thinking we’d try one more thing before shipping it back. It’s still sitting unwrapped in a box in a closet somewhere.

DigiMemo
This gift was for my mom so she could take notes on paper and import them directly to her laptop. Unfortunately, although it appeared the device came with OCR software, it had to be purchased separately. Then the software wasn’t available. Then a year went by. Talk about gluttons for punishment, though, my Dad finally found and purchased the software - it’s wrapped to go under the tree this year. Can the original gift be saved? Hmmm…

The Dash
Despite the fact that T-Mobile ruined the surprise with this one, the gift was very successful early on. And then somehow after a few months my husband decided that - though it was a great for email and travel - it wasn’t that comfortable to use as a phone. He reverted to an old, cheap flip phone for every-day use.

Pinnacle PC HDTV Pro Stick
This is a very good HD tuner for your PC, and I loved it when I tested it out. But then I never used it again. Just never really needed to or had time to play with it. Maybe one of these days.

iRecord
Still in the box.

Overall, I hope we do better this year. But then again, half the fun is just finding, buying, opening and testing the products. If there’s a gadget we still like and use a year later, well that’s just gravy on the Christmas dinner turkey.

I discovered fairly late that the Packers/Cowboys game is available online for those of us with cable service not getting tonight’s NFL game. I’m not getting consistent streaming quality, but for the most part it’s pretty good. Definitely a workable temporary solution until the NFL Network and cable operators start being friends again.

UPDATE: Hmm. Quality deteriorating. Very annoying.

I’m not much of a photographer, but that doesn’t stop me from always taking my camera with me. Here are some recent gadget shots:

The music branding and advertising at Starbucks has gone completely over the top. Above is a pic of the digital release displayed in front of the cashier. I also picked up a business-card-size promotional sheet offering a free “song of the day” by entering the download code online. Makes me wonder where Starbucks will go next. (Co-op work spaces? Theme parks?) They’re clearly more than a coffee shop these days. And what about the music distribution business? Do music studios have to sell an experience rather than just a song?

Next check out what I found at Costco and a yard sale…

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On the heels of Joost’s announced intent to offer live TV, I spoke with the CEO of online video distributor Jaman - a company taking a very different approach to delivering content. Jaman has gotten attention from some of the big wigs both for its focus on indie and international films and for its ability to deliver high-def video to via the Apple TV. However, in my discussion with Gaurav Dhillon, I was most fascinated by his take on the importance of focusing on video downloads right now rather than video streaming.

The Jaman strategy is interesting because it combines online interactivity and short-form video (movie trailers) with a desktop client and long-form video delivered for offline viewing. The theory is that mucking up the broadband networks with bandwidth-hogging applications is not responsible. Instead, Jaman uses a content delivery network and progressive downloading to get content to its users. Within a minute of beginning a download, users can start watching their rented or purchased movie. But if there is traffic overload on the Internet, Jaman will throttle the download back - a good way to keep ISPs happy, particularly since Jaman’s content is all HD.

In its online bag of tricks, Jaman has just introduced new social and searching features for its website. There’s a cute Movie Finder app that lets you adjust sliders toward different movie characteristics to help you find the one you’re in the mood for. (See pic above) There’s also a People Finder feature that finds avatars similar to your own so you can meet other Jaman fans. (A bit cheesy, but an interesting novelty.)

And for the basics on Jaman:

• Rentals cost $1.99
• Purchased films cost $4.99
• The Jaman application runs on both Mac and PC
• There are currently almost 2,000 films under license
• Content comes from film festivals and regional aggregators of movies around the globe

If Jaman piques your interest, you can try it and get three movies free to start. I know what I’m watching this weekend.