About a month of terrestrial radio was all it took…

My XM subscription lapsed in March, but they kept the music flowing an additional month or so while leaving me regular voicemails to renew service before I experienced an “interruption.”

I figured my new(ish) and brief commute of about only 10 minutes in each direction meant I could pass on satellite radio. But the AM and FM programming wasn’t getting it done for me. Which is largely the broadcasters fault (limited selection/range, inane morning talk). However, I also have an issue specific to my Honda — when charging my iPhone in the car, my top FM station (DC 101) is blown out by static.

So I called in yesterday to learn what my XM renewal options were. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit, I haven’t paid much attention to TV listings since I started using a DVR about 5 years ago. But if you’re the sort of person who likes to know what’s on TV at a specific time, TV Guide has launched an official Android app. It provides listings for most US TV markets, broken down by broadcast, satellite, and cable providers.

The TV Guide app doesn’t just provide you with a program listing grid. You can also search for shows, add channels or specific programs to a favorites list, and read the latest news from TV Guide. Read the rest of this entry »

Western Digital isn’t new to the digital media adapter/extender market, but the company is historically known more for its external hard drive products than its ambitions in the living-room entertainment wars. At least it was before today.

This morning, Western Digital announced a new WD TV Live Plus HD Media player with full 1080p resolution and Netflix access built in. While the company makes no bones about joining a slew of other gadget folks to offer Netflix content, they also highlight the ways it can one-up the competition. To start, it’s got that 1080p playback.  But Western Digital also brings in the ability to connect the WD TV Live with your in-home network. In other words, you can fire up your favorite Netflix video, or watch content stored on any connected hard drive in the house.

Unlike the Roku, the WD TV Live doesn’t have embedded Wi-Fi, but that can be corrected with a wireless adapter sold separately. Otherwise, consumers can use a wired line for Internet connectivity, or plug in any USB-enabled drive for access to local content. The USB port is a major plus in conjunction with the Internet content available on the WD TV Live. The same combination has been alluded to by the Roku folks, but we haven’t seen the reality yet. Meanwhile, like the Roku (thanks to a recent software update), the Western Digital product also lets users browse Netflix content and add movies to their Instant Queues right from the TV screen. No PC required.

The MSRP for the WD TV Live Plus HD media player is $149.99. It’s available on the Western Digital site, and through “select retailers.” Amazon lists it for pre-order at a price point of $125.43. More deets below.

Also check out Technologizer and CNET for some hands-on impressions. We’re getting our own review unit here at ZNF in the next week, so stay tuned.

WD TV Live Plus Specs:

• Offers content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, Live365, and the MediaFly network
• Supports Mac and PC streaming; compatible with Windows 7
• Includes one Ethernet and two USB ports, as well as an HDMI 1.3 port, and composite video and component video output
• Playback at 1080p resolution

Want to turn your Android phone into a portable WiFi hotspot without installing a custom ROM or waiting for Google to officially roll out Android 2.2 Froyo? If your phone is running Google Android 2.1, then you can.

This only works on phones that have been rooted (giving you access to settings and files that are otherwise off limits), but if you’ve already enabled root privileges on your phone then enabling WiFi tethering is about as easy as downloading and installing an app. Read the rest of this entry »

When it was revealed that the new TiVo Premiere can be controlled via USB keyboard, wireless or otherwise, I began my hunt for a compact and inexpensive accessory… as TiVo doesn’t provide a mechanism for transferring Season Passes between units and their own upcoming Bluetooth QWERTY remote has been met with mixed reviews and an unknown launch date. Not to mention, text entry is still a mostly infrequent task. (Until support is integrated into the third party TiVo apps.)

I landed on the Lenovo Mini Wireless Keyboard, as it met both requirements. It’s a compact but somewhat ergonomic thumbboard that regularly shows up on Slickdeals for $36, shipped free. The mini USB receiver can be tucked away in the battery compartment when not in use, which is why I couldn’t immediately locate it when the Lenovo arrived.

In testing, the 2.4GHz RF worked fine around the living room as I typed show titles into the TiVo and experimented with a just-passing-through Acer Aspire. The trackball is another story. It’s unusable on the TiVo (keyboard control only, not mouse), but on the PC where I could test it, the roller seemed a bit too loose. Granted, I didn’t attempt to adjust its sensitivity in Windows. But I’m still not sure I’d recommend this for daily control of an HTPC. Regardless, as an infrequent TiVo text entry device that you stash in the remote drawer, the Lenovo Mini gets the job done.

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I’m sure no one was surprised today when Steve Jobs officially introduced the next iPhone. Even before the misplaced iPhone saga began, I’d assumed we’d see a megapixel bump and high definition video out of this next gen handset. And Apple delivered. But what I didn’t anticipate was a front-facing camera and such a massive increase in display pixel density that also arrived in the iPhone 4.

Primary Camera
The primary camera on the rear of the new iPhone has evolved from the 3 megapixels found on the prior generation 3GS to 5mp. Which is pretty much par for the course — something I sported on the Nokia N95 like three years ago. However, there’s much more to good photos than the pixel count. And Apple’s 3GS camera has served me well for spontaneous photography, including surprisingly sharp macro shots. So I expect more good things from this larger and new “backside illuminated” sensor. …Including 720p video recording capabilities. (RIP Flip.)

Front-Facing Camera
The iPhone 4 also ships with a front-facing VGA (640×480) camera to be used for self portraits and video chat. “FaceTime” is the accompanying new functionality and set of conferencing protocols to power the camera, allowing folks to chat over WiFi for free with other iPhone 4 owners. Longer term, Apple hopes to share this as a new, open standard and move towards carrier support. In the short term, it seems unlikely the front-facing camera hooks will be made available to developers (like Skype). But perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Display
The most impressive feature of the iPhone 4 may be its new glass display. It retains the classic 3.5″ physical dimension while quadrupling the pixel count — so high that individual pixels are not discernable to the human eye. Of course, it’s up to developers to fully maximize these benefits. One of the first practical applications will be the new iPhone iBooks app. Additionally, the new screen features a 4x increase in contrast over the 3GS and IPS technology to expand viewing angles.