Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Looking for a faster, bigger hard drive this Christmas? (Two days till Black Friday sales by the way) Well, I came across this funny Youtube video of the day - filmed at famous Mac Store Tekserve in Manhattan, New York and paid for by drive manufacturer Seagate. It’s a tad long, but it features a hip-hop office drama and the desire for “A new disk drive. 1.5 Terabytes….” (don’t let that little jingle get stuck in your head) Just in time for the Christmas holiday season.

Via 9to5mac.com

Tags: Black Friday, Christmas, funny, Mac Store, Manhattan, NYC, Tekserve, video, youtube

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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Sick and tired of cr**py YouTube video quality? Well, check out kottke.org’s tips on how to enable HQ video on YouTube. It’s not HD quality, but much better than the default.

The specs for the Youtube HQ video is mѤ encoded using H.264 and stereo AAC sound at 480×360 resolution.

Also you need to do to link to a high quality video on your blog is simply append &ampfmt=18 onto the end of the YouTube URL, i.e.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuqiGrWBRqE&ampfmt=18

And if you want to embed the code on your blog/site you add &ap=%2526fmt%3D18, i.e.:

&lt;object width=”425″ height=”344″>&lt;param name=”movie″ value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MuqiGrWBRqE&hl=en&fs=1 &amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18“></param><param name=”allowFullScreen″ value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MuqiGrWBRqE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&ampap=%2526fmt%3D18” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″></embed></object>

Now head on over to Kottke to see the before and after video quality comparisons. Good stuff!

Tags: AAC, H.264, HD, hq video, kottke.org, stereo, video, youtube

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Copyright VoIP &amp Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Shipments of High-Definition televisions this year surpassed that of standard TVs, according to iSuppli, a leading market researcher.

Significant price reductions and the increasing availability of content over multiple distribution channels are the key drivers behind HDTV sales. 

And don’t all sports events look better in HD? 

As a result, HDTV shipments are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 20% from 97.1 million units last year to 241.2 million by 2012. In 2008, HDTV shipments will reach 124.2 million units, while non-HDTV shipments fall to 86.6 million.

With the technology everywhere these days — on broadcast television, cable, satellite and the Internet, you can’t escape hearing about something being broadcast in HD or getting the most out of your HD receiver or the most HD channels available.

Shipments of standard definition TVs (STVs), on the other hand, are expected to decline at a rate of 27% from 114.8 million units in 2007 to 23.1 million units by 2012, iSuppli said.

More at InformationWeek.

Tags: HDTV, high-def tv, iSuppli, STV

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Copyright VoIP &amp Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Vonage today announced an agreement for a $220.3 million financing which is seen by many experts as crucial to its survival. Silver Point Finance LLC, which already holds a $216 million financing stake in Vonage, will lead the financial deal, which consists of $130.3 million in senior secured first-lien credit, $72.0 million in senior secured second-lien credit and the sale of $18.0 million of convertible secured third-lien notes. The proceeds will be used to help refinance $253 million of debt.

Analysts and bloggers such as the VoIPPrincess, have pointed out that the recent financial crisis and credit crunch made Vonage’s refinancing efforts very difficult. I too have had my doubts whether Vonage could secure more financing in this tight credit crunch market.

“We are pleased to reach definitive agreement on this refinancing at a time of unprecedented volatility in the credit markets,” said John Rego, Vonage’s chief financial officer. “This agreement provides clarity to our partners and suppliers regarding the Company’s liquidity position in these challenging financial times,” he said.

Even with the financial deal, Vonage still faces tough challenges ahead. It still has to replace 1/3 of its customer base due to churn and faces tough competition from Cablecos and phone companies that offer bundled & discounted triple play packages. Vonage started many years ago at $39.99/month (unlimited plan) if I recall and today’s unlimited plan has dropped to just $24.99/month. As voice minutes continues its spiral towards $0, it becomes increasingly harder for single play players like Vonage to be profitable.

That said, 8Ҹ is a single-play VoIP company, which offers Packet8 residential and business VoIP services and they continue to grow. 8Ҹ doesn’t get nearly the media attention that Vonage does, yet continues to perform well. Part of their success is that 8Ҹ has targeted businesses with their Virtual Office, Virtual Trunking, and Packet8 Hosted Key system offerings.

According to the VoIPPrincess, “In the last five years, 8×8 revenues grew 460.3 percent while Vonage’s grew 0.0 percent. 8×8 made $700,000 during the first quarter of this year. Vonage lost $8.9 million and is shopping for a $215 million refinancing deal to stay out of bankruptcy. 8×8 holds 73 patents. Vonage just got its first.”

I’ve talked to 8×8 over the past several years and when I remarked how much Vonage was spending on advertising and customer acquisition, 8×8 told me several times they did not intend to try and match Vonage’s huge marketing campaigns. I recall commenting to 8×8,  “I’m reminded of the turtle vs. the hare. Slow and steady wins the race, right?” 8×8 agreed with the analogy. While Vonage just got an injection of cash/adrenaline to keep the hare running, one has to wonder if and when the hare will crash and burn. If it does, I don’t think that spells the death knell for single-play VoIP providers just yet. It does however signal the end of high-flying, high-spending, VoIP (woo hoo) TV commercials on every other minute, which is good news for me, since I’m sick & tired of fast forwarding my DVR past those annoying woo hoo commercials. Lastly, I think 8×8 might just be in prime position to pick up many Vonage customers should Vonage fail.

Tags: 8×8, John Rego, Packet8, single play, voip, vonage

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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

It’s a big day in Baltimore with the proper launch of Sprint’s XOHM WiMAX network, and Lenovo’s making sure it snags a bit of that limelight to announce this. Starting today, prospective customers can snatch up a ThinkPad SL300, SL500, X301 and T400 with integrated WiMAX capability, meaning that you can hop on the ultra-fast mobile internet highway in Baltimore and elsewhere if you’re really lucky. Later this year, the laptop maker will be adding the option on its business-focused ThinkPad W500, W700, SL400 and X200 models as well as the consumer-minded IdeaPad Y530. There’s no word on how much this capability adds to the cost of a machine, but WiMAX-enabled lappies can be had starting at $720 right now.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Digital Cameras

We noticed that the writeup for Leica’s newly unveiled S2 made mention of a new Kodak sensor, but we’ll leave it to Kodak to do the boasting. Sure enough, the outfit responsible for this atrocity has rolled out a few new image sensors at Photokina 2008, one of which — the KAF-37500 — proudly resides in the aforementioned S2. The company is showcasing sensors for medium format rigs such as the Sinar HY6-65 (KAF-31600) and Hasselblad ˓DII-50 (KAF-50100), though quite honestly, it spends more time gloating about what manufacturers it’s partnering with than describing the technology. Oh well, so long as it keeps Kodak from focusing on its pathetic point-and-shoot lineup, we’ll keep smiling.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Transportation

If you had any urge whatsoever to try to your hand at drug trafficking over water while these “weird” economic times sort themselves out, uh, you may want to reevaluate your options. The ever-so-stealthy Stiletto has come to life after tracking down a remarkably quick drug-running boat near Florida; the bad guys were cruising at 42 knots, but that comic book-esque thing you’re undoubtedly peering at above can reach speeds of up to 60 knots. The double-M-shaped hull enables it to navigate in extraordinarily shallow waters without trouble, and a plethora of sensors and radars give it all the power it needs to track down goons. Oddly enough, it’s having a somewhat difficult time finding a government agency to truly call home, but if it continues to keep the coke out of our seas, we’d say it’ll win over some hearts soon enough.

[Thanks, Laz]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Wait, what’s this? Intel’s shipping the dual-core Atom 330? Despite reports that the 1.6GHz chip wouldn’t actually leave the dock until Q4, Intel itself has stepped up to ensure everyone that it’s getting ‘em out in Q3. The brief points out the obvious — you know, that the 330 was designed with nettops in mind — while also confirming that it boasts 1MB of ˺ cache, an 8-watt TDP and support for DDR2 667. So yeah, let’s get these in some systems, shall we?

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

It’s no shock to see a US 3G-enabled Touch Diamond showing up at Best Buy (unlike the hamstrung sibling over at CompUSA) — though we can′t say we were expecting the big box retailer to start shipping this soon. If its website is to be believed (read: don′t book it just yet), the unlocked Touch Diamond 3G you′re about to order for $699.99 will leave Best Buy’s warehouse within one business day. If that’s not cool with you, you can also pick it up “at most stores.” Shame there’s no white option listed…

[Via MobileTechReview]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Robots

The Rovio — one of WowWee’s finest if we should say so ourselves — is finally ready to roam around domiciles and keep baddies at bay. First announced (and spotted) at CES 2008, this long-awaited robotic sentry is up for pre-order right now, and it comes packing a 640 x 480 webcam to stream back live video in MPEˊ format. Furthermore, it can snap stills, head out on a customized patrol route and avoid obstacles with its infrared sensor. Get ready — this sheriff’s rolling into your town next Friday for $299.95.

[Via Random-Good-Stuff, thanks Juergen]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays, Household

Remember those way swank Digital Message Centers we peeked at CES this year? At long last, Audiovox has begun shipping the audio-only DPF710K ($149.99), which sticks upside your fridge and provides a 7-inch display, a dry erase board, digital clock, Post-it pad and a LED message indicator for good measure. If you haven’t pieced it together, this thing seeks to simplify your family’s lives by providing a base for leaving photos and messages, and we’ll admit, it does have a smidgen of a Jetsons vibe to it. Those holding out for the video-capable DPF711K can lay down their $199.99 later this month. Nice hair, kiddo.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

After a few false starts, the OS X-installing EFi-X dongle is finally shipping to consumers. Currently, two versions are up for grabs: the USB V1 for the average joe / jane and the USB V2 Developers Unit for, well, developers. In short, plugging this gem into your PC will enable select systems to install OS X, but we’d take a hard look at the fine print (and certified systems) before blindly plunking down $155 and hoping for the best.

[Via MacRumors, thanks Joseph]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Previously, the ship dates for Rock Band 2 instruments ranged from “sometime within the next few months″ to “sometime.” Now, however, we’re hearing that the standalone wireless drums ($90) and guitar ($70) will begin to ship out next week. Additionally, Mad Catz’s Fender P-Bass wireless guitar controller ($70) and the wired ION Drum Rocker set ($300) should clutter up floor space around the same time. Rʖ party to celebrate the Q3 close? Sign us up.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming, Storage

We didn′t wake up today hoping to hate on Nintendo, but they’re making it a bit too easy. Granted, the Nintendo WiFi router could certainly find a place in the homes of the tech illiterate, but Nintendo keeps hiding behind the apron strings of its casual gamer fanbase, and we don′t have to sit around and take it. Two months after Nintendo finally admitted it had a problem with Wii storage and claimed to be “working on a solution,” Reggie’s still playing that line — to diminishing effects — in Club Nintendo, the official Nintendo mag of Latin America. He went on to say that “we have never said that it will be a hard drive nor have we mentioned how we will fix this issue, but we are going to deliver a better way to store the games.” Weak. Nintendo could easily create a backup solution for SD cards or the ubiquitous thumbstick, but instead the company is letting its most active users suffer with the mere 512MB of built-in storage, requiring them to re-download games from the Wii Shop, and making few promises about when or what the storage solution will be — not cool, Nintendo. Phew, good to get that off our chests. Now, if you′ll excuse us, we have some “High School Musical: Sing It!” to attend to.

[Via GameDaily]

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Digital Cameras

If one thing’s clear, this D90 thingy is ready to go. We just got our second set of in-store pictures (thanks, Best Buy!), but these ones include the camera itself, rid of its pesky packaging. Street date is apparently tomorrow, with that $1,299 price standing firm.

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Original post by Paul Miller