Archives for December 2008
Report: HP printers a hit in Iran
Jim Kerstetter | Dec 30, 2008
Hewlett-Packard printers, like blue jeans in the old Soviet Russia, are apparently a hot item among consumers in Iran.
But did HP know what the small Dubai outfit was doing? As the Globe reported, the distributor's Web site says it began in 1997 "as a team of five people and...HP supplies as our first product, we started operations as the distributor for Iran." The article also quotes an HP executive in the late 1990s enthusiastically discussing sales in Iran.
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Flipbac your shots
Leonard Goh | Dec 30, 2008
Flipbac allows you to view your LCD from an angle and that facilitates taking pictures from an angle. Credit: Flipbac
Digicams with tilt-and-swivel LCDs always have a place in our hearts. One reason is that they facilitate taking pictures in awkward angles. However, most point-and-shoots on the market do not come with such displays. This is because the implementation usually results in bulkier cameras.
But now, there is Flipbac, an angle finder which uses a mirror to reflect the scene off your LCD which simulates a screen that is able to tilt. What's more, this gadget can be used in either landscape or portrait mode due to its dual-hinge design. When not in use, it can also protect the display from scratches. The best part is, it doesn't seem to add much in thickness to the shooter.
But take note that since the view from Flipbac is a reflection, the scene will be shown as a mirror-image. So I guess you can forget about navigating menus with it.
Currently, Flipbac is compatible with most cameras that have a 3-inch LCD. The price of US$19.99 is pretty affordable and you can get from its Website.
HP upgrading Home Server lineup, Apple may follow suit
Rafe Needleman | Dec 30, 2008
Hewlett-Packard announced Monday that it is upgrading its MediaSmart server lineup with new, more powerful hardware and, more importantly, with software support for Macs and improved over-the-Net streaming of users' media files (A software update will allow users of existing MediaSmart boxes to access some of the new features). Also Monday, 9to5Mac speculated that one of the Macworld announcements in January will be an expanded Time Capsule product with similar features.
Currently, HP's MediaSmart servers, running Microsoft's Windows Home Server software, cannot serve as backup platforms for Macs running the Time Machine backup software, and data stored on a WHS product is available only in a very limited fashion over the open Internet. Similarly, Apple's current Time Capsule backup appliance does not come with backup software for Windows PCs, and does not support media sharing over the Net.
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Is there a crack in your Xperia?
John Chan | Dec 30, 2008
(Credit: XDA Developers)
Update: Sony Ericsson has informed us that there have been no reports of the mentioned cracks in Asia so far. The company says that any complaints will be assessed on a "case-by-case basis", which means someone will need to actually have this problem before we will find out how Sony Ericsson will react to it. Click here to read the X1's warranty terms (warning: PDF link).
According to a discussion at XDA Developers, some users are seeing cracks on their Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. These hairline fractures seem to develop around the stylus slot in the silver version and are occurring to sets bought in Europe. From the forum thread, those with black sets aren't getting the same problem and some are speculating that the reason for that is because the black version uses a different material around the stylus slot area.
Unexplained cracks in gadgets are not uncommon. Some might remember early batches of the Nintendo DS Lite also encountered such an issue on its screen hinge. Nintendo US repaired or replaced sets, but those not in the US may still be living with a cracked DS Lite. We have contacted Sony Ericsson regarding its replacement policy and are awaiting a response. In the meantime, go have a look at your X1 and see if you have such a problem. Let us know in the Talkback below.
Via WMExperts
RIAA loses mistrial appeal
Marguerite Reardon | Dec 30, 2008
A federal judge has denied the Recording Industry Association of America's request for an appeal of an earlier decision to grant a retrial in its copyright infringement case against Jammie Thomas.
Earlier this year a jury found that the Minnesota woman had violated copyright laws by illegally sharing more than 1,700 songs. The jury ordered the woman, Jammie Thomas, 30, to pay US$220,000 to six of the top music labels.
But a few weeks after the verdict was handed down, US District Judge Michael Davis threw out the verdict on the grounds that he originally misguided the jury by indicating that simply the act of making a copyrighted song available for sharing amounts to infringement. A new trial has been rescheduled for March.
In an attempt to avoid another trial, the RIAA appealed the judge's decision to declare a mistrial. But now it looks like the RIAA's latest attempt to gain a conviction for copyright infringement has been thwarted.
This case has been closely watched because Thomas is the only individual charged with copyright infringement by the RIAA who has taken her case to trial. Since 2003, many of the 26,000 persons sued by the industry association have simply settled the cases out of court by agreeing to pay a few thousand dollars. But Thomas, who has been accused of sharing music via a peer-to-peer service, Kazaa, has always maintained her innocence.
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