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Posts Tagged ‘usb port’

The media player of CES this year was Nuu Media’s Nuu Player, not the Boxee Box. Hidden in one of the back corners of the South Hall of the Consumer Electronics Show was the people at Nuu Media with their player that will retail for a bit more than the other media player boxes, but it’ll also do more than the other media player boxes.
The Nuu Player from Nuu Media does Boxee, so let’s shelve the comparisons right there. It does Boxee and has a 160 GB internal hard drive, which lets us place aside the Apple TV comparisons. On top of that, it streams media from most places that allow it, like CNN, Pandora, YouTube, Facebook video, last.fm, Netflix, MLB.TV, Comedy Central and Flickr. The press release states it plays “all available codecs in any form – video, music, or photo – from any source and in any format”, which seems to set the bar a little high, but we’ll see upon its release. Oh, and did I mention that it plays Hulu out of the box?
The box itself is a simple shiny black box about the size of an Apple TV. The right side of the box sports a USB port, audio in and out and an SD card slot and the connections in back include a network jack, DVI, HDMI, two more USB and another that looks like Firewire 400. On the inside, it’s running Intel’s Atom processor, which isn’t as powerful as the Apple TV, but more powerful than the Boxee Box.
the player also has a WebKit based browser and Nuu Media was showing off custom Facebook and Twitter interfaces for a ten foot interface. Combined with a USB webcam and Bluetooth microphone (I assume a USB cam/microphone combo would work), it also does Skype. With Skype supporting 720p, it makes sense that Skype is moving to the home theater. I would also assume that a USB or Bluetooth keyboard would also work.
The Nuu Player will sell for “around 300? according to the folks in the booth at CES. That makes it the most expensive of all the media players on the market, but it also appears to have the most features on the market. On top of everything else listed, video search through Clicker.com and TV widgets are also included in the box.
In terms of the best media player box at CES 2010, I’d put my money on the Nuu Player from Nuu Media. It’s more than Boxee and it’s more than an Apple TV. We’ll see for certain when it’s available for sale, but based on their CES 2010 showing, the Nuu Player will sit at the top of the media player pile. Here’s a demo of the player in action:

We saw a lot of media players. But one of the more impressive ones was Nuu Media’s Nuu Player.  A full content system companion for your TV. And the best thing is it does more than the average set top box.

Online media – Web Application – Video Call

We will start with Online media. A 160 GB internal hard drive, and it can stream the same media as the others (Pandora, YouTube, CNN, Blip, MLB.tv, Flickr, Comedy Central, etc). With a USB port on the side, SD card ready and multiple audio and video jacks, Nuu Media player can accept what you throw at it. But there was one item that really sets itself apart from Boxee, Roku, Apple TV, Vudu and others.

Built in Bluetooth.

This player showed it’s difference with the attached WebKit based browser. You can use Facebook, Twitter and others with the special interface. Connect a USB webcam and USB microphone, you might be able to create content and even Skype out – Making this the perfect conference phone for any boardroom.

Todd Cochrane talks to Danny of Nuu for this most innovative TV appliance. The Nuu player will be available by Q2 for around $300. It definitely is the closest to a PC without it being a PC.

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cyberclean

I think I did my first informercial….

A few months ago I heard about this product. Andy McCaskey talked about it on a holiday wish-list. Well little did he know that we were going to get not only a first hand look at this stuff that looks like Silly- Putty, but also do an interview for the product.

The product is called Cyber Clean. It’s a innovative way to clean the crud off the computer keyboard, mouse and even ports on a laptop like a USB port. The gelatinous substance gets in the cracks and crevices and takes the dirt, dust, hair and other particles off your devices. It can be used many times, but it will tell you when it’s time to change when the color goes from a bright neon to a dark green.

Jeffrey Powers talks with Allen about this interesting product. Kara Karsten volunteers her Macbook to be the guinea pig for the video. They come in two flavors – Home / Office and Automotive. Allen also mentions Cyber Clean is great for getting pet hair out of corners or even duct vents.

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The next few weeks are going to be do or die for the Palm Pre. With it’s release of June 6th, we will see if this new phone from Palm is going to be able to stand up to the Apple iPhone. Especially when the new 3.0 version comes out by the end of the month.

iPhone has had a very strong showing. It knocked down Motorola’s RAZR and brought the world of Smartphones to the forefront of mobile technology. You can pretty much do anything you need on the phone from take photos, to record and listen to music, check mail and even turn your life over to this amazing device. That is, if you can afford the mobile plan.

Palm has been around for over 10 years in handheld organizers. There have been some reorganizations of the company – changing to PalmOne, for example. Nonetheless, Palm has some technologies and patents they can update and re-use to model this new competitor.

Both have Application stores. Both run 3G and have GPS capabilities. Both will have a 3.0 megapixel camera, WiFi 802.11g and Bluetooth.

Palm will have the advantage for the few who like the Tactile response with a built in QWERTY keyboard. Palm will also have a standard USB port; hopefully I can hook up my standard USB car charger to. iPhone will have the memory advantage with 16 and 32GB of memory where the Pre will only have 8 (7 GB in all reality because the OS will need a part to run).

Both will be expected to have a $199 price tag – if you get a 2 year plan with it. It’s just a question of whether you want Sprint, AT&T or if you know how to unlock the phone to use on your favorite carrier.

Of course we would be remiss if we didn’t also talk about the Windows Mobile phones, the Blackberry phones and Android. However, in the last 3 years, only Blackberry has been able to really dent the iPhone market, but they skew the numbers with their 8 versions of phones.

I already hear people talking about how they are going to make the switch. The biggest complaint for the iPhone is the AT&T exclusive contract. I know that in some parts of Wisconsin, I can’t even get service from the AT&T phone. What good is a smartphone if it’s not smart enough to connect to another tower?

I am going to weigh the options in many ways. First of all, we’ll see what happens with the Pre in the first couple weeks – if there is a major problem, it will surface quickly. Second, we’ll watch the financial reports. Palm was on the verge of bankruptcy not more than 9 months ago. They have a lot riding on the Pre. If that fails, they might be up the proverbial creek.

The Palm Pre also has another battle to worry about. That is the Sprint factor. Sprint has not been doing that well itself and they are riding on this phone to make people switch. We’ve seen companies turn around before and this could tip the scales in Sprints’ favor, but you have to remember that this could also topple like a house of cards.

Next, we’ll watch the App stores. One thing that seems to be good business is having a App store with good programs in it. Apple claims they have earned 20-25 million for the Apps alone. That is a good infusion of cash to keep things going. This will be a good infusion in the Palm company.

End result – There will be a good challenge to see who can prevail. Of course I believe that both can survive. The true tests is when Android comes out with their next phone and when Windows Mobile 7 gets released.

In the meantime, enjoy this weeks’ Bitstrips. Then answer the QOTW – Will you get a iPhone or a Pre?

Let the Phone Wars Begin - Bitstrips

For those who have a green thumb or want a green thumb, then easybloom will help you learn which plants work in the area you are planting. The USB port will connect with a server to tell you what needs to change.

Andy McCaskey talks with CEO Matthew Glen about how this product works.


Save 10% on your Godaddy.com order using Promo Code ‘Pod125′

Visit
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and use the Promo code ‘easy bloom’ for more info.

I saw you back in Comdex in 83 – You were a exciting new technology – a marvel to me with a touchscreen.

Ohhhh, ohhh

But times have changed and you are now put to the side – the integration with the phone makes it real nice – and you get tossed in the scrap pile to die.

Ohhh, ohhh

I used your applications

ohhh, ohhh

And all your revelations….


I did have a PDA. I had a few of them. Palm, iPaq, Axim and a host of others. However, 2 years ago I got my first Smartphone. That pretty much put my last PDA to the side.

Earlier in the week I read the article “5 things the Smartphone Killed“. While I am not in total agreeance of the list just yet, I do agree on a lot of their items and I can see the Smartphone can totally engulf all the item replacements. Read the rest of this entry »

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