Owner: Maun Tech URL:http://www.mauntech.com Join Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:26:54 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Maun Tech is a project of providing Tech News and Information for everyone by providing short, hopefully clear, easy to understand news and information on the growing trends in technology. Site statistics:Click here
Cingular Makes First Wireless Video Share Call 2007-01-06 00:54:12 According to a press release from Cingular
, they will be the first wireless carrier in the United States to demo a service where the users can make a “live” video share call. Cingular will give a glimpse of this new service at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show being held in Las Vegas. Cingular hopes to make its video service commercially available in 2007.
“The service allows users to send a live video stream to a recipient during a standard voice call. Beginning with a normal phone call, customers can hit one button to add a live video stream, allowing the called party to see what the caller is seeing while they’re talking. The service also allows customers to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call.”
Read more:First
, Share
, Wireless
Showtime Gets Its Game On 2007-01-06 00:41:57 Â Showtime
Networks , the cable network that created such shows as Weeds, Sleeper Cell, etc, has teamed up with the game publisher Broadband Libraries to offer an online gaming channel called On Broadband Network. This new venture will offer free, rental, on-demand, and subscription options to customers with high speed access via DSL or Cable. This joint venture is due to launch this spring. According to an article from C|Net:
“On Broadband Networks will roll out six full-feature games with unlimited playtime. At the end of each month, players will have the option to buy any of the featured games.”
On Broadband Network will also launch a game store at the same time which will include over 500 titles. The new service will also feature game reviews, cheats, tricks, and other game related content.
Online Mystery Games Are Making A Comeback 2007-01-06 00:17:55 I ran across and article from Reuter’s which talks about how Online MysteryGames
are making a comeback. Now that the technology has gotten better, it is less expensive to make these games. One of the new popular titles is called Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst from Big Fish Games. According to the Big Fish Games’ web site:
“Players assume the role of Master Detective to unlock secrets held within Ravenhearst, scouring 32 rooms in the manor for cleverly hidden clues. Locating and assembling diary pages helps tell the story of the house and, ultimately, unlock the mystery.”
The game takes about 20 hours to play for first timers and it contains different clues each time it is played. Big Fish is also promising a full retail release to Walmart stores this year and they ahve created a social web site called mybigfishgames.com. The main demographic group that seems to be drawn to these games are women in their mid-thirties.Â
Â
Another game which was rele
Hear Your Emails On The Phone 2007-01-05 18:35:28 There seems to be a new wave of Internet products coming out that connect you via the phone. Earlier, I talked about Braincast, which allows you to record memos to yourself using your phone. Next, I talked about Pinger, which allows you to send brief emails to your friends, family and others in your address book using your cell phone. Now there is a new service that provides you with a free email account which you can access via your phone. You can send messages and listen to messages via your phone. You can easily import all your Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, Gmail.com, Aol.com or any other POP/IMAP emails into this service called Amped Mail. Here is what they have to say:
“We provide free email account. AmpedMail.com let’s you hear your emails on the phone. AmpedMail.com switch let’s you easily import all your Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, Gmail.com, Aol.com or any other POP/IMAP emails into your AmpedMail.com account. Once they are in amped Read more:Emails
Amazon's 30-Day Price Guarantee 2007-01-05 02:04:47 I have found several articles on the web today from Digg, CyberNetNews and more about the fact that Amazon
has a 30-Day price guarantee, but they have been keeping it a secret. This means that if you buy something from them and the price drops within 30 days of purchase, they you can get a refund for the difference. Amazon does this willingly without a hassle, but they haven’t been advertising this. When you realize that the price has dropped, just call 1-800-201-7575 and press extension 7 to get to customer service and request a refund in the difference.
There is even more good news relating to this and that is the fact that there is a free service available which can track the items you have purchased to see if the price has dropped. If the price has lowered then they’ll email you. The name of this website is RefundPlease, and the only purpose of this web site is to track online purchases from Amazon for price changes. Basicall
New DVD Format Products Due To Arrive Next Week 2007-01-04 23:32:44 There are two new DVD formats competing for your money and usage. The first is Blu-ray and the other is HD DVD. This reminds me of the old videocassette wars of VHS versus Betamax from the late 1970s. However, there are two solutions on the horizon to debut next week at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first is a hybrid DVD player by LG which will allow you to play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The second solution is being created by Time-Warner which is a hybrid DVD. This hybrid DVD will contain both the Blu-ray and the HD DVD formats and will play in either a Blu-ray or an HD DVD player. You may be asking, what is a Blu-ray DVD and what is an HD DVD. Click the following link for a definition of Blu-ray DVD format and the next link for a definition of the HD DVD format from Wikipedia. Both of the new DVD formats offer larger storage capacities along with better resolution, better picture, so Read more:Products
OneCare 1.5 Goes Gold 2007-01-04 20:24:27 OneCare 1.5 goes gold by ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley — The retail and Web versions of Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare 1.5 won’t be out until the end of January (allegedly at the same time as Windows Vista launches to consumers on January 30). But Microsoft officially released the code to manufacturing on January 3, according to a post on the OneCare team blog.
Read more:OneCare
Online Video Encoding 2007-01-04 20:14:02 Recently, I reported on Zamzar which allows you to convert many types of files from one format to another. Today, I ran across a web site that specializes in converting video. It is called Hey!Watch and it is an online video encoding platform. You can upload a video and have it converted to another format for free. The free version does have a 25 minute time limit. Currently, Hey!Watch is in beta and you have to request an invite to participate. Click the link to go to the Hey!Watch web site to find out more information and to request and invite. I have not tested the site yet, but I have requested an invite. According to information I found on Webware, the premium service is $40 a year which is a bit pricey. Read more:Online Video
Microsoft's New Office Marketing Strategy 2007-01-04 18:18:49 Microsoft has embarked on a new marketing method to promote it’s upcoming 2007 Office System. They have created an online comic book to promote the new office. It is easier to see than to explain. The new online comic book is called “The Enchanted Office “and subtitled “Once Upon A User Interface.” Click the link to find see the online comic book, The Enchanted Office. At this web site, there is a link to download a trial version of the new Office 2007. There are references in the comics to other things such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. I don’t quite understand why they would try this marketing idea, but check it out and let me know what you think.
Read more:Marketing
, Microsoft
, Strategy
Open Source Desktop Publishing Program 2007-01-07 20:58:33 There is a great open source desktop publishing program called Scribus. It is available free for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It is a very powerful desktop publishing program which can easily compete with the heavy hitters in the field such as Adobe PageMaker, QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign. It is a robust desktop publishing program which allows for very flexible layout and typesetting to produce a very profession quality product. If you are interested in creating profession desktop publications without the expanse of the competition mentioned above, check out the Scribus web site or if you just want to look at what it can do and compare it to their competition, check out their web site and download Scribus today!
Read more:Desktop
, Program
, Publishing
, Source
You've Got Questions, Amazon May Have The Answers 2007-01-07 20:43:10 Amazon
.com just released a new service called Askville. There service joins two others in the field such as Microsoft’s Live QnA and Yahoo! Ansers. According to the Askville’s web site:
“Askville is a place where you can share and discuss knowledge with other people by asking and answering questions on any topic. It's a fun place to meet others with similar interests to you and a place where you can share what you know. You can learn something new everyday or help and meet others using your knowledge. Askville even helps you learn by giving you cool tools to help you find information online while you are answering questions. It's all about sharing—what you know and what you want to know—so go ahead and meet someone new today and Askville!”
You can even earn experience points when you answer a question on Askville. You can redeem these points when you reach a certain level at Amazon’s upcoming web site Que
Net Tax Ban Bill Introduced 2007-01-07 20:27:00 I stumble across and article on Neowin.net about a new bill introduced in the U.S. Congress about a net tex ban. Three senators (Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, Republican John McCain of Arizona and Republican John Sununu of New Hampshire) introdued the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act which will premanently bad taxes on Internet access and prohibit states from charging taxes online if they don’t already charge tax for catalog and phone sales. You can find more information at Neowin.net’s web site and InfoWorld’s web site. You can also read a press release from Sen. Ron Wyden on the Internet Tax Ban.
News source: Neowin.net
Windows Home Server 2007-01-08 06:43:05 During Bill Gates Keynote address at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, he announced that Microsoft along with key partners will be launching what is called a Windows
Home Server. The Windows Home
Server will be used by vendors such as HP as a basis for new hardware that consumers can purchase for their homes to connect to their Windows Vista computers. He even mentioned a connection with the Xbox 360, Windows XP, and Windows Media Center PCs.
Users will be able to access data stored on the Windows Home Server
and have data from each machine that is connected to the server to be automatically backed up daily. Additionally, Bill Gates mentioned that users will be able to remotely connect to the data when they are away from home.
The goal of this new product is to serve as a hub for multimedia files in the home. These servers will come in both Windows Vista and Windows XP versions and should be available sometime this year.
Amazing Add-on For Firefox 2007-01-09 20:49:43 I just ran across and amazing add-on for Firefox
that creates an XGL-like effect to Firefox tabs. It is called Tab-Effect. I saw this at CyberNetNews.com and all I can say is WOW! Okay, you ask, what is an XGL-like effect? Click on this XGL link to see a definition from Wikipedia. It makes it look like you are rotating a cube when you switch between tabs. It is pure “eye-candy” but is it still great. Read the CyberNetNews article for more information and then install it on your Firefox browser and check it out! It requires DirectX 8 and above and works with Windows. Read more:Amazing
New Digital Photo Frames Unveiled 2007-01-09 05:20:36 Several companies are unveiling digital photo frames at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. I want to talk about two companies in particular. The first is Westinghouse Digital
Electronics and the second is Smartparts Products.
Westinghouse Digital Electronics has unveiled five new digital photo frames. These five new frames are stylish with high resolution digital panels. The five frames come in five different sizes. 14.1″, 10.2″, 8″, 7″, and a 5.6″ model. Each include expanded memory and the company’s MosaicView technology for the large 4 of the 5 frames.
“Westinghouse's new digital photo frames offer users the latest capabilities including: Individual slideshow or picture viewing, a variety of transitions for slideshows, variable speeds for slideshows and support for AVI Motion JPEG, MPEG 1 and 4 files. The units auto detect and display multiple picture orientation with MosaicViewà Read more:Frames
, Photo
Live TV Service Coming Soon From Verizon 2007-01-08 19:14:23 Verizon
will be offering a new service sometime in the first quarter of this year called “V Cast Mobile TV.” This service will allow Verizon customers to watch television over a netawork being put together by Qualcomm adn will provide live feeds from CBS, Fox, and NBC. Verizon announced this at the International Consumer Electronics Show taken place this week in Las Vegas. No pricing information was given, but Verizon stated that pricing and availability will be given around the time they release the service. Click the link to read the Verizon Press Release on the V Cast Mobile TV.
News Source: TechNewsWorld Read more:Service
More Info On Windows Home Server 2007-01-08 18:49:43 Now that Microsoft has revealed Windows
Home Server at C.E.S. 2007, more information has been made available on the web and I have an update to some of that information. First of all the release to manufacturing (RTM) date for the final version is expected on June 22, 2007. There are three primary purposes for the Windows Home
Server and they are automated computer backup, access everything from anywhere, and it grows with you as it has expand capabilities by adding more hard drives.
Â
Access anywhere seems to be a great feature where you can launch your web browser and log into your home server to access files or if your computer is on, you can remotely connect to it. Home Server owners will be able to setup a free internet address to access the servers and the address will be something like username.homeserver.com. For official information from Microsoft, click the following the Windows Home Server
link. You might find it both funny and informational. To see a video ofÂ
Mac Tablet Arrives at Macworld 2007-01-10 20:24:53 A Mac Tablet
PC finally arrives at Macworld
, but is not made by Apple, Inc. Instead the new Tablet PC is made by Axiotron and it is called the “ModBook.” It is basically a modified MacBook laptop with the addition of a true pen input and optional GPS. For more information, see an article from BetaNews. and from Axiotron. The starting price for this new PC is a whopping $2,279, but for a limited time you can buy one for $2,199. This lower price ends on January 31st, 2007.
Microsoft To Offer Office 2008 For Mac 2007-01-10 19:56:26 Microsoft will offer Office for Mac 2008 by the end of the year. It will be compatible with the Office 2007 for Windows which becomes available on January 30th. The announcement was made yesterday by Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit. In addition to this news, Microsoft said a beta version will be delivered in the spring for the converters that will allow Office for mac 2004 to work with the Office 2007’s new default XML format for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Read more:Microsoft
, Offer
Dell Goes Green 2007-01-10 19:50:23 Michael Dell who is chairman of Dell, Inc., has issued a challenge to all of the PC industry to create a free recycling program for customers. When Michael Dell made this announcement yesterday, he stated that his company would offer to plant a tree for every PC sold. In recent months, Dell, Inc has received high “green” marks by some environmental groups as Dell began offering a free recycling program back in 2004. I had reported on the Dell recycling program in the past see my article entitled PC Recycling programs. For more information on Dell and the environment, see Dell Earth. Read more:Green
Can Your Computer Handle Vista? 2007-01-12 22:37:35 Back in November, I wrote an entry in this blog on Is Your ComputerVista
Ready? I listed the Windows Vista Premium Ready PC requirements and a link to Microsoft’s web site. I highly recommend the Vista Premium requirements if you are going to go with Windows Vista. But, do you know for sure if your computer can handle Vista? If you are not sure, CompUSA is offering to help you. CompUSA is offering a free evaluation of your computer at any one of their 229 stores. They have technicians ready and trained to assist you in evaluating your computer.
“The free check ups are designed to assess a computer system and determine the requirements and hardware additions needed to run Windows Vista,” the spokeswoman said.
CompUSA states that the evals should take about 5 minutes to complete. CompUSA trained their techs with Microsoft’s help as they have been assisting small businesses make the move to Vista. Windows Vista b Read more:Handle
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