Mind Over Matt'er - All Entries
How CDs are Made
No doubt you've accumulated hundreds, more likely thousands , of these little digital wonders since the CD hit the big time in the early 80s. First conceived in the late 70s to store digital music, the Compact Disc went on to become the de-facto standard to store and distribute software and games for the personal computer. The process for making the Compact Disc is actually quite interesting. If you've ever wondered how the CD goes from raw materials to your CD player, click the play button below. More »
Chevy Volt's $40,000 Price Tag Unveiled - Is it too high?
There it is - fourty thousand dollars of pure electric, plug-in driving. Is it surprising to see such a high price from one of the most hyped cars in a long, long time? While it's far beyond the thirty thousand dollar price tag that Chevy has been hoping for, I'd venture to say it's still not that bad all things considering. After evaluating user comments around the net, it's become clear that people have lost all sense of reason and reality. This is not the time to complain about the price... at least not yet anyway. Sure, few people are going to race to the dealership to purchase a fourty thousand dollar car. I get that, and I would venture Chevy does as well. The Volt is not the average family communter car destined to replace the Honda Civic sitting in everyone's garage, and I don't think it was ever... More »
Last Post: June 6, 2009 3:34 AM by freude09
1998 Cell Phone Holster the Best Choice for Modern PPC/Phone Hybrids?
File this in the "wacky but true" folder... After months of scouring both web and retail stores, evaluating and trying tons of different products, I finally found a suitable holster for my HTC Hermes (aka AT&T 8525). However, I didn't find it at a cell phone store, consumer electronics chain, or specialty web store. And believe it or not, it turns out the best case for my mucho-expensive high-tech modern cell phone would only cost me less than ten bucks on sale. The BucketBoss brand cell phone holster was found merely by chance, tucked away a bin next to screwdrivers and drillbits at a local Menards (a midwest hardware/home improvement chain). The packaging makes it almost too easy to dismiss, given the photo of a construction worker/type person sporting the holster. Based on the phone shown in the photo (looks like a Nokia 5110 or something similar), I'd say this... More »
Last Post: October 7, 2009 9:14 PM by Zach Modis
HP's TouchSmart 2 Announced, Gives iMac a Little Competition as Best Looking All-In-One
Yesterday, HP Announced the successor to the TouchSmart, a touch friendly, kitchen computer released well over a year ago. Boasting an attractive (albeit slightly odd) design and touch capable widescreen LCD monitor, the quasi all-in-one TouchSmart turned out to be great seller for HP. While I have always given iMac props in the all-in-one looks department, HP may just have a cooler looking, sleeker design (only 2.6 inches thick!) with the TouchSmart 2... but your opinion may vary. Not only do I think it looks nicer than the iMac, but it continues to offer the unique, kitchen and family friendly touch screen interface. At 22" you'll need a fairly large size kitchen to put it in, but the innards have been improved enough to warrant placement in any area of the home. Under the hood of both different models in the new lineup, you'll find a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2... More »
Last Post: June 12, 2008 9:57 AM by Peter Redmer
Grand Theft Auto IV - First Impressions
The biggest problem of being a cheapskate gamer is that by the time I get to a game, it's already yesterday's news. I just can't fork out $60 for every good looking new release that comes down the pike (and there are a lot of good looking games these days!). No doubt you'd see more video game reviews here in my blog if I thought I could talk about a game when its still fresh. It often takes months for games to hit the $20 rack. There are those games, however, that force me to bend the rules a bit. New Zelda games are one, but if they continue to be locked to Wiimote wavin' I'll probably pass going forward. I'd easily shell out full price for Fable 2, a game I've been looking forward to for a while (and probably one of the biggest reasons I bought a 360).... More »
Last Post: May 13, 2008 8:12 PM by Benjiman
Matt's Tech Law #3 - E-mail Read Receipts
Another day, another annoyance to complain about. This particular issue isn't related to gadgets, but e-mail is now one of the (if not THE) primary form of communication among individuals, and without technology, it wouldn't be the case. Those in a corporate enviornment have no doubt encountered the e-mail read receipt, and probably send some or all messages requesting one yourself. Home users may not have ever had to deal with them since not all e-mail clients, particularly in the free online services, support them. So what is a read receipt? For those who have never seen one, read receipts are a form of e-mail tracking. Quoth the Wikipedia: "E-mail tracking is useful when the sender wants to know if the intended recipient actually received the e-mail, or if they clicked the links. However, due to the nature of the technology, e-mail tracking cannot be considered an absolutely accurate indicator... More »
Last Post: April 8, 2008 10:50 PM by Brandon C.
Best Buy Prescribes Millions in Gift Cards to Ease HD-DVD Buyers' Pain
If you're one of the millions who didn't heed our warnings about buying into the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war, and ended up making the wrong choice, you may be getting a little medication to help ease your pain. Those who purchased an HD-DVD Player or XBOX-360 add-on drive at Best Buy before February 23, 2008 will automatically receive a $50 gift card good towards anything in the store. "At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers’ frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other," says Brian J. Dunn, president and COO for Best Buy. "Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs." Some may look at the $50 gift cards as a token gesture, considering that HD-DVD playback devices sold between... More »
Last Post: March 19, 2008 2:15 PM by Peter Redmer
M&K Sound Returns!
Months back it was uncovered that premium home and professional speaker manufacturer M&K Sound would be making a return under new ownership... after being closed for over a year. Today, it looks like M&K may be looking to make their return in the near future thanks to a tip by member FIG here in the TechLore Community. mksoundsystem.com went online today, and appears to be M&K Sound's new website. Earlier in the day, the site wasn't there, but several search engine caches had started to reveal quite a bit about what was going on behind the scenes. Most importantly, the new site shows which M&K products the new ownership is bringing back. The lines currently listed include: Most of the classic M&K 150 THX Series S-150THX (main speaker) MP-150 THX (on wall version of the S-150THX) SS-150THX Tripole Surround Speaker MX-250THX (Powerful dual 12" push-pull sub) MX-350THX (Super powerful dual... More »
Last Post: October 20, 2008 10:17 AM by Matt Whitlock
Goodbye Format War - Hello Single Standard
A few months back I gave Toshiba some advice on how HD-DVD could win the format war . Perhaps it was too little, too late, or it was sound advice that fell on deaf ears. Either way, Toshiba has packed up camp and announced it will no longer be manufacturing or marketing HD-DVD players, and ending the long format war once and for all. It's estimated Toshiba sold over one million HD-DVD players and three-hundred thousand personal computers with HD-DVD drives. Painful as it may be for early adopters, there will be no rebates, refunds, or credits toward Blu-Ray devices for anyone that bought in to HD-DVD early. What brought the demise of HD-DVD? Though a full autopsy may be in order to find the detailed answer, I chalk it up to three things: 1. Sony's move to build Blu-Ray playback into the Playstation 3 paid off. Even though the... More »
Last Post: February 21, 2008 3:53 PM by Peter Redmer
120GB Playstation 3 on its way - The PS3 beta program continues
Never in my life have I seen the same computing product get more hardware changes than software updates. Yes, I'm talking about Sony's Playstation 3, a product that is now starting on what can only be described as its third major retail beta program... with a fourth supposedly in the works. According to an Engadget report , Gamestop has done everything but dole out the ISBN numbers on the packaging for the still unconfirmed 120GB Playstation 3. Was 80GB too small for their top tier PS3? No, of course not. It was too small to also be bundled with the new DualShock 3 controller... the controller that should have been bundled with all PS3 models to begin with. Sorry to everyone who bought an 80GB PS3 in the last few weeks. No refunds or exchanges please. Thinking about picking yourself up a new 20, 40, 60, 80, or 120 Gig... More »
Last Post: April 21, 2008 5:43 PM by JOVANNIE MILLAN
Skyfire, You Could Be My Hero
I like a lot of things about the iPhone, but the one thing it does I'm totally jealous of is how it handles mobile web browsing. Practically porting a desktop web browser wasn't only smart, it was brilliant. As of this moment, nothing holds a candle to iPhone's web support... unless what I've seen of Skyfire comes true. I've talked about my AT&T 8525 before, and overall I really like it. Since my upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 , I've liked it even more. However, Microsoft just hasn't been able to deliver a decent mobile web browser. That's right I'll say it, Mobile Internet Explorer bites the big one. I used Mobile IE the day I brought my phone home, and started the hunt for a better mobile browser on day 2. Where did that leave me? First I tried MiniMo .2 , which is a early development mobile browser... More »
Last Post: January 31, 2008 11:27 AM by Peter Redmer
Matt's Tech Law #2 - Headset Etiquette
As we go through life, we learn what is and is not acceptable behavior. Some of these acceptable behaviors are pretty simple to pick up on and will never change. Don't talk behind someone's back, don't leave the toilet seat up (at least so my wife says), don't pass gas in an elevator, and on and on. Simple, right? Perhaps even obvious? However, tech etiquette is still in its infancy, and the rules of acceptable behavior regarding technology aren't always as obvious as we'd like it to be. What's worse... no one ever seems to be on the same page, and sometimes you have to learn new rules the hard way. In fact, I was recently given an etiquette lesson by a friend of mine during this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I've been attached to my Jawbone Bluetooth headset ever since I got it. Keeping my phone... More »
Last Post: February 3, 2008 9:07 AM by Brandon C.
Matt's Tech Law #1 - Who Calls Back When a Call is Lost?
Why is it they make cell phones that can take pictures, shoot video, surf websites, send e-mails, and show PowerPoint presentations, but not reliably make phone calls??? If cell phones really were as reliable as Verizon and AT&T said so, then no one would ever drop a call for seemingly no reason. I've got plenty of bars AT&T! What's funny is that the worst part of dropping a call isn't the fact the call is lost, it's the fact that no one is really sure who's supposed to call back. So what happens? Here's the typical lost call scenario: After a moment or two of talking to nothing, the parties in question realize the call has been dropped. Instinctively, both parties call each other at the same time and end up getting routed to voice mail. Both parties realize the other is trying to call, so decide it's best to... More »
Last Post: January 21, 2008 8:11 AM by Chris Miller
How HD-DVD Could Win the Format War
I've been following the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc since the days when each was on the drawing board. For the record, I'm not choosing sides in this debate, nor am I recommending that anyone buy into either option. Each format brings HD quality movies and advanced playback features to the table. In my mind, that makes them both good. However, mass adoption of either simply won't happen until one of two things occurs: One camp drops out of the race. The stalemate draws on long enough that the ability to play back both formats is included in every playback device. Simply put; a tie. While a handful of hardware makers not entrenched in one camp or another have done this (namely LGs Super Blu players ... "Super" meaning "super expensive"), the Toshiba's and Sony's of the world don't seem likely to build in support for their rivals... More »
Last Post: January 17, 2009 7:17 PM by Dukah
Find Great Deals on This Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is the Black Friday of online shopping. The Thanksgiving holiday is over, the mad rush to pick up bargains at stores the day after and over the weekend has passed, and everyone is back to work. Online retailers know their day is Monday, and it's the best day of the year to find super deals on just about anything... especially tech products. The brick-and-mortar dealers like Circuit City and Best Buy have their websites primed with deals, and the major online folks like NewEgg, J&R, and Amazon are offering deep discounts on the hottest tech. If you missed the Black Friday rush, or didn't get everything you wanted, some crazy deals are still to be had. Hop over to the TechLore Holiday Guide for complete coverage of Cyber Monday , with links to online retailers offering some of the best prices you'll find all year. More »
The Black Friday Survival Guide - 12 'Must Know' Tips For the Black Friday Shopper
You’ve seen the ads, heard the hype, and have found some Black Friday deals too good to pass up. If you’ve decided to take the early Friday morning plunge after your scrumptious Thanksgiving meal, you’ll need to do a little prep work. After all, Black Friday shopping isn’t like your average trip to the mall. It’s more like a competition… you versus every other deal seeker in the area. The experienced Black Friday shopper knows the routine: forget about sleep the night before, find a warm coat, grab some coffee, pick up the baseball bat, realize you’re going shopping and put down the baseball bat, get in the car, and get in line. It seems simple enough, but the Black Friday experience can be overwhelming to the long line newcomer. Whether new or experienced, I’ve come up with 10 Black Friday tips to help everyone prepare for their shopping adventure,... More »
HTC and AT&T Release Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade for 8525
AT&T has been promising a free upgrade to 8525 owners for quite some time. The wait has been painful for most, causing upheaval and endless complaining in the AT&T user forums. The elusive update, originally promised to be in Q3, seemed like it would never hit. It may not be Q3 anymore, but 8525 owners should still rejoice. HTC made the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade available for download on their site this morning, ending the wait once and for all. 8525 owners can get upgrade instructions and the download here . AT&T and HTC (oddly) are only offering the upgrade between today and February 1, 2008... because that's just the consumer friendly thing to do I guess (thanks to AT&T for making me wish I switched to Sprint just that tiny bit more). 8525 owners should save the download in a safe place in case they need to use it... More »
Last Post: July 1, 2009 7:16 PM by Flacy
Crazy Tech Project: The $25 Garage Entertainment System - Part 3
At the end of part 2 , I had just finished hunting down and grabbing the major pieces for the $25 Garage Entertainment System. With a few twists here and there, including the addition of a dedicated Media PC for the garage thanks to a "free" find at a yard sale, the $25 Garage Entertainement System was finally starting to come together. If you haven't yet read parts 1 or 2, go check that out before you continue: Part 1: http://www.techlore.com/blog/entry/19541/Crazy-Tech-Project--The--25-Garage-E... Part 2: http://www.techlore.com/blog/entry/19580/Crazy-Tech-Project--The--25-Garage-E... After tacking on a few of the extra things I needed (like a mouse, keyboard, and some cables), was I within budget? Let's see: Reciever (garage sale) - $7 Speakers (garage sale) - $8 Media Computer (sidewalk) - Free Monitor (garage sale) - $1 AM/FM Tuner (garage sale) - $2 Terk Powered Antenna (garage sale) - $.50 Belkin Wireless Network Card (friend) - Free 25 ft.... More »
Last Post: December 11, 2007 6:24 PM by techlore101
Crazy Tech Project: The $25 Garage Entertainment System - Part 2
At the end of part 1 , I had just finished scoping what would inevitably be the $25 Garage Entertainment system, quite a challenge given the requirements I decided on. If you haven't yet read part 1, go check that out before you continue: http://www.techlore.com/blog/entry/19... Part 2 - Finding the Gear Given the restrictions in place, the only real choice for aquiring my goods was to mooch off friends and family or hit garage sales. Considering most of my friends and family don't have the things I need (none of them are real tech pack-rats) garage sales would be my only choice. I knew up front the speakers and receiver would be the hard parts to come by, and probably suck up most of my budget, so I figured the best deals would be had at garage sales. Note to anyone who wants to try this at home, it took... More »
Last Post: August 9, 2008 5:33 PM by monarch
Crazy Tech Project: The $25 Garage Entertainment System - Part 1
I mentioned long ago that when I get bored, I do some crazy things. The latest in my (what my better half calls "crazy") tech projects was to solve one of my home's deficiencies... no entertainment in the garage. Seriously, for the common man the garage is a temple. It's a place where guys go to be guys, and do things like work on cars, watch the game, play darts, smoke cigars, and any number of other things. In our case as townhome dwellers, it's a common area for lots of other things, like when we light up the outdoor fireplace in the driveway with the neighbors or even do a cookout and eat outside. Long ago, the lady thought it would be neat to have some music in the garage. So, to keep things simple, I started with a CD player and set of portable speakers. Yeah, it worked,... More »
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