The VAIO SZ6 series is a relatively new addition to Sony’s notebook line. I picked up the VGN-SZ650N/C model, which features a 13.3" screen, carbon fiber casing, long battery life, dual graphics cards, and a hybrid hard drive with 256mb of built-in flash memory. Looks good so far, but how does it perform?
We’ve all heard horror stories about Comcast and, let’s face it, every large corporation has its share of dismal customer service experiences from time to time.
The problem with Comcast, some would argue, is that it’s often the only choice for many people. Take me, for example. Next week, I’ll be moving into an apartment in an area of Boston where Comcast is the only cable provider I can use. I can’t get DirecTV or DISH because doing so requires the mounting of a satellite dish which, in turn requires permission from my landlord, who (understandably) doesn’t want an unsightly saucer hanging off the side of his building.
That’s gonna leave a mark. Apparently Vonage infringed upon six of Sprint Nextel’s patents, which is a big, expensive no-no. Sprint will receive $69.5 million plus 5 percent of Vonage’s future revenue.
Earlier this year, Vonage lost a cool $58 million, plus 5.5% future royalties to Verizon. That now seems somewhat tame. All told, that brings the grand total to $127.5 million plus 10.5% of all future revenue that Vonage is going to have to dish out. Guess who might be picking up some or all of that bill? Vonage customers.
I can’t really shred anymore. I sold my Gibson axe after I finished college and figured out that unless you’re really talented, being in a post-graduate band isn’t even a little bit cool. But maybe one day I’ll throw in a copy of Six String Samurai and get motivated to start playing again.
If I do, I’ll surely need one of these headphone amps while I work on my killer fret work. They come in three different sounds and include an auxiliary input so’s I can jam out to some Slave to the Traffic Light and work on my sweet solos. The included AAA batteries will fetch me 15 hours of jam-time, which should be all that I need until I give up and sell the guitar.
They cost 35 British Pounds or roughly $70 American.
Headphone Guitar Amplifiers [voxamps.co.uk] via Boing Boing Gadgets
Google Docs & Spreadsheets competitor Office 2008 For Mac received pricing today. There are three versions, all of which require installation onto your Mac’s hard drive. The standard version features Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Entourage and, at $399, will cost $399 more than Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
I can’t tell which one I like most; the fact that this guy rigged a leaf blower motor up to his bike, the fact that he found the leaf blower on the side of the road, or his quasi-amusing accent. Hell, I don’t need to choose — they’re all good!
83 Miles To The Gallon [Metacafe]
It’s recently been announced that Sling Media (makers of the Slingbox) has been purchased by EchoStar, parent company of DISH Network.
EchoStar was an early investor in Sling Media and will leverage the technology to "offer innovative and convenient ways for [DISH] customers to enjoy their programming on more displays and locations."
This could be cool. Imagine your satellite converter box doubling as a Slingbox. Now if only DISH could wrestle all the NFL games away from DirecTV, lower the price of the Sunday Ticket package, and let us sling the games all over the place.
EchoStar Announces Agreement to Acquire Sling Media, Inc. [Zatz Not Funny!]
Long Zheng of istartedsomething.com is mad. So am I, although not quite about the same thing. Zheng is brassed off that the Windows Ultimate team hasn’t delivered DreamScene (basically, the ability to use a video file as your desktop background) and 20 language packs by the end of summer like it promised.
I’m mad about the whole "end of summer" thing in general. Consumers hear in April or May that something’s coming out by the end of summer and we think "oh great, end of August at the latest" while those who make the announcements sleep easy knowing that technically they have until 3/4 of the way through September (if they decide to release the product at all).
Howsabout a firm date from now on or at least a range of dates, preferably less than a month? Summer’s over and I have no Slacker Portable, no Palm Foleo (never will have one), and poor Long Zheng is missing some of his Windows Ultimate Extras.
Readers, a question. Have you been waiting for something to come out at a certain date that either never came out or got delayed so far past the promised launch date that you gave up altogether? What is/was the product?
The Ultimate con [istartedsomething.com]
The fourth-largest IT company in the world is about to get a whole lot bigger, especially here in the US. Here’s a look at what we can expect to see over the next year or so from Acer.
Until recently, Korea’s SK Telecom had been going halvsies with Earthlink on the popular Helio MVNO mobile service but recently increased its stake in the company thanks to a $270 million injection of additional working capital.
Earthlink declined to match SK’s investment but remains content that "Helio will be able to move forward with its innovative business plan." Plus, the resulting 3% increase to Earthlink’s stock turned out to be a nice little bonus.
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