Switched On: Slacker in your slacks (Part 2)

Filed under: Portable Audio

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.



Last Switched On introduced the Slacker Portable, a device that is as noteworthy for great value in bringing a steady stream and great variety of free music -- including on-demand favorites from those with a premium subscription -- as it is for its design quirks.

None of these are as frustrating as the device's touch strip used to provide quicker access to on-screen selections. Unlike the touch strips on older Creative Zen models, it uses absolute positioning that activates the button at that part of the screen. Unfortunately, this means that stray touches can cause the interface to jump from screen to screen and even skip tracks. The Slacker team may have considered the touch strip a compromise for a device without a touch screen, but at some point realized that their implementation wasn't up to the task. Slacker turns the touch strip off by default, and it will need a major overhaul to prove useful in future players. Fortunately, the jog dial Slacker includes is almost as efficient.

Other controls fare better as they represent hardware counterparts. The device's left side has a Favorite button (which designates that a track be played more often) and a Ban button (that prevents it from being played again in the future); its right side has the Skip button, which Slacker sees as a key differentiator from satellite radio. Most station management tasks, such as creating a new station or designating which stations show up on the device, need to be done from the Slacker site or desktop application.

The sides of the device are already control-heavy, but the Portable could take a cue from decades of terrestrial and satellite radio receivers that provide quick-access buttons for favorite stations. Using the Slacker Web site or desktop software, stations can be fine-tuned to designate how stylistically far from the target genre they'd like to go, or how mainstream versus obscure they'd like the music to be.

All in all, if you are the type who gushes over Apple's elegant designs to the point where core functionality is a bonus, the Slacker Portable's smooth plastic exterior, rubber port covers and starkly angled lower back probably won't excite you. Much like the similarly faceted Amazon Kindle, the Slacker Portable is all about its content, and the Slacker service is a great value. Even the entry-level $199 product holds 15 stations -- days of music that can be listened to practically anywhere without the hassle of playlist crafting.

Unlike the Amazon Kindle and Dash Express, the Slacker Portable relies on inexpensive WiFi connections to refill its stations. A recent firmware update added support for DeviceScape's software, which allows the Portable to top off at T-Mobile and AT&T / Wayport hotspots. The Slacker story will become even more compelling when the company releases its car satellite kit, which will refill the device via satellite at a fraction of the infrastructure cost incurred by XM and Sirius (or the two's combined entity, should the FCC approve their merger with favorable conditions). Just like satellite radio, consumers will encounter old favorites and new discoveries, and six skips per hour combined with multiple customized stations ensure that most listeners won't have to tolerate many songs they don't like.

Juxtaposing the Slacker Portable's solid service and uneven hardware, it's clear that the iPhone or iPod touch would be a promising platform for Slacker listeners. Apple's emerging mobile platforms exceed Slacker's hardware in nearly every respect except entry price point. There would be much ground to cover between Apple allowing such a service with its SDK and Slacker deciding to pursue such development. Even today, though, the Slacker Portable provides a welcome change for those times when an MP3 player's familiarity has bred contempt.

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Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group,. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

 

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Psystar site goes down under load, Apple lawyers seen shopping for BMWs

Filed under: Desktops

Psystar's offer to build off-license OSx86 OpenMac clones was apparently pretty popular -- we saw a note from the company saying it was trying hard to cope with the rush of traffic, but it looks like things got overwhelming, and the site is now unavailable. People are speculating that Apple already shut things down, but that's pretty unlikely: nothing on the Psystar site infringed any of Apple's IP (as far as we can recall) and the company hadn't actually sold anything yet, which means there isn't much of anything for Apple to go to court over. On top of that, we doubt that Psystar wasn't expecting to attract Apple's attention, so we don't think a cease and desist letter would scare the company into shutting things completely down. Of course, we're still willing to bet that Apple's legal team is licking their chops in anticipation of something actionable happening, but we'd say the most interesting thing about this so far is the incredible amount of attention a low-cost expandable minitower running OS X has gotten -- maybe someone at Apple apart from the lawyers should be taking notes as well.

Update: They're back! They've changed the name to "Open Computer," which should totally throw off Apple's lawyers. Or... probably won't.

 

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Nintendo's DS Lite doubles as MIDI sequencer (again)

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio

Nintendo's DS Lite tends to find itself intertwined in obscure MIDI projects fairly often, so it's no shock to see yet another enterprise linking the handheld to some fairly swank beats. By utilizing a homegrown DS MIDI apparatus along with dSTAR sequencer software, the DS Lite is able to transform into quite the potent little step sequencer. Of course, anything musically-related digests easier with video, so jump on past the break for a lengthy demonstration (and peep the read link if you're eager to replicate).

[Via MAKE]

 

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Super Genintari project is finished and ready to make you envious

Filed under: Gaming

 

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Panasonic launches 64GB P2 card, AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Now that you're already penning a purchase requisition for one of those fancy new P2 HD camcorders, you might as well toss a couple of Panny's new 64GB P2 cards (model AJ-P2C064) and its AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter on there, too. Yep, Panasonic has chosen NAB Show 2008 to double up on its current 32GB P2 card and to introduce a five-slot P2 memory drive with an ExpressCard interface. Put simply, the latter can hold all five cards from a fully-loaded VariCam 2700 / 3700 camcorder (or any other P2 rig) and give users the ability to upload content on the go with their ExpressCard-equipped laptop. Regrettably, the company didn't bother doling out dollar figures just yet, but we'd go ahead and file 'em both under "expensive."

[Via I4U News]

 

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OHM Cycles rolls out new line of electric-assist hybrid bicycles

Filed under: Transportation

 

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iriver's W7 portable media player gets reviewed

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Yeah, we had our fun just toying with the W7 at iriver's CES booth earlier this year, but the lucky souls at Pocketables were able to secure one long enough to write up a full-blown review. Straight out of the packaging, critics found the design to be attractive enough, albeit a tad chunky; particularly with this device, we'd say opinions on sexiness will vary widely depending on what floats your boat. Nevertheless, reviewers found the touch panel easy enough to navigate, and thankfully, the perceived audio quality was dubbed "great." Those interested in the video capabilities will be delighted to know that all was well on that front too, as the slew of welcome extras (FM tuner, text viewer, e-dictionary, etc.) were all praised. Now, if only this critter would show up in America, we'd have yet another solid choice when it comes to pocket-friendly media players.

[Thanks, Jenn]

 

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RED unveils Scarlet mini camcorder

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV

RED just unleashed its promised Scarlet "pocket professional" camera at NAB 2008, and it's certainly a sight to see. The teensy 3K resolution camcorder is based on a 2 / 3-inch Mysterium X sensor, can shoot at 1 to 120 FPS and records to dual CompactFlash cards, which can handle up to 100MB per second of REDCODE RAW HD video. You can preview your shot on the 4.8-inch LCD, and there's a 8x RED zoom lens included. HMDI, HD-SDI, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 inputs are built in, and the device is compatible with "many" RED ONE accessories. WiFi control is also included. In typical RED fashion, the only promises about the final product is that "specifications, delivery dates and design are subject to change... count on it," but this is certainly a good start. No pre-orders are being accepted at this time, but the price is purportedly to going to be a bit under $3,000, and the release is slated for early 2009.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

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Vtech's IS6110 cordless phone touts QWERTY keypad, IM capability

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

No need to bust out one of those newfangled smartphones to get your handset-based chat on -- oh no, baby boomers and their offspring can now handle IM conversations via a landline telephone. You heard right, Vtech is getting all extraordinary on us today with the industry's first instant messaging cordless phone, and sure enough, the DECT 6.0 IS6110 features a full-fledged QWERTY keypad to keep those thumbs happy. All that's required is that the phone's base station be connected via USB to a PC, after which users can have free access to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. What better way to gently introduce your mother (hint, hint) to this millennium than by dropping $99.95 on this?

 

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