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Macworld 2008 hopes and dreams
37“There’s something in the air” for this year’s Macworld (and yes, it’s probably in some part eau de fanboi), and people are starting to speculate on what His Mighty Steveness will announce. Will it be a sub-notebook? (I hope so) Perhaps a higher-capacity, Widgets-compatible iPhone, along with the SDK? Maybe even a 3G version? Sure, that seems possible. WiMax-enabled laptops? Highly doubtful.
What do you think is coming? Any surprises you think they’ll throw in this year? Rumors you want to smash? And how annoying is it that Macworld and CES are overlapping once again in 2009 (curse you!!!)?
I’ll be there tomorrow on the show floor, checking out all the fun new toys. See you then!
iHome2Go OutLoud speaker dock
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I’ve had my iPhone rebate burning a hole in my pocket for some time now, so I decided it was time to head on down to the Apple Store to pick up a little present for myself. I’ve been meaning to buy a speaker dock for a while, because I wanted an easy way to play music off my iPhone away from my existing setup in the office.
Yes, I know that technically you’re not supposed to use iPhones with standard iPod accessories, but it works just the same. If you can tolerate the occasional interference from the phone, that is (“deet deet deeedeeedee deeet!”). Anyhow, after a little poking around, I found this iHome2Go OutLoud dock. So far, so good! You can use it with only one cube, or both for stereo sound. The sound is very good, impressive considering the terrible acoustics in the apartment (and especially the totally square bedroom… major phase cancellation issues).
It comes with a tiny little remote, which is always nice, and it has line-in. We’re probably going to set it up for with the Squeezebox that I’ve been wanting to use for a while now. What I like best about the OutLoud is the design — all the other players had about ten different knobs and buttons on them. Yes, this may not have a clock radio built in, but that’s not what I needed it for. I already have an alarm clock, and I hate the radio. Three buttons are enough for me. Well, I’ve only had it for a night, so hopefully nothing will go wrong to shatter my good impression in the near future!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday
24Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we all know what that means… It’s time for another Black Friday! Ah yes. The biggest shopping day of the year. Parents get up at the crack of dawn to race each other to Best Buy, Toys ‘R Us, Target, where ever, to get the presents that their kids want more than anything. Eyes will be gouged out, toes will be stepped on, and hair will be unceremoniously pulled from scalps.
It’s a very pleasant American holiday, trust me.
Naturally, it’s a big time of year for those of us in the tech industry. It’s also interesting to see what kind of deals various companies pull out of their behinds to make their product the Tickle Me Elmo of the tech enthusiast crowd. But what I’m trying to figure out is what the heck I want for Christmas! My family is giving money to Heifer International this year, but I still might get a little something-something for myself. Other than the gaming PC (which is a project in the works, for sure), I can’t really think of anything I need (or want).
What are the top presents you’re hoping to get this year? What are you buying for your family and friends? Is it mostly tech, or are you going another route? Are you going to wait for Cyber Monday, and buy everything online?
Brakes put on the Palm Foleo
17Engadget is reporting that Palm has folded on the Foleo, and I just wanted to throw in my $0.02 and say “Good for you, Palm!” I was vocally opposed to the device in the past (the only time I can recall ever devoting an entire post to a device I openly mocked) and I’m glad that they’re giving it the ‘ol heave-ho.
Makes me wonder what other devices made it to market that should have never seen the light of day. There have been some products out there that have left me scratching my head, but what are your favorites?
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Now playing: The Stills – Love & Death
via FoxyTunes