NY Times Rips Vulkano A New Caldera

The New York Times took a look at the multifunction Vulkano digital media device … and the results are not pretty. Some of the review lowlights: “it’s a train wreck” “head-banging limitations” “so many problems” “recruited as a paying beta tester” Basically, “the Vulkano box is nowhere near ready for prime time” Devastating!

Of course, I’m not entirely surprised having had a unit in my possession a few weeks. I’ve held off formally evaluating the loaner Vulkano while awaiting some significant software improvements. One update was pushed out last week and I’m told “radically” improved firmware should be available soon. As it currently stands, when I last looked, folks merely looking to placeshift their home TV programming to various desktop and mobile platforms probably won’t be disappointed. But those interested in the Vulkano’s additional features (recording, apps, etc) will want to wait on making a purchase until Monsoon improves the situation.

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Justin.tv Adds Live iPhone Video Broadcasting

Justin.tv has launched a new version of its iPhone app with support for broadcasting live video from an iPhone. Up until now you could only use the company’s iOS app to watch live streams broadcast by other Justin.tv users. The company launched an Android app for broadcasting live video a few weeks ago, and the iPhone version … Read more

DC Rider App Helps You Catch the Train, More Zs

It’s a weeknight. You’re at happy hour when suddenly your internal “I’m too old to be up this late on a school night” alarm goes off. So you say your goodbyes and head to the metro to make your way home. Except you get there just in time to see the train pull away from the platform dooming you to a 20 minute wait. 19 minutes later your friends show up from the bar and get on the same train you do. It’s only 20 minutes wasted, but it’s the principle of the thing. It’s not fair they’re going to get home at the same time you are.

Apps like the Washington Post’s DC Rider are doing what they can to eliminate this minor injustice for Washingtonians. Provided you have a smartphone, of course.

The DC Rider iPhone app layout is simple enough. You’re presented with the standard DC Metro map. Touching a station brings up a webpage inside the app with the arrival times for that station updated in real time.

What the app does isn’t particularly groundbreaking – it’s pulling information directly from WMATA’s website – but it’s free and more efficient than their mobile page which isn’t very user friendly. The app also comes with a few interesting bonuses.

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Plex on iPad Impressive, but Imperfect

Plex is a media center application for Mac based on XBMC. The latest version, called Plex/Nine for the Mac was released this week, and in addition to the desktop software there’s also a new iOS app. The mobile app promises to act as a remote control for your desktop as well as a way to watch … Read more

Will Gadgets & Apps Take Energy Management Mainstream?

The Kill A Watt is a green-geek favorite, but it’s also one of the few gadgets over the years to make it off the stumbling block in home energy management. Despite general support for greener living, the consumer market for energy management tools hasn’t taken off. High costs and difficulties in accessing utility data have … Read more

Windows Phone 7 Browser On Par with Android, iOS

Microsoft is breaking the mold, throwing it out the window and running it over with a car with its upcoming mobile operating system. If you need any evidence that Windows Mobile 6.5 isn’t all that different versions of Windows CE that were released nearly 10 years ago, all you need to do is check out … Read more

Do We Really Need TV Check-In Tweets & Badges?

I’m all for television content discovery, and what better source of recommendations than my friends. But I don’t find the recent trend of augmenting my social stream, and/or introducing another, with TV show check-ins and badges via iPhone and Android devices to be very compelling. Am I just an old fuddy-duddy? Some of the recent … Read more

CineXPlayer, Put Through the Wringer

CineXPlayer was released last week for iPad to much fanfare because it’s the first app featuring Xvid playback on the Apple tablet. People were amazed that Apple would allow a video player that plays more than the handful of Apple-approved file formats, but what was missed was the low quality of the application itself. The video … Read more