Xmarks Plugin Now Available for Android Dolphin Browser

Xmarks is a cross-platform bookmark synchronization service that lets you make sure you ensure you have the same bookmarks on your home and work PC. It supports Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. The basic service is free, but for $12 per year you can upgrade to a Pro account which also lets you … Read more

The Year in Review

As the year winds down, it’s only natural for us to reflect back. And I’d like to think my early thoughts from CES 2010, captured on video (above), mostly panned out.

Despite industry hopes, it seems that the majority of my peers aren’t that fired up over 3D TV. While many have acquired 3D capabilities through HDTV or Blu-ray player upgrades, I’m not aware of anyone buying in specifically for that reason. Nor am I aware of any catching 3D content on any sort of frequent or even regular basis. As for me, my interest level remains close to zero. We’ll be picking  up a new HDTV (50″ – 55″ range) in the next month or so and I’ll actively seek out non-3D models as a way to save a few bucks.

Tablet-esque products gained considerable momentum in 2010, led by the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad. Of course, these sorts of devices aren’t new. But the lightweight OS-es and custom UIs combined with favorable pricing, are — and what pushed this product category into the mainstream.

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Skype for iPhone Now Supports Video

Skype has launched an updated app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad that  supports Skype to Skype video calls over WiFi and 3G. You can use the new app to make calls to other Skype users on an iOS device, or anyone using the desktop version of Skype. Sure, you could already use Fring, Tango, or Apple’s FaceTime … Read more

A Big 2011 for Jinni?

We’ve been following the Jinni content recommendation service for nearly two years, beginning with Davis’ glowing review. Based on their 2011 goals below, they obviously intend to break free of the web browser: JinniTV – a new guide which will enable online users to enjoy the Jinni experience through remote-control access to their connected living … Read more

Google’s New Android Music App Leaked

Google is expected to launch a major (and long overdue) update to the music player bundled with Android. Eventually the app will allow users to browse for music stored on a PC using their device, and transfer music purchases made on the web to their mobile device seamlessly. Those features aren’t available yet, but a member … Read more

This Old House: Fiber Arrives

If you recall, we recently picked up a new (old) house and our plate is full of projects – including some relevant to a digital media blog. So, on with the story… I’ve continued to make progress removing and recycling speaker and aerial antenna wire as I encounter it. There’s no way I’ll extricate it all, and … Read more

SoundHound’s Free App Identifies Unlimited Songs

SoundHound‘s mobile apps let you identify music with your phone. Hear a song on the radio and want to know who sings it? Just fire up the SoundHound app, hold your phone up to the music, and within a few seconds, the app should have an ID for you. It’s pretty awesome, especially for a … Read more

The Gadget Christmas That Was and Wasn’t

Christmas gadgets 2010

For several years I’ve run a gadget postmortem after our annual Christmas extravaganza. 2010 is no different, except that the gadget volume is noticeably lower. Here’s the tally:

I’ve had little hands-on time with any of these gifts yet, particularly as my car radio has to be installed before I can use it. However, I can report some initial impressions. My father, a self-professed Microsoft fanboy, is wildly excited about his LG Quantum C900 Windows Phone 7. I’m planning to play around with it later today, but for the few moments I held on to it, I have to say I was impressed with its lightning-fast response times. That’s either a testament to the LG phone, or to the comparative lagginess of my aging Droid Eris. My brother, on the other hand, was not terribly enthusiastic about his Samsung Captivate. A variant of the Galaxy S line, the Captivate is possibly the best Android option currently available on AT&T. Unfortunately, it only has a soft keyboard, battery life is lacking, and my brother found integration with his primary Google apps to be maddening. He’s keeping the phone, with the hope it will grow on him.

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