Palm’s next webOS and the smartphone market: The Bottom Line
The next version of Palm's webOS is expected later this week. Brad Linder joins us on the Bottom Line to talk about the smartphone market and if this next iteration of the webOS will make dent.
Bill Gates is everywhere online: The Bottom Line
Grant Bell and Brad Linder join us on The Bottom Line to take a look at Bill Gates' recent push to increase his online presence. With a new Twitter page and a new site at TheGatesNotes.com, Gates is more public than ever.
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Google netbook running Chrome OS coming?
There are rumors that Google is working on a netbook running their Chrome OS operating system. We talk about why they would do this and what this means with guest Brad Linder from Liliputing.
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- Brad Linder , Liliputing
Windows 7: Battery killer?
We're talking with Brad Linder from Liliputing, who reports he, and a few other notable names in the netbook space, have had issues with Windows 7 knocking a fraction of battery life off of Intel Atom-based netbooks. He reports the difference is usually 30-60 minutes, so on some longer-lasting netbooks it wouldn't be as noticeable, but on shorter-leashed sub-notebooks, the difference will be more apparent. Check out the show as Brad explains the situation.
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Nokia’s pricey netbook heads to BestBuy, but will anyone buy?
Nokia's new $800 netbook is heading to BestBuy. The pricey machine doesn't have all the features that some of its less expensive competitors have, making its $800 price tag sort of a head scratcher. Who should buy it, and how much should it really cost? We talk to Erica Ogg of CNET, and Brad Linder of Liliputing who try to break down Nokia's netbook.
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PS3 slim: Is it worth $299?
As we've been expecting, Sony finally did the right thing and unveiled the PS3 slim today. Notable upgrades include a more capacious 120GB hard drive, and well, it's slimmer in both physical size and power consumption. But, now that it's on par with the Xbox 360, do you expect the blu-ray equipped game console to make an upcoming appearance in your AV Rack? We talk to Brad Linder from Liliputing, and Iyaz Akhtar from Gadgetell about the new console, and the jury is still out. Brad's not sure he'd ever get one to begin with, and the $299 price hasn't changed that. On the other hand, Iyaz already has a PS3 (which we'll call PS3 HUGE from now on) and he thinks the cheaper price might win over those last few home theater aficionados who hadn't already gone Blu.
To PS3 or not to PS3: That is the question. Sound off in the comments, and let us know your take.
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An Apple tablet: Coming soon or are the rumors out of touch?
Apple's long-rumored tablet is like Bigfoot– except for some speculation and rumors from people who are "familiar with the situation," we're not sure if it really exists, or if it's just a dream of an Apple-crazed tech media establishment. Either way, the Financial Times' report of the new rumor as essentially something as a done deal is a new twist in the saga, but what's the chances we'll see it in September? We bring in Pocket-Lint's Stuart Miles and Liliputing's Brad Linder to size up the situation.
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Chrome OS: Will it succeed?
We talked earlier to Stephen Shankland about the basics of the upcoming OS, but now we want to know the inevitable question: Will it succeed? We talk to Brad Linder, who covers netbooks at Liliputing, and Brian Tong of CNET.
Brad doesn't exactly consider this a slam dunk. He cites the problems inherent in the early days of netbooks, when none of the machines ran Windows. People often wanted what they were used to, and with an unfamiliar operating system, many people were less than excited about the prospect of running Linux.
Brian isn't sold either. Chrome OS expects users to use exclusively web based applications, but what about when an internet connection goes south? After the show Brian noted that Google Gears exists for these scenarios, but that isn't bullet proof either. He much prefers the stability and reliability of a traditional notebook OS feel rather than the promise of a web specific OS.
What's your take? Are you excited about Chrome OS and the future promise that it holds? Sound off in the comments and make your voice be heard.
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The New York Times tries a new approach, plus why Wolfram Alpha is interesting
The New York Times has launched a new application for reading the paper's content in a standalone application. While the hype train behind the death of newspapers has been going in full force since the start of the economic downturn late last year, this new initiative has been going for a few years though the refreshed interface makes it a much more attractive offering. Will people be into using it, and should you give it a shot? We ask Brad Linder, writer for Download Squad and Liliputing, as well as Frederic Lardinois of ReadWriteWeb about the new program. Both feel like it's a beautiful program that's worth trying out, but since beyond national headlines, which are free, the $4 pricetag (per week, mind you) is extremely prohibitive for most users, relegating this to a niche service at best. Neither Brad nor Frederic, given their internet-enriched natures, will be plopping down the cash or using it on a daily basis, but it's worth trying out.
Also in the news, next Monday marks the launch of a new "knowledge engine" called Wolfram Alpha. Unlike search engines, this service doesn't necessarily aim to provide links to useful online pages, but instead hopes to answer basic data specific questions with an informed response. Many in the tech community had, in our view, erroneously, labeled Wolfram Alpha as a Google killer, but Frederic, who's had hands on time with the service, says that simply isn't the case. Wolfram Alpha, he says, is more akin to an ecosystem, like Twitter, that doesn't necessarily rely on its use of the website to be useful. Brad, on the same page, thinks it'll be an interesting technology that will integrate well with other sites, rather than becoming a destination site like Yahoo or Google.
What's your take? Are you waiting for a new way to search, or is Google good enough? Also, would you ever pay for news, let alone in a standalone application? Is there any content you'd pay for online at all? Sound off in the comments, or leave a response video on our YouTube Channel.
Adobe brings Flash to TV and Mobile video launches in DC
Adobe has long been seen as the market leader in video on the web, with its Flash player seeing such a large install base. Now, Adobe is looking to bring Flash support to TVs and set-top-boxes, initially bringing widgets for displaying data like stocks or weather info, similar to the Yahoo Widget Engine implementation on some Sony TVs. It seems to me that this might be the first volley by Adobe at shoehorning itself into as many devices as possible, making Flash a defacto standard for video both on the web and on TV. One of our guests, Brad Linder of Liliputing, sees it as purely the way Adobe has sold it, since TVs already have enough TV content, and content providers are scared of splitting their broadcast revenues. On the other hand, as Brian Heater of PC Mag points out, Adobe has signed some notable content partners, including Disney, which might make an interesting match for on-demand content.
Also on the show, and in the TV world, Washington, D.C. has become the first city to roll out the new mobile DTV standard for broadcasting. The new service, unlike other subscription services from cell carriers, is free to watch and doesn't use data networks of any sort. That's great and everything, but mobile TV isn't exactly new, nor is it a high demand feature for our panel. Do you think you'd like mobile video? Or is it a product in search of a market?