The current channels will include: blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3 and TWiT. More channels will be available here shortly.


The channels require you to authenticate with the service provider – you don’t enter any passwords on the Roku box, at least in most cases – and will eventually allow protected and pay-per-view access to channel providers. Roku spokesperson, Brian Jaquet, also mentioned at some providers could protect their content behind a hidden pay wall, like Netflix, and offer delightful content like distance learning and pornography. While both of those are self explanatory, it behooves us to note both modes of content are the interface between or among two or more individuals centered on a shared goal.

He said:

While the Roku Channel Store won’t distribute porn publicly, there are some hidden channel features whereby partners can make a channel available using a code. This could be used for things like distribution to vertical markets like education and training videos that can be pushed to private groups for viewing on the TV on demand instead of having to set up a satellite feed or send DVDs.

The upgrade will hit in the next two weeks and will work on all Roku boxes including the SD, HD, and HD-XR.

How does it work? I tried the Facebook was request a token from Facebook for login. You then typed the token into the Roku box and all of your photo albums appeared on the browser, available for playback in whatever resolution you uploaded.

Roku Creates Open Platform for Delivery of Content to the TV; Announces 10 New Content Channels

Blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3 and TWiT all now available on the Roku player

Saratoga, Calif. – November 23, 2009 – Roku, Inc., maker of the popular and award-winning family of Roku players, announced today the Roku Channel Store and the addition of 10 new FREE channels for Roku customers to enjoy on their TVs. From internet audio to video podcasts; professional web content to photo sharing; personal video content to children’s entertainment, the Roku Channel Store provides an open platform for delivering quality content to the TV. The new channels now available for customers to add to their Roku experience via the Roku Channel Store include: blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3 and TWiT. For a complete list of channels and specific channel descriptions and features, please go to www.roku.com/channelstore.

“Our customers now have more choice in content and even greater control over their Roku player experience with the introduction of the Roku Channel Store and our 10 new content partners,” said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc. “The Roku Channel Store already includes a robust offering of content that will appeal to a wide variety of customer tastes, which in turn will open new customer acquisition avenues for Roku. Because we have created an open platform for development, customers can expect even more new content channels in the near future making the Roku player an even more valuable component of a customers’ home entertainment system.”

To access the Roku Channel Store and subsequently add or remove channels from the home screen, customers will need to create a Roku account. With a Roku account, customers now also have the ability to manage their channels and personalize their entertainment options in a way that has not been possible before. Roku customers can add as many channels as they want. Conversely they can also remove all channels that do not interest them, leaving only the channel or channels they access on a regular basis. And because it is a channel store, new channels will arrive all the time for customers to consider.

All Roku players, including the Roku SD, Roku HD and Roku HD-XR, are compatible with the Roku Channel Store. Our flagship content partners, Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Video On Demand and MLB.TV, will continue to be available to existing customers regardless of whether or not they set up a Roku account. However, in order to browse the Roku Channel Store and add and remove channels from the Roku player, customers first must create a Roku account.

Pricing and availability
The Roku Channel Store will be delivered as an automatic and free upgrade to all existing Roku customers over the course of the next two weeks. New customers will automatically be upgraded when they first install their Roku player. To browse and use the Roku Channel Store, existing customers will be prompted to create a Roku account. Existing customers who do not want to wait for their Roku player to update automatically can manually update their Roku player immediately. Detailed instructions can be found in the Help section of Roku’s website under the Roku Channel Store tab at http://www.roku.com/support/faqs.

I’ve never heard of Waterfall Audio before. I think they qualify for one of my rules in the audio world though: if you’ve never heard of an audio company and they cost more than products from a familiar brand, it’s probably good stuff. Apparently the company made a name for itself a few years ago with a glass-enclosed speaker line. Who knew.

The latest speaker line, Serio, keeps the glass theme alive, but manages to shrink the package down to a satellite-style size. Too bad all that glass and square lines scream the ’90s.

I’m sure they are fantastic speakers. They better be for the price: $5,549 for a 5.1 system which includes a HighForce sub, $1,799 for a 2.1 system, or $249 each. The specs are good too: 150 watts max, 87 dB efficiency, and 180HZ – 20kHz frequency response. Each speaker is about the size of a CD jewel case and weighs 2 lbs.It’s just that they look like something that would have been found in Microsoft’s suits office around the time Windows 95 launched.

[Waterfall Audio via Electronic House]

So there you are, standing in front of Best Buy’s wall o’ HDTVs. Which one do you buy? There are just so many different factors and terms: LCD, LED, plasma, 3D, DLP, 1080p. No worries. Follow these five rules and you’ll end up with the perfect HDTV for you.

Rule 1 – Buy for your room

Forget the LCD vs plasma debate for just a moment. It might not matter. Your room might choose your HDTV for you.

LCDs generally counter glare better than plasmas because of their matte finish. Most plasmas have a glossy screen protector over the screen, which while a great defense against flying Wii remotes and children, reflect everything like a mirror. However, if glare isn’t an issue at all and in fact, the room is a little on the dark side, buy a plasma. They thrive in darker environments where their rich colors and contrasts can really show off.

Also consider how close you sit to the TV. It’s often the rule of thumb to buy the biggest TV you can afford or that will fit in a certain area, but standard definition content like basic cable look terrible on larger HDTVs and it’s very obvious when you’re sitting close. Large TVs can also overpower a room and cause headaches and eye strain.Remember your home probably has a lot lower ceiling than retail stores like Best Buy and Walmart so the actual size of the TV might be deceiving at when you’re shopping.

Thankfully most retail stores have liberal return policies. Just be prepared to pay a restocking fee or pick-up charge if you simply return the HDTV and not buy another one.

Rule 2 – Buy the picture that looks the best to you

There is one huge advantage brick and mortar stores have over Internet retailers: demos. Walk into a Best Buy and you can see how different TVs look compared to others. This is important.

Everyone’s eyes are different. Perception is different. You can not solely rely on Internet TV reviews when buying an HDTV. You need to see it in person. Stand there. Let your eyes wonder and pick out a TV that looks good to you. Here’s what you need to look for:

• Black blacks
• White whites
• Not vivid colors, but realistic
• No motion blur when objects are moving fast
• The glare factor

Let a salesman point certain things out to you but you’re the one that’s ultimately going to have to live with the TV. Buy the one you like, but keep an open mind.

Rule 3 – Buy a familiar brand

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard, all TVs have problems. Generally speaking, a Sony HDTV will hold up just as well as a Panasonic, Samsung, or Vizio. Modern HDTVs do not have any moving parts and most use the same display panels and components anyway.

You need to accept that there’s a possibility that any number of items might go wrong with your new HDTV no matter whose logo is on the front. A good rule of thumb in the TV world is that if you haven’t heard of the brand and it’s less expensive than other options, it’s probably that store’s house brand and something you might want to avoid. If you’re really concerned about your new investment, buy an extended service plan.

Rule 4 – Don’t be afraid to buy online

Brick and mortar stores have the demo advantage, but online retailers will beat them every day in the price game. Go to Best Buy and pick out the TV you want and then shop online for it. As long as the online retailer has cheap shipping and a good return policy, you have nothing to fear. But also don’t be afraid to ask the Best Buy to match or come close to the online price. You might be surprised.

Rule 5 – The TV is only as good as the source

You’re buying an HDTV so it needs high-def content. Your standard cable will look like poo on it and yes, it will cost more each month from your content provider. Consider this extra cost when you’re shopping for the TV. It’s not a bad idea to call up your cable or satellite company before hand to find out the extra cost.

Cable subscribers generally have it the easiest, especially if they already have a digital cable box. Likely all they will need is a different box. But if you have a satellite, you may need all new equipment including a different dish. The install cost might be nominal though.

Don’t be afraid to shop around either. You might find a better deal.

Oh, I get it. It’s called “Shack” Friday at Radio Shack instead of Black Friday. Because “shack” sounds like “black” and “shack” is part of Radio Shack’s name. So basically, they just switched the two words around. I get it.

Know what else? The damn sale starts on Thursday! What a world! “Most stores open at 10 AM Thursday,” says the circular. And then they open at 5:30 in the morning on Friday! That’s Shack-rilege! See how I worked the name of the store into that one?

UPDATE: Radio Shack’s PR team was kind enough to send over high-resolution images of the national circular. Here are the links to the images:

Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3

Anyhoo, here’s the good stuff. Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk.

Automotive

Gigaware Car Charger for iPod – $10.00

Sirius Stratus 5 Dock & Play Radio + Car Kit – $29.99

XM onyX Satellite Radio – $59.99

Blank Media

25-Pack of Gigaware 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

50-Pack Of Gigaware 52X CD-R – B1G1F

Gigaware 25 Pack of 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

Gigaware 50 Pack of 52X CD-Rs – B1G1F

Cell Phones

BlackBerry Curve 8520 (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Gigaware High Power Docking Speaker For iPod – $49.99

LG Xenon Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Motorola CLIQ w/Motoblur (w/2-Year Agreement) – $79.99

Motorola i776 Cell Phone – $69.99

Nokia 2720 No-Contract Mobile Phone – $9.99

Palm Pixi Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Palm Pre Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Plantronics E210 Bluetooth Headset – $19.99

Samsung Impression Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $29.99

Samsung Instinct S30 Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Samsung Mantra Cell Phone – $29.99

Snap-On Covers for iPhone 3G or Blackberry Curve 8300 – $9.99

Computer Accessories

Gigaware 1.3MP Webcam w/Microphone – $14.99

Gigaware 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System – $10.00

Gigaware Folding Notebook Cooling Pad – $10.00

Gigaware VoIP USB Headset – $10.00

Gigaware Wireless Optical Mouse – $12.99

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – $19.99

Netbook Accessory Bundle (USB Hub, Mouse, Earbuds, Cooling Pad) – $29.99

Pinnacle Ultra-Compact USB HDTV Tuner – $39.99

Computers

Acer 11.6″ Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor Z520, 2GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive – $249.99

Acer 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor, 4GB Memory, 320 Hard Drive – $399.99

Digital Cameras

Buy Any $89.99 Camera In This Ad, Receive a Free Polaroid Pogo Mobile Printer – $0.00

Casio Exilim 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera Gift Bundle – $89.99

Kodak MD81 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $99.99

Nikon S220 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $129.99

Olympus 12 Megapixel 7x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera – $149.99

Vivitar 8.1 Megapixel 2x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $49.99

Digital Media Cards

Sandisk 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo – $9.99

Sandisk 2GB Type-M xD-Picture Card – $9.99

Sandisk 4GB MicroSDHC Card – $9.99

Sandisk Standard SDHC Card – $9.99

DVD Players

Memorex Upconverting DVD Player – $29.99

Samsung BD-1600A Blu-ray Disc Player – $149.99

Electronics

Casio 32 Mini-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery 54-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery Kids Digital Camcorder – $39.99

Emerson Portable CD+G Karaoke Player – $29.99

Gigaware 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99

Gigaware Micro Projector – $99.99

MagicJack VoIP Kit – $29.99

Motorola 4-Pack of 2-Way FRS Radios – $29.99

Panasonic DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone System w/4 Headsets – $69.99

Pandigital 10.1″ Digital Photo Frame – $79.99

Sanyo 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $169.99

Skullcandy Headphones – $9.99

USB Turntable – $79.99

Vivitar 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $69.99

GPS Systems

Garmin Nuvi 255W 4.3″ Widescreen GPS – $119.99

Garmin Nuvi 265WT 4.3″ GPS w/Free Lifetime Traffic Updates – $169.99

Mio 4.3″ M400 GPS – $79.99

TomTom XL 330S GPS w/Free Dash Mount – $99.99

Hard Drives

Iomega 320GB Portable Hard Drive – $49.99

Miscellaneous

5×7″ Recordable Talking Picture Frame – $10.00

Duracell Color Charger w/2 AA Rechargeable Batteries – $10.00

Enercell Holiday Bettery Tin – $9.99

ESPN GameDay Universal 4-in-1 Remote – $10.00

Gigaware 1.5″ Digital Photo Keychain – $10.00

Gigaware Crystal Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Laser Etched Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Retractable Rapid Home Charger for iPod/iPhone – $10.00

RadioShack 25-Piece Mini Tool Kit – $10.00

RadioShack 4.3″ GPS Soft Case – $14.99

RadioShack GPS Home AC Charger – $14.99

RadioShack Weather Cube Radio – $10.00

Rechargeable Spotlight – $10.00

Swiss+Tech Micro-Max 19-in-1 Tool Kit – $10.00

MP3 Players

8GB iPod Touchw/$20 GC – $199.99

Gigaware 2GB MP3 Player – $19.99

Gigaware 4GB MP3 Player – $39.99

Gigaware MP3 Accessory Kit – $9.99

iHome Computer Stereo Speakers w/Dock for iPid – $29.99

iLive 2.1 Home Theater Upconverting DVD System w/Dock for iPod – $99.99

iPod 8GB Nano w/$15 GC – $149.99

iPod Accessory Kit – $30.00

Sansa 2GB Clip Plus Music Player w/1000 Song Music Card – $49.99

Sound Bar w/Dock for iPod – $69.99

Networking

Netgear WNR1000 Wireless-N 150 Router – $34.99

Portable USB Storage

Sandisk 2GB USB Flash Drive – $4.99

Sandisk 4GB USB Flash Drive – $9.99

Televisions

AOC 22″ 720P LCD HDTV – $199.99

Auvio 3.5″ Pocket Digital TV – $79.99

Auvio 7″ Portable TV – $119.99

Samsung 32″ LCD HDTV – $399.99

Video Games

DualShock 3 PS3 Wireless Controler – $29.99

Gigaware Recharging Station for Nintendo Wii – $12.99

Nyko Wand for Nintendo Wii – $24.99

V.Motion Game Console – $34.99

Xbox 360 Elite System w/$60 Cash Back & 2 Games (Lego Batman and Pure) – $299.99

Radio Shack Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

More Black Friday deals…

Short Version: After a handful of rapid-fire firmware updates, the Android-infused Archos 5 Internet Tablet has turned out to be quite a compelling device. The snappy web browser, marathon battery life, and nearly endless list of features and functions make Archos’ latest couch companion a worthwhile option if you’re shopping for portables. If you’re drawn to the Archos 5 Internet Tablet purely based on the fact that it’s running Android, though, you’ll likely come away disappointed as there’s no access to the popular Android Market.

Features:

• Screen: 4.8-inch 800×480 touchscreen
• Storage: 32GB flash memory
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, GPS
• Codec Support: MP4, WMV, MPEG-2, H.264, MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, WMA
• Promised Battery Life: 22 hours audio, 7 hours video
• Expansion: microSD
• Other: Android OS, web browser, downloadable apps, FM receiver, optional DVR
• Dimensions: 5.63” x 3.1” x 0.4” and 6.4 ounces
• MSRP of $379.99

Pros:

• Jack-of-all-trades device handles audio, video, web surfing, radio, e-mail, GPS, media streaming, digital video recording, games, photos, and more
• Impressive battery life — especially for audio and video playback
• High-resolution screen works well for web sites and videos

Cons:

• The $380 starting price is compounded by having to pay to unlock extras like MPEG-2/WMVHD video playback, GPS subscription, and DVR functionality
• Built-in Archos-branded app store is severely limited, and there’s no access to the more popular Android Market

Review:

I’ve been playing with the Archos 5 Internet Tablet for about a month now. I have the 32GB flash version, which is a gorgeous slab of electronics sized small enough to fit in a roomy pocket but large enough to keep next to your favorite armchair in lieu of a full size laptop.

While the aesthetic appeal of previous Archos devices has traditionally been the subject of great debate, most would agree that this new one looks pretty nice inside and out.

To say that the first couple weeks I spent with the device were worrisome would be putting it lightly. The UI was slow and clunky, the battery drained even when the tablet was in standby mode, and the web browser crashed out to the main screen during periods of moderate use.

Then came a firmware update. Then another. And another. And suddenly everything worked.

I’m now happy to report that the tablet is much more stable, the battery life has greatly improved, and surfing the web and navigating the interface is sufficiently slick. I’m using firmware version 1.2.15 (Android 1.5) at the time of this review.

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet does many things and, as with most portable media players, the big question is whether or not it can do each one of those things well.

Basic Audio and Video Playback

For audio and video playback, the device handles everything with ease. Videos look great on the crisp 4.8-inch screen and the 800×480 resolution renders downscaled HD videos and standard-definition videos phenomenally. Archos has really nailed down the core functionality of its portable media players. Music and videos come first, everything else comes second.

I was skeptical of Archos’ claim of 7-hour battery life for video playback, so I set a playlist up to repeat indefinitely at 25% brightness and 25% volume just to see how close we’d get to that number. To my surprise, the tablet hit 6 hours and 15 minutes before petering out. That’s not too bad at all, especially considering I left the Wi-Fi connected the entire time.

Audio playback is handled via a simple interface that displays album artwork. I found the built-in speaker to be too tinny to listen to anything other than spoken-word podcasts – playing actual music sounds much better through a pair of decent headphones. Battery life for music playback is pegged at 22 hours and, again, those claims held up pretty well. I managed about 20 hours and 30 minutes with volume at 25% and Wi-Fi turned on.

And finally, just for good measure, here’s where I complain about Archos charging people $40 to unlock 720p WMV and MP4 playback. That functionality should always be included at no extra charge but Archos has been charging people for it for a long time now, so I give up.

Web Browsing

The built-in web browser is quick and responsive, thanks in large part to the 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU that powers the tablet. The 800×480 screen renders full versions of web sites relatively faithfully, although the browser will default to the mobile version of most sites if there’s one available.

Trying to use the Archos 5 Internet Tablet for web videos is, unfortunately, too hit-or-miss right now if one of your big goals is to watch YouTube videos all day. YouTube apparently tweaked their API recently, which caused videos handed off from the browser to Archos’ built-in video player to just freeze the tablet, requiring a reboot.

There’s a standalone Dailymotion player included, and I’m currently having trouble getting those videos to work as well. There’s loose talk of a Flash 10 update coming to the device sometime but until then, browser-based Flash video is still pretty rough around the edges.

Not to say that YouTube videos never worked on the device – they used to, at least. They even played back in HD (see this post on ArchosFans.com for proof).

So if you’re planning on using the web browser for basic, straightforward stuff then you’ll like it just fine. It’s quick, the keyboard works great, and pages render nicely on the 4.8-inch LCD.

Battery life is pretty solid as well. Under heavy testing (a website auto-refreshing every minute and a different site simultaneously scrolling through RSS feeds like a news ticker), the tablet managed to stay alive for five hours.

Software

And now for the Archos 5 Internet Tablet’s Achilles heel: software. Part of the allure of an Android device is access to the thousands of great free and for-pay applications found in the Android Market. Unfortunately, though, the Archos 5 Internet Tablet’s 800×480 screen resolution and lack of dedicated Home and Back hardware buttons place it outside the list of compatible devices for the current version of Android (1.5) that it’s running.

That’s not to say that you’re completely out of luck. Archos has built its own app store into the device, called AppsLib. It’s a pretty clunky, slow-loading (sometimes freezing), repository with a mere handful of available applications (listed here) – a far cry from what’s available in the Android Market. There’s no Google Maps here, no Qik, no SportsTap, none of that stuff.

That’s not entirely Archos’ fault and it’s possible that a future update might load Android 2.0 onto the device someday (which includes compatibility for 800×480 screens) but as of now, your options for new apps are very limited and the interface that’s used to deliver them is frustrating at best.

What you’re left with is a mish-mash of pre-installed applications that range from quasi-useful to downright unrecognizable. Archos is a French company, so some of the stuff (like Dailymotion and Deezer for instance) will be of little to no interest to U.S. consumers.

Here’s a list of what you get:

• GPS (called NDrive): Actually works pretty well. Free 7-day trial and then $39 one-time unlock fee thereafter. There’s 3D navigation, turn-by-turn directions, quick satellite lock – turns the Archos 5 Internet Tablet into a serviceable GPS system for the car.
• Quickpedia: Wikipedia front-end. Also includes location-based searches via GPS
• Dailymotion: YouTube-like video portal from France
• Browser, E-mail, Contacts
• Craigsphone: Craigslist front-end
• Twidroid: Twitter
• AppsLib: Archos’ app store
• High Paying Jobs: Guess!
• Deezer: French streaming music site
• eBuddy: Universal instant messaging client
• DVB-T: Digital TV front-end that requires Archos’ “TV Snap-On” accessory (I don’t think it’s even available in the U.S., though)
• DroidIn-Lite: LinkedIn front-end
• ThinkFree Mobile: Microsoft Office file viewer
• Moov: Application launcher
• Yellowbook: Phonebook
• Video: File playback, network streaming, and schedule TV recordings (with one of the required $80 or $140 DVR accessories)
• Music: File playback, network streaming, FM radio
• Photo: View local image files or grab them over a network
• Games: 8 Flash games available, 13 “Playin TV” games available – additional 4-packs can be purchased from Archos for $10 apiece.
• Media Club: Web TV (streaming weather/public TV stations, video podcast directory), Web Radio (streaming radio stations, podcast directory), Music (links to Jamendo web service), Archos Store (premium Media Club services)

Conclusion

Are you interested in an attractive, lightweight portable media player with great battery life that you can use mainly to consume audio and video files that have been directly downloaded or streamed across a local network? If so, you’ll like the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. You’ll get what you’re looking for along with the added bonus of a great web browser, pretty good GPS navigator, and a handful of somewhat useful software.

If, however, you’re interested in an Android device with a large, high-resolution screen that you can use to watch YouTube videos, download cool applications, and surf complex websites in an attempt to replace your laptop or netbook, you’ll likely be disappointed. As with most jack-of-all-trades devices, it’s common to be a master-of-none. I’d say that Archos has sufficiently mastered the multimedia end of the portable spectrum, but there’s still plenty of work left to be done when it comes to the company’s Android initiative.

This is Archos’ first stab at an Android device, and early adopters will likely be willing to put up with various shortcomings along the way. And, again, those looking for video and music features first and foremost won’t have too much to complain about here. But Android fans looking for a killer tablet for Android’s sake would be better off waiting to see what’s next.

Achos 5 Internet Tablet [Archos.com]

There are a thousand gigabytes in a terabyte, a thousand terabytes in a petabyte, a thousand petabytes in an exabyte, a thousand exabytes in a zettabyte, and a thousand zettabytes in a yottabyte. In other words, a yottabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000GB. Are you paranoid yet?

The more salient question is, of course, what are they storing that, by some estimates, is going take up thousands of times more space than all the world’s known computers combined? Don’t think they’re going to say; they didn’t grow to their current level of shadowy omniscience by disclosing things like that to the public. However, speculation isn’t too hard on this topic. Now more than ever, surveillance is a data game. What with millions of phones being tapped and all data duplicated, constant recording of all radio traffic, 24-hour high definition video surveillance by satellite, there’s terabytes at least of data coming in every day. And who knows when you’ll have to sift through August 2007’s overhead footage of Baghdad for heat signatures in order to confirm some other intelligence?

As for the medium on which the data might be stored on, that’s anybody’s guess. Whoever’s making the estimates is probably playing a bit fast and loose with exponential curves, but if any of the alternative storage technologies we cover here on CG are any indication, yottabytes won’t seem so big a few years from now. We can be sure, however, that despite their better dollars-per-gigabyte cost, spinning hard disks won’t be in use as a main medium. The electricity required, mean time before failure, and other maintenance issues are probably unacceptable for an economy-minded government agency — interestingly, it seems that lack of electricity is one of the NSA’s primary concerns.

The article mentions that the NSA’s equivalent in the UK, the Government Communications Headquarters, asked that all telecoms providers store and hand over a huge amount of customer data for an entire year. They refused, citing “grave misgivings” and noting that at any rate the level of data collection expected was “impossible in principle.” Tut tut! Those Brits lacked the American can-do spirit. Thus it was that AT&T and other telecoms instantly complied with US mandates following September 11. The extent of the government’s meddling with switches, routers, antennas, and so on may never be fully known, but I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone reading this article isn’t on the record somewhere. Storage capacity of this magnitude implies a truly unprecedented amount of subjects for monitoring.

There is talk of the NSA shutting down altogether or being rolled into another agency, but I suspect that the “too big to fail” idea, as well as the “our safety is worth any price” dogma, will prevent that eventuality. It’s more reasonable to ask when or if its expansion will cease being sustainable. These datacenters, and the yottabytes they will hold, are extremely expensive as well as practically having bulls-eyes painted on them to the enemy (whoever he is) — though at under $10bn the NSA’s budget is a footnote compared to other programs and agencies. So is the increasingly (to use a semi-word that is only rarely usable) tentacular NSA a necessary evil of the digital age, or a cancerous money sink born from the colossal intelligence competition of the Cold War?

The answer will only be visible in retrospect years from now, perhaps when a sequel to the book being reviewed (The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency, by Matthew M. Aid) is released covering the heavily-redacted records of the early 2000s. In the meantime, it’s probably best to assume that the walls have ears.

(Updated with a note on storage medium)

Update 2: A commenter points out that in the study cited, yottabytes are only one possible estimate for total storage requirements. The more realistic estimates are in the hundreds of petabytes, which is much easier for a datacenter to accommodate. That said, I’m leaving the post as it is because the speculation still stands with “only” hundreds of petabytes being stored in these datacenters. However, adjust your tinfoil hats accordingly.

Update 3: A tipster informed us that this facility is not being set up in the desert, but actually in suburban Salt Lake City, near the municipal airport. Interestingly enough, they’ve built massive earth berms to conceal the massive amounts of military hardware being relocated to this location. There are also constant flights of black, unmarked helicopters flying in attack formation over the valley, making the residents quite nervous. So whatever it is they are building, it’s very well protected. Apparently you can see all this for yourself from the Jordan Commons shopping mall.

Oh, and sorry Robert. The NSA already knows it was you who told us about this.

[via Metafilter]

See our full Droid coverage here and look for a full hands-on later today.

HELLO HUMANS: DROID BY MOTOROLA ARRIVES NEXT WEEK

Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: DROID by Motorola arrives on Nov. 6.

Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android™ 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.

“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google™ on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”

“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”

DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.

With DROID by Motorola, you can:
· Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.
· See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, e-mail, Google Maps™, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7” high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.
· Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market™. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.
· Perform Google Search™ at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.
· Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5 megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, AutoFocus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.
· Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail™ and Exchange e-mail pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.
· Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.

Pre-loaded Applications and Enhancements to Google Mobile Services:
· Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.
· Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.
· YouTube™: One-touch recording and playback from homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.
· Google Talk™: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.
· Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.
· Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.
· Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.
· Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.

Pricing and Availability:
· DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday, Nov. 6, for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
· Experience the all-new DROID by Motorola at www.droiddoes.com.
· To get the most from DROID by Motorola smartphone, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide voice plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide voice plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access for 450 minutes and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
· For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

The Helmet Mounted Radar System (HMRS) is “a miniature, low power, near 360-degree field of view Moving Target Indicator (MTI) radar sensor that will alert the soldier to the whereabouts of a target out to at least 25 meters.” 25m isn’t very far, but providing even a hint of a nearby enemy could be the difference between life and death. The only trouble, it seems to me, is that the modern soldier is going to be so weighed down with all the gadgets and armor made to save his life that he won’t be able to maneuver.

Not to mention, this may lead to extremely scary moments like that part in Alien where the guy is in the tunnels and IT’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU AAAAAARGH

[via Gizmodo]

Samsung has just announced a pair of LCD monitors with built-in TV features that promise to “eliminate the line between work productivity and HD entertainment,” according to the press release. And speaking of that press release, it appears that Samsung has also eliminated the most basic and important spec from the products’ list of features.

Price? Nope, that’s there — $250 for the 933HD+ and $330 for the 2333HD. Resolution? 1360×768 for the 933HD+ and 1920×1080 for the 2333HD. Response time, contrast ratio, that stuff is all there too.

It’s a little known fact that for every one person that writes about technology products, there are 50 public relations people. Maybe 100. It might even be 1000. I don’t know the exact number except to say that they’re everywhere and they all somehow have my phone number and they all somehow know where I live, so I certainly don’t want to brass anyone off but see if you can tell me what’s missing from this press release:

Samsung HDTV Monitors Eliminate Line between Work Productivity and HD Entertainment

Samsung’s 933HD+ and 2333HD LCD Monitors Offer Extensive Range of Entertainment Options

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, the number one worldwide brand of LCD display products, today announced the debut of its entertainment-centric monitors, the 933HD+ and 2333HD. At an estimated street price of $249.99 and $329.99, respectively, both monitors produce picture perfect HD quality in a sleek design and are now available from Samsung resellers and retailers.

“With more homes having multiple entertainment centers, the 933HD+ and 2333HD are the perfect companions for users who want integrated HDTV functionality from a desktop monitor. The added bonus is that both these monitors are self-contained and functional right out of the box, and can quickly connect to any entertainment device,” said Doug Albregts, vice president, Information Technology Division, Samsung Electronics America Inc.

COMPACT TV WITH CONNECTIVITY

The 933HD+ and 2333HD have all the benefits of a compact television including a digital TV tuner with an optional cable or satellite connection and up to two HDMI connections, depending on model, to connect digital devices such as a Blu-Ray player and gaming system. The integrated stereo sound system offers great sound and includes Dolby Digital (2333HD). The 933HD+ and 2333HD’s slick glossy black finish features a rounded bottom edge with matching crystal-like acrylic bar.

MULTI-PERFORMANCE

Whether watching movies, sports or a PowerPoint presentation, the 933HD+ and 2333HD offer Samsung’s quality performance with a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and 5 millisecond response rate. Movies can be fully appreciated in 16:9 widescreen formats without distortion or stretching and there is ample space to run multiple applications simultaneously. Settings, such as brightness, backlight and color effects, can be quickly customized with a touch of a key using the MagicColor, MagicBright, Color Effect and Image Size functions.

“With more users viewing HD broadcast, watching Blu-ray movies and playing video games on their monitors, the 933HD+ and 2333HD are space savers for those looking for a multi-purpose monitor to place in a tight space, like a studio apartment or dorm room,” said Young Bae, director, Information Technology Division, Samsung Electronics America Inc.

933HD+ and 2333HD

• 1360 x768 or 1920×1080 (2333HD only) resolution
• Dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• 5ms response time
• Remote control

Monitors are available through Samsung resellers and distribution channels, which can be located by calling 1-800-SAMSUNG or by visiting www.samsung.com. Samsung Power Partners receive special promotions, lead referrals, training and technical support, as well as collateral and marketing materials. Samsung also recycles all monitors through its RECYCLING DIRECT^SM Program. To find out more about becoming a Samsung Power Partner or the RECYCLING DIRECT^SM Program, visit www.samsungpartner.com.

Here’s the live copy, which will hopefully be updated by the time you read this (it’s been over two hours already, though).

UPDATE/SPOILER: Samsung e-mailed saying that the 933HD+ and 2333HD displays are 19 and 23 inches, respectively. So there you have it. Sweet, sweet closure.

Sharp Japan announced today it has developed a solar cell with the world’s highest conversion efficiency [press release in English]. The new product features an conversion efficiency of 35.8%, while Sharp only achieved 31.5% with the previous model. The latest model is a compound solar cell, in which two or more elements form photo-absorption layers (see the graphic below).

Solar cells of this kind are mainly used on space satellites and other special equipment. Sharp says this breakthrough is part of an initiative kicked of by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to promote R&D in the solar energy sector (NEDO was, by the way, established as early as 1980).

Sharp plans to commercialize the new triple-junction compound solar cell by 2012.

I’ve been angling to get rid of my TiVo and cable for some time now and I believe I’ve finally figured out a solution that works best for me. It involves a lots scripting, Sabnzbd, and HandbrakeCLI and I’ll tell you what I ultimately did next week once it’s stable but it seems to be working as well as can be expected for these sorts of hacks.

I posit that the TV industry is about to face the same threat dealt the music and movie industries but they still have a chance to make things better for themselves when the world changes around them. First, let’s rehash the old arguments.

What I’m doing is downloading TV shows and sending them to a media player near my TV. I’m doing this because there exist two separate infrastructures that interface imperceptibly at one key point – the official cable and online distribution networks and the shady underworld of pirate distributors. Right now that interface is a trickle, but it will soon be, pardon the pun, a torrent.

The first infrastructure is the studio system. While I’m talking specifically about TV here, we can also extrapolate to talk about movies and music. This infrastructure is based on the advertising or distribution model in that they make all their money placing advertisements around their content or by placing their content onto physical media. But what is important to note is that the TV industry is in a completely different business from the music and movie industry. They’re not “selling” a product. They’re selling the space around a product. They they commission artists to make that product better in hopes of raising the price of the space around that product. They sell DVDs, sure, but that’s a sideline.


But when I take that content out of its context, like meat out of an oyster shell, I strip out their value and shuck the rest. But technology has outstripped that analogy and television has evolved into a processable set of events – shows – whereas before it was an event, each show linked together into infinity.

TiVo, to continue the analogy, created a way to sell jarred oyster sauce. The device contained the content, sure, but it tried to keep some of the advertising intact. However, what I’m attempting to do buffets into an entirely new infrastructure, one none of us wholly understand.

It consists of two disparate parts. The first is a shady underground that can offer these shows, stripped of commercials, a few minutes after they’ve aired. How they do it is a topic for another story, but needless to say popular shows are available in less than ten minutes after they air on the Eastern Seaboard. It is a testament to the dedication of a few TV lovers that these shows are available, for free, as they happen.

Then we have the web arms of the major TV studios as well as the clips cable stations post on their sites. These are, to a lesser extent, a re-canning of those same oysters in the hopes that the shorter advertisements wrapped around them will maintain the revenue offered by TV broadcasts.

So what’s my point? First, I believe some media will survive the move to the web better than others. Book publishing, for example, may change formats but the inherent problems of pirating a physical book make them weak targets for piracy. I also believe that the medium of television is also not conducive to large scale piracy because there is so much of it. I can shuck all the oysters I want but there will still be 24-hour news channels, old movie networks, and sitcoms that someone out there will watch even if the pirates are uninterested in recording and distributing them.

Now, back to that interface between the two worlds. Because pirates can’t steal everything at once there is no impetus to stop up this hole. The highly regimented and very well organized system of content capture that is going on exists as a labor of love and not as a money making venture. It allows guys like me, guys who no longer want to be beholden to a wonky TiVo, for example, to get HD content quickly and easily. However, there are more guys like me every day. To say that television as we know it won’t exist in a decade is quite far fetched but it is a possibility. How, then, should a TV broadcaster react?

First, I think TV broadcasters need to take a page from the pirates playbook and make their hit shows available online in downloadable form sooner than later – and not on iTunes for $2.99 an episode. The process I went through was relatively painless but decidedly nerdy. The next generation, however, will find new and better ways of doing the same thing, thereby stripping out the content with reckless abandon. TV studios still have some time to save their skins, just like the book industry, but it won’t be long before something comes along and ruins the party. They need to do what the music industry didn’t do – make getting sanction, high quality content convenient. It took me a week to set up my little Rube Goldberg DVR but there’s no telling how long it could take someone with a little more savvy.

Why not, for example, offer TV subscriptions to individual series. The era of channel surfing is almost near its end and discovery of new content through mere chance will soon be gone. This would allow for absoltute control over a series and reward popular series month after month. Sadly, cable companies just won’t do this. As Doug noted in our chat room “Cable companies keep saying a la carte wouldn’t work but in reality they’re saying it wouldn’t work for them because its too much work.”

Second, television needs to play to its strengths. As Harry McCracken pointed out during the balloon-boy debacle, the first on the scene wasn’t some blogger with a Flip but the television news crews with their trucks, helicopters, and satellite dishes. But even in the vacuum created by the death of local newspapers it seems that local TV stations aren’t able to appreciate their value. For example, I was in Columbus, Ohio a few months ago and I saw the same reporter on two different channels reporting on essentially the same thing. This sort of cost-cutting is detrimental to the brand and is cheapening TV journalism. We all laugh at the 24-hour news channels and their bloviating blowhards, but those are the news networks of choice for millions of people daily. There is value there. TV studios need to give us this content in a way that makes it a win-win for all parties involved. If not, it will be a lose-lose as their content is stripped and stolen and their revenues tank over the next few years.

You’ll soon be able to surf the Web on your BlackBerry or laptop while onboard a Lufthansa flight. The German airline said today that it’s re-introducing in-flight Wi-Fi, and that everything will be up and running by by the first half of next year.

Lufthansa didn’t say how much it would charge for the service, but it’s expected to be right around what people paid the last time it offered in-flght Wi-Fi: something like $27 per flight. If you consider that most trans-Atlantic flights are at least six hours long, then that breaks down to around $4.50 per hour. That’s not too bad, I don’t think.

The service is the handiwork of Panasonic, and uses satellites to beam the internet to the airplane.

Around half of all of Lufthansa’s airplanes should have the service installed by the first half of next year.

via Wi-Fi Net News

Previously, subscribers were very upset at the television providers. They were sick of being put on hold, of getting crappy picture quality, and the lack of HD. Plus, who doesn’t hate their cable (or satellite) company.

Amazingly, the companies listened. They seemed to have actually turned the corner, and now satisfaction has jumped back up a more reasonable level. There is still room for improvement however. It’s interesting when you look at the numbers, the IPTV providers seem to really be doing the best out of all of them, with satellite providers coming in second, and cable third.

To be fair, there are already a few nuclear batteries around, but the problem with them is they break down rather quickly. This is due to the obvious problem of radioactivity causing the semiconductor to break down. The current versions of the nuclear batteries are used in satellites and pacemakers.

Where the innovation comes in, is the size and how it’s made. The researchers have stated that their goal is to create a battery that is the size of a penny, using a liquid instead of a solid semiconductor. The long term goal, is to take the technology even farther, and create a nuclear battery that is smaller then the thickness of a human hair. Sounds like a great idea to me.

[via BoingBoing]

The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite will hit the moon to created a crater 14 meters in diameter and 2 meters deep. The resulting analysis will help assess how large bodies will damage planets along with an assessment of current water levels in the moon. Plus it involves blowing holes in the moon.

The feeds are available here and they will be transmitting from New Hampshire and Arizona simultaneously. NASA is also transmitting the impact live.

Slooh is a cool web-based service that lets “borrow” time on high powered telescopes. I’ve had bad luck with it – I’ve never been able to see much because of cloud cover – but if the weather is right and you’re fascinated by astronomy it’s a fun service.

The service costs $5.95 a month (the LCROSS impact is free) or $49.95 a year. It includes live picture-taking and group missions led by a professional astronomer. You can also share your pictures at MySlooh. There is also a kids’ version including tours of the moon, the universe, and the outer stars.

Be sure to set your alarm clock for around 6am this Friday, for at 6:15am NASA will, in the immortal words of Matt Drudge, “bomb the moon.” No, we’re not talking about some dumb Hollywood (redundancy alert!) scenario, but the most exciting part of the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) program: the lunar impact.

NASA will webcast the event on its Web site, so you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas to see the action.

I think it’s fairly obvious that my knowledge of NASA-related news is somewhat limited, but I can appreciate a good lunar impact with the rest of ‘em.

In-Stat is reporting that sales in the year’s second quarter dropped 35% from Q1. That’s a lot, but it also shows that a lot of people were ready for the switch-off before it happened. Sure, some folks probably delayed purchasing a DTV box for a vacation home or hunting lodge after the fact. Maybe even some people bought a box after calling it quits on pay TV service like cable or satellite. But the vast majority of people that needed one, got one before they couldn’t watch the Simpsons anymore.

AT&T teamed up with TerreStar to release the new phone, called the “Genus”. The new smartphone will combine both standard cell phone connectivity (via the AT&T network) and the option to use the satellite connection. The new phone will be aimed at users in the US, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and will switch between the satellite network and the cellular network as needed. No word on pricing as of yet, however the phone is expected to be released sometime during first quarter 2010.

[via Reuters]

We have Internet access in planes now (Virgin America offers it in the US, for example), so why not on boats? That’s what one of Japan’s biggest telecommunications companies, KDDI, thought and now gives us a device that will allow ship passengers to enjoy wireless broadband Internet while being out on the water.

The device was developed by KDDI’s R&D arm KDDI R&D Laboratories and is still in prototype mode. Passengers will be able to access the web when a vessel is close enough to land to connect to cell phones or to pick up signals from WiMAX networks. When it’s farther from the shore, the device will use satellite signals instead.

There is no picture of the prototype yet, but KDDI aims at commercializing the device by next year. The company hopes to attract interest from commercial vessel and cruise ship operators.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]