Turkey Day is just around the corner, which means that the annual American tradition season of losing one’s mind in exchange for slightly discounted goods will officially begin a week from today. Yes, I speak of the infamous day that is Black Friday. The very same day in which hundreds of thousands of Americans transform into penny-pinching-zombies who will do whatever it takes to score a cheap fix.

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As the self-proclaimed “biggest fan of the WD TV Live” ’round these parts, I figured I owed it to my fellow enthusiasts to share some good news about this lovely HD media player. Western Digital has released the first new firmware update, 1.01.11, for its WD TV Live box o’ fun.

Unlike its older sibling, the WD TV, the new, Internet-connected WD TV Live HD media player can download and install firmware updates directly via Wi-Fi / ethernet. If you are not automatically prompted to download the new 1.01.11 update the next time you turn the device on and connect to the Web (as I was) for some reason, follow these simple directions:

• Turn your WD TV Live on
• Make sure you are connected to the Net
• Navigate into “Settings”
• Select “Upgrade Firmware” (or something along those lines)
• Sit back, enjoy a nice beverage, and let the Live take care of the rest

So what all is included in this first firmware update? Quite a lot, actually…at least according to the official release notes (PDF). But let’s just check out the highlights (per WD’s product update page):

* Added more USB WLAN adapter support. Click here for list of compatible adaptors.
* Added cover art display function when viewing music files in album view.
* Added user selectable on/off for fade in and fade out effect while browsing files.
* Resolved issue of no audio when there is only a single, center channel audio stream in a video.
* Other bug fixes and product improvements (see release notes).

Great, so now we’re all on the same page firmware. With that out of the way, I want to share my recent experience using Wi-Fi on the WD TV Live, as I was only able to test a wired ethernet connection back when I did our initial hands-on review.

For testing purposes, I made sure to use one of the approved Wi-Fi USB adapters per this list. Thus, I used the Belkin F5D8055 N+ Wireless USB Network Adapter (with my wireless G Linksys router).

Generally speaking, the WD TV Live’s network and Internet capabilities worked as advertised. I was able to stream video (non-HD, full DVD quality rips) over my home network with little to no noticeably latency. Connecting to and streaming videos from YouTube (including HD) worked like a charm, albeit with some (expected) buffering hiccups here and there. Connecting to Pandora and Live365 both worked very well, and streaming audio over my home network was a breeze, complete with album art being displayed.

Perhaps the most helpful feature (at least for me), is the ability to copy and paste new media files on the attached storage. In other words, I was able to copy a newly ripped movie from my desktop in the office, over the home network, and onto the attached hard drive. While not the quickest of transfers, I experience no problems copying/moving/deleting files over Wi-Fi, and thus have eliminated any need to physically move the hard drive to add new media to in the future. All in all, I give the Live’s Wi-Fi capabilities two thumbs up.

The nation’s “fastest” (and often most frustrating) 3G network (i.e. AT&T) is adding another netbook to its lineup of 3G portable devices, the Samsung Go. So what exactly is said Go? Well, according to Sammy, it’s “a compact and lightweight netbook with instant access to broadband speeds powered by the nation’s fastest 3G network and the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition operating system.”

Don’t you just love the redundancy – “compact and lightweight netbook.” Ahem, isn’t a netbook compact and lightweight by definition?! Anyhoo, the creatively named Go weighs in at 2.8 lbs. and features a handsome midnight blue “soft texture” design, complete with rounded corners and a pebble-style keyboard.

Not to be confused with those old-school netbooks of yesteryear, the Go comes with a LED-backlit, borderless glass display that is purportedly “scratch resistant and provides users with photo-like image quality, greater viewing angles and better text legibility, reducing eye strain and boosting productivity.”

Here are the rest of the Samsung Go’s specs:

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Processor: Intel® Atom™ processor N270
• Webcam: 1.3 MP
• Storage: 1GB of system memory, 160 GB HDD
• Battery: 4-cell (4000 mAh) – up to 4 hours on a single battery charge
• I/O Ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, external VGA port, headphone/speaker/line-out port, microphone-in jack
• Communication: WWAN: Option GTM382W module (based on Qualcomm MSN 7225) / HSPA (7.2/5.1 Mbps): 850/1900/2100 MHz / GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz / SIM lock (device locked to AT&T network)
• WLAN: 802.11 b/g WiFi
• Other: Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)
• Display: 10.1” 1024 x 600 pixel resolution
• Dimensions: 10.3” x 7.3” x 1.1”

But enough about the sexy Go for the moment…how ’bout we take a look at the AT&T side of things. With regards to data plans, AT&T offers two DataConnect plans for netbooks: a 200MB plan option for $35 / month OR a 5GB plan for $60 / month. Like the rest of AT&T’s DataConnect plans, Go owners will also get free access to AT&T’s more than 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots nationwide.

Finally, the info you’ve all been waiting for: The Samsung Go will be available starting November 22 through AT&T retail or online at www.att.com/netbooks for $199 (after MIR and purchase of a 2-year AT&T DataConnect service agreement – prices start at $35 per month).

Short Version: As the owner of an iPod touch (2G), I was happy to give this case/stand a spin on my recent trip over to Ireland. Generally speaking, the case provided adequate protection of the touch (albeit leaving the top and bottom slightly exposed), was very handy for watching videos on the plane, and worked great for transforming the touch into a bedside alarm clock. With a MSRP of $34.95, I’d love to see the price come down a touch (zing!), but overall, the idox Traveler Series is a respectable case/stand combo choice.

Longer Version: As anyone who regularly flies the not-so-friendly-skies knows, airplanes seem to be caught in some sort of infinite “shrinking” vortex. I swear. Every time I get to my assigned seat, it’s smaller than the last flight…

Anyways, we’re here to talk about something more important than the failing flailing airline industry – a new iPod case from idox. Known as the Traveler Series, the case/stand is available for the iPhone (3G / 3GS – $34.95), iPod nano (4G – $24.95), and the iPod touch (2G / 3G – $34.95).

Construction: Think of the case as a hard plastic portfolio, of sorts, for your iThing. The construction of the case/stand is very solid, providing more than adequate protection for the screen and device in general when traveling inside a pocket/briefcase/backpack/etc. The touch sorta snaps into place and stays there thanks to the embedded rubber design. When transformed into a stand, there are some nice rubber stoppers on the bottom to prevent the whole thing from sliding off your tray table (or other flat surface).

Cons: The idox Traveler Series is definitely not perfect. For starters, the snug-fitting case is rather difficult to pry open. Yes, PRY. The lid snaps into place very securely, but is challenging to open without torquing the bottom (or top) corner. (In the grand scheme, this isn’t a deal breaker since it errs on the side of over protection.)

Another downside is the exposed top and bottom of the iPod touch. The way the case is designed (above) allows for easy access to the iPod dock connector, headphone jack, and the top power switch. However, because of the nature of the design, the exposed areas could potentially be damaged.

It is also important to note that the physical volume controls on the side of the Pod are rendered useless while in the case. Although, this is not that big a deal since there are onscreen touch volume controls, but still can be annoying in certain situations.

Finally, it would be really nice if future generations could include multiple angle options for better and more adaptable stand use. While on the plane, when the guy in front of me put his seat back, I would have loved to be able to change the angle on the stand to compensate for my new viewing situation.

Pros: With all that said, the idox Traveler Series does have some nice things going for it. For one thing, it is actually made pretty well. The case’s solid construction provides adequate protection for the screen, sides, and back of touch. Also, the touch stays securely in place once you “snap” it in.

Although I complained about “the snug-fitting” case above, there is a definite plus side to this attribute as well – the touch inside the case fits in my jeans pocket with no trouble. And finally, the fact that it is an all-in-one case/stand, which offers both protection AND more comfortable video viewing, is clearly the biggest selling point here.

Conclusion: After all is said and done, the Traveler Series case/stand definitely has its utility and some redeeming qualities. At $34.95 it’s definitely not priced very attractively, but I have to say, having any kind of stand for the iPod touch on a long flight really makes all the difference in the world. If it happens to protect the screen and still fit in my pocket as this idox case does, then that’s not such a bad thing either.

iPhone case/stand

iPod nano case/stand

Disclaimer: Jeremy Kessel has a J.D., but is still waiting for his (July 2009) California Bar Exam results. Thus, he is not (yet) a licensed attorney. Barry L. Cohen, who also shares some insights below, is a licensed attorney. Regardless, this post is not meant as legal advice or analysis and should not be construed as such.

As many of you are aware, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple last week in the Federal District Court in Delaware. Nokia’s complaint alleges that Apple has infringed on 10 of Nokia’s patents for various, “fundamental” GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies. In particular, the patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption. Nokia believes that all 10 patents have been infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced back in 2007.

This brings up the question: Why wait until now, Nokia, to sue Apple? Clearly, without speaking directly to Nokia’s legal team, all of the following is pure (albeit educated) conjecture. Nonetheless, with intellectual property (i.e. copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets) becoming increasingly important and relevant to (technology) companies around the globe, it is worth taking a few minutes to explore some of the possible motives/strategies behind Nokia’s latest legal muscle flexing.

As I am not yet a licensed attorney (I find out next month), we turned to Barry L. Cohen, Esq., who specializes in commercial and business litigation and intellectual property litigation and licensing at Thorp Reed & Armstrong, for his thoughts on the Nokia v. Apple matter at large. According to Mr. Cohen, because Nokia has been successful in licensing the patents at issue with dozens of other companies, the Finnish company most likely felt confident that it would be able to reach an agreement with Apple as well. When the negotiations reached an impasse, Nokia was essentially left with no other choice but to pursue legal recourse.

Filing the lawsuit against Apple is most likely, at least in part, a deliberate strategy to put more pressure on Apple to agree to the terms that Nokia has requested with regards to licensing the patented technologies. Because the 10 patents at issue include “fundamental” cellular technologies, the lawsuit may also have been motivated by some (or many) of the other companies who are already paying licensing fees to Nokia and want Apple to do the same.

Alright, now that we have explored (somewhat superficially) why Nokia has prompted the suit against Apple, this in turn leads to another question: Why would Apple refuse to license the technologies if they are imperative for the operation of its iPhone? Again, without speaking directly to Apple, we can only speculate. It is possible that Apple has licensed similar technologies from Ericsson (who, along with Nokia and Qualcomm hold some of the largest mobile technology patent portfolios in the world), thereby eliminating the need to license the patents at issue from Nokia. Or alternatively, Apple may believe that it is not infringing or that Nokia’s patents should be invalidated. However, considering that some 40 other mobile companies have licensed these key patents, this is extremely unlikely (possibly even impossible, depending on which company holds what patents).

According to Mr. Cohen, it is more likely a money issue. The longer that Apple goes without paying licensing fees, the cheaper Apple can sell its iPhone and the bigger market share it can build up. Alternatively, Apple may not have wanted to pay or could not agree on the amount of the royalty rate that Nokia was requesting. Given the scale (i.e. millions of devices), even a tiny discrepancy in price could result in hundreds of millions of dollars, going one way or the other.

Regardless of the actual motivation behind the lawsuit, considering that less than 1% of cases go to trial, it is most likely that Nokia is using the suit as a bargaining chip. Both companies, whether they actually like it or not, can afford to see cases like this through to the end, as the legal costs, even in the mutltiple millions of dollars, are relatively insignificant in the big picture for Nokia and Apple. Rather, suing Apple will provide Nokia more leverage in obtaining some variety of settlement (i.e. receiving royalties for its patents), and on the flip side, might even help Apple save a few bucks if a third-party mediator is brought in to help resolve the dispute.

Some may argue that Nokia is a total hypocrite, given its recent expensive and drawn-out legal clash with fellow mobile big shot, Qualcomm. But, as Mr. Cohen points out, Nokia is clearly no dummy (yup, that is a legitimate legal term). Nokia has clearly weighed the pros and cons of filing the lawsuit and what it will mean to their licensing strategy. Whether or not the strategy works, will depend in part on Apple, who is also not a fool.

Finally, I do not believe (as John does) that this suit was directly motivated by Nokia’s recent financial struggles. As someone who has studied intellectual property and has a general sense of the value that a company’s IP assets hold, I agree with Mr. Cohen and everyone else who thinks that this is ultimately a negotiation. Nokia is an enormously powerful mobile technologies company. Sure it is facing increased competition from the likes of Apple, HTC, Samsung, etc, but I do not believe this lawsuit signifies some sort of last gasp, or in the words of John (no disrespect, of course), a “mercenary approach, [a way to] cash in on some of the iPhone’s success.” For better or for worse, this is the new way of the technology road. Companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing and obtaining IP assets, and at the end of the day, they will continue to do whatever it takes (i.e. sue each other on an endless merry-go-round) to protect and enforce their IP rights.

Update: New 1.01.11 firmware now available, plus Wi-Fi test results are in.

Short Version: Western Digital’s newest addition to its growing lineup of media players, the WD TV Live, essentially picks up where its older sibling (the great WD TV) left off. With the newly added networking capabilities via a built-in Ethernet port or USB Wi-Fi adapter (sold separately), the WD TV Live has taken Western Digital’s little black box to the next level. Be it photos, music, video (encoded with just about any codec under the sun), or the newly added access to YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, and Live365, the WD TV Live can handle just about any kind of media thrown its way. Overall, it is a highly capable, easy to use, and relatively affordable all-around high definition media player.

Long Version: The original WD TV HD Media Player was a great first attempt by Western Digital. Unfortunately, the lack of network and Internet access made the device less desirable to a large group of potential customers. Fortunately, WD seems to have listened to the growing community of WD TV fans while putting the new WD TV Live together and has added network and Internet connectivity features.

Hardware:

Although the WD TV Live is technically a new device, in reality it’s just a moderate overhaul of its aging sibling, the original WD TV. As such, I will try to focus more on the new changes than on the features that have remained the same.

Besides the newly added network and Internet connectivity, the most noticeable difference between the old and new WD TV Live is the actual color of the device. Where the original was clad in dust-loving, fingerprint attracting shiny black plastic, the new Live comes sporting an arguably more sleek, matte charcoal gray finish.

The device measures 1.57″ x 3.94″ x 4.94″ and weighs in at 0.67 lbs. It includes two USB ports (one on the side, one on the back), one HDMI 1.3 port, optical audio out, Ethernet, composite out, and component output. The included mini remote (below) is identical to the original version and the AC adapter is relatively small and self-contained (i.e. no power “brick”). Besides the remote and power adapter, the device also ships with composite and component cables (HDMI, optical audio, and USB storage devices sold separately). The WD TV Live is also compatible with various “universal” remotes such as Logitech’s Harmony series.

Installation:

Installing the WD TV Live couldn’t be much easier (assuming you’re using an HDMI cable). Once you’ve attached the little sticky rubber feet to the bottom of the unit, simply plug-in the AC power adapter, attach the HDMI cable to the device and your HDTV, and insert any variety of USB storage (i.e. external hard drive or flash drive) into the side and/or the back USB port(s). That’s it. Now fire up your beautiful TV, hit power on the included WD TV Live remote, and voila…you’ve got an HD media player at your service.

Interface / Functionality:

Just like the old WD TV interface, the slightly updated UI is reminiscent of many media player apps (think Windows Media Center, XBMC, etc). Essentially, you are presented with a visual navigation system to choose between video, photos, music, and system settings. Instead of trying to explain all the various screens and options, here’s a not-so-brief (kinda unnecessarily long) video overview of some of the features:

One thing I forgot to include in the video is the new “preview” mode, which joins the previously included List, Thumbnail, and Search modes. The preview feature allows you to see a file’s info (such as size, type, etc) while also showing/playing a clip of the video, photo, or audio track. This is nice, for example, if your media files are poorly labeled or if you can’t quite remember which was the last episode of Arrested Development you had watched.

Another “oops! I forgot” feature is the newly added ability to copy, move or delete files between connected USB storage drives and/or networked storage/computers. This is really handy if, like me, your DVD ripping machine (i.e. your PC) resides in room X but your WD TV Live is set up in room Y; now you can simply move your latest media files from your machine to your attached USB storage right over the network (with some patience, especially over Wi-Fi).

As for compatibility, the WD TV Live supports the following (enormous list of) file types:

• Video – AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9
• Photo – JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
• Audio – MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS
• Playlist – PLS, M3U, WPL
• Subtitle – SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI

Conclusion:

The WD TV Live is a definite improvement over its older sibling (the non-Live). If you are looking for an HD media solution that will play pretty much every type of media known to man (see the list above), has a very small physical footprint, network/Internet connectivity, and has limitless storage (i.e. its only limited by the amount of storage you own), then you really can’t do much better than the WD TV Live HD media player.

For those of you who love lists, here is a quick recap of all the highlights and improvements found in the new media player:

• Faster – boot-up, thumbnail loading, and overall operation
• Network access – access content over your home network via Ethernet or USB Wi-Fi adapter
• Internet – access content from YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, and Live365
• Firmware updates – update the media player’s firmware directly over the Internet
• File management – transfer files between USB storage devices, pull files off the network, and delete unwanted files
• Preview mode – in addition to List and Thumbnail views, Preview mode shows the file’s information and plays the media
• Component video – new connection choice in addition to HDMI and Composite
• Color – new matte charcoal casing

As good as the new WD TV Live is, there is still room for improvement. I’d love to see future firmware updates bring Netflix ‘Watch Now’ functionality, access to sites like Hulu, the ability to navigate by ‘chapter’ like on a DVD (with VOB, MKV, etc), and even some sort of Internet browser a la Opera on the Wii. In terms of future hardware improvements, it would be nice if the device had Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, thereby providing an even better network/Internet experience and the ability to use a keyboard with the hypothetical Internet browser. And a physical on/off button built into the WD TV would be handy if you (temporarily) lose your remote (read: there are NO actual buttons/controls on the device itself).

Nonetheless, for $149.99 MSRP (or cheaper somewhere on the ‘Net) the WD TV Live HD Media Player is a highly capable and worthwhile addition to most anyone’s media center. One caveat: if you’ve already got a PS3 and/or XBOX 360 (I have neither), then you are probably one of the few who wouldn’t benefit much from the WD TV Live. In any case, with increases in speed, utility, and functionality, the WD TV Live is definitely a welcome addition to WD’s line of HD media players and a worthy successor to the original WD TV. For more, check out the new WDTVLive.com.

Short Version:

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate iFrogz’s Timbre headphones w/mic and their iPod touch 2G & 3G Luxe case. In a nutshell, the Timbre headphones (which work with both the iPhone and iPod touch) provide decent audio playback, a reasonably comfortable fit (thanks to the three different ear bud choices), and the convenience of a built-in microphone for voice memos, Skype, etc albeit for the slightly higher than desirable price of $49.99. As for the Luxe, it is mediocre at best with a suspect design and very little going for it, especially considering it runs $29.99.

Timbre headphones w/mic:

Let’s start with the better of the two products, officially known as the EarPollution Timbre with Mic, first. As a non-audiophile (i.e. someone who can appreciate good sounding from bad, but not amazing from almost amazing), my review will be short and sweet.

These “noise isolating” earbuds feature a “natural wood-chamber” design, supposedly to create better sound. In my brief test, I found the earbuds to be generally comfortable (once I swapped out the default rubber bits for one of the other sizes – 3 included). They produce relatively clear audio, albeit a bit on the “bright” side of things. I definitely didn’t notice any “richer” or “more vibrant” sounds due to the gimmicky wood “chambers,” but overall I think the headphones sound pretty good.

The real draw of the Timbre is the built-in microphone. Since iPhone OS 3.0 brought voice functionality to the iPod touch 2G, having headphones with a mic inline has become all that much more useful (they ship with the iPod touch 3G standard). Being able to record voice memos and make Skype calls over Wi-Fi has been incredibly helpful during my recent travels. That said, my brief testing has revealed the Timbre to be a capable set of mic-equipped earbuds. Generally speaking, there is not much extraneous feedback when using the mic, although figuring out exactly how to position it, and where, for the perfect voice pick-up was a minor challenge.

Conclusion:

The EarPollution Timbre with Mic will run you a moderately hefty $49.99. I’d recommend only splurging on the Timbre (or any other earbuds with a mic) if you plan on using the buds for both music and voice apps. If you just want a pair to use for Skype/VoIP, the $29.99 Apple buds with mic (or most other budget ‘phones w/mic) will certainly do the trick.

iPod touch 2G & 3G Luxe case:

Ah, the Luxe case for iPod touch. Where do I start. The case is made out of molded plastic and “features” a under/over “button” design (see the “button” above). The actual feel of the case is kinda nice…its got a sort of grippy-yet-smooth thing going for it (much like my preferred case, the $5 less Griffin Wave). Also, the case features a faux suede-like “pad” on its inside, that sits between the back of the iPod and the case itself.

The real problems with this case are twofold: first, its enclosure method, i.e. the button-thing on the back, is very difficult to line up and snap into place (unlike the previously mentioned Wave, which has a similar design, but is much, much easier to put on and take off) making it one of those “once it’s on, it ain’t coming off” kinda deals. And second, It costs $29.99 when, at best, it should be around $20, or even less. In its defense, the Luxe does come with a free screen protector.

Conclusion:

Overall, I am not a fan of the Luxe. Something about it has been a turn off, right from the start. It feels OK in the hand, but its build quality is questionable and its poorly designed “enclosure” makes for a very disappointing experience. When combined with its unnecessarily steep price tag, the Luxe just falls short.

Short version: Western Digital’s refreshed My Book Essential external hard drive provides a simple, unobtrusive, and relatively inexpensive home backup solution. With an enormous 2TB capacity, built-in WD SmartWare software, 256-bit built-in encryption with password protection, an “illuminated capacity gauge,” and a MSRP of $249.99, there is very little not to like here.

Longer version: As we, the computer-savvy netizens of the (physical) world, continue to amass more and more digital media and create endless bytes of data, storage has become increasingly important in our everyday lives. Along with the ability to save and backup all of one’s digital treasure trove, being able to secure all those 1s and 0s has also become more desirable. Thus, it came as no surprise when Western Digital recently overhauled its entire external drive lineup with password protection, encryption, and built-in backup software.

Hardware:

The My Book Essential is Western Digital’s “standard” PC desktop external hard drive (identical to the Mac version). Now available in 500GB, 640GB, 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB capacities, the new My Book Essential has undergone very slight physical updates. The drive is the same height as its predecessor (6.5″), but is down to 1.9″ wide (from 2.1″). The drive also has a new illuminated capacity gauge and an icon showing whether the drive has been locked (via password with encryption).

The faux book shape may not be for everyone, but it does hide rather nicely if you put actual books (remember them?) around the drive. Generally speaking, the drive is pretty quiet, although there is the usual buzz and hum during large backups. The My Book Essential connects via USB 2.0, has a physical on/off switch, a place for a real lock, and ships with a relatively compact power adapter.

Security:

As mentioned above, the new WD drives come standard with password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. When I spoke to WD a few weeks back, they were pretty adamant about erring on the side of total security. Thus, WD never receives your drive’s password. In other words, you are the only person who knows the password. Should it be lost, the drive will remain locked or must be re-formatted to use again. I can live with that.

WD SmartWare backup software:

Finally, we get to WD’s new, integrated backup software solution, SmartWare. Standard across its entire line of external drives, SmartWare provides users with a very straight forward (if at times too simplified) way to automatically backup your files.

The first time you plug your new WD drive into your computer you will be prompted to install WD SmartWare. Once installed, SmartWare will scan your computer (defaults to drive C:) and present you with a graphical representation of all the various bits of data in 6 main categories: System, Pictures, Other, Music, Movies, and Documents.

You can either select all or pick and choose the particular types of files you want to be automatically backed up when your My Book Essential is plugged in. Then simply click ‘Run Backup’ and voila, your files will begin to copy automagically.

SmartWare will continuously update the graphical representation with the status of your backup. By default, the software is set to run as a low priority while your machine is in use and will speed up when the machine idles.

Once the backup is complete, the software will continue to run in the background, updating the drive as you add/change/delete files on your system. You can also eject the drive from the icon in the system tray when you have finished or if you don’t want to continue the backup at that time.

Finally, with the same ease that you can backup your files, SmartWare provides a dead simple retrieval function. All in all, SmartWare makes automatic backups simple and painless. I wish it offered more control over which files and folders you want to include/exclude from the backup, but in terms of a complete and idiotproof backup system, SmartWare does a respectable job.

Conclusion:

The WD My Book Essential is a good choice for a personal backup or plain ol’ external hard drive. The ability to protect your data with a password and 256-bit encryption is a welcome addition, and the integrated backup software, SmartWare, does a solid job of providing automatic backup. Oh, and a maximum capacity of 2 freaking terabytes of space with an illuminated capacity gauge…yeah, that doesn’t hurt either.

Looks like those images that leaked back in August of the WD TV 2 were pretty spot on. Earlier today, Western Digital announced the newest member of its growing WD TV family, the WD TV Live.

As you may (or may not) recall, we’ve been pretty big fans of the original WD TV HD media player since it was released at the end of 2008. The highly capable little black box provides a simple, yet effective solution for watching your growing collection of digital media on your HDTV.

One of the few missing features in the original WD TV was any variety of network connectivity. Luckily, Western Digital has listened to the growing community of WD TV fans and included both an ethernet port for wired connectivity as well as support for USB Wi-Fi adapters. But the Internet fun doesn’t stop there. According to the press release:

The network capability of the WD TV Live media player enables users to stream or transfer movies from PC or Mac® computers or a network-attached storage device such as WD’s My Book® World Edition™ and WD ShareSpace network drives to their HD TVs. The WD TV Live media player also allows users to stream rich content from YouTube™, Flickr® and Pandora®. The HD onscreen menu brings together all of the users’ available media in an elegant and simple-to-navigate interface.

The new Internet and network capabilities are welcome additions to this already impressive and relatively inexpensive HD media player. Along with these new features, the WD TV Live features the same 1080p playback, support for just about every codec under the sun, HDMI connectivity, and the ability to show photos and play music like its older sibling (complete comparison chart available here). The WD TV Live is available now for $149.99 MSRP. Check back for our hands-on review in the coming weeks.

WD TV Live HD Media Player
Features of the WD TV Live HD Media Player include:
- Full-HD 1080p video playback and navigation with the included remote control and crisp, animated navigation menus;
- Play a wide variety of file formats including support for a wide variety of the most popular file formats with no need to spend time transcoding;
- Play videos, music and photos from the Internet on your big screen TV and discover new music with Pandora Internet radio or listen to thousands of radio stations via Live365 Internet radio;
- Ethernet port for wired or WiFi connection1 to access files anywhere on the network to play movies, music, and photos from any PC or drive on a home network;
- Turns a USB drive2 into an HD media player and plays content from most popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices;
- Unlimited media collection, just add more USB drives for more space;
- Two USB ports for seamless media playback from multiple USB drives and ability to access them simultaneously while a media library feature collects the content on all the drives into one list sorted by media type;
- Transfer files by copying, moving or deleting files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, camcorder, or a camera to the attached USB drive using the on-screen menus;
- Picture Transfer Protocol support to show photos and movies directly from digital camera or video camera and or any digital imaging device that supports Picture Transfer Protocol;
- Advanced navigation options including thumbnail and list views, media library and search;
- Photo viewing to create custom slide shows, zoom and pan and search;
- Movie viewing with fast-forward, rewind, pause, zoom and pan, view subtitles, and search;
- Music playback with fast-forward, rewind, pause, shuffle, repeat and search;
- File copying between USB devices;
- HDMI® 1.3 port, composite video and component video output3 for the highest quality HDTV or home theater;
- SPDIF digital output that sends digital signals to your AV receiver for the best surround sound experience; and,
- Ultra-compact design to fit easily into a home entertainment center.

Oh, U.S. Senate. Just when we thought you had turned your collective attention to the plethora of incredibly important issues to tackle (read: healthcare, 2 wars, global warming, education, etc), you go and pass the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009.

The Act, or SPCA09 as we like to call it around here, provides state governors and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation the power to have cellular signals blocked (or jammed, as the kids like to say) inside prisons. Why do they need this authority? Well, apparently smuggled cell phones have become quite an issue in our lovely prison system. This has in turn created increased security threats, i.e. allowing inmates to conduct crimes from the comfort of their cell (zing!).

More specifically, SPCA09 allows prisons to petition the FCC to use jamming devices so long as they don’t cause interference with legitimate communications. Luckily for the rest of us, the Act also requires the FCC to be fairly specific about where and how signals can be blocked, so law enforcement officials won’t, in theory, be able to overly abuse this new “power.” Nothing is set in stone yet, well, at least until the bill is ratified by the House and signed by the Pres.

[via Phone Scoop and WSJ]