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This thing looks like it would be ideal to go with your new 72 inch HDTV display and the stack of attendant equipment boxes. I must add that the overuse of capitalization in the features list is theirs, not mine.

The IC2 Home Theater Automation and Control System includes a table top remote control, main system unit, two power supplies, master key labels, zigbee® antenna and extension kit.

FEATURES

• The IC2™ Makes Home Theater So Easy Every Family Member Can Access The Entertainment
• Combines All The Home Theater Remotes Into One Easy-To-Use Interface
• Large, Ergonomically Positioned Buttons Simplify Operation For The User
• Master Keys Can Be Custom Labeled To Reflect User Preferences And Specific Equipment
• ZigBee® Wireless RF Communication Enables The Equipment To Be Hidden Away And Eliminates The Need To Point And Hold The Remote
• Reliable One-Touch Operation Using Intelligent, Customized Command Sequences
• A Single Press Of The Off Button Shuts Down The Entire System
• The Remote’s Backlight Feature Enables Operation In Low-Light. The Tabletop Remote Can Even Programmed To Illuminate Automatically When A User Reaches For The Control

SOURCE: Niles Audio

Squeeze your cheeks together, here comes another round of rampant corporate greed. Not surprisingly, the FCC is in the middle of this one too. It is worth your time to read the complete article, particularly if you were an HDTV "early adopter".

At the request of theatrical film makers, the Federal Communications Commission on Friday quietly launched a proceeding on whether to let video program distributors remotely block consumers from recording recently released movies on their DVRs. The technology that does this is called Selectable Output Control (SOC), but the FCC restricts its use. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) wants a waiver on that restriction in the case of high-definition movies broadcast prior to their release as DVDs. (Read more)

SOURCE:arstechnica.com

After the MobileMe announcement and demo, Steve Jobs came back on stage to tout the iPhone’s 90 percent customer satisfaction rating. Jobs then announced the long-expected 3G iPhone with GPS. It is slimmer, has a side slot, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, and the same display as its predecessor. Battery life is rated at 300 hours for standby, 2G talk at 10 hours, and 3G talk of 5 hours. That translates into 5-6 hours of browsing, 7 hours of video, and 24 hours of audio. The 3G iPhone also offers full Exchange support using Active Sync and a secure VPN.

The iPhone 3G will cost $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. Apple plans availability in 22 countries starting July 11, with a goal of rolling it out to 70 countries.

SOURCE: arstechnica.com

Speculation is running wild on the Web about Microsoft possibly building a content censor into the Zune software.

It comes as a result of a New York Times article that looked at why NBC pulled its TV content from Apple’s iTunes store and is now distributing it for the Zune.

NYT’s Saul Hansell writes:

Late Tuesday afternoon I reached J. B. Perrette, the president of digital distribution for NBC Universal, to ask why NBC found Microsoft’s video store more appealing than Apple’s.

He explained that NBC, like most studios, would like the broadest distribution possible for its programming. But it has two disputes with Apple.

First, Apple insists that all TV shows have an identical wholesale price so that it can sell all of them at $1.99. NBC wants to sell its programs for whatever price it chooses.

Second, Apple refused to cooperate with NBC on building filters into its iPod player to remove pirated movies and videos.

Microsoft, by contrast, will accept NBC’s pricing scheme and will work with it to try to develop a copyright “cop” to be installed on its devices.

Microsoft’s official word has been to deny this. According to Microsoft’s Cesar Menendez:

We have seen some chatter in the blogosphere over the last 24 hours around a couple of posts speculating about what Zune may or may not do in terms of putting content filtering features directly into the Zune family of devices in future releases.

We know you guys are following this discussion closely, and wanted to be absolutely clear on this issue:

We have no plans or commitments to implement any new type of content filtering in the Zune devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC.

We think some folks in the industry were expressing hopes for how the entire industry, not just Microsoft, would come to look at content distribution, and some speculation has ensued. Again, no plans are in place toward this end.

Menendez’s comment are unlikely to clear up the controversy. (Read more)

SOURCE: Podcasting News

OK, I confess. I worked as a dorm janitor and cleaned plenty of porcelain while a college student, but this new elephant-themed cleaning product from Japan is just plain wrong.

After spending my broadcasting career using huge, heavy remote audio recording equipment, this thing really got my attention. The HHB DRM85-C is a Portable Internal Flash Recording Cardioid Microphone. That means that the unit is self-contained with a high quality Sennheiser cardioid condenser capsule, 1GB of flash recording memory and a broadcast-quality digital audio recorder in one unit. It combines to create a durable, portable recording device that’s a cinch to use.

It isn’t cheap at a street price over $800, but the FlashMic is the world’s first professional Digital Recording Cardioid Microphone. Designed for all voice recording applications, It is especially useful for “push one button” broadcast and press interviewing. (Read more)

Apple has apparently  just recognized the value of having others developing hardware and software for their previously proprietary iPhone. What this means for you, is that the "phone" is now legally open to the development of even more cool applications than it now supports.

At an event Thursday at Apple headquarters, Mr. Jobs announced a low-cost software development kit that outside programmers can use to create programs for the iPhone, much as they now write the vast majority of the programs created for the Macintosh. Until now, iPhones have officially been able to run only the limited assortment of applications that Apple includes. Some buyers have modified the phones to add unauthorized software.

SOURCE: New York Times

If you are one of us who has trouble waking up in the morning, perhaps after a night of working DX, then you could probably benefit from something like a really loud alarm clock, or an alarm that will otherwise get your attention. The only problem with this gadget is that you have to build it yourself. Oh, yes. There is also the matter of the wet sheets.

SOURCE: gizmodo.com

Is that like jumbo shrimp, or millitary inteligence?

SOURCE: ThinkGeek

If you think that your conversations over a bluetooth headset/cell phone link are secure, then you should watch the video prepared by SANS Institute author and senior instructor Joshua Wright in which he demonstrates how a Bluetooth headset can be hijacked. That allows audio to either be captured, or sent to the device. CLUE: the “secret” pin defaults to 0000. Ouch!