<![CDATA[[MobileRatty] tag: happy]]> http://mobileratty.com/tag/happy Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:24:49 +0000 iRatty Engine http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Get tech help in your home from AT&T]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/185f532f5d397dcd5c98278b57bde1db http://mobileratty.com/article/185f532f5d397dcd5c98278b57bde1db AT&T’s ConnecTech in-home supportAT&T has become the latest big-name company to offer tech support in your house with the launch of its Connectech, at  www.att.com/connectech.

This service is available nationwide and staff will do anything from setting up your brand new computer to installing your home-entertainment center.

(Wow! I should really get into this. For $119, AT&T will unbox your brand new computer, register it, set up Windows to get Microsoft updates, configure Windows’ security and connect a printer, scanner, camera — your choice of two gadgets, otherwise the price goes up. I could probably do this in 10 minutes, although driving to your house could be a pain.)

This in-home help is already a competitive market with Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Circuit City’s FireDog service and lots of other smaller companies. But Matt Davis, an analyst at market researcher IDC Corp., says it’s inevitable that companies like AT&T jump in.

“We’ve been anticipating that providers like AT&T are going to (offer in-home support) simply because they’re going to get the call anyway,” Davis said. “The service provider is going to have to take more and more responsibility or else a) the service doesn’t work or b) they’ll get the calls to their customer support anyway.”

Jumping on the Geek Squad bandwagon? Not so, says Davis.  “I see it more that this is in anticipation of having the capability of what they need because without it, they won’t be able to keep their subscribers happy.”

Davis believes enough consumers are willing to pay for this and at these prices — installing a mounted TV and surround-sound system will cost $549. Plus, after your $119 PC installation is up and running, further remote support starts at $69. Prices are similar to Geek Squad and others.

An AT&T’s media spokesman says that ConnecTech will use AT&T technicians and contractors and AT&T branded vehicles.

Related: Nerds on the run in OC (Oct. 11, 2005)

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:00:27 +0000 att att jump geek squad geek squad bandwagon att technicians davis buys geek squad matt davis in-home Get tech help in your home from AT&T <![CDATA[Bose SoundDock Series II: 3G iPhone owners happy]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/dfb8f2d472bd1ae27c5bd812a9428eec http://mobileratty.com/article/dfb8f2d472bd1ae27c5bd812a9428eec
There is a new Bose Sound dock on the way and while many gadget sites have said that you will not find many changes in the specifications, they may be a little wrong, especially when it comes to Apple iPhone 3G owners.

On my desk in front of me is a nice Bose Sound Dock, and while its got an amazing sound, it hates the iPhone 3G. When you put the latest iPhone on the dock, it will not charge the device.

So the new SoundDock Series II digital music system may not have many new features, but its perfect for those who may need to upgrade their old Bose sound docks with a newer model to support the latest iPhone.

On the Bose system there is a new auxiliary input so you can connect other audio devices, and the latest device is also a lot sleeker.

The Series II digital music system measuring just 6 1/2-inches deep, by 12-inches wide and 6 5/8-inches high. The new SoundDock will be available at the start of September for $299.

Source: Read | Also see other gadget news.

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:22:18 +0000 iphone dock series sounddock series bose sound dock sound digital music system sounddock apple iphone Bose SoundDock Series II: 3G iPhone owners happy <![CDATA[Dot Matrix Mighty Wallet Takes Me to a Warm and Happy Place]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/0c0b5af2972f0652820e76e3b39cf2c0 http://mobileratty.com/article/0c0b5af2972f0652820e76e3b39cf2c0
I must admit that I get a little sentimental whenever I see dot matrix-related goods and this dot matrix wallet certainly doesn’t let me down. It isn’t actually made out of paper, but that doesn’t matter, it looks real enough and the price is right.

My first printer was a dot matrix, it was a fast one for its time, but it was dot matrix, the print quality sucked, it was annoying to pull the strips of holes off the side of the paper, but it made that sound that I would come to associate with a job well done. There was nothing better than hearing the croak of the printer after you finished an assignment. These days I don’t even print, I just hit send; where’s the magic?

Price: $17 [Fred Flare via 7 Gadgets]

Related posts

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:12:18 +0000 dot dot matrix dot matrix wallet print print quality geeks play pool fred flare video price Dot Matrix Mighty Wallet Takes Me to a Warm and Happy Place <![CDATA[DuraHeart Begins US Trials]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/61169f4c44a958e3866c65120edd2595 http://mobileratty.com/article/61169f4c44a958e3866c65120edd2595 Terumo Heart, Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan subsidiary of Tokyo's Terumo Corporation, is happy to announce the first US implantation of its DuraHeart™ Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) in a 62 year old male at the University of Michigan, who was subsequently discharged about two weeks later. The device is being trialed as a bridge-transplantion medical device, the typical indication for LVADs. Except for an interesting centrifugal flow rotary pump with a magnetically levitated impeller, the device, its components, and its surgical anastomoses seem to be similar to other "typical" LVADs.

From a press statement by Terumo:

Earlier generation Left Ventricular Assist devices are prone to hemolysis, blood clots and mechanical failure. Significant advances have been made in the DuraHeart LVAS to potentially overcome these problems. Dr. Nojiri explained: "We have a unique pump design that combines advanced "Mag-Lev" technology and a centrifugal pump. The "Mag-Lev" allows for the complete elimination of mechanical contact within the blood flow path, minimizing the chance of mechanical failure. This is expected to significantly improve the clinical performance and long-term potential of this type of therapy." It has been used in more than 70 patients in Europe with the longest ongoing support over 3 years.

The DuraHeart Bridge-to-Transplant Pivotal Trial is a multi-center, prospective, non-randomized study of 140 patients and will include up to 40 centers. The device is intended to provide cardiac support for patients awaiting transplant who are at risk of death due to end-stage left ventricular failure. The National Co-Principal Investigators are Francis Pagani, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Michigan and Yoshifumi Naka, M.D., Ph.D., from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.

Features from the device page:

* Flow rate from two to eight liters per minute with motor speeds between twelve hundred and twenty-four hundred RPM * Secondary hydrodynamic suspension * Flow rate that varies with physiological changes * Silent pump operation * An advanced Vascutek GelWeave™ outflow graft * Multiple inflow options for optimal fit * Thin flexible percutaneous cable

Press release: August 21, 2008: Discharge of First U.S. DuraHeart(TM) Patient

Press release: August 6, 2008: First DuraHeart™ Left Ventricular Assist System Implanted in the U.S.Pivotal Trial

Device page: DuraHeart System

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:40:17 +0000 duraheart device duraheart lvas lvas device page duraheart system ventricular assist system medical device flow DuraHeart Begins US Trials <![CDATA[ Exporting Songs From Rock Band 1 to Rock Band 2 Will Require Code, Five Bucks, HDD Space [Rock Band 2] ]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/e0ea9863b6e209caa98d9995b1be300f http://mobileratty.com/article/e0ea9863b6e209caa98d9995b1be300f One of Rock Band 2's more thoughtful features is that you'll be able to export most of the tracks from your Rock Band 1 disc to play in Rock Band 2 on the Xbox 360 (DLC works with it automatically). Harmonix has just dropped some of the details on how you'll make this happen. It's easy, and it'll cost you about $5 (and a considerable chunk of hard drive space), as expected.

On the day Rock Band 2 shimmies onto store shelves, Rock Band 1 will get an update that'll add an "export" option. It'll ask you for a password, which is included with your copy of Rock Band 2. After you punch in the code you'll have to pay up, but Harmonix says it won't be more than five bucks (the money is for rights holders). Then all of your songs, or at least the ones you're allowed to port, will be copied to your hard drive. Harmonix's PR dude John Drake also said that if you buy Rock Band 2 and just rent Rock Band 1, you'll probably be able to copy the songs as long as you pay the fee.

There are some songs you might not be able to move over, but Harmonix hasn't said which ones yet. One thing to consider is that if you copy over most of the songs, while Harmonix didn't dish the exact numbers, you're probably talking a couple gigabytes of your hard drive permanently gone (rouhgly ~30MB/song x 58 songs = 1.74GB), which might be an issue if you've only got a 20GB model. Still, we're pretty happy about this. [Multiplayer via Kotaku]


]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:20:00 +0000 rock band rent rock band day rock band songs hard drive hard drive permanently hard drive space harmonix copy Exporting Songs From Rock Band 1 to Rock Band 2 Will Require Code, Five Bucks, HDD Space [Rock Band 2] <![CDATA[Cute USB Golf Mouse]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/3e0ffc45a4e0b9ff0fb84fa960be4573 http://mobileratty.com/article/3e0ffc45a4e0b9ff0fb84fa960be4573

A real golfer doesn’t care about places.. And they can make every place possible to playing golf, including this Toilet Golfing. However, if you don’t want to spend too much time to take off your pants and stay in closet, you can play golf right from your desk, like this unique USB Golf mouse. This mouse set is including a golf ball shaped mouse along with with the green field mouse pad (which reminds you will golfing all the time!).

The good thing is, you can play golf while you’re working. You can putt putt some hole in one shots as many time as you want. Beware, your boss might not be happy with this desktop accessories.

Product Page

This post is taken from: Cutie Gadget

Cute USB Golf Mouse

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:10:16 +0000 golf mouse play golf mouse set field mouse pad time golf ball putt putt real golfer Cute USB Golf Mouse <![CDATA[The School Year Opening - A Critical Period for Sub-notebook Sales]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/796799e5791261d4c4aaf27b54271837 http://mobileratty.com/article/796799e5791261d4c4aaf27b54271837
While Asus may have arguably created the low-cost subnotebook market when it released the Asus Eee PC 701 back in October last year, it miserably failed to capitalize on its early lead when it assumed the competition won’t be able to catch-up until the 2nd half of this year. In the interim, it went wishy-washy on how to position the product line and ended up with a half-baked “it is not a notebook” campaign that did not succeed in pushing it as a consumer appliance as well. Moreover, it managed to dilute the Eee PC brand by introducing non-related peripherals. The worst part was its attempt to play up with competitors who failed to match the value-for-size and value-for money of the Eee PC and ended up chasing after them instead. If it had instead concentrated on keeping the price low and simply added more features, its Eee PC would still be in a very dominant market position.

So now the market is wide open with no clear-cut winner. Major players include the HP Mini-Note, the MSI Wind, the Acer Aspire One, among others, with Lenovo and Dell soon to join the fray. Chipmaker VIA has open sourced a subnotebook design as well. In addition, there are several third-tier players nibbling at the low-end. Significantly, a couple of companies have also announced PDA types with the subnotebook form-factor, selling for under $200. In fact, one model, the Jointech JL7100 uses what seems to be an identical Asus Eee PC 701 casing. Asus itself has introduced several models as well, providing for an overwhelming range from which consumers can choose.

With the school year opening, which is traditionally one of two peak periods for computer resellers, the other one being the holidays, the lack of a dominant player obviously means a mad scramble for market share. The timing could not be more crucial.

First, while the segment has enjoyed brisk sales since its introduction, overall sales are still a fraction of overall notebook sales. Meaning subnotebooks have not really gained critical mass in the mainstream. For the most part, buyers still belong to the first wave of adopters, albeit an extended first wave. A successful school year opening sales would not only “legitimize” low-cost subnotebooks as mainstream, it will build the foundation of for a bigger surge during the holiday season.

Secondly, the education market is projected to account for a significant share of subnotebook sales. An endorsement by schools and universities will effectively bring the subnotebooks to mainstream acceptance. The caveat is that there are now so-called “low-cost” model with configurations and prices closer to mainstream notebooks. If these are the ones endorsed, such certification would not really mean much for the genuine low-cost subnotebooks.

That said, still whichever model manages to establish itself during this period will likely carry that into the holiday season. So what does that mean? Expect price cuts. Expect new configurations. All just in time for the back to school sale.

Will there be a winner? It all depends. But if anyone can offer a model that will adequately support the needs and requirements of students in a package small and light enough to “disappear” into a backpack and at a price that won’t hurt so much when it is damaged or lost, the model will be an attractive buy. Features should include the following:

Screen size a minimum 8.9” size. Battery life probably at least 4 hours. WiFi a must. Size about that of the original Asus Eee PC 701 or just a tad bigger both ways. The OS must be almost instant-on (less than 20 secs). RAM should be adequate to let the OS and Office-type apps run smoothly. SSD storage size is not critical as long as it is upgradeable. Keyboard lay-out, tactile feedback, and key sizes should be sufficient for touch-typing.

Gaming capability is not an issue since users will unlikely use the device for serious gaming.

Price should be under USD300 but will probably be higher. But if you have all the above at under USD200, the product would be an instant best-seller.

Have we just described an existing model? You be the judge.  Though come Christmas time, we wouldn’t be surprised if there will be couple or more models that will fit the above description. Happy shopping then!
]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:17:00 +0000 asus eee original asus eee asus identical asus eee low-cost subnotebook market market sales eee genuine low-cost subnotebooks The School Year Opening - A Critical Period for Sub-notebook Sales <![CDATA[Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/be2ce6abbffe6432f7ccb0e56b85a709 http://mobileratty.com/article/be2ce6abbffe6432f7ccb0e56b85a709

Bose® QuietComfort® 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones


Features:
  • Offers unmatched combination of noise reduction technology, audio performance and comfortable fit
  • Patented Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphone technology fades background distractions
  • Now with enhanced audio performance and styling
  • Lightweight and comfortable; convenient fold-flat design
Customer Reviews


Great on flights (2008-08-15)
i was traveling a couple of times this summer and used my husband's set of headphones. They were terrific; I could not believe how mush noise they kept out. I bought myself a pair for the next trip as my husband was going with me. We will never travel again without them!!!!!


Listen Carefully (2008-08-11)
I first encountered this product early in its commercial life, while flying cross country. My seat mate put his Bose headphones on with great relish, and offered me a listen. I eagerly obliged and in 30 seconds of listening, I thought: very good sound and where's the background noise? Really neat!

Months went by as I pondered the high price, whereupon I succumbed to Bose's slick marketing, and ordered a pair. After several hours of use, I became disenchanted with these headphones. First of all, these phones reduce noise, but do not cancel it. The high pitched whine of a jet engine comes through clearly, although reduced in volume. Other external noises intrude as well, reduced but hardly cancelled. A Bose dealer tested my phone's performance and deemed them to be within specification. In fairness to the Bose, it's noise cancelation works just about perfectly in a quiet, home environment, but not that well when you need it most, like on a plane. The packaging, instruction manual, and connection adapters are all top-notch.

One day I directly compared the Bose's sound fidelity to my 25-year-old pair of AKG K 240 GFs (non-noise canceling); the result: a virtual tie. The Bose had a slightly cleaner treble, but the AKG's had a slightly fuller bass and mid-range. Considering the Bose's high price, I feel that their sound quality is below that expected of a high-priced component.

Lessons learned? For a high-end audio component, research competing components, take ample time to shop and listen carefully, simultaneously comparing your final choices if possible. Consider the manufacturer's marketing claims with a grain of noise, albeit reduced.


Hurt my ears (2008-08-02)
I bought these with high expectations. I am returning them because whatever frequency is used in the noise canceling technology actually hurt my ears. I agree with other reviewers that the cover to the battery chamber is a flimsy plastic and could break off easily. Plus, closing the battery door, which should take a nanosecond, took me awhile because the fit is so tight, you have to close it in a certain way. When I did have the headphones on, they seemed to do a very good job at blocking sound. Honestly, though, I am going back to the type of ear protectors worn by hunters, they block sound VERY WELL because they are so well padded.


Awesome headset, A+++++ (2008-07-24)
I had this headset before, but it got broken accidentally.
Bought for the second time and am very happy with it. Especially good for traveling on the plane, cancels a lot of noise.


Power walking is happier with my new Bose Headphons (2008-07-22)
With my new Bose QuietComfort headphones I can do my power walking and not have to stop and put the buds back in my ear. I can keep my head up
and sing as I go. Very happy with this purchase


tags : gadget
]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:02:00 +0000 noise bose dealer bose bose headphones bose quietcomfort acoustic noise background noise phones reduce noise headphones Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones <![CDATA[Hybrid Vehicles Must Be Noisier]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/7f42f59e66844821f92c29f471a21bcb http://mobileratty.com/article/7f42f59e66844821f92c29f471a21bcb Hybrid Vehicles Must Be Noisier

You can't keep everyone happy, can you? With the advent of hybrid vehicles, roads have become much quieter (if you discount the honks during rush hour, of course), leading the California Legislature to conclude that this is bad for the blind, hence passing a bill that requires hybrid vehicles to be noisy enough for visually impaired people to hear before they cross the street. I thought there were pedestrian crossings specially built for that purpose? Makes me wonder what auto manufacturers will do to introduce more noise...

Add a comment | From: Hybrid Vehicles Must Be Noisier | Visit Ubergizmo

]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:51:28 +0000 hybrid vehicles requires hybrid vehicles california legislature rush hour auto manufacturers pedestrian crossings noisier visit ubergizmo noisy Hybrid Vehicles Must Be Noisier <![CDATA[Who'll pay $550 for the Treo Pro?]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/87032fc70d34bc1bdcc592467e2ab477 http://mobileratty.com/article/87032fc70d34bc1bdcc592467e2ab477 palmpro_01.jpg

Made official after a couple of hours of speculation a few weeks ago, Palm's Treo Pro is now ready to roll.

Running Windows Mobile 6.1 on a 400MHz CPU, it has 128MB of RAM, 3G, Wifi and Bluetooth, a 320x320 touchscreen display, and GPS. A micro-USB port replaces the thingie hole, meaning no new cables for Treo-come-latelies that may hypothetically exist.

The unlocked price tag, however, is a stout $550. Too much? Or the happy price to pay for carrier freedom? Also: PalmOS is so very dead.


]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:24:49 +0000 treo pro micro-usb port replaces windows mobile weeks ago carrier freedom happy price thingie hole 400mhz cpu price tag Who'll pay $550 for the Treo Pro?