Free Video Converter: Any Video Converter Freeware

If you need to Clone DVD (copy movie DVD to DVD disc), please use Any DVD Cloner. It can clone ANY movie DVDs!

With more than 4,500,000 users in 220 countries/territories

Any Video Converter (free version) is the most renowned free video converter for converting video files between various formats, with fast converting speed and excellent video quality.

Input formats:

avi, asf, mov, rm, rmvb, flv, mkv, mpg, 3gp, m4v, vob, YouTube videos and more

Output formats:

avi, mp4, wmv, flv, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, mpg (PAL or NTSC), mp3, wma, ogg, aac

Convert avi, mpeg, mov and any video file formats

* Convert or compress video files within minutes of downloading

* Universal video converter supporting all popular formats

* Includes a batch converter to convert thousands of files in on go

 

Use this video converter software to convert video files into the formats you need to watch on TV, load to a cell phone, put on a website, create a presentation, watch on your portable device and much more. In fact, the possibilities are endless using this powerful video file converter.

 

"To have your favorite clips how you want them, whether that's on your DVR, iPod, PSP or desktop, you need the right utility to convert theem into the format that works for you. Commercial video converter software's aplenty, but there are several solid free utilities that can convert your video files on every operating system, or if you've just got a web browser and a quick clip. Put DVDs on your iPod, YouTube videos on DVD, or convert any video file with Any Video Converter Freeware, today's top 10 free video rippers, encoders and converters."

-- From Lifehacker.com

 

Finally we get one free video converter. Any Video Converter Free Version is the popular freeware utility which has millions of satisfied users who enjoy power, speed, and simplicity of this versatile instrument - a rare combination in the world of modern video compression technologies. This Free Video Converter converts almost any video formats to any formats, while preserving the straightforward interface design which makes this program so easy and fun to use.

 

There is open source software to perform almost every task for video conversion. But if you are one of these windows users who are looking for an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, Any Video Converter provides just that, allowing you to effortlessly convert video files between every format, for FREE!

 

Any Video Converter Free Version can convert avi, asf, mov, rm, rmvb, flv, mkv, mpg, 3gp, m4v, and vob to avi, wmv, mp4, 3gp, mpg (PAL or NTSC), MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, wmv and flv.

 

Any Video Converter makes batch file conversion simple. Create a batch list of any different formats and convert them all to a single selected format. The converted files will be saved to a pre-selected directory folder and the original files will remain untouched.

 

It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-I, MPEG-I, DVD NTSC , DVD PAL, Flash for Video (FLV) ,AVI Video and Customized WMV movie formats. It also supports any user defined video file formats as the output. It has an unmatchable speed and high quality.

 

Whether you are looking for free PSP video converter, free 3GP video converter, free FLV video converter, free MP4 converter, or free YouTube converter, Any Video Converter Free Version is the right application for you. Download the free video converter now to convert videos and experience better digital life.

Any Video Converter Free Version can also download and convert YouTube videos and Google videos.

How to convert video and transfer it to iPhone

 

The iPhone is a multimedia smartphone designed by Apple Inc; announced on January 9, 2007. Though lacking of a physical keyboard, iPhone has lots of functions, from universal text messaging, email, to visual voicemail, web browsing, Wi-Fi connectivity, etc, which can be operated via its virtual keyboard. And most important, it's a portable media player. It supports music, audiobook, podcast, application and video. Fun is always with you if an iPhone is in your hands.

 

So, most iPhone users like to watch movies on this beautiful handset. However, according to iPhone's official page, there are many techinical specifications as follows for iPhone video file:

Video Format: MP4, MOV, M4V
Video Size: up to 640x480
Video Framerate: up to 30fps
Video Bitrate: up to 1.5Mbps for H.264, or 2.5Mbps for MPEG-4
Audio: AAC up to 160Kbps, 48kHz

 

For this reason, if you have an iPhone and want to play movies on it, you need to convert the video first. Follow below steps to get iPhone playable videos. (If you're using a Mac, please check this Mac tutorial)

How to transfer video to Sony PSP

The PSP (abbreviated form of PlayStation Portable) is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the first handheld video game console; the current version uses Memory Stick Duo or Duo Pro as its primary storage media, which is more convenient than previous Universal Media Disc and it's able to transfer data between console and computers easily.

 

Since PSP has a large viewing screen and robust multi-media capabilities, many users like to view videos directly on this device. However, many new PSP owners have no idea how to transfer movies into PSP, or they are not able to locate them in PSP. If you are one of such new PSP users, this article will help.

 

As referred above, PSP system uses Memory Stick Duo to store games, music, videos, photos and other contents, so its movies shall be saved to Memory Stick Duo for playback. For PSPs with firmware v3.30 or newer, users can transfer MP4 to the VIDEO folder. For older versions, a normal PSP movie should consist of a .MP4 and a .THM file, named as M4Vxxxxx.MP4 and M4Vxxxxx.THM (xxxxx is the same 5 numbers in this pair of playable structure files, and .THM is .MP4's thumbnail file which is not necessary to be transferred into PSP); users should put them in the 100MNV01 folder.

 

Step 1 : import video into PSP memory card

Connect PSP's Memory Stick Duo card with computer, via PSP or card reader or memory stick adaptor as you like, and the card directory is as below:

 

Memory Stick Duo root
│
├PSP
│
├MP_ROOT
│ ├100MNV01 (Put .MP4 & .THM files here)
│ ├100ANV01
│ └101ANV01
├MUSIC
├ISO
├PICTURE
└VIDEO (If your firmware is 3.30 or newer, moving MP4 here will be ok)

 

Step 2 : play converted video on PSP

Once the video is transferred successfully, go to menu VIDEO > Memory Stick, you can find and play the video on PSP now. Great!

 

How to rip DVD for HTC Touch Diamond

Touch Diamond (P3700), produced by HTC, may be the most beautiful smartphone running Windows Mobile 6 platform, because of its attractive and fantastic design. HTC Touch Diamond and other phones running Windows Mobile, like HTC S1, O2 Atom, Samsung i900, support various video formats such as 3GP, MPEG-4, WMV.

 

And many people nowadays are likely storing many DVD discs so they can watch them on TV or computer from time to time. How about playing DVD on this mobile device directly? In this way people can avoid getting discs scratched or damaged; moreover, they can enjoy their DVD movies any where they like. However, because of the screen size and the movie sources, they may need to may a ripping or conversion before importing their clips to this beautiful mobile device.

 

If you are one of such users and want to play DVD movies on HTC Touch Diamond, you need to turn the DVD into a video file first. Follow below steps to get playable videos for your phone.

How to Convert Video for Archos 705 WiFi

Archos 705 WiFi is a portable video player From Archos. It has a gigantic screen and an attractive user interface. Archos 705 WiFi has 2 models in capacity. They are 80GB and 160GB. Archos 705 WiFi supports viewing JPEG, BMP, PNG photos, transfering your photos directly from your digital camera. Archos 705 WiFi also supports playing audio files like Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV (PCM/ADPCM), with additional plug-ins purchased from Archos' website, Archos 705 WiFi can also play AAC stereo audio files and AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files.

 

Archos 705 WiFi also support video playback in MPEG-4 (ASP@L5 AVI) and WMV (MP@ML) formats at up to 30 frames per second, with additional plug-ins purchased from Archos' website, Archos 705 WiFi can also play H.264 with AAC sound, or MPEG-2 with stereo AC3 sound.

 

For more details of specifications of Archos 705 WiFi, please visit Archos official website.

 

Now let's have a look at how to convert video files for Archos 705 WiFi. First of all, you need a good converter. Any Video Converter Professional is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It's exactly what you need.

 

First step, download Any Video Converter Professional from Any Video Converter website and install it.

     Launch Any Video Converter Professional. Click Add Video button to add the video files you want to convert for Archos 705 WiFi. Any Video Converter Pro also supports converting online videos like YouTube, Google Video, MetaCafe and Japanese Nico Video. Click YouTube button and paste the URL link of the online video. The converter will download the online videos, in the meanwhile, convert them. The feature makes you can easily watch your favorite online videos on Archos 705 WiFi.

 

Whether you are looking for free PSP video converter, free 3GP video converter, free FLV video converter, free MP4 converter, or free YouTube converter, Any Video Converter Free Version is the right application for you. Download the free video converter now to convert videos and experience better digital life.

Any Video Converter Free Version can also download and convert YouTube videos and Google videos.   

New FlashGet 1.9.6

FlashGet is a leading download manager and has the highest amount of users on the internet. It uses MHT(Multi-server Hyper-threading Transportation) technique, supports various protocols and has excellent document management features. FlashGet is a freeware without any adware or spyware.

New Features

			100% Clean, free			Call anti-virus automatically
		No adware and spyware Easy to install and use			FlashGet can call anti-virus automatically to clean virus,spyware and adware after finishing download.
			Optimize the system resources
		FlashGet can use up the lowest system resources and will not influence your normal work or study.

			Increase the speed and stability
		It uses MHT(Multi-server Hyper-threading Transportation) technique and optimization arithmetic and it can split downloaded files into sections and supports multipoint transfers in parallel. Moreover, the techniques (UDCT, Ultra Disk Cache Tech) can protect your hard disk and make you download more stable.
			SupportHTTP,FTP,BT,eMule and other various protocols
		FlashGet supports HTTP,FTP,BT,MMS,RTSP and other protocols. It is seamless between protocols and there is no need to operate manually for download switch. The One Touch technique optimizes BT download and can automatically download target files after getting seeds information, hence no need to operate again.
			Powerful files management feature
		It supports unlimited categories. Each category is assigned a download saving directory. The powerful management feature.

OrbitDowmnloader

• Download Rich Media: Streaming Media, RTMP, Social Music & Video

  Orbit Downloader supports HTTP/FTP/HTTPS/RTSP/MMS/RTMP protocols and provides a total solution to download rich media. So Orbit Downloader can be used as YouTube downloader to download YouTube more simply and easily. Additionally, you can download music and video from social music/video websites like YouTube.

• Great Speed: Up to The Fastest Download Manager

  Orbit Downloader is based on p2p and multi-source downloading technology. More Efficient mirrors selection algorithm and faster download sources which allows you to download files up to 500% faster than before. Maximum possible download speed, up to the fastest download manager!

• Super Light: Micro-sized and Resource-friendly

  Orbit Downloader is written with efficiency in mind, it typically uses less than 3MB of memory and 3% of cpu when downloading. Additionally, the installation package is less than 2MB.

  
  

• Support RapidShare

  Orbit Downloader supports most of the file-sharing service websites, including megaupload, badongo, sendspace, sexuploader, yourfilehost, uploading, filefront, 4shared, turboupload, depositfiles, filefactory, and more.

• Easy to Use

  Orbit Downloader has a simple and clear user interface. It is easy to use and configure for both newbies and professionals.

• Free and Safe

  100% free and no registration required. No adware!!! No spyware!!!

  New Features

  • Grab Pro - Download RTMP protocol video
  • Download e-mail and forum attachments with great speed!
  • More Efficient mirrors selection algorithm and faster download sources!
  • Maximum possible download speed, up to the fastest download manager!
  • Download social music and video include Youtube, Pandora, Myspace easily
  • Support all streaming media protocol include RTMP/ MMS/ RTSP
  • Support all popular browsers include Firefox 3
  
  

  Main Features Detail

  1. Download social music, video and streaming media

  Orbit Downloader is devoted to new generation web application downloading and provides a total solution to download music and video. So you can download streaming media, social music, social video, movie, flash and file from anywhere include Pandora, YouTube, Yahoo, Myspace and Rapidshare more simple and easy.

  
  

  2. Extreme download acceleration

  In general, Orbit Downloader is based on P2P technology. It has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation. And Orbit Downloader has advanced robust multithread download algorithm implemented with high quality. It can speed up to 500% faster with great acceleration.     

  3. Super Light: micro-sized and resource-friendly

  Orbit Downloader is written with efficiency in mind, it typically uses less than 3MB of memory and 3% of cpu when downloading. Additionally, the installation package is less than 2MB. 

  4. Support Rapidshare download.

  Orbit downloader Support HTTPS and HTTP POST method. Orbit downloader can make your downloads from file-sharing service websites include RapidShare much faster, safer and more stable. 

  5. Support IE, Firefox, Maxthon, Opera.

  Orbit Downloader supports IE, FireFox, Maxthon and Opera. 

  6. Support Metalink download.

  Orbit Downloader supports Metalink download and gives you extremely fast download speeds. 

  7. Support HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, MMS, RTSP and RTMP protocols.

  You can easily download files with a browser click from any remote server via HTTP/ HTTPS/ FTP/ RTSP/ MMS. And the RTMP protocol will be supported soon. 

  8. Support Proxy server configuration.

  You can set Orbit Downloader to use a proxy server. Orbit Downloader can work well with HTTP,HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols. 

  9. Support download pause and resume

  Orbit Downloader can resume broken downloads. So you needn't start the downloading process from the very beginning after casual interruption. You can resume unfinished download from the moment when it was interrupted. 

  10. General download management.

  Orbit Downloader's easy-to-use management features and simple-yet-powerful configuration options can make both your downloading process and downloaded files management as easy as never before.     

Vestax Handy Trax USB Turntable Recorder Now On Sale!

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Vestax introduced the handy trax USB, a turntable that plays vinyl and converts vinyl to WAV or AIFF up to 24bit/48kHz (CD quality is 16bit/44.1kHz) thanks to its USB interface. The handy trax USB comes with a built-in 4W speaker and offers volume controller fader as well. You can find line-in, line-out and, headphone out jacks. It was three play speeds, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm.

Two New Compact Mics for iPhone and iPod

I've always wanted to turn my iPOD into a real voice recorder, and there are many of solutions currently available. Today Green-House announced two new compact mics that can be easily fitted to an iPOD or iPhone…  I definitely want to give these mics a try! 

Display 2009: LED Dragonfly, Gull, and Butterfly CCTV

Already available in some districts in Seoul and South Korea, these nice little LED lights shaped like gulls, butterflies, and dragonflies are in fact CCTVs system and may soon cross the ocean to arrive in Japan near us and all across the world. And I can tell you this system works pretty well, just look at the last picture in the gallery, the fat, bald Gaijin taking a picture is.... me!

Are Apple's ads really better than Microsoft's?

As Apple celebrated, Microsoft canceled the company picnic.

As Apple announced results that beat expectations, Microsoft had its first ever year-over-year dip in sales .

As Apple announced a billion app downloads, Microsoft gritted its molars with a view to finally shaking a little of the smugness from Apple's chops.

So you might be wondering, as you sip your weekend cocktail and ponder why the NBA playoffs are even longer than the regular season, just how much each company's advertising might have contributed to these slightly diverse results.

In recent weeks, Microsoft has turned to a strategy of death by a thousand cuts (or, well, at least two) on the Apple brand. Macs are expensive. They're cool for drooling fools. Oh, and did we mention they're expensive?

While Apple has kept on steadily associating Microsoft with turgid, virus-infested slop made by the poorly dressed and pitiful.

It could have been a contender. Is the advertising to blame?

(Credit: CC Robert Nelson/Flickr)

But the difference between Apple and Microsoft advertising--and their brands--can only be told partially through these campaigns. The John Hodgman/Justin Long nipple-tweaking campaign is merely a portion of Apple's advertising. It doesn't define the brand. It enhances one aspect of it.

On the other hand, because Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" campaign is aggressive and timely, it could become the only advertising output by which the brand is defined: We're cheaper, we're angry, and we're just not going to take it any more.

Microsoft unfortunately abdicated from giving its brand lasting positive emotional values when it walked away from the potentially forward-thinking and moving "Where Do You Want To Go Today?" campaign in 1996.

For reasons many, varied, and probably political, the company never found a campaign to better it. Advertising came and went. Consistency was non-existent. Contrast that with even the Hodgman/Long ads--they maintain the clean white backdrop enjoyed by so many other Apple ads. Whatever they say, they say Apple immediately.

If you asked anyone in the wider beyond to tell you about just one striking piece of Microsoft brand advertising in the last 13 years, you might find them looking as if they're trying to recall the name of their twelfth one-night stand.

In fact, the most memorable and, in my view, brilliant effort since then, was the second Seinfeld and Gates ad. Again, Microsoft walked away far too quickly.

In that same period, the Apple brand seems to have gained a strength that not everyone might have predicted. But how much is simply down to Apple's advertising?

It depends what you call advertising. Apple's whole culture is built around the understanding that its very best advertising isn't TV spots or print ads. It's the products.

Apple products are seen far more often than any of the company's ads. They can be admired, touched, played, and stroked. And the majority are visually striking.

The majority of Microsoft's products don't enjoy the same quality of exposure. And certainly not the same quality of design. Which means the onus on Microsoft's advertising should be to create far more drama and positive emotion around the brand. It hasn't happened.

The onus on Apple's advertising is largely to say: "Look at this. Isn't it cute? And cool. Apple? Of course, it's Apple. Who else did you think it was? Toshiba?"

Many of Apple's ads are nothing more than simple product demonstrations. Beautifully executed, celebrating their own simplicity, with often superbly chosen music. But still simple product demonstrations.

As different products are launched, each ad adds to the style and simplicity of the whole brand. And the values that Apple embraces--simplicity and style being just two--are ones that last through time. They matter to the customer.

It is difficult to name two Microsoft campaigns that actually built on each other. It is difficult to name two Microsoft campaigns that even reflected the same spirit, the same ethos, the same sense of a defined brand.

In fact, when Microsoft has been involved with brilliant pieces of work--such as this example for XBox (and, yes, I know this one was banned)- the viewer would be hard-pressed to feel that XBox is anything to do with Microsoft at all. There isn't even a Microsoft logo anywhere near it.

Can one imagine Apple launching any product, in any category, without its advertising identifying it, tonally and visually, as being an Apple product?

In the end, Microsoft, a brand that has considerable strength in the marketplace, seems to have become something of a diffused, defused blur in projecting its image. Microsoft built a business machine. But its brand advertising became like your demented auntie at Christmas: there, but not there.

Perhaps Windows 7 will be launched with a campaign that will lift the spirits and entice the parts that Microsoft advertising has mostly failed to reach for quite some time. Perhaps.

However, somewhere, somehow, the potential strengths of the Microsoft brand have not been projected by advertising. There seems to have been no consistent strategy, no sense, even, of what emotional values the brand should represent.

And now a company that has such a large market share is playing image catch-up. Which is really quite odd.

Nvidia: Chips to speed Apple Leopard, Windows 7

Graphics chips will be tapped to accelerate more tasks in upcoming versions of Apple's and Microsoft's operating systems, according to Nvidia.

Apple's upcoming Mac OS X Snow Leopard will tap into the compute power of graphics processors

(Credit: Apple)

In an interview Friday with Sumit Gupta, product manager for Nvidia's Tesla products, Gupta described how new programming environments will tap into the latent compute horsepower of graphics processors to accelerate software in Apple's upcoming OS X Snow Leopard and Microsoft's Windows 7 operating systems.

Graphics chips aren't just for games anymore. The trend toward general-purpose graphics processing is defined by an acronym that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue: GPGPU. But the essence of General Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units is pretty simple: use the scores--or even hundreds in higher-end chips--of processing cores inside GPUs to speed tasks that, in some cases, would be done much less efficiently by the central processing unit (CPU).

This is where OpenCL (Open Computing Language) comes in. OpenCL is a programming environment for "heterogeneous" computing. That is, computers using a mix of multicore CPUs and GPUs. Microsoft's analogous programming environment is DirectX.

Apple says this about OpenCL on its Web site. "Another powerful Snow Leopard technology, OpenCL...makes it possible for developers to efficiently tap the vast gigaflops of computing power currently locked up in the graphics processing unit."

Today, on a PC or a Mac, the CPUs made by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices are adept at handling general operating system tasks. For instance, handling the sequence of things that must happen after the user clicks on an icon to start an application on their desktop.

But some tasks traditionally handled by the CPU will be shifted over to the GPU--or divvied up, so certain operations are done on the CPU, while others are done on the GPU. "The really interesting thing about OpenCL and DirectX is that OpenCL is going to form part of the Apple operating system (Snow Leopard) and DirectX (version 11) will form part of Windows 7," said Gupta. "And what that essentially means to consumers is, if your laptop has an Nvidia GPU or ATI (AMD) GPU, it will run the operating system faster because the operating system will essentially see two processors in the system. For the first time, the operating system is going to see the GPU both as a graphics chip and as a compute engine," he said.

(Note: Gupta's comments implied future versions of DirectX, not DirectX generically.)

"For example, when you launch (Google) Picasa, that is completely run on the CPU. (But) the minute you choose an image and apply a filter, that filter should run on the GPU. (This happens) when you have Apple and Microsoft pushing the application developers to do that," Gupta said.

Gupta continued. "If you look at the Apple OS today. It's a beautiful interface where there actually is more visual content than there is sequential (CPU) content...stuff that's more available to the GPU. The CPU is one aspect but not necessarily the most important aspect anymore," he said.

That said, CPUs from Intel and AMD are still indispensable. "If you're running an unpredictable task, the CPU is the jack of all trades. It is really good at these unpredictable tasks. The GPU is a master of one task. And that is a highly parallel task." he said.

One of the limiting factors of unlocking the potential of the GPU has been the programming environment. "The hardest part about using the GPU was that you had to use a graphics language to program it," Gupta said. This is changing, however, with OpenCL and Nvidia's CUDA development environment based on the C programming language.

Intel sees it this way: "Since the graphics pipeline is becoming more and more programmable, the graphics workload is making its way to be more and more suited to general purpose computing--something the Intel Architecture excels at and Larrabee will feature," and Intel spokesman said Friday, referring to Intel's upcoming graphics chip.

"Coming out with this C compiler and the CUDA architecture, that's the big change we made. We came up with an architecture that was more friendly and familiar to your average C programmer," Gupta added. 

Ubuntu 9.04 as slick as Windows 7, Mac OS X

Here's what the official press release won't tell you about Ubuntu 9.04, which formally hit the streets overnight: its designers have polished the hell out of its user interface since the last release in October.

So much so, in fact, that I am starting to prefer using my Ubuntu "Jaunty Jackalope" desktop over the similarly slick Windows 7 beta (which I am currently running full-time on one desktop) and Mac OS X Leopard operating systems, which I also use regularly.

I left Windows Vista, XP, and even Debian lying bruised and battered by the roadside some time ago.

You won't be able to notice the vast improvement in Ubuntu's desktop experience over the past six months by browsing screenshot galleries of 9.04 or looking at new feature lists. What I'm talking about is that elusive slick-and-speedy feel you get from applications launching fast, windows moving around without jerkiness, and everything simply being where it should be in the user interface.

Launching and using Firefox on Ubuntu 8.10 on my 2GHz Core 2 Duo-based machine with 2GB of RAM, a 7200rpm hard disk, and an Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS always seemed to feel like I was going back a few years, to a time when Web browsers were not considered something you always had open to service Web applications like Gmail and Bloglines.

It was the same with Windows Vista.

In short, Ubuntu is now as slick and beautiful as Mac OS X or Windows 7.

Now, just like Microsoft has taken the blowtorch to Vista to produce the lightning-quick Windows 7, which so far runs well, even on older hardware, Ubuntu has picked up its own game.

I particularly noticed the Ubuntu difference when I put the operating system to the test by simultaneously launching and using multiple applications, listening to music and more while using my spare CPU cycles in the background to encode high-definition video with Mencoder. Ubuntu still felt very fast--even with traditionally sluggy pieces of software like OpenOffice.org.

It's not just the speed changes, however, that has got me excited about Ubuntu 9.04. It's also the subtle additions to the interface; the logical move of shutdown and reboot options to the far right of the menu; the slick new notifications system; the seamless (finally!) integration of the Nvidia accelerated drivers, and the cleaned-up options and package install systems.

Want Adobe Flash or other proprietary software like multimedia codecs on Ubuntu? Just search for them in the one location, under their own names. No downloading anything from any Web sites. No package management or dependencies. No apt-get. Point and click.

I'm not a Linux novice (in fact, I'm a former Linux and FreeBSD systems administrator), and I've been using Linux on the desktop since the late 1990s. I usually run a combination of Ubuntu and Windows on my PC, and the latest Mac OS X on my laptop.

So I'm in a position to notice step changes in user interface behavior like the one that Ubuntu has brought to the table with 9.04. In short, Ubuntu is now as slick and beautiful as Mac OS X or Windows 7.

As we've noted in earlier articles, Microsoft has also brought its best to the table with Windows 7. However, it's a pity that Apple didn't seem to do so with Leopard. Like some reviewers, I felt that Steve Jobs' latest operating-system opus added a lot of new features, but also some unfortunate erratic behavior that muddied Mac OS X's position as a user interface leader.

As the magazine Macworld has noted, the new Stacks feature in Leopard's Dock is a "mess" and replaced the formerly utilitarian approach to keeping folders in the Dock with a "snazzy but generally less useful pop-up window."

The new "Spaces" feature in Leopard is nothing new; it provides multiple virtual-desktop workspaces, which Unix has had for decades; but I found Apple's implementation erratic.

Then, too, there was the speed price some users paid in Leopard for all the upgrade, though that could just be the older-hardware penalty. On my 1.5GHz G4 laptop with 1280MB of RAM, Leopard runs sluggishly, whereas Tiger runs like a dream. As I don't use any of the new features, the upgrade seemed worthless.

When you consider Microsoft's remarkable rebirth with Windows 7 and the fact that Ubuntu is free, open source, and runs on anything, you would have to wonder what sort of rabbit Steve Jobs will have to pull out of his hat with Snow Leopard to keep growing Mac OS X's share. Sure, there are some apps missing on Linux (say, Photoshop). But the same can be said of Mac OS X in certain areas, and VMware and CrossOver solve a lot of problems.

Looking back to the genesis of Ubuntu 9.04 six months ago, I suspect that its subtle but powerful changes are due to the new user interface team that Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said at the time he would put in place. If so, that team has already earned its paychecks and even more, and we're looking forward to seeing what another six months of development will produce.

In the meantime, kudos to Ubuntu 9.04: you got game. 

More apathy for a Dell smartphone

 It's hard to tell if anyone is as enthused about the possibilities of Dell making a smartphone as Michael Dell.

He's been making periodic references to his company making "small screen" devices in the near future at public appearances for the last year. But the people who watch his stock and analyze his company's every move, appear incredibly underwhelmed by the idea of a Dell handset. Their apathy is notable since a) Dell's last handheld device was very popular with consumers and b) Dell hasn't formally announced anything specific.

While getting into the smartphone-making business is not a terrible idea, seeing as how the PC market is pretty pitiful right now and smartphone sales are soaring, how Dell goes about manufacturing, selling, and marketing such a device is important. Even the slightest misstep could undo the progress the company has made in turning around its business.

Again, Dell has not made any official announcement of a specific product. But the frequency or rumors about such a device is increasing. The latest appraisal came Tuesday from Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi Jr., who said that while there's potential for Dell to make some decent profits from a good handset--which could arrive "in the next six months"--he's not convinced Dell's execution will be all that graceful.

The company's track record in making devices other than PCs is "uninspiring," he wrote in a research note. "From an investment perspective, we do not believe it is appropriate to give Dell any credit (nor deduct any value) for its smartphone business. We'd rather take a wait-and-see approach."

In other words, Dell investors aren't ready to toast Michael Dell's smartphone just yet. There are plenty of reasons for them to be skeptical, chief among them being the company's ongoing restructuring and realignment of its core business. Sacconaghi points out that the smartphone business could be a "distraction" from the company's larger goal of improving its costs and establishing itself as a global PC brand and supplier of enterprise hardware and services.

But there's also the possibility that the phone will be just fine. Not a standout in its category along the lines of the iPhone, BlackBerry, or G1, but something that is based on brand name recognition could sell well in markets the company is targeting heavily right now: India and China. No matter what, it's really important for Dell to make decent margins. If it does manage to do that while snagging a small slice of the mobile handset market, something akin to what HTC has right now, it could result in decent revenue--Sacconaghi throws out the figure of $4.5 billion for fiscal year 2010.

There are rumors, however, that what Dell has come up with so far is not very exciting. Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Collins Stewart, panned the handset earlier this month--without seeing it, mind you--but based on feedback he heard from wireless carriers.

"The carriers, who see products from all the leading handset vendors, have decided to pass on Dell's handset," he said. "Some carriers are citing a noncompelling product with a road map that lags competition."

What feature would convince you to buy a Dell smartphone?

Inexpensive with basic smartphone features
Operating system other than Windows Mobile
Features need to be on par with iPhone, BlackBerry, G1, or Pre
None. I wouldn't consider buying one

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And a few weeks before that, Shaw Wu, an analyst at Kaufman Bros., also said in a research note that Dell showed devices running Android and Windows Mobile to carriers who were ultimately uninterested in the product.

Despite all the negative feedback on a product that isn't even official, it's actually not a terrible idea for the company to try this. Because, here's the thing: the PC industry isn't what it used to be. During the first quarter of 2009, the industry saw a 7.1 percent decline in shipments from a year ago, to 63.5 million units, according to IDC. Every major vendor is struggling to sell what are increasingly similar devices that bring in very thin profits. Though companies like Hewlett-Packard are making it look easy to sell laptops, most of the company's strength comes from its services and printing businesses. So Dell getting into advanced handsets that offer Web access, e-mail, and GPS features, one of the faster growing consumer electronics categories--IDC says sales climbed 22.5 percent over the previous year at the end of 2008--could be, well, smart.

If it is trying to compete with the likes of Apple, Nokia, RIM, Palm, or even HTC, timing is key. By the time Dell releases this thing, whatever it may be, to make a decent impact in markets like the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Europe, it would need to be a significant jump forward in what those guys are offering. Consumers aren't dumb and they're not just going to buy something because there's a Dell sticker on it, especially if it really is as far behind what's currently on the market as some are saying.

So what would would make you buy a Dell smartphone? Make sure to take our poll or let us know in the comments. 

Apple plots course for middle of mobile

Apple seems almost ready to bridge the gap between the iPhone and the Macbook with a new type of mobile computer.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET)

Is the world finally ready for the mobile minitablet?

It's become quite clear over the last several months that Apple is ready to bridge the mobile computing gap, with plans to develop a device that fits somewhere in between the iPhone and the MacBook. A recent Wall Street Journal article proclaimed that during his medical leave, CEO Steve Jobs has been working on that midsized mobile device, bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a MacBook.

And just this week, BusinessWeek reported that Apple is developing a "media pad" that would let users watch videos on a larger screen than an iPod Touch or Amazon Kindle, but on a device that's more portable than notebooks and lacks a keyboard.

The personal computer industry has long tried to make such a device a reality, but apart from some early success for the Kindle, no one has managed to convince the public that the attempts released to date--such as the Ultra Mobile PC--are worth buying. Instead, PC companies looking for increased mobility are finding ways to shrink the notebook PC as opposed to a finding a new way to use computers.

As far back as 2000, Microsoft founder Bill Gates was evangelizing Tablet PCs, but a combination of price and uninspired software doomed that category to niche status. Intel and Microsoft then turned the hype machine to the UMPC (later rebranded MID, or Mobile Internet Device), which several years later aren't exactly flying off store shelves.

More recently, PC companies have embraced Netbooks, small inexpensive mininotebook computers that are designed for basic Web surfing and e-mail. Netbooks, however, are further depressing the PC industry's gross margins and attempt to cram a full-fledged notebook user interface into a small package, and it doesn't seem that Apple is all that crazy about this category.

But Apple has developed a few unique ideas for mobile computing over the past two years that have resonated with designers, developers and users; namely, the iPhone OS and the App Store. So, is the timing finally right for the tweener computer?

BusinessWeek reported that the iPad (name stolen from Silicon Alley Insider for its brevity) would be about the size of the Amazon Kindle, but with a screen that covers a greater portion of the surface. The Kindle is 7.5-inches long, but the screen is just 6 inches; by comparison, the iPhone sports a 3.5-inch display, while the smallest MacBook uses a 13.3-inch display.

Previous attempts at making keyboard-less devices with 7-inch or 8-inch screens--such as UMPCs and MIDs--haven't captured the public's imagination. Microsoft and Intel had high hopes for the concept in 2006, which was also known as Project Origami inside Microsoft. Samsung made perhaps the best-received UMPC, but that wasn't saying much, and interest in the category quickly faded after the launch of the iPhone.

The main issue with UMPCs was a lack of compelling software. They were designed to run Windows XP, which itself wasn't designed to run on a device with such a small screen and limited methods of input. And at launch, Windows Vista was actually a step backward in terms of its suitability for mobile devices.

Samsung's Q1 was perhaps one of the best UMPCs/MIDs, but it never amounted to much in the market.

(Credit: CNET)

Intel tried to shift MIDs to Linux to get around the resource problems of Windows Vista, but its partners have yet to gain any traction. And neither attempt was able to galvanize third-party developers into creating applications designed specifically for a mobile platform.

Apple's iPhone OS, however, was designed for a small-screen mobile environment. Installing the iPhone OS 3.0 on the iPad would allow Apple to preserve the user interface from the iPhone and iPod Touch and keep the device simple: a more complicated (and power-hungry) operating system isn't needed for a computer like this.

This would also allow Apple to take advantage of the App Store, giving the iPad thousands of applications at its disposal right from launch. One potential problem with that approach is that developers will have to rewrite their iPhone applications to adapt to the larger-size screen on this new device, said Craig Hockenberry of Iconfactory, creators of Twitterific.

Hockenberry, who is very confident that Apple has such a device in the works, doesn't think this will be a huge obstacle, but developers will have to gauge whether the extra development effort is worth their time. One thing Apple could do is set aside a separate section of the App Store for iPad-optimized applications, while finding a way to run older iPhone applications in some sort of compatibility mode.

"It wouldn't be hard for Apple to have a "Classic" environment on a tablet that provided a 320x480 window for running one or more iPhone applications," Hockenberry said in an e-mail. "It would be a smart thing for them to do: there are instantly tens of thousands of apps and users are presented with a familiar interface (something that looks a lot like Dashboard in Mac OS X.)"

The iPad could also be the first Apple product to surface with a chip designed by P.A. Semi, which Apple didn't buy on a lark. A custom chip could solve two problems for Apple--the need to keep software compatibility with the ARM-based chips used to run the iPhone while delivering more performance for HD video playback or more robust games that competitors might not be able to immediately match.

What might such a device cost? There are two schools of thought on price.

UMPCs, at around $700, were considered too expensive but because they didn't offer any value, not because of the sticker price itself. It would not be hard for Apple to argue that an iPad with an HD screen, thousands of applications, and a superior mobile browser is worth just slightly more than what people were willing to pay for the original iPhone.

A $699 iPad would slot nicely between the iPod Touch and MacBook in Apple's product lineup and preserve Apple's profit margins, while allowing the company to reduce the price over time if needed similar to the original iPhone.

But Apple could also hook up with a wireless carrier--we'll save the AT&T versus Verizon debate for another day--to subsidize the iPad. The company has reportedly been in talks about distributing MacBooks through wireless carrier friends like AT&T, which already sells 3G-equipped Netbooks with a data plan subscription.

A device such as this would be infinitely more attractive with wide-area wireless networking, as opposed to just Wi-Fi--especially if carrier subsidies bring the price down to around $499, just above the largest iPod Touch. It's hard to see something this big replacing a mobile phone--you're not going to hold one of these up to the side of your head--but there are certainly plenty of headsets available in the world.

This is the last frontier of the promised convergence between computers and communication devices: the midsized device. That shift has already happened to the smartphone, but it seems very reasonable that for many people, smartphone screens are too small for serious computing.

If Apple is indeed working on such a product, it will have to get the implementation right to avoid duplicating the failures of so many other mobile computing aspirants. But by having awakened the public to the promise of basic mobile computing, Apple could be best positioned to capitalize on the need for something more.

More on Windows 7's 'XP Mode

 Microsoft on Tuesday offered up a few more details on its once-secretive project to use virtualization to offer an "XP Mode" for Windows 7.

As noted on Friday, Microsoft is using its Virtual PC technology to allow Windows 7 users to run programs that work in Windows XP but not in Windows Vista. On Tuesday, it noted some more of the fine print regarding the product.

As far as technical requirements, XP Mode needs a beefier system than that required to just run Windows 7 or XP alone, including at least 2GB of memory and a system that has chip-level virtualization from either Intel or AMD. One of the challenges is that today it is often not that easy to tell whether one's PC has such support.

A screenshot of Windows 7's XP Mode, which allows programs designed for Windows XP to run inside a virtual machine within Windows 7.

(Credit: Microsoft)

"Some PCs have it and some don't," said Scott Woodgate, a director in the Windows unit. "It's not as clear as it should be relative to which PCs have (hardware-based virtualization) support and which don't."

At its core, XP mode consists of two things, the Windows Virtual PC engine and a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 as a packaged virtual machine. Although neither piece will be included in the Windows 7 box, XP Mode will be a free download for those who have a license to Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, or Windows 7 Ultimate.

Microsoft is aiming XP Mode primarily at small businesses, Woodgate said."That's a class of customers that may have Windows XP apps that they may want to run on Windows 7," he said.

Larger businesses may also have need to run older applications, but typically want control over things like who can install programs on their machines and other management issues. For them, he said, Microsoft has a product called MED-V that allows such control. An updated version of MED-V, due to be in beta within 90 days of the launch of Windows 7, will add support for Windows 7's XP Mode, he said.

One of the benefits of XP Mode over Microsoft's existing virtualization products is the fact that, after a setup process, the Windows XP virtual machine runs in the background so users don't have to manage multiple desktops. XP Mode automatically installs shortcuts for XP programs in the Windows 7 start menu. The experience from that point on is similar to the one offered by VMware's Fusion and Parallels in their virtualization products.

Woodgate noted that XP Mode isn't a security solution. Indeed, to protect their systems, users will need antivirus software running both on their Windows 7 desktop as well as a copy running inside their Windows XP virtual machine.

The beta version of XP Mode is debuting alongside the Windows 7 Release Candidate that is going to developers this week and being made publicly available on May 5. Microsoft said a final release will depend on the feedback to the beta, but Woodgate said Microsoft hopes it can be ready for download at the same time Windows 7 is made broadly available.

Microsoft has been working on the XP Mode as long as it has been developing Windows 7, and Woodgate said even he is surprised it stayed secret for so long. 

Display 2009: 37" and 46” Full HD Multitouch TVs

Far from being new, these 37" and 46” Full HD Multitouch TVs are still impressive to see in action… A bit sluggish with Google Earth, I really hope to see more and more LCDs and TVs like these.

Princeton's Latest Ugly iPOD SoundWall

Designed for iPod and iPod Touch, the SoundWall is the latest audio 2.1ch and video cradle for your beloved Apple DAP. It offers a Video Out (Composite and S-Video), Audio In and Out, a remote control, and a nice little LCD…  Interested, but it's WAY too ugly for me.

Adieu to the old-fashioned desktop computer?

Some giants of the PC industry are just beginning to sell tiny and cheap Netbooks and all-in-one desktops, which have the monitor and processor in the same box.

But little-known Averatec, based in Orange County, Calif., but part of Korean parent company Tri Gem, has been at it for several years. So you'll have to pardon Averatec CEO Tae-Hyun "Tiger" Cho if he believes he has a few insights to share regarding this small but growing market.

Averatec's first all-in-one desktop was introduced in 2004. But the company's main business before jumping into Netbooks last year was making 12-inch ultraportable notebooks--when most were churning out 14- and 15-inch portables--and it was making them cheaply when the competition was charging hundreds more.

ow Averatec is charging ahead with the majority of its production in just two of what happen to be the fastest-growing areas of PCs: all-in-one desktops and tiny, low-power Netbooks.

Netbooks are forecast to comprise one-fifth of the 133 million notebooks to be shipped in 2009, and the more than 3.5 million all-in-one desktops shipped in 2008 is expected to double by 2010, according to market research firm DisplaySearch. While all-in-ones are still a small part of the desktop market, it's one of the only desktop form factors that's actually growing.

The next Averatec Netbook model, due to arrive in August or September (pictured below) has been developed "from scratch" in-house at Averatec, Cho said. Besides increased attention paid to design, there's something on the inside of the forthcoming Netbook that will be markedly different from most of the field.

Averatec's upcoming 10-inch Netbooks with mystery operating system.

(Credit: Averatec)

"The OS is going to be a surprise," Cho said. While he would not confirm or deny that the OS will be Android, the company will say that it will be "a merger of cell phone and PC technology."

Averatec won't be the first if it is indeed Android. Chinese PC maker Skytone announced over the weekend that it would offer a $250 Android-based Netbook, and there have been rumors of MSI doing the same. HP, Asus, and others have also said they are "experimenting" with Android on their Netbook models.

Averatec is positioning itself to take advantage of thrifty consumers and people who would welcome less intimidating approaches to technology. Cho believes all-in-ones and Netbooks are the answer.

Speaking in a mellow Australian accent, Cho calls himself a big believer in all-in-one desktops. In an interview with Crave, he said their "plug and play" capability is attractive to consumers. That is, they come in one box--no hunting the aisles for a tower and a monitor--and they have a bigger screen than most notebooks. In fact, Cho says he sees a day in the near future when traditional desktop systems will disappear from the home entirely.

"I believe that the all-in-one category is going to eclipse the (traditional) desktop category," he said, though he isn't claiming to know exactly when that will be. "But the desktop category will be split between home servers and all-in-ones, and the day we buy a tower and a screen will go away."

Averatec currently has a 22-inch standard all-in-one desktop, and another coming next month with an AMD 3250 dual-core CPU and Vista Premium, which entitles the owner to an automatic update to Windows 7 when it does finally arrive. It's just $599. That's only $100 more than the company's other 18-inch all-in-one, which falls under the category of Nettop--a desktop outfitted with Intel's Atom processor, a cheaper, lower-power CPU.

By offering cheap, self-contained PCs, Cho thinks his company is ahead of the curve. Of course, it's not the only company making them: MSI, Asus, and Shuttle each also make all-in-one desktops for between $500 and $600. All of them hope to steal market share from giants like Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Apple, which often charge more than $1,000 for their versions of the all-in-one PC.

An 18-inch Atom-powered all-in-one desktop.

(Credit: Averatec)

Cho is adamant that most consumers generally don't want to pay that much for a desktop--even the ones with a touch screen. Now, with the economy the way it is, timing couldn't be better for a budget version of those expensive all-in-ones. At that price, "HP has done a great job, but the volume, I think, is not really there," he said.

The arrival of cheaper touch-screen Atom-powered all-in-ones--or Nettops--is well-timed, he said.

"A year ago if we tried to do this, (we) wouldn't have been able to because there would have too much explanation as to what a Nettop is. But this market here understands that Netbook is a very good value proposition."

Averatec wasn't first to market with a Netbook. And when it did get there, the company's offering, the Averatec Buddy, which debuted for $449, was essentially a rebranded MSI Wind. But Cho, whose company has been in the business of selling smaller, budget-price laptops for several years, says the trend toward Netbooks has been helpful.

"The Netbook has done our business a very big favor. It's taken focus on 15.4- and 14-inch (notebooks) and focused on more light and thin form factors."

And while Averatec is venturing into 10-inch Netbooks, Cho doesn't plan on going much smaller than that because that's when Netbooks will begin to clash with smartphones, which can be a confusing value proposition for consumers, he said.

Instead, he said, he's happy to stick with 10-inch Netbooks, 12-inch laptops, and all-in-one PCs.

"As today's niches become tomorrow's mass markets, we hope to grow with that."