Google has just activated Gmail Mobile that (surprise, surprise) allows you to check you Gmail from your mobile. There have been all sorts of ways for the resourceful Engadgeteer to do this for themselves, — we’ve been checking Gmail over POP for a while now — but a web interface is pretty ideal for many phones since they won’t choke on downloading a few days of mail if they haven’t been used to read messages in a while, and who better to do it than Google? They’re also bringing those sweet attachment converting services of theirs, so, using no more than your phone’s browser, you can browse Word documents and PDF files. Of course you’re not getting any of those fun abilities like e-mail auto completion and auto saving from the mother Gmail, but there are a few features like a frequently mailed contacts list and replying to messages by calling the sender that should help ease the pain.
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Google debuts Gmail Mobile, rejoicing commences
The Blue Light Audio
These are big speakers - or to be more accurate, they are deep speakers. And these are such small rooms. One's immediate response is, OK, everybody prepare to be drowned in bass. Didn't happen. The bass was very well trained to treat the room with respect and delicacy.
The darTZeel amps, though, yes, living up to their reputation as looking different than most, were attractive and no worse than the other engineer-cum-graphic-designer designed amps out there, which is most of them.
Top Sound Systems in the World
Club Privilege (Ibiza) – By far, one of the biggest and most astounding club destinations in Ibiza, Club Privelege has a capacity of 10,000 (more than three times the capacity of many other big clubs). Boasting a swimming pool over which the house DJ is suspended, the décor features gardens, podiums, statues, chandeliers, a plane hanging from the ceiling and circus apparatus. On Manumission nights, you’ll even find a DJ spinning the greatest sounds in the restroom areas. Psst…. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Club Privelege is the world’s largest club – with an area of over 75,000 square feet.
Pacha (New York, NY) – With 25 locations around the world, Europe’s most exclusive nightlife experience has finally arrived to NYC! Occupying a gorgeous 4-story, 30,000 square foot space, this high energy import lets you explore the vibe of Ibiza without stepping foot outside NY. Transporting club-goers from North America to the steamy tropics, Pacha features four floors, a maze of staircases, palm trees, mirrors and tarp canopies. Not to mention, an astounding sound and light system that spans the space – along with drop down projection screens, staging runways and Jacuzzi-style booths.
Cherry (Las Vegas, NV) – Located in the lavish Red Rock Casino in Sin City, Cherry is nightlife guru Randi Gerber’s first full-fledged dance club. This swanky and sophisticated hotspot features one of the most advanced lighting and sound systems ever created for a club - with over 100,000 watts of power, all-digital signal paths and multi-zone remote controls that manages the poolside cabanas and various VIP areas. Keep your eyes open when you get there – the dance floor has been known to float!
Sound Bar (Chicago) – Set in a 20,000 foot multi-floor club space with state-of-the-art audio and light system and a DJ line-up that would impress even the haughtiest booker in London – sound is the name of the game at this hotspot. With an industrial-chic décor decked out with stainless steel and floor-to-ceiling smoked glass windows, colorful lounge areas, this place also features nine bars, two lounges, 16 bars, three DJ booths a 4,000 square foot main dance floor and an atmosphere with movable screens that make images appear as if they’re floating in the air. Hang on to your drinks!
Twilo (Miami, FL) - Located next to Nocturnal, this mega sound venue spits out some of the hottest sounds in Miami. The Dynacord Cobra 4 sound system is the main attraction here and clubbers let the beat control their bodies. Resident DJ Josh Wink plays the perfect music to accompany the impressive lighting and visual effects.
Club Paris Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL) – Paris the Heiress brought a new level of nightlife to downtown Jacksonville, of all places! Featuring a sound system that rivals those found in well-known club locations like NY, Vegas and Miami. A former arcade turned mega-club, Club Paris features custom-made furnishings, over 22,000 square feet filled with dance floors, 40-feet long bars, and a 2nd floor bedroom-like VIP area that can seat 400. Talk about a place to see and be seen!
Duvet (New York, NY) – Ever feel like lounging on a king-size bed, while cupping a delectable libation in hand and feeding yourself caviar or sushi? This would be the place. A 20,000 square foot restaurant-lounge, Duvet boasts (like the name suggests) 30 custom beds with Italian-imported goose-down pillows and crisp white 400-count sheets. But this isn’t the only reason folks crowd into this place. With an audio system as impressive as the venue itself – Duvet has combined amazing technical elements with aesthetic ingredients like a 15 foot/80,000-gallon aquarium (housing 100 moon jellyfish), a 90-foot glass bar and customized comforts like nowhere else.
Es Paradis (Ibiza) – One of the island’s longest running clubs, Es Paradis originally opened in 1975 and has quickly risen to become one of the top nightlife destinations on the Ibiza scene. The décor features all-white marble floors and pillars, ivy growing throughout the place and dancers in cages above the dance floor. The place also offers ten bars, three dance floors and a top-notch sound and lighting system.
Ultra Bar (D.C.) – One of the most popular, unique and versatile nightspots in the heart of DC, Ultra Bar is a vast 10,000 square foot cub that was once a turn-of-the-century bank in the city’s downtown historic financial district. Offering a mix of classic and modern architecture, the place has an outrageous sound system, 5 very distinct levels – full of color, extraordinary ambiance and a myriad of musical styles – providing an awesome nightlife experience.
Slide (San Francisco, CA) – A great addition to the San Fran scene, Slide is reminiscent of the 1920’s Prohibition era – with every detail thought out. A speak-easy turned club, Slide has an ambitious sound system that gives bigger clubs something to envy. The place also prides itself with a bevy of flapper dancers, crystal accents and a custom-made that guides you from the upstairs nightclub to the ultimate “playground” filled with drinking, dancing, and schmoozing. With 8,000 square feet, Slide tops everything off with classic décor, a baby grand piano and other awe-inspiring detail elements. Tip: the dress code is strictly enforced – no sneakers or sportswear.
ICE Nightclub (Las Vegas, NV) – A spectacular 17,000 square foot lounge and “MetaClub”, ICE provides an experience like no other! Six unique micro-environments boast 40-foot ceilings, fur-lines walls, plush seating, an elevated stage and Kryogenifex liquid-nitrogen. With an astounding sound and light system, ICE also offers an unsurpassed, sophisticated and swanky ambiance that’s ultra-ultra chic. Now that’s hot! (sorry Paris, you cannot trademark a generic phrase)
Ministry of Sound (London, England) – One of the top venues in this UK clubland, mention “Ministry of Sound” to any club-goer and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about! With a décor garnished with flat screen TV’s and an immense sound system, this place is as sophisticated as it is hip! Not to mention, it’s no longer just a club – it’s a brand name with a record label – releasing its own CD each year. And with different nights catering for different tastes, there’s always something for everyone. But here’s a tip: pre-book yourself onto a guest list, otherwise arrive with patience.
Jimmy Woo’s (Amsterdam) – Regarded as a premier nightlife destination in Amsterdam, this sultry Oriental-themed club has Hong Kong and modern design elements draping the walls, giving the atmosphere a very sleek and sexy underground-like atmosphere. With a state-of-the-art audio and light system, Jimmy Woo’s evokes the mood of an 18th century Opium den with new century elements unlike any other club.
Rain in the Desert (Las Vegas) – Housed in the Palm Resort & Casino, this 25,000 square foot hotspot features all the bells and whistles you’d expect of a Vegas mega-club. A clubber’s dream, Rain has an astounding sound system, and elevated dance floor and dancing water fountains. Eye candy presents itself here too – with gorgeous go-go dancers that suspend on platforms from the ceiling and gorgeous patrons that need no suspension to be noticed! Yes, you do feel the heat when the fire balls erupt from the ceiling.
The Cameo (Miami, FL) – Formerly Crobar, Cameo is a top-notch destination in South Beach taking inspiration from “the dark and dirty side” of the disco era – bringing club-goers comfort and surprise under one roof. Located in a historic Art Deco movie theatre, Cameo has an interior that includes many never-before-seen elements and fixtures. Cameo features an excellent sound system and is divided into a 10,000 square foot dance room and a 6,000 square foot glass-enclosed VIP area. And if that isn’t enough… a hollow half disco ball that’s 12-feet in diameter, fishnet stocking-backed banquettes and L.E.D. lighting will surely get your attention.
Rex (Paris, France) - Opened in 1992, this Parisian dance factory is still going strong with its award-winning sound system. One of the most popular clubs – if not the club when is Paris, Rex offers house and techno music with its most famous DJ, Laurent Garnier. Depending on who else is spinning, you may also be lucky enough to catch reggae, funk, rock and a range of other world tunes. Psst… Rex is closed in the month of August.
Vinyl (Denver, CO) – A great super-club, Vinyl boasts four unique floors of entertainment, a capacity of 2000+ people, a stunning partially-enclosed rooftop patio lounge with gas fire pits and some of the best DJ’s in world spinning top hits. Vinyl has weathered its share of catastrophes – with a fire in 2000 and blizzard damage in 2003 – but the place keeps going and going – and today, it’s better than ever. Tip: Parking can be real tough, so use the valet service.
Liquid Room (Tokyo) – One of Tokyo’s longest-running live venues, Liquid Room is home to some of the hottest Japanese and Int’l bands – with DJ’s spinning when there’s no live music. Situated in Shibuya, the biggest red light district in the city, just getting to this place can be quite an experience. But once you arrive, you’ll be one of many in the full house of 800 other fans who want to groove to the city’s best sound system.
Source : http://journeypod.wordpress.com/tag/music/
Guide to Buying a Webcam
By: Andrew Gates
How web broadcasting works
Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.
Web Cameras
But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and prices.
Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; places and events that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.
The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?
There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.
Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event.
The physical components
There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.
CAMERA CHOICES
Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considerations.
Dedicated webcams
The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).
Camcorders and security cameras
Higher quality images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.
Integrated cameras
An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.
Megapixel cameras
Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.
INTERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.
Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the number of frames per second and the image resolution.
Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.
Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to upload and download.
Author Bio
Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site MyShopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare web cameras and buy online from top-rated online stores.
Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content
Microsoft XBOX
Microsoft's Xbox is a Trojan horse. The company has conquered the desktop and now seems intent on sneaking a PC into your living room. Yes, this black behemoth of a system looks and acts just like a video game machine--and a state-of-the-art one at that. But with built-in support for high-speed networking, an 8GB hard drive, DVD playback capabilities, and display support for HDTVs, the Xbox does more than just play games.
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Sony Playstation 3
Lagging a full year behind the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and lacking the immediately attention-grabbing hook of Nintendo's 360-degree motion-sensing Wii, Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3 has recently been the subject of much heated debate. Despite its obvious appeal to diehard gamers and fans of the world's most popular console brand – not to mention home theater enthusiasts, what with 1080p HDMI output and extensive online music/video download capabilities – questions have been plentiful.
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Philips HTS8100 SoundBar
The HTS8100's functionality isn't limited to just DVDs, though, as it can function like a mini-AV receiver for switching between additional audio inputs. The HTS8100's connectivity is limited to audio--there are two stereo analog RCA-style inputs on the subwoofer, two stereo analog inputs on the main unit (one RCA-style, one minijack), and one coaxial digital audio input on the subwoofer. You can still connect video components by running just the video cable(s) to your TV and the audio cables to the HTS8100, but you'll have to fumble between two remotes to get it all going. On the side of the SoundBar is a USB port, which can be used with JPEG, MP3, WMA, and DivX files.
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