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David Pritchard is one of the really good guys in the audio business today. First, he loves good sounding equipment – and second, he especially loves good-sounding, vintage transistor Quad component products.

I wrote about Net-Audio a few years back and David’s amazing upgrades for the Quad 33 (pre-amp) and 303 (power amp). The different pre-amp upgrade options consist of swapping out the original plug-in circuit boards for David’s modern designs. The power amp upgrades range from soldering in a new power supply board to a full, top-to-bottom re-design of the amp. Read my original write-up on MSNBC.com for full details.

I’ve listened to all of these options and can tell you that David really knows what he’s doing. In the past 3 years, I’ve tried other amps and pre-amps on my vintage Quad ESL speakers – but within weeks I always seem to come back to – and prefer listening to David’s upgraded components. A short while later, David had sent me an even newer Tape Adapter board. My 33 sounded great.

That brings us to the present. David let me know he had made further improvements to the Quad 33 output boards and wanted to know if I was interested in hearing what he accomplished with some new, MK2 series boards. If I could have reached through the computer screen and grabbed the boards right then and there it wouldn’t have been soon enough.

After waiting a few weeks (which seemed like an eternity) the plug-in boards arrived. I quickly replaced David’s “old” boards with the new ones – sat back and started listening. They sounded great – but I knew that if I followed David’s instructions – and let the new components “burn-in” for a few hundred hours I’d be rewarded with an even better listening experience.

That was an understatement. The new boards now have nearly 400 hours on them and the improvement over the last boards is amazing. Playing upon his circuits strengths, David has actually squeezed even more clarity and a wider/deeper sound-stage out of his designs.

To put it another way, an original, UN-modified Quad 33 sounds a bit dull and dated compared to modern-day hi-fi equipment. With David’s original upgraded circuit boards a modified Quad 33 could keep pace with most modern-day gear. With these new boards, a Net-Audio 33 can basically keep up with the rest of the stuff out there. Even with all the mods, David’s 33 reproduces music that sounds absolutely right.

Match the 33 with a Quad 303 (make sure the amp is working properly – they are 30-40 years old) and, at least, add David’s super-duper power supply board – and you have some spectacular gear to listen to.

Back when I was doing the original testing of Net-Audio modded gear, I brought my Quad 303 with David’s new power supply board to an amplifier shoot-out at my friend Robin’s house. He had arranged to have a number of very expensive power amplifiers to try on Robin’s Quad speakers. After a n hour or so, the other listener involved, a musician and fellow Quad ESL owner snapped his head around when Robin placed my 303 in the music playback chain. “What’s that?” “That’s a 35-year old Quad 303”, was our response. The expert was stunned. It sounded (and still sounds) THAT good.

Here’s the best part. Finding unmodified Quad 33s and Quad 303s is easy. Just look on eBay. They always seem to be at least one or two examples of each for sale. And usually even more are available from Great Britain. Prices are low – especially with the dollar being strong at the moment. Even with overseas shipping.

David’s original replacement output boards are still available ($94.50 at current exchange rates) and the new (and highly recommended) MK2 boards are $109. An entire Net-Audio upgrade (full boards swap) will set you back $269. That’s a bargain for what you get.  You’ll need to add a 120v power supply (it plugs into your new Tape Adapter board and David will advise you on which one to get) also postage, handling and any taxes your government might add.

David reminds me that my 33 is currently, nearly, completely up-to-date.  It now contains the following Net-Audio components:

You have the new output and tape adaptor boards plus you have an original disc board, not the new MK2. All signals go through the output boards. Tape and Radio signals pass through the Tape adaptor board as does the disc signal after being processed by the disc amplifier and disc adaptor cards.

There is a MK2 disc board which you do not have fitted to your 33.

I think it sounds amazing just the way it is.

These are top-quality component boards that are available now at near rock-bottom prices. Add some of David’s upgrade magic to classic Quad components and you’ll have an affordable and stupendously super-sounding system.

Very, very highly recommended.

Looking for a great Father’s Day gift that won’t break the bank? How about brand new, flat-screen HDTV?

I’m not kidding. You just need to know where to look.

Personally, I would look toward a brand named Sceptre. They are now selling new, affordable flat-screen LED TV’s in places like Walmart, Sears, Target, Costco, New Egg and Tiger Direct.

What do I consider affordable? The TV set I’ve had the pleasure of testing for the past few weeks (Model X195BV-HD) has a 19-inch screen (measured diagonally) and is capable of providing your eyes with full 720p resolution, a contrast ratio of 1,000-to-1 and 4 ms response time.

The Sceptre has dual HDMI and USB ports (in case you want to use it as a computer monitor too) and is Energy Star 3.0 compliant. That last one means it uses something like 40% less electricity than a TV not Energy Star 3.0 complaint.

OK. So far, what’s so exciting about this that would make it worth your while to check out? It sports a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $199. I’m not kidding. And that $199 is the suggested. You might find it selling for less.

Some things you should know. Since this is an HDTV, and since it the screen is the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, this TV screen is smaller than a 19-inch screen on an old-fashioned, 4:3 aspect ratio TV set with a cathode ray tube inside. Both types of TVs are perfect for small rooms, or desktop – but the new-fangled HDTV 19-inch screen is wider and a little less tall.

I’ve been watching this Sceptre for a few weeks now and can tell you that it’s a pretty good TV. In addition to feeding it from the HDMI output from my Cable TV box as well as using the Sceptre’s built-in over-the-air tuner. Both produce a sharp, moderately bright, very watchable picture. Quality is very good. I found that keeping the TV next to my bed the optimal viewing distance was 4-to-9 feet away. Any closer and my TV stand placed the image too high for good color rendition. Any further and you quickly realize just how small as 19-inch HDTV can look.

The only two items I can fault the set on is the Blue indicator light when the TV is on (it’s way too bright in a darkened room) and the sound (there are small internal speakers inside and even though they can go very loud they can sometimes sound tinny.)

Remember, we’re talking about a $199 HDTV. At that price it’s a best buy.

A wall mounting bracket is optional.

And, if you think a “19″ is too small for your needs, Sceptre also makes 23-inch LED models selling for $269, a 27-inch LCD model for $399 and 42-inch LCD models for $699.

Finally, there is a Garmin cell phone worth talking about.

This is the T-Mobile Garminfone. It runs on Google’s Android operating system. It uses three different GPS direction-finding systems.

And it’s one of the best Android phones on the market today.

The Garminfone is actually manufactured for Garmin by Asus – famous for their netbooks and computers. They’ve been making smartphones for the rest of the world (not the United States) for years and they’ve done an excellent job on the Garminfone’s hardware.

Garminfone is a GPS device first and foremost – a cell phone second (check out the large buttons on the phone’s home screen). It’s also a modern-day Android smartphone with all the trimmings.

It has a 600MHz Qualcomm processor, a multi-touch screen, 4 GB of built-in storage (2GB goes to Garmin’s North American map storage) and also a 2GB miniSD card (upgradable to 32GB).

In the box you get a nifty car mount bracket which allows you to charge the phone, make and receive calls via the built-in speakerphone and also learn where you are going at the same time. Even better, when you take the Garminfone out of that car mount bracket the phone remembers your exactly location where you have parked – so you can easily find your car again. A clever feature.

It does that with Garmin’s built-in North American map system (other area maps are optional) as well as Google Maps software and AGPS triangulation with cell towers. The purchase price includes Garmin’s standard maps upgrade policy (called nuMaps Guarantee): you can update to the latest version of North American maps for free for 60 days (starting with the first time you acquire a GPS signal). After that, you have to pay. All the other stuff, updates of Garmin’s real-time traffic, weather, arrival time and gas prices are updated for free.

In addition, Garminfone is a GPS device which comes with all the high-end features you’d find in their top-of-the-line (and much more expensive) location devices. As a matter of fact, even more.

For instance, there’s Garmin Voice Studio which is an app that allows you to disregard the built-in voices and re-record turn-by-turn directions in your own voice. Or your friends’.. or your child’s.

Of course, it’s also able to handle your Google mail (it IS an Android phone), any POP3 and IMAP mail account and even ActiveSyncs with your Microsoft Exchange mail servers. Don’t forget all of your IM, texts photos, videos, music files and all the other smartphone goodies you can think of.

A smooth performer, the test Garminfone worked perfectly right out of the box. Their new interface – they call it Breeze – while different than other Androids is easy to master. Since this is a GPS phone – the largest buttons are for making voice calls and finding directions. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Amazingly, I’ve found that despite a slightly slower (Qualcomm 600MHz) processor, this phone turns out to be a virtual speed demon in its own right. I’m sure, this is due to the handset support for T-Mobile’s fast (7.2Mbps) 3G HSPA network.

T-Mobile plans to begin selling Garminfone in June. No actual date had been set though. They have announced the pricing: $200 with a new two-year contract and your pledge to pay for an appropriate voice plus data plan.

Comparing the Garminfone to other Android phones is somewhat unfair – to all the other phones. This is not meant to be a super-modern PDA with support for voice calls and travel directions. This is meant to be a top-of-the-line GPS and voice device built into a super-modern Android smartphone. (and all the apps you can get from the Android store).

Garminfone is aimed at a different audience than all those other devices which highlight their ability to Tweet and handle Facebook entries.

Built for a specific purpose – Garminfone is an unqualified winner.

Every once and awhile you come across a product – or a group of products – which are unlike anything else in the marketplace.

There are lots of similarities but for reasons which only become apparent when you get to live with them, some products can’t really be compared to or measured against others.

That’s how I feel about Microsoft’s new line of KIN devices. Notice I don’t call them cell phone or smartphones.  That’s because they’re not about being cellular voice devices. They are really a new breed of mobile social-networking devices.

That said, let’s talk about these new devices. KIN is a Microsoft idea. The KIN operating system is an outgrowth of Microsoft’s work on their Zune HD media players and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones. Microsoft calls KIN a new “Windows Phone” but wants you to know it’s not a new Windows Phone 7 device.

KINs are made for Microsoft by Sharp. Even though their name isn’t on everyone’s lips when it comes to cell phones they are big players in the Japanese marketplace and are known here, primarily, as the company that manufacture Sidekick handsets for T-Mobile. The company that originally designed Sidekicks (Good) is now a division of Microsoft. Sidekicks are still wildly popular with ‘tweens and young teens as portable IM-ing platforms.

There are two new  KIN designs. Both sport capacitive touchscreens, have slide-open QWERTY keyboards and only one button on the front – allowing you to go “back” one level. (More about that Back button in a minute.)

The KIN ONE (from now on I’ll refer to it as the ONE) is a cute little square (3.25 by 2.5 by 0.75 inches; 3.9 ounces) vertical slider handset that sports a 2.6-inch, TFT (QVGA) touchscreen, a 5-megapixel, autofocus, still/video camera with LED flash and 4GB of built-in (non-user-replaceable) storage.

The KIN TWO (from now on I’ll call it the TWO) is a horizontal slide (4.25 by 2.5 by 0.75 inches; 4.7 ounces) with a 3.4-inch HVGA touchscreen, an 8-megapixel camera capable of creating 720p high-definition videos, stereo speakers and 8GB of built-in (non-user-replaceable) storage. The TWO’s shape and good looks remind me a lot of the Palm Pre.

Both KINs share the Tegra APX2600 processor and 256MB of RAM, the Zune powered music/video/TV/podcast/ FM Radio experience (yes, there’s an FM tuner which only works with earphones), a 3.5mm earphone/headphone jack, “push” Exchange mail (that means the mail server constantly send your email to your phone), POP3 and IMAP “pull” email (that means your device asks for the mail to be delivered), an HTML browser with Bing search capabilities (of course), 802.11b/g Wi-fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS. Both KINs connect seamlessly to Verizon’s 3G network.

The first thing you notice about the KINs is the packaging.  High-concept round cylinders – white for the ONE and dark gray for the TWO. Inside there’s another cylinder which cradles your new device, the battery and charger and the very friendly basic operating instructions.  It looks like Microsoft spent a lot on the packaging.

Take the KIN out of the box, insert the battery and start charging it up. While that’s going on you can start the KIN set-up/registration process. You give your KIN account it’s own name and password and then you can add your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live and email account(s) information. That’s it. Takes about 2 minutes. By the time you’re done your KIN is already downloading and displaying your personal info.

There are three KIN display screens. The main screen is called “The Loop”. That’s where you can monitor your always-updating social networking information. If you scroll left you encounter the KIN’s “Apps” screen where you will find icons to get to your “Browser”, “Email”, “Phone”, “Messaging” (the instant kind), “Feeds” as well as places to change the “Settings” and “Alarms”.  The third screen (scrolling to the right of The Loop) is reserved for your “Favorites” where you can drag and drop pictures/info for your most favored social networking contacts.

Unlike other smartphone-like devices, you can also scroll up and down (as well as left and right) to fully navigate these three KIN screens.

There is also a dot on the bottom of each of these screens.  Microsoft calls it “The Spot”.  Sounds silly but it’s what makes a KIN one of the more interesting devices on the market.  The Spot is really an information hotspot. If you have an interesting Tweet or Facebook entry, or email, or photo, or video and want others to see it you drag that object to The Spot and then also drag the icons for the people you want to share with into The Spot and the KIN does the rest.  It takes cutting and pasting to the next level.

Actually taking this to the next level, say you want to meet some friends. Decide on a location, ask your KIN to map it out, drag the map, and the friends you want to meet, into The Spot – type a quick message (“Let’s meet in 15 minutes”) and they’ll get the message quickly.

Now, I know that some of this can be done with other smart devices like an iPhone or Motorola Blur/Android phones but combining these different abilities with “The Spot”, a simple way to tie them all together, makes KINs unique in their ability to take social networking to another level.

The other half of the equation is the KIN application for your computer.  Microsoft calls it the KIN Studio.  Nearly everything on your KIN (messages, contacts, photos and videos) are backed up to a private, password-protected website. As a matter of fact, any photos or videos that have been stored on your KIN for more than 30 days are automatically uploaded to your KIN account for safe-keeping. You’re left with a little thumbnail on your KIN. Microsoft promises virtually unlimited storage and almost no limit to what you can keep in your “cloud”.  Very cool.

And, being a Zune-like product in a number of ways, Microsoft is offering KIN buyers a free 14-day trial of their Zune Pass. For $14.99 per month, the pass allows you unlimited access to streaming music onto your KIN and your PC – and allows you to download and keep 10 MP3s per month.  Since KIN is a “closed system” (that means there are no apps to download and use” you can’t use similar “advertising-supported” services that are available on other phone platforms.

The only feature I found annoying on the KIN was the “Back” button – but that’s because I also use a Palm Pre where you just flick your finger to slide from screen to screen.  The Palm method is easy to get used to and use.  KIN’s back button might come naturally to you – just don’t use a new Palm product too.

I spent some time playing with the KIN TWO and found that, overall, it’s easy to learn and master.  Information flows quickly in all directions. Email (remember email?) seems to work well but if you use a service like Gmail don’t expect KIN to be able to easily access your contacts or calendar.  (To be fair, Android phones do GMail well but have the same contact/calendar problem with other services.  Same for Windows Mobile devices and most other platforms).

The Web browser works well but chugs along at average-to-below average speed. The phone made and received voice calls and sounded fine to the user and to callers alike.

KIN is available online on Verizon’s Website and will be available in Verizon stores on May 13.  KIN ONE will sell for $49.99, and KIN TWO for $99.99, both after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year contract.  According to Verizon, customers will receive their rebates in the form of a debit card which can be used wherever debit cards are accepted.

For the record, those prices were lowered late last night – from $80 and $150 respectively – just before the official announcement at midnight.  I think the price drop was a great idea.

There’s also the service plan to contend with. KIN users will also have to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk plan ($40/month), and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan (starting at $30/month). Verizon should not be charging KIN users full smartphone rates.  One of the reasons for the Sidekick’s great success was the reasonable service contract prices.   Verizon should reconsider. 

I was told that adding a KIN to an existing Verizon family plan should bring down costs to somewhat more reasonable levels.  I hope so.

I don’t know what the KIN advertising campaign will look like – and I don’t know how Microsoft’s target audience (ages 13-to-30) will respond to these two new devices.  But if buyers do their due diligence KIN might become as big a hit as the Sidekick.  And in this iPhone/Android/Palm/BlackBerry smartphone world that says a lot.

KIN’s unique features bode well for Windows Phone 7 devices which we’ll get to see later this year.

This a really a tale of two different phones.

The first is the new T-Mobile HD2.  

It is an absolutely spectacular piece of hardware.

It’s made by HTC the producers of the Google Nexus One, the DROID Incredible and dozens of other top-line smartphones.

It sports a magnificent 4.3-inch (480×800 pixels) touch-sensitive screen. 

That huge screen is simply the best display on any smartphone offered for sale in this country.

The HD2 also has:

• A speedy, 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
• A 5-megapixel digital camera with dual flash.
• HTC’s Touch home screen system.
• The Barnes & Noble eBook reader software.
• Movies on Demand from Blockbuster.
• Guitar Hero
• Works on GSM/EDGE/HDPA world bands
• Bluetooth, Wi-fi and GPS
• Estimated talk time of more than 6 hours per battery charge.
• A 16GB microSD card and lots, lots more.

The other phone I’m discussing here is actually the same phone – the new T-Mobile HD2. Only this time I want to talk about the software inside.

This HD2 runs on the soon-to-be-outdated Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

In the scheme of life that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Windows Mobile 6.5 is greatly improved over older versions of the OS. And, even in updated form it’s way behind when you compare it to other modern-day operating systems like Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, Nokia’s Maemo and Palm’s WebOS.

What makes all of this worse is that Microsoft has announced their next OS, Windows Phone 7, coming later this year.  And we’ve been told that the HD2 is not upgradable. This is not a good thing for potential HD2 buyers.

I’m sure there will be similar, new hardware running on “7” but at this point why would you spend a few hundred on a non-upgradable “6.5” phone when new handsets, loaded with a gazillion new features are coming soon?  That just doesn’t make much sense.

On the other hand, the HD2 is a fantastic smartphone in its own right. Everyone – and I mean everyone – who has seen this phone falls in love with the design. The huge screen and the precision feel of all the controls makes this phone a winner.  And if you buy one you’ll surely be able to get lots of great use and loads of enjoyment out of it. It is truly a beautiful piece of equipment and there’s even a chance that someone will figure out how to run Windows Phone 7 on them.

I guessing that the word is out and that sales, so far, have been well above expectations. T-Mobile is reportedly having trouble keeping HD2s in stock. When they did, they were charging $200 with a 2-year contract.

Overall, T-Mobile’s HD2 is an amazing piece of hardware with soon-to-be outdated software.

Bottom line: Would you buy one?

Here is something you don’t think about every day: fuses.

I’m not talking about the circuit breakers in your home’s electrical panel. Those are important too. But what I want to tell you about today are the little fuses that go inside your home entertainment equipment.

Back in the day, those little fuses – a thin wire inside a small glass tube with metal end caps – always seemed to blow at the wrong time (when you wanted to use your gear). Then, you went out to a local electronics store (usually with the blown fuse in hand so you knew what to ask for) and bought a small, lime green, slide-open container with 4 or 5 Littlefuses. That was (and is still) a brand name.

Maybe, they cost you a dime or a quarter apiece. (I’m going back a few years). If you replaced the fuse and it quickly blew again you knew it was time to call the repairman. If it worked, you were all set.

But now, we’re well into the 21^st century. Home phones have been replaced by cell phones. Cathode-ray tube TVs are now flat-screen TVs. Some cars are now powered by electricity. And engineers are now making 21^st century premium fuses as well.

I have been testing these new high-tech fuses in a number of items ranging from my stereo (amps, pre-amps, tuners, speakers, CD and DVD players and high-def TV sets) and want to tell you that there is a BIG difference when you use these little buggers.

I’ve tried Isoclean fuses from the Far East as well as two types of Hi-fi Tuning fuses from Germany. They come in many different power ratings, physical sizes (5mm-by-20mm and 6mm-by-31.8mm) and are exact replacements for the fuses which originally came installed in your equipment.

The Isoclean fuses have gold-plated metal caps and specially-strengthened, shock-resistant glass in the middle.  Each one is hand-tested to make sure they’re operating at their peak. There’s a little arrow on the glass which informs you of which direction the electricity should be flowing. (Rather than checking this with specialized equipment you can listen/watch for a week then reverse the fuses’ direction. One direction will sound/look better than the other.  That’s the correct direction.)

The Hi-fi Tuning devices are built slightly differently. These fuses have a ceramic enclosure in between the two metal caps. The caps are gold-plated silver. There are also new versions without gold plating. They call them their SilverStar model. These fuses are also directional and work at their best when you mind which way they’re installed.

The difference these fuses make are mind-boggling. In almost every case, use of these fuses improved every piece of gear into which they were installed. Differences include cleaner treble – lower-reaching bass, brighter colors and overall less audio and video noise. You really have to see and hear the difference to appreciate just how good they are.

Of all the testing we’ve done – and believe me there’s had been months worth – my favorites are the Hi-fi Tuning SilverStars. To my ears, and eyes, they absolutely sound the cleanest and make the colors pop the most on my 37-in LCD TV.

I know it’s hard to believe that something so small and relatively inexpensive can make such a difference. But it can – and it does.

A friend and fellow hi-fi enthusiast/columnist says changing any older fuse with any new fuse will make a difference. I tried that too. Those 25-cent fuses now cost upwards of $1 each in Radio Shack. One component at a time I substituted a new – cheaper, standard fuse for the older one. He’s right. It does make a difference for the better. But, I’m here to tell you that when you then substitute that new fuse with one of these premium fuses the further improvement is startling.

I’m guessing that replacing the old fuse with a new, inexpensive one reduces the stress on that hard-working, little wire inside. Add a vibration-damping glass or ceramic tube, superior parts and craftsmanship and you start to understand why these premium fuses can make such a big difference.

Of course, like everything else in this life, premium items come with a high price tag. Same for these fuses. Figure these fuses will cost you $39-$49 each for any of the the gold-plated models from either manufacturer and $49-$59 each for the SilverStars.

I know that’s a startling amount of money for something so small. But the improvement is not inconsequential. Especially if your equipment requires more than one fuse to be changed. And, there aren’t many other $40-$60 “tweaks” you can make to your stereo or home theater that will reward you with such a big improvement.

Just try one. Once you experience the change for yourself you’ll want more.

Cablevision (onwers of AMC, IFC, Sundance channels plus Madison Square Garden) and Time-Warner (owners of CNN, TCM, HBO plus DC Comics) and Comcast (Owners of E!, The Golf Channel and soon: NBC-Universal) have all agreed to give a little something back to their subscribers.

If you currently pay for high-speed Internet services from any one of these companies you now have access through their respective hotspots throughout the city and the surrounding areas.  That means you can log-in to any Optimun Online, Road Runner and Xfinity mobile system you encounter.

But, don’t think they’re doing this out of the goodness of their corporate hearts.  As you’ll read in the press release below the idea here is to form a united front against telephone companies (that means Verizon) so that cable providers can do wirelessly what telcos now bring into homes with a fiber-optic cable – television and  Internet services  (and that means FiOS). 

In other words, if the wireless company wants to install wires — then the wired company will blanket the area wirelessly.

And you thought they were just being nice…

Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable Internet Customers Can Now Roam Free Across Three WiFi Networks

Agreement Between Major Cable Providers Extends Reach And Value Of Distinct New York-Area WiFi Deployments By Allowing Customers Free Access To All Three Networks

Free Cable WiFi Emerging As Valuable Enhancement For Customers As Demands For Mobile Data Increase

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) today announced an agreement to allow their high-speed Internet customers to roam freely across the companies’ respective WiFi networks at no additional charge, greatly expanding the reach and value of cable WiFi in the New York metropolitan area. Whether in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park, areas of the Jersey Shore or in the Hamptons, high-speed Internet customers served by any of the companies can enjoy fast and free wireless Internet access on a full range of WiFi-enabled devices, including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and laptop computer.

The companies have deployed thousands of WiFi access points across the market, providing fast and free wireless Internet connections as a complement to broadband service as demand for mobile data continues to increase. Each access point today displays authentication options for all three WiFi services – Optimum WiFi, Time Warner Cable WiFi and Xfinity WiFi – allowing customers to use their own provider’s sign-on process to get online.

“Cable providers interconnecting WiFi services so customers can roam freely across networks is an extremely meaningful and transformative development,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s president of cable and communications. “This agreement – the first of its kind and, we believe, the first of many – combines the reach and the value of our respective WiFi deployments and delivers fast and free wireless Internet access that stretches across the market, at a time when consumer demand for mobile data is exploding.”

“Our customers are purchasing devices that have WiFi built into them and increasingly want wireless broadband access anytime, anywhere,” said Cathy Avgiris, SVP and GM of Communications and Data Services at Comcast. “With this partnership, we’re excited to offer a great in-home and on-the-go Internet experience. As a result, our Xfinity Internet and High-Speed 2go customers can now connect and enjoy their devices in more locations in the tri-state area.”

“This unique partnership is a win-win for our one million Road Runner customers in the NYC metro area, adding another dimension of value and convenience,” said Howard Szarfarc, Executive Vice President of Time Warner Cable’s NYC region.

The importance of WiFi as a fast and reliable way to access the Internet is becoming increasingly clear as WiFi-enabled devices continue to proliferate, most recently Apple’s iPad. Apple announced earlier this month that it had already sold 85 million iPhone and iPod touch devices and 450,000 iPads, all enabled with WiFi.

“With WiFi connectivity forecast to be embedded in more than one billion mobile computer, phone and consumer electronics devices by 2012, this interconnection and free roaming agreement among the three leading cable operators in the New York metropolitan area represents a major breakthrough for cable broadband customers, extending wireless broadband connectivity from the home and business to thousands of WiFi access points throughout the region,” said Berge Ayvazian, telecom industry analyst from Heavy Reading. “This historic agreement clearly makes the tri-state area the national leader in WiFi, an increasingly important distinction.”

I have to get this off my chest: WHAT A DUMB NAME!

OK.  Now I feel better.

Microsoft has announced a new brand of cell phones.  They’re not “smartphones”.  And they’re not dumb, by any means.  But, they are somewhat smarter than what the industry calls “feature phones”.  Let’s call these new KIN phones “smart-feature phones.  (I told you the name was really dumb.)

Kin is a re-working of T-Mobile’s wildly successful Sidekick line of feature phones for a new carrier, Verizon.  Sharp made many Sidekick models over the years and also makes the two new KIN phones.

Like Sidekicks, KIN are made for a youthful audience.  All the promotional materials show beautiful young people living their beautiful lives – the under-25 crowd who use their devices to text each other, post on Twitter and Facebook/Social Networking sites to basically chronicle their lives on a cell phone.

Oh, BTW, the phones are capable of making voice calls but the Microsoft people really didn’t make a big deal about that “feature”.  Why should they? Youngsters barely make voice calls (except to speak with their parents – usually when they need something – like money).

KIN are two separate designs: KIN ONE is a small, square-ish little thing with a slide-down QWERTY keyboard.  Many at today’s unveiling commented that it looked a whole lot like a Palm Pre.  KIN TWO has a larger, rectangular screen with a slide-down QWERTY keyboard.  The One is said to be a “one-handed” texting design.  The Two is supposedly a “two-handed” texting design.

There are many other differences.  The One comes with 4 GB of built-in storage, a 4 GB camera and a mono speaker.  The Two has 8GB of built-in memory, an 8GB camera and stereo speakers.  There are no memory card slots in either design.

Both phones run on a new operating system that is somewhat based on the Zune HD series of media players.  There might be some hint of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS – but I’d say both development paths separated a while ago.  Microsoft people in attendance at the New York City session were very careful to note that these phones are not Windows Phone 7 phones.

All photos and videos are stored in Microsoft’s “cloud”.  You also have access to that cloud on your PC via a some new software called KIN Studio.  In the previews it looked a lot like Zune PC software but did let you handle every that’s on your KIN on your PC as well.

The really clever idea that Microsoft has included in this design is KIN Spot.  It’s actually a spot – a white dot on the bottom of the phones’ screen that allows you to “drop” things in for processing.  For instance, if you want to send a photo on your phone to a contact listed on your phone you would drag and drop the phone onto the spot – then do the same with the contact.  A good idea.  Let’s see how well it works in the final version of the phones.

On the other hand, what you see is what you get.  What comes inside a KIN is all there is.  There is no app store to download stuff.  This is a closed system. Journalists in attendance heard there is no Adobe Flash involved but were somewhat surprised that there is no calendar function or any games to keep users occupied.  (Actually, they said there’s a lot to keep users occupied without adding games).

We do know that both KIN should be available sometime in May on Verizon’s EV-DO/3G network.  But we don’t know how much they’ll cost – or how much the monthly service will set you back.  There are some rumors that prices will be in the $99 (for the One) -to- $149 (for the Two) range.  Vodaphone will be selling GSM (world phone) version of KINS this fall.

KINS have some big shoes to fill if they’re going to complete/replace Sidekicks.  I suggest lower prices might help. Expect a full review when we get our hands on a production phone or two.

Headphones are very personal.  Whether you choose a pair because of their looks, their performance or their cost it’s something that you have to decide for yourself.

That’s why there are so many different designs – ranging from the crappy-sounding, free, white ear buds that come with iPods to the super-duper deluxe Stax electrostatic headphones which, with separate, special tube amplifiers can run upwards of $10,000!

Knowing that, imagine my surprise when I came across a number of online blogs and British forum users writing about some “amazing headphones” being produced in China.

They’re made by a company called Superlux and they’re designated Model HD681.  That bears a strange numerical resemblance to a bunch of very famous, top-of-the-line designs from industry leader Sennheiser.

But there is a huge difference between Sennheisers and Superluxes: the Sennheisers in question retail for a few hundred dollars.  Over-excited Superlux owners were boasting that they were buying their HD681s for the equivalent of $25 U.S.

I read all I could.  It seems that these super-inexpensive headphones were all the rage on the Net. And why not? Less than $30 or so delivered in England – and according to the rabid users they sounded really good. Even better when some minor surgery was performed (swapping out wires for better quality stuff, changing the red plastic trim to black plastic trim, etc.)

I did some more checking and found that Superlux was producing an entire line of affordable headphones (in addition to large number of microphones and speakers) and had a U.S. Distributor: the Avlex Corporation.  Some email and phone calls later I had two pair of try – the HD681 and a slightly more expensive model the HD668B (I know – it has a lower model number but it really does cost more).

I’ve been autioning these headphones for months now – allowing them to break-in and sound their best.  Even though sound memories are fleeting – I can say for sure that these headphones do sound different/better now (according to my copious listening notes) than they did when they first arrived.

The 681s are a good-sounding set of ‘phones. Don’t be fooled by the cheap-looking plastic and cardboard outer packaging. They are real headphones with an 8-foot cord (coming from the left side) ending in a miniature jack. There’s also an adapter for 1/4-inch jacks and a nice pouch to carry everything (except for that packaging).

Sound-wise they are much better than the free things you get with an iPod but not as good as the multi-buck Stax.  Or the Sennheisers.  They are pretty clear and musical.  Good bass.  Perfect for listening to low bit-rate (128K), compressed music files.  They are also very, very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions.

The HD668Bs are noticeably more refined. They are slightly lighter in weight, come with both a 3-foot and also a 10-foot cord and are packaged more like a high-quality hi-fi product. Oh, and they also sound great.

That refinement means the solid bass of the 681s is still present (maybe even a touch more so) and it is matched with a flatter midrange and extended treble. Higher resolution files – as well as vinyl, CDs and (yes) good FM are a joy. In short, the 668B’s sound like a much more expensive set of headphones.

The only caveat I can pass along is that the 668Bs are a tight fit for me. Big head jokes aside, these really are slightly too small for me and might be for you too. They still sound great though.

Notice I’ve left the prices for last. That’s because in the months since Superlux’s stealth introduction in Europe people have discovered the quality and prices have begun to rise accordingly The U.S.. distributor has done a good job keeping these as very affordable products.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the HD681 is $49.95. The HD668B lists for $59.95. Both are recommended.

The Avlex Website mentions a number of other Superlux models – the HD660, HD 440 and HD330 Professional headphones. They could all be winners too.

Copyright Apple 2010

The now-infamous line “You can put lipstick on a pig… but it’s still a pig” might be apropos in some situations – especially when describing Apple’s new iPad:

My take is: You can add a few flourishes to an oversized iPhone/iPod touch and call it a “revolutionary” computing device – but it’s still an overgrown PDA. (For the record, the Apple Newton was an overgrown PDA more than a decade ago).

Not that that’s necessarily bad. It’s just that in the past tablets have historically garnered a lot of interest at first – until the buying public realized the shortcomings and/or decided they really preferred laptop models instead.

So, after playing with a few iPads over the course of the past few days I can honestly say that it seems to be a nice product – actually one of the most accessible tablets ever created – but also one that could have somewhat limited long-term appeal.

Aside from those people who must own anything with the name Apple on it – if you have an iPhone/iPod touch (or any other modern-day smartphone) and a MacBook (or any modern-day laptop computer) you really don’t need an iPad.

GOOD STUFF:
In my testing, the iPad is pretty fast for a PDA. And Apple should be commended for porting their iPhone OS to a larger format machine.

The design is beautiful – it’s a slab to behold. On the other hand, I would have preferred less of a black border around the screen (to make it look like an iPhone).

The new “apps” made for the larger format screen are terrific. The ones I played with took good advantage of the larger screen.

The screen changes from vertical to horizontal viewing instantly. Very well done on Apple’s part.

Reports of up-to 10 hour battery life per charge is fantastic. I’m expecting that is really more like 6-7 hours in real-life constant use.  This is not surprising though. There are a number of power-sipping netbooks that store 10-hours or real-life usability.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF:
iPad is kinda heavy in your hand.  It looks deceptively lighter in weight than it turns out to be in real life.  It therefore requires two hands for many users.  Still, it’s only 1-1/2 pounds compared to small netbooks which start at 2-1/2-to-3 pounds.

The on-screen keyboards are pretty good considering. Because iPads are so flat I wouldn’t want to write the next great American novel on one.  Strictly for short e-mails and the like.  External Bluetooth keyboards are available now – but that sorta defeats the purpose.

Holding the iPad for long periods (like watching a TV show) gets fatiguing.  Long movies would be more so.  I’m expecting all sorts of third-party devices that will hold your iPad in a proper viewing angle will be available immediately. You can position netbook and laptop screens without third-party add-ons.

There is no built-in camera.  That means no video phone services.

The battery is not user replaceable.

There is no method of internal memory expansion.  Wouldn’t it have been easy for Apple to produce a smaller number of models with SD card slots?  I know it would have been cheaper for potential iPad buyers.

The iPad does not support Flash.  It does support HTML5 which, in the future, might be a replacement.  But for now, Flash is it and the iPad can’t process the Websites that use it.

The book reader, while looking great has, what to me is an annoying animation every time you turn the page.  They might consider holding down that visual effect for the first page you turn – and maybe the beginning of a chapter.  A similar effect on Amazon’s Kindle is less obtrusive.

Apple is charging way too much, period.  Too much for the devices and too much for the apps it can run.  Yes, it will run many of the iPhone apps you already may have – but they open in an iPhone-sized box on your iPad screen.  Double the size of that box and what you get are somewhat blurry apps.  Upgrading some of the apps you know and love with iPad-formatted begin costing you dearly.  Going down the list, I find that I would be spending more than $100 per month on stuff I’d like to use on the iPad.

That’s in addition to the cost of the iPad itself.  $500 for the base model is too much.  Hopefully the price will start to come down soon (just like the first iPhone did after a few weeks.)  Since 3G versions can connect to AT&T’s 3G network only when you need them to (instead of all the time) Apple can’t defray some of the cost of the hardware into your AT&T service contract.  That means the top-of-the-line 3G iPad will set you back more than $800. For a PDA.   That’s absurd.

One friend uses their new iPad as a part-time toy.  They have a MacBook Pro, a new Dell Windows laptop, an Asus netbook, an iPhone and now an iPad. The iPad is being used the way it should – as something extra. Something personal. Something digital. An assistant of sorts. You know – a personal digital assistant.

iPad?  iPDA?  The letter are just in a different order!

In a direct comparison with one of the new breed of small laptops, like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X100e, the differences are quite obvious.  The iPad has much better battery life, is lighter in weight and has the Apple name on the back. 

On the other hand, the tiny X100e is a real Windows 7 computer with a fast processor, a real QWERTY keyboard (with the famous, red ThinkPad nipple/pointer system), up to 4GB of RAM, a camera and a larger screen. It also runs all the programs available on a Windows computer.

The X100e starts at $450 while a well-beefed-up version goes for $550.  They’re both right in Apple iPad’s price range.  I’m planning a head-to-head comparison follow-up very soon.