Archive: November 11, 2007 - November 17, 2007
Use a Smart Playlist to Fill Your MP3 Player
While yesterday's review of Microsoft's new Zune was being edited, a question came up: What's a good way to describe a "smart playlist" to the uninitiated? As we tossed around a few phrases to add to the story, I showed how I used one smart playlist to automatically load a...
By Rob Pegoraro | November 16, 2007; 1:00 PM ET | Comments (14)
Zune 2.0
When I write a blog post to accompany a just-published column, I usually wait until mid-morning to see if any questions keep coming up in reader e-mail. This morning's review of Microsoft's new Zune hardware and software, however, has yet to draw any reaction in e-mail. So Microsoft's iPod rival...
By Rob Pegoraro | November 15, 2007; 12:05 PM ET | Comments (22)
Fios and CableCards
This weekend's Help File column will probably cover a lesser-known feature of Verizon's Fios TV service: The ability to tune into the fiber-optic service without renting a tuner or digital recorder from Verizon, so long as you already have a tuner or DVR that includes a CableCard slot (say, the...
By Rob Pegoraro | November 14, 2007; 2:00 PM ET | Comments (23)
Android: There's Some Real Software Here
Yesterday, Google made a development version of its Android mobile-phone software available for programmers to play with. Along with downloadable code, documentation and discussion groups, you can also watch a few videos in which various Google types demonstrate how Android's programs work on some test hardware. It's highly dangerous to...
By Rob Pegoraro | November 13, 2007; 2:10 PM ET | Comments (6)
Terminating Early-Termination Penalties
For all the grief I give the wireless-phone industry, it has at least shown the occasional willingness to drop some of its least-admired business practices. Not all these moves--for example, the "wireless number portability" that lets you take your cell-phone number with you when you change carriers--have been strictly voluntary....
By Rob Pegoraro | November 12, 2007; 10:13 AM ET | Comments (9)
