You’d have to pry, as the saying goes, my Harmony remote out of my cold, dead hand.  I’ve been a Harmony user for about two years now, and tell anyone who’ll listen that it’s one of my favorite everyday gadgets.

So I sat up and took notice today when Logitech announced two new members of the Harmony family: the Harmony 600 and the Harmony 650.  These new remotes feature an updated design and a more affordable price range for budget-conscious couch potatoes everywhere.

The two remotes feature have the same look and overall button layout, but the 650 (shown above) has a color display where the 600 has a more basic black-and-white (or grayscale) screen.  From today’s announcement, there doesn’t seem to be any new technology here, but what is noteworthy is the MSRP of these units.  The Harmony 600 will sell for $79, while it color sibling, the Harmony 650, will go for $99.  Most of today’s Harmony models cost $200 or more.

Just in case you don’t know, Harmony is a family of universal remotes from Logitech which replace other remotes, removing clutter and home theater confusion.  Rather than endlessly punching in codes, however, Harmony remotes are programmed via a software application (PC or Mac).  You install the app, tell it what you have (TV, DVD, DVR, etc.) in your setup, and the application programs the remote via USB.  In addition, since the remote knows each of the components you have, you can press the Watch a Movie button, for example, and the remote will power on your DVD, tune your TV to the correct channel, turn on your audio system and adjust button functionality to control the correct component for the command (volume up, in my setup, controls my Sony audio system when in Movie mode).

The new Harmony models are expected to begin shipping later this month.

I use USB thumb drives to store all sorts of data, most of which would be useless (and boring) to anyone other than myself.  But some of the data is potentially valuable, including aspects of my finances and even some private information entrusted to me by third parties.  This reality has somewhat limited my use of USB drives since they can be so easily dropped, misplaced or stolen.

In the past I’ve experimented with encryption software, but I don’t think the average user would be very comfortable with much of what’s out there.  What the USB-thumb-drive-using masses need is a drive that comes with good security right out of the box.

And that’s exactly what the new Corsair Padlock 2 has: 256-bit AES hardware encryption baked right in.  What does this mean?  Well, in a nutshell, it means that there’s internal juju that locks down the information stored on the drive and it’s not computer dependant.  There’s no software to install, and there are no special adapters.  You just program the lock code (4-10 digits), and enter that code using the buttons on the drive to unlock the data.  Don’t input the correct code, and the Padlock 2 doesn’t even register when it’s plugged into a USB port.  If you did happen to lose the Padlock, it can only be used by the person who finds it once it’s been restored to factory defaults, which wipes all data in memory. 

I think this product (or products like it) will prove invaluable to professionals who carry sensitive data on a daily basis (lawyers and CPAs come to mind).  But its uses go far beyond preventing corporate espionage or identity theft – the Padlock 2 security is great for students, parents, or anyone who has mobile data to keep safe.

At present, the Corsair Padlock 2 is available in an 8GB capacity.

I began looking for a book light for my Kindle about a week ago.  What I quickly found was that most solutions were clip-on, gooseneck lights that seemed to stick out too far with too much off-center bulk. That’s not really what I wanted.

Then, during a Google Images search, I stumbled across the Kandle, a cleverly-named, Kindle-inspired LED book light that’s also compatible with other eBook devices like the Sony Reader.

The Kandle is the only Kindle-compatible book light I found without a long, flexible neck to deal with.  Rather, the Kandle has a wide, two-hinged light that’s situated at the top of the screen.  This is exactly what I was looking for.

The only thing that makes me a bit hesitant to go with the Kandle is that it runs on two CR2032 “coin” batteries.  These batteries aren’t as easy to find as, say, AAA batteries, and I can’t imagine they’d last as long.  Still, Amazon has a set of 25 of these batteries for a little over $5, so that should last a while.

So, I think I’m going to take the plunge and grab a Kandle.  Any thoughts? 

The most frustrating thing about web video is that you have to jump through so many hoops to watch it on a TV.  I use the PS3 for streaming Netflix, but I can’t watch Hulu or other web videos on the console; for that, you really need a PC or Mac connected to your boob tube.

But TV manufacturers are beginning to tune into the fact that Internet video is here to stay and that it’s most naturally viewed on a TV. To cash in on this reality,  a new generation of TVs is emerging with built-in Internet connectivity, video playback and web software.  And it’s about time.

One of the first pioneers into this brave new world is VIZIO, a brand of TVs sold largely by Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.  Three new VIZIO TVs will be available for purchase next week (the 42-inch SV422XVT, the 47-inch SV472XVT and the 55-inch VF552XVT) that include VIZIO Internet Apps, or VIA, which allow you to connect to the Internet (via 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable) for watching Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, Yahoo! Video and VuDu.  Hopefully Hulu will join the party at some point, but I won’t hold my breath. 

And the VIZIO Internet Apps aren’t just about web video.  There’s also social networking capabilities with Twitter and Facebook connectivity, Internet radio via Pandora, and photo viewing with flickr. 

That’s all well and good, but it’s the built-in web video technology that caught my attention.  It’ll be interesting to see how this trend develops.

But many users need more than 2GB of storage, though not necessarily the 50GB $10 a month gets ya.  So where’s the happy medium?

Until Dropbox wises up and offers a 25GB option for $2 a month, the only way to increase your storage without paying is by taking advantage of the service’s referral system.  For every new user you introduce to Dropbox, you’ll get 250MB of additional storage. 

So how do you refer people to Dropbox and get the additional 250MB a head?  Simple. Just visit this page on the Dropbox web site, sign in and get your referral link.  Send it to your friends, post it on Twitter, etc., and enjoy the additional storage.  Oh, and anyone who signs up using your referral link will also get the extra space.

If you’re not yet a Dropbox user (um, why?!), please use this link to sign up; we’ll each get more storage!

NOTE: You can only accumulate a total of 3GB of additional storage through the referral system.  Disappointing, but understandable.  Also, after signing up, the referee will need to download and install the Dropbox application before you’ll receive the extra MBs.

A few days ago, I wrote about how Google could take on Apple in the Tablet Wars.  In that editorial, I focused on Android because there are already tablet-style devices available running the smartphone OS.  I ignored Google’s other operating system, Chrome OS, and its utility for tablets for two reasons: 

First,  I have no experience with the Chrome OS, I’ve only seen stories about its development.  Second, it has yet to be used in any meaningful way on any consumer device; i.e., it still isn’t yet ready for primetime. 

But Chrome OS is just as much a part of Google’s tablet toolkit as Android, mainly because Chrome was always intended to run on midrange devices like netbooks and tablets. 

I mention this because I wanted to point you to a recent post on the Chromium Projects web site. The post contains several mockups of a tablet running the Chrome OS. 

According to TechCrunch:

“… it appears that these mockups were put together by Glen Murphy, Google Chrome’s designer. In other words, there’s a good chance that the final version of Chrome OS will resemble this.”

Pretty cool.

-M

I use Irfanview for many things.  If a family member or friend sends a photo that’s 4000 pixels wide, I can resize it with a couple of mouse clicks.  If I have a PNG or TIF image that I want to convert to a JPG or a GIF, Irfanview does that, too.  It also works with TWAIN scanners, including my Canon LiDE 200, making scanning in and editing new photos a snap. Advanced features include batch renaming and format conversion, icon file support, and tons of add-ons for specific uses.

I could go on and on – and I’ve only scratched the surface – but suffice it to say Irfanview is one of those applications I would hate to live without.  Even If you only dabble with images on your PC (Irfanview, sadly, is Windows only), download the software and free yourself from image headaches. 

Why buy a single-use, grayscale Kindle, the logic goes, when you can have a full color, multimedia experience with Apple’s tablet?  Kindle and other eBook readers, they say, will die a quick and lonely death following an iSlate/iPad/Whatever-its-called release.

This argument is not without merit.  I’m sure many love the idea of reading full-color, interactive magazines and books on a beautiful screen.  Count me among them. And there’s no doubt a traditional display offers many more features than today’s boring ol’ e-ink.

But as interesting as this may seem in concept, I contend that reading for hours on a regular, backlit screen – even if it’s cutting edge – just isn’t realistic.

Aside from other strengths, the true advantage of the Kindle is its static display.  It looks like paper.  It doesn’t have a backlight.  There’s no refresh mechanism constantly moving just outside your ability to be consciously aware of it.  Put simply, reading on a Kindle, a Nook, a Sony Reader, or any other device with electronic paper has most of the advantages of reading an actual book with few of the annoyances (dust jackets, weight, holding back pages with your little finger until it’s ready to fall off, paper cuts, dogears…).

The same cannot be said of other display technologies.  I work on a computer every day. I have a large, high-res monitor.  I don’t wear glasses or contact lens. But I can’t sit and read an eBook on my desktop, MacBook, smartphone or any other traditional screen for long.  When I’m working, I’m looking at the screen, away from the screen, down at paper, etc.  The time I stare at my monitor without looking away is nothing like the time I spend staring at a page or the Kindle while I read.  And I know this makes a real difference because A) I can work for hours on the computer without my eyes hurting or the onset of a killer headache  (which cannot be said for reading many pages of text on the same system), and B) Amazon, Sony, et al., could have released eBook readers with a traditional display years ago, but didn’t.  Obviously they thought e-paper was an important ingredient in their devices’ success.

Of course, we don’t even know that Apple intends the tablet to be a reader competitor, though it’s difficult to imagine that it won’t be at least in some way.  And perhaps the device will be primarily aimed at digital magazine flip-throughs rather than hours-long Under the Dome immersion.  That would make sense, as reading a magazine is very much like reading content on the Web: relaxed and relatively non-committal.

Just to be clear, I’m looking forward to the Apple tablet as much as the next guy.  I just don’t see how a display that sends me to the medicine cabinet after 15 minutes can bring down eBook readers.  But perhaps Apple has solved the eye-strain problem with a hybrid technology that’s part e-paper, part traditional display.

Or maybe the people at Bayer are sharing the cost of the tablet’s construction.

Or perhaps this entire discussion is so steeped in speculation that it serves no purpose whatsoever.

Guess we’ll know more in a few days.

-M

Until now, I’ve used my Macbook along with a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI converter to watch Hulu, YouTube and other online video in my living room, but now I’m looking for a small computer to connect to my home theater setup full time.

Three viable options present themselves. 

First, an Intel Atom and nVIDIA ION powered nettop like the ASUS Eee Box (for example, model EB1012).  Second, a small form-factor PC like the AMD-powered Dell Zino HD.  Third, an Apple Mac mini.  Although this third option is appealing to me for a few reasons, it is my least favored because of the Mac mini’s lack of a built-in HDMI port and its higher price.

I want something that will handle HD web video handily, and don’t want to put up with any lag or poor video quality. 

So, what say you?  What solutions are you using for web video in your home theater?  What’s worked best for you, and what’s failed to meet your expectations?  Please add your comments below. 

I hope we can all learn from each other and find the solution for our needs.

-M

Until today.  This afternoon, Apple posted Boot Camp v3.1, which includes support for all versions of Windows 7 (except Starter, apparently), 32-bit and 64-bit.  If you’ve already installed Windows 7 under Boot Camp 3.0, I would recommend that you update as soon as you can.

If you’re still running Vista under a previous version of Boot Camp and plan to upgrade to Windows 7, there’s also an additional download which will make the upgrade process smoother for you.

You can run Apple Software update to get the new software, or download the files manually:

Boot Camp 3.1 Software Update for 32-bit Windows

Boot Camp 3.1 Software Update for 64-bit Windows

Boot Camp 3.1 Utility for Windows 7 Upgrade