Consumers remain willing to spend money on consumer electronics -- for replacing older units or buying new ones with more advanced technology -- even though most homes already own those same products, according to a new report from The NPD Group.

Although 85% of consumers own DVD players and sales dropped 25% in the first half of the year, NPD reports that consumers are still interested in buying upconverter units or Blu-ray players to take advantage of HD technology, noting that sales of DVD upconverters have risen 14% in the first half of this year.

(Sounds just like what I do.)  

Get more at TWICE.

Qik, the popular live streaming mobile phone video app, is now available on a variety of new Windows Mobile enabled phones including select HTC devices.

New support includes:
• HTC Touch Dual
• HTC Touch Diamond
• HTC TyTn-II
• AT&T Tilt
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Qik added mobile video blogging to the Apple iPhone just last week. I was actually going to use Qik on my Verizon XV6700 HTC Apache Windows Mobile 6.1 device to live video blog Internet Telephony Expo in 2 weeks - but it isn't supported. While the HTC Apache isn't specifically listed, I'm going to try again in a few minutes to see if it works. Many HTC devices have the same core software. Will let you know how it goes. [crossing fingers]

If I can't get Qik to work, I may just use Livecast on my Windows Mobile at ITEXPO. It works just fine. Although not as well known as Qik, the performance was surprisingly good. I'll have to compare Livecast with Qik once I get Qik working.

It really wasn't all that long ago when you could bring an AM radio to the beach for Labor Day, tune in Cousin Brucie and rock the sand dunes!

(Remember all of those beach party movies? Can anybody name one?

Now, with all of the anti-fun measures that are posted at the beach (no noise, no ball playing, etc.), it's amazing that you can still go in the water and swim (only between the green flags, please!).

Anyway, looks like the 2008 end-of-summer beach look is an iPod or other MP3 player -- but remember keep the sound down so you don't blow out those eardrums! --  so everyone rocks out in silence.

Ah, the living in the modern world ...

A recent study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found that 25% of people would be willing to buy their gadgets from Starbucks, 30% from Ikea, 40% from Bed, Bath and Beyond and almost 60% from Home Depot.

"Electronics have become so pervasive that consumers are looking to buy these devices wherever they want," said Tim Herbert, CEA research senior director, adding, "No [retailer] is safe. If you don't reinvent yourself, there are retailers looking to capitalize on the vulnerability of CE retailers."

It's easy to see why as lines across the big box retailers blur and they look to capture more dollars from more (or, today, less) shoppers.

And innovative and lower-priced products are also making it easier for these stores to stock them -- a $159 computer keyboard with a built-in scanner from Keyscan, one of the first notebook stands with built-in iPod dock and speakers from Lifeworks and an accessory that adds voice activation to an iPod (with an iPhone version in the works) from Innotek.

And while this is exciting, don't see too many flat-screen TVs moving out of Home Depot, but then again, who would have guessed that Costco could move these big boys in such large numbers?

 

A new technology developed by Microsoft in alliance with the University of Massachusetts (UMASS), and the University of Washington has resulted in a new technology called Vi-Fi (Vehicle Wi-Fi). Vi-Fi solves the problem of hopping from one Wi-Fi wireless access point (WAP) to another when signal strength diminishes. According to the article, the goal of Vi-Fi could be to power VoIP calls, Internet, and radio in cars of the future.

Ironically, Andy wrote a controversial blog this week about VoIPing while flying (using Aircell) -- well now you can VoIP while driving too! Of course, I've been using VoIP over EVDO for some time now while driving. I was even able to register my Windows Mobile 6.1 device (EVDO as well) to an Asterisk server sitting in my office and make/receive office calls.

With this forthcoming technology, who needs XM or SIRIUS when you can stream radio for free over the internet with hundreds if not thousands to choose from? Time to short satellite radio stocks?

The system they are developing will provide users with on-the-go internet access more cheaply than existing cellular broadband systems.  The challenge this alliance aims to solve can be explained by this excerpt of the article:

The key to Microsoft's new system is a steady signal.  In Wi-Fi networks, as you travel overland, each signal station (base station) only broadcasts so far, so you have to hop between stations.  During these transitions, known as "hard handoffs", the signal strength typically drops.  At best this makes car Wi-Fi unpleasant, and at worst it makes it unworkable.

The key to to solving this challenge is the use of multiple base stations.  The station can send and receive signals from more than on base station, and the strongest strength gets assigned as the "anchor" system, while the other systems are used as "auxiliary" systems.  A complex algorithm is constantly calculating the probability of a packet not reaching the main station.  If that probability reaches a certain threshold the auxiliary stations try to forward it to the main station.

They did some test trials at Microsoft's campus and found the system eliminated nearly all the problems of network hopping while driving. Just don't expect Wi-Fi / Vi-Fi coverage to be as ubiquitous as say EVDO, 3G, etc. while driving. EVDO, 3G and other cellular data transmissions can travel a lot further than Wi-Fi signals, which are only rated for 300feet. So you'll still need a ton of these specialized Wi-Fi stations with the special software to get decent coverage.

But considering most homes have Wi-Fi APs, it could be very cool if you could build a massive Vi-Fi network using consumer's existing Wi-Fi APs. Simple firmware upgrade? But then you get into the whole security issues, bandwidth theft, etc. Still, the work Microsoft and these universities are doing is fascinating. How soon will be before we have truly mobile and ubiquitous Wi-Fi Internet access? Who knows? But my EVDO card works just fine almost wherever I go. It's not as fast as Wi-Fi but it works well enough.

It's just about prime time for back-to-school shopping so why not add a gadget to the list of pencils, Sharpies, three-ring binders, etc., that make up the usual back-to-school shopping list?

So I'm asking you: "What gadget are you buying today?"

And let's make it a lot more than a pencil sharpener (although that will come in very handy during the school year.)

If you're a member of the press, an independent designer or an engineer, we want you!

(Actually, the International Consumer Electronics Show -- CES -- wants you. And that is some show! This is one that draws hundreds of thousands of people so that the Las Vegas Convention Center -- and some other LV venues -- is filled to overflowing.)

Here's what you need to know for now:

• Are you able to volunteer a little of your time to judge one of the most prestigious awards programs in the consumer electronics industry?
• Do you consider yourself a knowledgeable consumer electronics design professional, with expertise in any of the 34 Innovations 2009 awards categories?
• Do you have at least five years of experience in the CE industry through the media or as an industry analyst or professional?

The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program recognizes the most innovative consumer electronics products in 34 categories and has become a hallmark for the best-designed products in consumer technology.

Download the awards category guide that includes examples of eligible products within a category to assist you in selecting the categories you feel most qualified to judge.  

More at the International CES web site.

I've always enjoyed gadget browsing at airports (and maybe buying) and now Best Buy has upped that ante by announcing plans to add a dozen self-serve vending kiosks inside major airports across the country as part of a new pilot program called Best Buy Express.

Best Buy is partnering with ZoomSystems, a San Francisco-based vending machine company, for the project that will install the small automated stores at eight airports by September 1.

The machines will stock cell phone and computer accessories, along with digital cameras, portable data storage devices, headphones, travel adapters, electronic chargers and other gadgets.

The kiosks will be installed in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and San Francisco. 

Chinese consumer electronics ("gadgets" to me and you) revenue will reach $100 billion by the end of next year, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and market researcher GfK.

China is expected to grow full-year 2008 consumer electronics revenue 16.5%, the study went on to say.

Now can you imagine what this figure might be if the global economy wasn't getting so sticky?

Dynolicious utilizes the accelerometer built in to your iPhone or iPod Touch to sense the motion of your vehicle to calculate performance statistics including 0-60 acceleration, 1/4 Mile Elapsed Time, Lateral G's, and Horsepower. Is this not the coolest Apple App ever? I would have headed over to the Apple App Store to buy this app pronto, except I no longer drive a high-performance Dodge Viper - I now drive a pokey Volvo.

Here's a photo of my beloved 2001 Dodge Viper at a Cape Cod motel before it was totalled by a 24-year old pharmacist one month after I sold it to him.


Anyway, the sampling data is sampled as many as one hundred times per second, to get a detailed picture of your car's acceleration. This information is then used to determine the speed of the vehicle and the distance travelled. The site explains that due to the unique hardware integrated into the iPhone, this can all be done with no setup, wires, or extra equipment like traditional accelerameters.

According to their web site, "Unlike other accelerometer-based performance meters, Dynolicious uses the advanced data-handling and display capabilities of the iPhone to make the most of your performance testing."

Further, Dynolicious maintains a history of test runs, showing you averages and trends in your results. Dynolicious also allows you to enter modifications performed to your vehicle, and will instantly show before-and-after results to easily identify gains or losses.

Here's some screenshots:




Specification/Features breakdown...

Performance Measurements

• 0-60 MPH
• Other Speed Tests (0-10 MPH through 0-100 MPH in 10MPH increments)
• Quarter Mile Elapsed Time
• Quarter Mile Trap Speed
• Elapsed Time and Trap Speed for standard intervals (60', 330', 1/8 Mi, 1000')
• Lateral G's (current and peak)
• Braking G's (current and peak)
• Wheel Horsepower
• Estimated Engine Horsepower

Results Presentation

• Realtime Speedometer and Graphs
• Realtime graphical skidpad display
• View results for latest test run or any saved run
• View averages based on vehicle, date, or modification
• Compare results between vehicles, dates, or before-and-after modifications

Configuration

• Rollout 0" to 24" (separate settings for 0-60 and Quarter Mile tests)
• Stores vehicle weight and drivetrain efficiency in your vehicle's profile
• Calibration routine gets the maximum accuracy possible with the built-in accelerometers

Accuracy

• 0-60 MPH: +/- 0.08 sec*
• Quarter Mile: +/- 0.10 sec*, +/- 1.5 MPH*

*Results based on preliminary testing. A detailed accuracy analysis using professional timing equipment at a regulation dragstrip will be posted soon.