refrl.org

This week, I’m addressing a question that I get a lot…and never have the perfect answer for. Note to MP3 player manufacturers: there is a market for extremely simple MP3 players with large screens and large, easy-to-read fonts. It’s called my mom. Plus, find out why practically identical players may sport different MSRPs, and learn a little about stock earbud sound quality.

Flash-based Zune

A more affordable option is the Sansa Fuze. Although the font is not that large, the color screen and large main menu icons should help with navigating. The issue that I can see arising with both of these players is that they offer a lot more features than your mom is going to need to use, so it will be necessary for her to just “ignore” them to get the most basic use out of the device.

A: Unfortunately, the general rule for MP3 players is the larger the screen, the more complex the device. Also unfortunate is that no one is really addressing the market need for supersimple, large-font MP3 players. The one player that I know of that has large font–on the main menu screen at least–is the Microsoft Zune. The inner menus have a smaller font, but the color screen should help somewhat with visibility. It’s definitely easy to use, though I would recommend turning off the touch sensitivity for the control pad.

Q: My question for you is: How good is the quality of the earphones provided with iPods? I have these. The audio quality sounds fine to me, but I have never ever used high quality or in-ear earphones. — Jason, via e-mail

Welcome to MP3 Mailbox Monday, a recurring feature where I answer a selection of questions about MP3 players and accessories, such as headphones, speakers, and music services and software. Each week, my in-box is flooded with questions from around the world, and while a handful of them are very particular to the individual asking, most apply more generally to a certain use or scenario to which many people can relate. Check back often to see if the advice presented here might be of some use to you, or send your questions directly to me. (Note: We never include last names, but if you prefer to remain completely anonymous, please state as much in your e-mail.)

The answer is: not very. But not many people notice the average sound quality of stock ‘buds if they have never used a high quality pair. Once you do, though, there’s no going back! In any case, I always recommend replacing stock earbuds, if only for the comfort issue. There’s no need to spend a lot, either. You can get a decent pair for less than $50.

Q: I just recently watched/read your review on the Sansa Fuze. MP3 players (and other electronics) aren’t my thing and thus I rely heavily on reviewers (both professional and consumer). I’m trying to figure out what difference between the 8GB Fuze and the 8GB View (outside of dimensions) justifies a price difference between the two players. Can you shed any light in this area? Why would one be more expensive than that other? (The View has a $150 MSRP versus the Fuze’s $130.) — Tony, via e-mail

Sansa Fuze

(Credit:
CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)

Q: I was wondering if you know of any MP3 players (2GB and up) that are suitable for older people. I got my mom a Sansa Clip 2GB for her birthday last February so that she can listen to MP3 audiobooks (normally requires more than 1GB). She really loves this since she now has a difficult time reading books. I bought the Sansa Clip since it seemed to be the simplest MP3 device with the most basic features. More sophisticated features just confound older people. As I said, she loves listening to the audiobooks, but this relatively simple device still seems complicated to navigate (my mom is 70-plus), and the digital display is too small. Do you have any recommendation or know of any development in this area? — Susan, via e-mail

A: For MP3 players, the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) is quite dependent on the time when the device was released. For example–in this case–flash memory was probably more expensive at the time the View was released than at the time the Fuze was released. It also may be based on how the company views the current market–SanDisk almost certainly took each players’ closest competitors into consideration while setting the pricing. The fact that the View is marketed as a portable video player (PVP) with a larger screen whereas the Fuze is considered an MP3 player with video capability may also have something to do with it. In any case, you can generally expect to purchase a product below the MSRP after a certain amount of time has passed, although the actual amount of time varies from product to product. (Some MP3 players are available below MSRP from the get-go.) Right now, you can find the 8GB Sansa View for around $120 online, so it’s actually cheaper than the Fuze at the moment.

V-Moda Bass Freq earphones

Carl Zeiss’ camera lens division renewed a partnership with Sony for another five years, the companies announced Wednesday.

The partnership began in 1996 with a Sony camcorder using a Zeiss lens, then extended to compact cameras. More recently, with Sony’s entry into the SLR market, Zeiss-branded lenses are available on those high-end cameras, too.

Another electronics giant making its way into the camera market, Panasonic, has adopted a similar strategy with another German camera company renowned for its engineering, Leica.

In a a blog post, Malik notes that he will continue to write about issues he holds dear from major technology trends to the underpinnings of the Internet. But, he notes, by signing on as a partner with True Ventures, he’ll also have a front-row seat in learning about the VC business and may one day venture out as a full-fledged venture capitalist.

Giga Omni Media founder Om Malik has penned a new chapter to life, adding the role of venture partner to the mix.

Malik, who recently transferred the CEO role of his company to Paul Walborsky, has signed on as a venture partner at True Ventures, a firm that is an investor in Giga.

Om Malik kicks off GigaOM’s Structure event in June, which centered on the massive build-out of infrastructure to power the wired planet.

And while the article raises questions about potential conflicts of interest that could arise as Malik covers the VC industry and its start-ups, while also being a member of the club, Malik notes that he will not pen any articles about companies in True Venture’s portfolio. He adds that disclosures will be made of the True Ventures relationship, should any Giga writers make reference to any of the firm’s portfolio companies.

That’s otherwise known as keeping the aim true.

In an interview with The New York Times, Malik said his part-time role will include offering up advice to the firm’s portfolio companies and sharing his opinions with the other partners at True Ventures.

(Credit:
Dan Farber)

Shane Macaulay, Derek Callaway and Alexander Sotirov, were able to gain control of the laptop, which also means they get to keep it. However, since the rules had been relaxed, they only get $5,000; the MacBook Air winners collected $10,000.

(Credit:
TippingPoint)

Since it was the third day of the contest, which saw a MacBook Air get hacked on Thursday, the TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative relaxed the rules even further. On the first day of the contest, only the operating system could be targeted, but on the second day that was expanded to include standard applications. An undisclosed
Safari flaw led to the MacBook Air’s downfall.

But on Friday, hackers could target any “popular” piece of application software that you might find on a system. The Fujitsu laptop, running Vista Ultimate, was compromised by a previously undiscovered flaw in Adobe’s Flash software.

TippingPoint’s Aaron Portnoy, with Shane Macauley and Alexander Sotirov (left to right) take control of a Windows Vista laptop.

A Sony Vaio laptop running Ubuntu remained unscathed at the end of the conference.

The contest rules stipulated that any winner sign a nondisclosure agreement immediately after a successful hack, so that the nature of the flaw could be disclosed to the vendor. Once Adobe and Apple patch their flaws, the nature of the flaw will be disclosed.

It held out as long as possible, but a Windows Vista laptop fell to a determined bunch of hackers Friday evening at the Pwn to Own contest at CanSecWest.

T-Mobile Shadow

Today, T-Mobile released a software update for the T-Mobile Shadow smartphone that brings, among other things, a new function called “audio postcards.” This feature allows you add a personal voice note to a photo taken with the Shadow, which you can then share with family and friends. Other software enhancements include a revamped myFaves menu, improved text entry, and additional ringtones and wallpaper options. The update is available now and can be downloaded for free from the T-Mobile Shadow Web site.

(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

The problem with the government’s explanation is that it is based on information outside the four corners of the Supporting Affidavit. On the other hand, by presenting the full transcript of the conversations in question, Romero has made the showing necessary to justify a Franks hearing, unless the Supporting Affidavit contains other indicia of probable cause justifying the issue of the interception order. I therefore will disregard the May 31, 2005 intercepted conversations. (Note: This is named after Franks v. Delaware, a U.S. Supreme Court case that said when a defendant makes a substantial preliminary showing of false statements by cops, a hearing must be held. –DBM)

I will examine the other information in the Supporting Affidavit to see whether, without the questioned conversations, the Supporting Affidavit fails to provide probable cause for the order authorizing the interception, or whether, at minimum, a Franks hearing is required to determine whether the order is valid without the questioned conversations.

After reviewing both Romero’s and the government’s translations of the conversation in question, I conclude that the portion of the transcript included in the Supporting Affidavit was, at the least, an overstatement of the degree of certainty with which Agent Monteiro could reasonably have interpreted the conversation to be one concerning drug transactions. The conversations appear to be, in fact, about chrome wheels for an automobile, the wheels being sold under the brand name “Lowenhart.”

An innocent discussion about Lowenhart chrome wheels, or a cover for clandestine drug transactions? Guess what the DEA thought…

The Supporting Affidavit also was based on information said to have been provided by codefendant Gregory Bing, who, as described in the May 20 Affidavit, and the April 19 Affidavit, had given information to law enforcement officers to the effect that Romero was a large-scale drug dealer…The Supporting Affidavit also points to the following incident as support of the application in question. On May 6, 2005, officers of the Boston Police Department seized $5,000 in alleged drug proceeds from Jose Gonzalez-Padilla (who was linked to Romero)…

This, in other words, is where theory meets reality.

That brings me to the question of the claimed selective editing of the transcript of the May 31, 2005 communications between Romero and Willie. Romero claims that intentional, selective editing, together with Agent Monteiro’s interpretation, in light of his “training and experience,” made innocent conversations about automobile wheels appear to be conversations about drug trafficking.

The government, in its brief in opposition to the present motion, argues that Agent Monteiro, in quoting the conversation, made, at worst, an innocent error. The government explains that Agent Monteiro did not monitor or translate the May 31, 2005 calls from Spanish to English: the monitoring and translation were done by a government contract interpreter. Neither Agent Monteiro nor any of the other officers engaged in the investigation spoke Spanish, the government says.

When police ask a judge to grant a wiretap order, there’s no defense lawyer present to raise objections. The judge has a limited amount of information, all provided by the cops and prosecutors, who in theory will take this solemn responsibility seriously and never lie or twist the facts.

To get a wiretap against the alleged crack cocaine ring, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Joao Monteiro filed an affidavit on July 8, 2005. The only problem is that Monteiro exaggerated an innocent conversation about automobile wheels–to convince a judge to grant a wiretap.

I find that the information from the Supporting Affidavit, as described in the preceding several paragraphs, amply provided the issuing judge with a basis on which to find probable cause to authorize the interception of communications on Romero’s direct-connect telephone, even in the absence of the questioned, intercepted conversations between Romero and Willie on May 31, 2005.

(Credit:
Dazz Motorsports)

Kudos to Judge Lindsay for exercising independent judgment and questioning Agent Monteiro’s tortured explanation of why he needed to selectively edit a conversation about Lowenhart chrome wheels. Wiretaps are a messy and uniquely invasive investigative tool, and police should be held to exacting standards when swearing out affidavits requesting one. Let’s hope Monteiro and his employer, the DEA, will take the judge’s rebuke to heart.

Which brings us to U.S. v. Romero, a relatively routine case in Massachusetts in which Alberto Romero and 17 others were charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute crack cocaine.

Here are excerpts from U.S. District Judge Reginald Lindsay’s opinion, dated March 7:

The game will be available for the
Xbox 360 in September and the
PS3 and
Wii later in the year.

1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960s
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000s

We’re waiting to get our hands on the new Rock Band 2 hardware Tuesday afternoon, but in the meantime, Harmonix has released the entire set list for the game (or at least the songs that will ship on the game disc–many more will no doubt be released as online downloads).

Reader Jim points us toward this post on Mozilla Links about the feature back in the second beta that has accumulated nearly 300 user comments. Notice the date though (November 2007), and the latest comment was just a few minutes ago. Most of the comments praise the new feature, while some power users are complaining about the structuring of the links and want the option to disable bookmarks as part of the equation.

What do you think of the new address bar in Firefox 3?

(polls)

There are, in fact, several ways to disable this feature entirely. One way is to follow the instructions on this page, which involves a small tweak to your about:config file. Doing so will disable the drop-down of links completely, but not your auto fill. There’s also an add-on extension that mimics the behavior of the address bar found in
Firefox 2 with slightly smaller favicons, link text, and sorting.

There’s no better way to incur user wrath than to change one of the fundamental features of a product. Apple’s been doing it for years with each revision, usually prompting a positive cheer from most while alienating a certain margin of its fervent user base that vows to never buy or use the product again. Browser maker Mozilla is not without its own minority that appears to be up in arms about the updated address bar.

(Credit:
CNET Networks)

The Smart Location Bar, dubbed the “awesome bar” by the company, drops in a mix of your bookmarks and browser history as you type. For example, if you’ve got CNN.com bookmarked, or have visited it in the past, simply typing in a “C” would drop down a stream of links with some of the most relevant or highly visited sites rising to the top. It’s been designed as a time-saver, but a group of users have come down on the new feature because it can’t be turned off easily and has a quirky habit of putting some links in front of others.

Similar threads exist in Mozilla’s own community forums, although most quibbles are linked up to Mozilla’s knowledge base articles which show how to tweak and edit certain features step-by-step.

Like other recent Toshiba laptops, they have the useful sleep-and-charge feature, which lets you use a USB port to charge iPods and other devices, even when the system is asleep or off.

Here are some basic specs for the two new models, and stay tuned for a full review of the 13-inch T135, currently undergoing testing in the CNET Labs. Both will be available starting October 22.

(Credit:
Toshiba) 11.6-inch diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite LED Backlit display Windows 7 Home Premium operating system Intel Pentium processor SU4100 or Intel Celeron processor 7435 Starting at 250GB (5400 RPM) HDD7 802.11b/g/n wireless8 10/100 Ethernet Toshiba Hard Drive Impact Sensor Touch Pad with Multi-touch Control 3.49 lbs. 6-cell battery eSATA/USB combo port with USB Sleep-and-Charge HDMI port Built-in Webcam with Toshiba Face Recognition, stereo speakers and microphone 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader Slot

The 13-inch T135

Toshiba Satellite T135, starting at $599

The 11.6-inch T115

Toshiba Satellite T115, starting at $449

(Credit:
Toshiba) 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite LED Backlit display Windows 7 Home Premium operating system Intel Pentium SU4100 processor or Intel Pentium SU2700 processor DDR3 RAM, upgradeable to 8GB Starting at 250GB (5400 RPM) HDD 802.11b/g/n wireless and 10/100 Ethernet Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR (available on select models) Toshiba Hard Drive Impact Sensor Touch Pad with Multi-touch Control 3.88 lbs. 6-cell battery eSATA/USB combo port with USB Sleep-and-Charge HDMI port Built-in Webcam with Toshiba Face Recognition, stereo speakers and microphone 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader Slot

Just in time for the Windows 7 invasion, Toshiba has announced a new line of slim laptops, dubbed the T100 series. With Intel ultra-low-voltage processors (or ULV), the 13.3-inch T135 and 11.6-inch T115 are both less than one inch thick, have LED displays, and multi-touch touchpads.

Especially when it comes at the expense of Mark Hughes. I can’t stand that guy.

These are the “ugly” games you just have to win, even if they’re not pretty. Arsenal won. I wish it would have been prettier. But I’ll take the win regardless.

It was an ugly match, bookended with an excellent header from Senderos and then a finishing touch from Adebayor, but the rest of the 90 minutes were nothing to write home about.

commentary

Eduardo seemed too tentative to shoot; Adebayor was invisible; and the rest of the team seemed to mull around the fringes of the box, passing and passing and…passing. Not the best display, but at least it put the team five points clear at the top of the table and made up more ground on Manchester United’s goal differential.