AllThingsD » headphones

With Beats, Jimmy Iovine -- Not Facebook -- Will Tell You What Music You Want

Mike Isaac — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:00:53 +0000

“There’s an ocean of music out there,” said iconic engineer, record producer and Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine. “And there’s absolutely no curation for it.”

This is a familiar pitch from Iovine, who comes from the “old school” of the music industry. It’s the tastemaker school of thought; labels, producers and music vets know what the public wants to listen to before the public even knows itself.

But, as Iovine discussed at our D: Dive Into Media conference on Tuesday, times have obviously changed. The compact disc happened. Napster happened. Spotify, iTunes, Facebook happened. Essentially, technological change happened.

While times have indeed changed, Iovine doesn’t think the old ways are entirely dead. His proof positive comes in the form of Beats, the massively popular line of high-end headphones that he’s managed to sell at a premium to millions of kids who were once satisfied with low-grade, Apple-produced earbuds.

He has managed to turn the tides of the headphone hardware industry with his ways, and believes he can do it again with his forthcoming Beats music subscription service.

The main sell? Just what he has always been able to do well: Curation. Iovine plans to blend a mix of human music curators alongside smart algorithms to serve up a better way to listen to music. A “guide” that doesn’t have to be used to listen, but one that Iovine believes we’re better off using.

Who can’t do this sort of thing, according to Iovine? All the players that are currently trying to.

“Everyone … really struggles to get the absolute right kind of music for where you’re going,” he said onstage in conversation with Walt Mossberg. “Apple knows a lot about your music taste. Google knows a lot. Facebook. But no one is using it to curate.”

Indeed, the major pitch from tech companies over the last few years has been the power of technology blended with social; we’ll be better served by the recommendations of friends and automated algorithms, both smarter than the tastemakers of the past.

Obviously, Jimmy isn’t down with that.

“Who doesn’t know what song comes next is your best friend on Facebook,” Iovine said. “When you put that record on, you don’t want somebody guessing … somebody has gotta be interacting, building real music and serving it up for you.”

Can Iovine upend the music industry yet again? There are many subscription services in the space, and aside from the smart, curated “guides,” Iovine’s Beats service doesn’t sound terribly different from the existing players.

But for now, Iovine is playing it close to the chest. He’ll let you know when he’s ready for us to start listening.

Here are highlights from the session:

[ See post to watch video ]

And here is the complete session:

[ See post to watch video ]

Beats Electronics Grows Up With Executive Headphones

Bonnie Cha — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 04:00:47 +0000

With their bold colors and celebrity endorsements, the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones enjoy quite a following with the younger crowd. Now, to appeal to older audiophiles, Beats Electronics is releasing a new model with a more subtle, higher-end design.

The Beats Executive is made from such premium materials as aluminum alloy, stainless steel and leather, and sports a more inconspicuous silver color. It folds flat for easier storage, and comes with a carrying case.

The headphones feature active noise cancellation for drowning out the sounds of the office, home or air travel, and run on two AAA batteries, which are included in the box. Beats also throws in an airline adapter and an iOS-compatible microphone cable with built-in remote that lets you control your iPhone or iPod, answer calls and more.

The Beats Executive headphones are the first product released by Beats Electronics since it parted ways with Monster, which used to make the company’s headphones.

The Executive is expected to be available in mid-October for $299 ,and competes against Bose’s line of QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones.

Ten Lessons I Learned in My First Start-Up Job out of College

Brian LaFaille — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:45:57 +0000

So, you just graduated. If you were wise enough to pursue a degree that is in demand among start-ups and have landed a job, congratulations! Despite the hesitancy common among your peers, you’ve taken the adventurous route and have found yourself in the midst of a small group of people who are trying to change the world and find success in the process.

This is the exact path I embarked upon one year ago. I’ve survived 12 months working at my first start-up job — and wow, what a learning experience it has been. If you’re like me and are starting right out of college: 1) Congrats, really. You’ve beaten a ton of other hopeful candidates and are poised to gain some truly valuable work experience. And 2) Get ready to work.

Transitioning from college classes and homework to “real life” and project deadlines can be a daunting challenge. To help you make the most of your first year, I have listed below the Top 10 lessons I learned in my first start-up job out of college.

Take Advantage of the Seasoned Veterans Around You

Chances are there are some really talented people at the table next to you. No, seriously, take a few seconds away from being glued to your monitor and just look around your office. You’re guaranteed to find experienced co-workers who have worked on a great product at one company or another. Introduce yourself! At Luminate, I’ve been fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of engineering brilliance from the early browser development team from Netscape and Mozilla. Find these amazing resources, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. They’ll be happy to hear how interested you are in their experience, and you might just get some good stories out of them.
Find a Passion Outside of Work
Now that you’re done with homework and studying every night, be sure to find something to keep yourself occupied outside of work. I’m working at a start-up dedicated to making the Web’s three trillion images interactive, so photography and photo trips have become my new favorite hobbies post-graduation, and I love it. I’ve purchased my first DSLR and have taken multiple photography trips with friends all around Northern California, always attempting to hone my skills. When you’re left without labs, group projects, homework and tests, an outside interest is a surefire way to have fun and keep yourself active during the weeknights of your first full working year.
Be Active and Get Healthy
I’ve watched too many peers graduate college and all of a sudden think they don’t have time for the gym. Believe me, if you could balance a full college course load and find enough time to work out at your university’s rec center, you can definitely find time to exercise while working full time. My trick is to always go to the gym on my way home from work. Unlike those freak fitness-a-holic types, I’m one of those people who will get home from work and tell myself, “I’ll go to the gym later,” and two beers later, I’m still glued to the latest update on “SportsCenter.” Instead, I pack my bag the night before I leave for work and leave it sitting on my bathroom counter, which forces me to take it with me in the morning. Who knows, you might just develop a new habit! Bonus tip: I’ve actually found that I do some of my best brainstorming while at the gym. In fact, this article was mostly written on the Stairmaster at Mountain View’s 24 Hour Fitness.
Never Think You’re Too Junior
The beauty of start-ups is that they’re small, typically no more than 30 to 50 people. So while you may have been hired as an entry-level employee, there are usually no more than two degrees of separation between you and your CEO. Use this to your advantage — go ahead and spark up a conversation with your CEO, CRO or CTO. You’re not at Google, Facebook, Visa or another large firm which is restricting you to your single role or position, so use this opportunity to take on tasks that wouldn’t ordinarily be assigned to you in a very linear position. Which leads me to my next point.
Constantly Challenge Yourself
You’re young, enthusiastic and full of energy. Use this first year to show your managers why you deserved that opportunity, rather than the 90 other candidates who applied. There are more college graduates living at home and looking for work than ever before, so don’t be complacent once you’ve snagged your first gig. We had a simple saying on the UC Santa Cruz Men’s soccer team that our coaches ingrained in our heads — “Raise the Level.” Every day, every practice, every drill — make your actions faster, cleaner and more refined than the last. This couldn’t be more applicable in the business world. Whether it’s a sales call, an email or answering a customer’s question, constantly challenge yourself to make every action a learning experience and raise the quality level of your business interactions.
Learn About Every Part of Your Company
The growth potential is virtually limitless in any given start-up, so learn every part of your company. Depending on the size of your start-up, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find out how the entire business functions. From sales and business development to product design, engineering and customer support, start learning about every moving piece in your company. The golden opportunity that we twentysomethings have working in a start-up is the option to grow with the company and potentially into the department that we are truly passionate about. Start exploring this during your first year, and it’ll pay dividends in the long run.
Never Limit Yourself to One Role
This goes hand in hand with the previous rule. After you find out how your company works, start talking to the people in the department you might be interested in, or have a particular skill set for. Many start-ups are bootstrapped or shorthanded, so you have a built-in opportunity: Ask what you can do to help. I’m sure your colleagues will be happy to see you’re enthusiastic about the rest of the business. Plus, it gives you an idea of what different roles are like.
Grab a Good Pair of Headphones
This is simple: Buy a good pair of headphones. I’m not talking about using the tinny-sounding pair of Apple headphones that come with your iPhone; go out and splurge on a pair of good noise-canceling headphones. With most start-ups sporting an open office atmosphere, it can get noisy in the office. Between board members, investors, flying fish, remote-controlled helicopters, drinking co-workers and the weekly Costco delivery guys, most start-ups might resemble Legoland more than actual businesses. You’ll thank me later.
Don’t Be Afraid to Propose a Change
Look at your CEO. What are some of the key differences between you? Besides a few zeros on your paychecks, age may be another big one. While your managers and CEOs bring wisdom, strategy and leadership, there’s something that you have that they may not: Youth. You just graduated from college among a peer group that is one of the most connected in history. We’ve been using computers since we were old enough to walk and talk. Given that our generation is online and using mobile and Web applications more than any other age group, our perspective is often a huge help to many companies. Don’t be afraid to offer your fresh insight on things. Who knows — your proposal, idea, or suggestion might just be the next big thing for your company!
Work hard, but Work Smart
Be sure to take a step back occasionally from whatever project you’re working on in order to make sure that you’re applying your energy toward the most-needed task at the time. In my first year, I frequently threw 100 percent of my time and energy at projects that definitely weren’t at the top of the priority list. It’s great to have enthusiasm and a work ethic, but make sure your efforts are aligned with your company’s goals, your quarterly goals and your personal goals. Learn from my mistakes. In essence, work hard, but work smart.

And Eazy-E Invented the iPod

Voices — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:36:02 +0000

Wonder how long it’ll be before I meet a kid who thinks Dr. Dre is “that guy that invented headphones”

– Matt Haughey, via Twitter

Skullcandy IPO? Check Your Head.

Dennis K. Berman — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:30:49 +0000

If anyone needs proof the tech sector has entered extra-frothy, double-latte territory, it’s best to look past the immense valuations discussed for Groupon or Facebook.

Look instead on the market’s margins, where a new set of tech companies is racing to attract public investors before the warm, buzzy feeling wears off.

That’s where a curious document was released Friday afternoon: The initial-public-offering papers for a company called Skullcandy, Inc., issued by top-tier underwriters at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

You probably try to avoid things called Skullcandy. Your kids think otherwise. Lately, they may have been pestering you for a pair of Skullcandy headphones for their iPhones. These headphones are typically stamped with bright colors and large skulls, presumably to enhance parental annoyance.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Exploring iStuff at CES With Mobilized (Video)

Ina Fried — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:14:59 +0000

With a little time left at the end of the Consumer Electronics Show, I finally had a break from private meetings, press conferences and onstage interviews. I used the time on Saturday morning to briefly tour a section of the massive show floor.

Given that I only had about an hour for my grand tour, I decided, in true Vegas style, to explore the first thing that came to me when I entered the show floor. Fortunately, since I cover mobile stuff, that turned out to be the iLounge-sponsored Apple area. It took me back to my early days of covering MacWorld Expo, back when it was an event Apple attended.

Some of the vendors were names I recognized, like Speck and Griffin and Mophie–companies that I had covered since their early days, companies that I had watched transformed from start-ups to serious players amid the explosion in the market for companion products to the iPod and, later, the iPhone.

There were also plenty of companies that I had never heard of, eager to find global distribution for ideas ranging from an iPod speaker resembling a gramophone to stickers that make the back of an iPad appear to be etched with a portrait of Barack Obama, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, among other famous faces.

There were also T-shirts, headphones, keyboard attachments and even a booth with a representative of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

My only purchase of the day came after I had left the show entirely, though. With some urging from BoomTown’s Kara Swisher, I splurged on Pinball Magic, an accessory that transforms an iPod Touch or iPhone into a pinball machine, which was on clearance for $25 at the Brookstone store in the Las Vegas airport.

Here’s a video look at some of what I found.

[ See post to watch video ]

Headphone Spat Pits Monster Against Upstart

Don Clark — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:38:27 +0000

Monster Cable Products has a well-known brand and a history of defending it aggressively in court. But its suit against a new rival to a high-profile line of headphones has some singular elements.

The complaint alleges that Fanny Wang Headphone Co., a startup based in Danville, Calif., is selling “nearly identical” knockoffs of the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones distributed by Monster and produced by Beats Electronics–iconic products that sprung from a collaboration of the celebrity rapper-producer and music mogul Jimmy Iovine.

Those two companies sued Fanny Wang, alleging patent infringement, unfair competition and “trade dress” infringement, or trading off the reputation of Beats headphones in ways that could cause consumers to confuse the competing products.

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Zynga Drops the Beat With Dr. Dre in Mafia Wars

Tricia Duryee — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:52:55 +0000

The only thing blowing up this time will be your speakers.

Awhile back, Zynga partnered with Snoop Dogg to blow up a four-ton armored truck in the desert to commemorate Mafia Wars reaching 10 million visitors in two weeks.

Today, Zynga is partnering with Snoop’s West Coast counterpart, Dr. Dre, who is using the social gaming phenomenon to promote his first album in more than a decade.

[We've included the footage of the truck blowing up for your entertainment. It's interesting to note that Mafia Wars has added nine million players since that celebration in August, four months ago.]

Players of the Zynga game will be able to watch the music video for Dr. Dre’s first single, “Kush,” featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon. It starts streaming for free today. Dre’s album “Detox” will come out early next year.

In addition, users will be able to buy “limited edition” virtual goods tied in with the artist in the “Hustlin’ wit Dre” portion of the game. Items include headphones, a vintage car and weapons.

Photo Credit:

Everything Will Be Social–And That Includes Sweating

Liz Gannes — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:44:20 +0000

The prevailing opinion among tech entrepreneurs seems to be that everything, online and off, would be improved by a social component. For some sectors, what it means to “get social” is quite obvious: Yelp is made more interesting by learning what restaurants your friends recommend; millions of people love the shared experience of social games like FarmVille; Quora’s encyclopedia of knowledge is more valuable because it’s backed up by the social reputation of users’ real names.

But motivating people to be healthy and athletic is one of the most interesting and novel extensions of the digital social identity I’ve seen. Specifically, new features offered by the mobile GPS-tracking app RunKeeper, as well as its competitor Nike+, allow users to tell their Facebook friends when they are starting a run. If users comment on that status post, the encouragement is automatically sent from Facebook to the app and spoken out over the headphones of the runner.

RunKeeper, which makes both iPhone and Android apps, even allows users to automatically transmit their location to a live online map they can share with friends. (You’re right, that’s exactly like inviting people to stalk you.)

On a related note, BoomTown’s Kara Swisher recently wrote about how Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley set up his phone to automatically do a check-in at every mile marker as he ran the New York Marathon.

Since I think this idea of monitoring oneself and sharing personal data with the larger community is particularly interesting, I wanted to note that RunKeeper (actually its parent company, FitnessKeeper) announced today it had raised $1.11 million in funding led by new investor O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and including LaunchCapital and the company’s existing angel investors. Boston-based FitnessKeeper is still quite small, with nine people and $1.51 million total raised.

Nike+ screenshot via AppJudgment.

Wham! "Firewire" on WSJ.com's "Digits" Show: Here Comes the iPad, and When Will Twitter Make Money?

Kara Swisher — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:49:27 +0000

BoomTown’s plot to take over the world via honking big Skype headphones is working.

Barron’s blogger Eric Savitz and I will be appearing weekly on Fridays at 10 am PT on WSJ.com’s “Digits” daily online tech show, in a segment called “Rapid Firewire.”

Get it?

In our inaugural effort, we spouted off on the launch of the Apple (AAPL) iPad in one week, wondered whether Twitter can come up with a profit-making business plan, what will happen to Google (GOOG) and its China choice and, finally, the fate of gadget retailer Radio Shack.

The 1980s musical selection from this week, in honor of the headphones, is–natch–Wham!

Enjoy the video, and tune in next Friday:

[ See post to watch video ]

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight: BoomTown and Giant Earphones Talk Apple iPad on WSJ.com's "Digits"

Kara Swisher — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:19:31 +0000

BoomTown and my giant Skype 1980s-style headphones will be making regular appearances on WSJ.com’s daily “Digits” tech show going forward, and here’s the latest video.

Besides making musical recommendations from the era–this week, Wang Chung!–and looking like I just rolled out of bed (I did!), I talked with “Digits” geek-lady-in-charge Stacey Delo earlier today about the hype around the April 3 release of the Apple (AAPL) iPad to stores.

My take: Hype front coming in from the land of Apple fanboys will grow exponentially as more hot air enters the system due to the magic tablet.

Definitely expect possible nerd camping in front of Apple stores nationwide and numerous images of people exiting stores waving the iPad as if it were made of unicorns and rainbows; so dress appropriately.

Until then, here is today’s “Digits” video:

And, for those interested, here is Wang Chung, with its catchy hit song, “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”:

Next week: Wham!

The Next Big Thing in Tech: BoomTown Sporting Giant Headphones on WSJ.com's "Digits"

Kara Swisher — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:33:58 +0000

Today, I appeared on WSJ.com’s daily online show, “Digits,” talking about the “next big thing” in tech, on the 10th anniversary of the tech stock bubble high.

Those were the days, my friend, I thought they’d always end.

In the video, I am wearing a pair of honking big headphones that work well on Skype, to give it that year 2000, nonmobile feel.

So what do I talk about? The importance of mobile, of course!

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

CES: From Lady Gaga to Punky Brewster

Andrew LaVallee — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:06:48 +0000

Celebrities pop up at every annual Consumer Electronics Show, with Tom Cruise, Slash, Stevie Wonder and Hulk Hogan making appearances in recent years.

CES 2010, which starts Thursday, is no exception–as long as you keep your definition of celebrity broad.

One of the boldface names already lighting up the Twitterverse is Lady Gaga. The pop star has her own line of headphones, but she’ll be in Las Vegas with Polaroid to talk about a new line of imaging products in what is likely to be a packed press conference.

Reality television will be represented, with “Real Housewives of New York” star Jill Zarin at fellow photo company Kodak’s (EK) booth.

Soleil Moon Frye, best known for her role as Punky Brewster on the ’80s TV series, will also appear with Kodak. Ms. Frye, now a thirtysomething mom, is listed as the co-founder of the Little Seed, a green children’s boutique.

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Backing Up, Lossless Audio and Genealogy Programs

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:28:02 +0000

My daughter left for college and I am worried about her backing up her computer. Is there a backup service that is offsite and automatic? What about campusbackup.org?

I haven’t tested campusbackup.org, whose Student Backup service copies an unlimited quantity of word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation and PDF files, once nightly, to a remote server for $50 a year. But there are other, more versatile options I have tested that, unlike Student Backup, copy photos and music and other types of files. These include MozyHome ($4.95 a month for unlimited storage, at mozy.com) and Carbonite ($55 a year for unlimited storage at carbonite.com). All three work with either Windows or Mac computers.

I read that importing the newly remastered Beatles CDs into iTunes and listening to them on a computer or portable player is like buying a masterpiece and staring at a photocopy of it. Any truth to this? Does importing really lose that much quality?

It depends on how sensitive an ear you have. In most cases, when you import a CD into iTunes or any other software jukebox program, you are converting the songs into a compressed file, such as an MP3 or AAC file. This saves a ton of space on your hard disk, but at least subtly diminishes quality. To an audiophile, that can make a big, negative difference, especially when you add the insult of listening to the music through iPod headphones or small computer speakers. To most of the rest of us, though—especially with rock, pop, urban or country music—it’s no big deal.

However, there is a compromise. If you don’t care about the songs taking up lots more space on your hard disk, iTunes will allow you to import them in a much less compressed format called Apple Lossless or an uncompressed format called WAV. You can choose which format to use in the iTunes Preferences settings. In the latest version of iTunes, called iTunes 9, this particular option is found under the General tab in Preferences, by clicking on the button called “Import Settings.”

Previously I had a Dell and Windows and used Family Tree Maker for genealogy records. Now that I’m an Apple owner, I find that Family Tree Maker does not work on an Apple, only Windows. What can I do about this?

It seems to me that you have three obvious options. If you still have your old Dell, you could crank it up again just for the purpose of running Family Tree Maker. Or, you could buy a boxed copy of Windows and install it on your Mac, which is fully capable of running Windows and Windows programs (assuming it’s an Intel-based Mac). Finally, you could switch to one of the native Mac-based genealogy programs and import your data from Family Tree Maker via the standard GEDCOM file format used in genealogy. One such program, called Reunion, includes specific instructions on importing data from Family Tree Maker on its “Top 10 Questions” page, at leisterpro.com.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online for free at the new All Things Digital web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

D7 Video: Greg Harper of Gadgetoff

Beth Callaghan — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:00:33 +0000

Greg Harper is the very definition of a technophile, and in this D7 session he proves it. Armed with a bag stuffed chock full of obscure and never-before-seen gadgets that he managed to sneak past airport security on the way to San Diego, Harper proceeds with a rapid-fire demo of the unique functionality of each one.

[ See post to watch video ]

D7 Tech Demo: What's in Greg Harper's Bag?

Oliver J. Chiang — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:45:45 +0000

In this session of D7, Greg Harper, president of Harpervision and co-founder of Gadgetoff, always sure to bring the novel and the wacky, will present a plethora of gadgets the technophile has collected. Harper says that in total, he brought “$20,000 [worth] of portable tech gadgets.” (Note to the Four Seasons Aviara: Increase security.) He’s known for doing these demos, at which he pulls out one interesting product after another from his cornucopia of gadgetry–to the astonishment of the crowd! Papa Harper’s got a brand new bag, and we’re about to find out what’s inside….

Session Highlights

[ See post to watch video ]

Live Blog

Kara apologizes for starting up again late: “Carol Bartz just trashed my hotel room.”

Walt and Kara: Greg is sure to be funny and fun. This gadget maniac travels the world collecting the coolest.

Harper comes out to the accompaniment of the theme from “Inspector Gadget.” Apropos.

Harper: Talking really fast–Sony (SNE) camera (HDR TG5V) with GPS built-in.

Walt: Where’s my Red Sox video?

Harper: A complete media server (an MVIX, I think). Kara: It looks like a bomb. Harper: Hook it up to any device! It has many gigs! Etc.! Walt: Why don’t you just use your iPod? Harper: Says something about some headphones being custom-made for his ears…and other stuff.

His Digital SLR is the Canon (CAJ) 5D Mark 2: He likes. Also, here’s a new camera from Panasonic (PC). It goes underwater and shoots in HD. Now, this! A Casio, Exilim FC100, which shoots up to 1000 FPS–watch water drop, one drop at a time.

Now: A GPS system that automatically transmits to satellite. OK, now a water-purifying straw! Its an “Istraw” that freaking purifies your water all on its own. Amazing.

If that’s not enough for you, says Harper (insert an editorial “Uh…”), it’s a flashlight/alarm/smoke detector, from Flare Safe. Even more amazing!

“Astro” Dog Collar: It has GPS so you can keep track of your dog. That’s pretty handy. From Garmin (GRMN).

Portable radio: AM/FM/HD. Walt: I think radio sucks in general.

Harper: Now this doohickey you wear maybe/probably around your neck at the beach registers how much UV you are exposed to. Walt: If you wear this, you won’t get laid. Harper: Maybe you!

Breathalyzer/Bad Breath Monitor: Also a music/video player. It detects bad breath if you blow on it. Listen, I prefer the old fashioned method: someone awkwardly handing me a breath mint. That’s the natural way.

New Mifi!–It’s portable WiFi, from Novotel. Now back to GPS–hidden in my bag is a… drum roll… tracker! No one better steal my bag! Kara: Who? Like terrorists?

Oops, missed something. He’s the Micromachine man. Speaking of whom, he’s now showing a microcomputer of some sort.

Blu-Ray player: It grabs YouTube, Picasa directly, and plays DVD and SD cards. Walt: WiFi? Harper: No. You can take it on the road. Walt snarks about the lousy Panasonic UI. Nice one.

Sony OLED music player: Has noise cancellation–built in; it’s digital noise cancellation. Also has Slacker, which is “Tivo for music.” Walt: Slacker’s on BlackBerry too. And, do you think this will take over the market iPod dominates? Harper: Heh heh, it’s an interesting product. (Translation: No.)

A pocket-projector, the PK 101 from Optoma: Very cute. You can use it when you’re sitting on the plane on the back of the seat of the person in front of you.

And now: A Chinese knock-off of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. Typical Chinese. But instead, it says “Welcome” upon loading. Imagine that! Look, the UI is so terribly different! It has mode-switching, which means it too has a built-in video projector. Did the Chinese steal the blueprints for the next-gen iPhone somehow?

Some funky looking mask: For diving, it’s good to up to 100-plus feet. There’s a built-in camera with HD video. Walt: And how scared were the TSA guys? Audience laughter.

Whoa! Harper has some super-spy illegal device that can automatically shut off everyone else’s cellphones. It’s like something out of “Men In Black,” but for cellphones instead of depressed housewives.

Another media server. Is he starting to repeat himself. Kara: one more crazy thing, OK?

Glasses with built-in Blutooth headset.

Kara: Thank you so much. Every year, Greg brings weirder and weirder stuff

And the “Inspector Gadget” theme plays him out. Excellent! On the nose, but just so.

Nintendo Freshens a Game Player

Katherine Boehret — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:46:02 +0000

Nintendo Co.’s strategy of creating videogames with simple graphics that anyone can play has worked well on its Wii and portable DS. Earlier this month, the company released the $170 Nintendo DSi in an attempt to spruce up its three-year-old DS Lite and 5 1/2-year-old DS. At first glance, this plain, rectangular clamshell with dual screens appears to be the same as its predecessors.

[ See post to watch video ]

But a deeper dive into the DSi reveals its improvements. It now has two cameras: one facing the user and another facing out; its earlier iterations had none. It also now has a SecureDigital memory-card slot, so you can plug in an SD card and listen to AAC music files from iTunes on your DSi, which now works as a portable music player, or expand the DSi’s storage capacity.

The DSi is also Wi-Fi enabled in a more secure way than previous models and can be used to buy and download games and applications directly from Nintendo’s DSi Shop online marketplace. This solves the problem of carrying around multiple game cartridges or losing them, but might bother people who like swapping games with one another. The DSi’s Web browser is also faster than its predecessors.

These physical changes affect the way the DSi works in good and bad ways. For example, its two cameras can be used for photo-related games like WarioWare: Snapped!, a clever photo-booth-like game that tricks you into making funny faces while secretly taking your picture.

But while the DSi’s newly added SD card slot expands the device’s memory and brings music on to the DSi, this replaces another slot that was used for playing GameBoy Advance games on the older DS and DS Lite. The physical slot for DS games remains.

Overall, the Nintendo DSi is a fun little portable gaming device. I’ve been fooling around with it for a few weeks, testing games and applications since they became available on April 5. My DSi tapped into various Wi-Fi networks with no trouble and its browser was straightforward and zippy. The DSi speakers sounded great for a tiny device. On the downside, the DSi Shop is still in its infancy so only 10 games and apps are available there. The DSi retains an aging, boxy look — a design that could have been freshened up.

Until Oct. 5, Nintendo is running a promotion for its DSi Shop, which accepts points to buy games and applications; $1 is equal to about 100 points. People who buy the DSi will receive 1,000 free points for the DSi Shop. New content is added to the shop each Monday. This content ranges in price from free to 800 points or more. I bought and downloaded a variety of things, ranging from the free Web browser to a 200-point magic-trick game called Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face. I also downloaded WarioWare: Snapped! for 500 points.

Points for the DSi Shop can be purchased online or at retail stores and they’re sold in increments of 2,000 for $20. Before purchasing and downloading, a notification with each game and app tells you how many “blocks,” or memory, it will take up on your DSi. WarioWare: Snapped!, for example, took up 61 blocks. This information really doesn’t mean anything unless you go to your system settings to see how many blocks you’ve used and how many remain. By default, each DSi is shipped with 256 megabytes of flash memory or 1,024 blocks.

The DSi cameras are only .3 megapixel each and don’t use a zoom or flash, but photos taken with them looked colorful and clear on the DSi’s two 3.25-inch, 256×192-pixel-resolution screens. Instead of sending photos to friends directly from the DSi, you have to save them to the SD card and transfer them to a computer to share them.

The Nintendo DSi is a spruced-up successor to two of the company’s earlier game players.

Nintendo says the “i” in DSi is meant to represent the personal aspect of the device since it has built-in tools to let you create your own content. For example, a game called DSi Sound lets you sing or hum into a built-in microphone, then rearrange your recording to change its pitch, speed and sound — or even to add harmony. AAC music files pulled on to the device via SD card can be changed in various ways, though they can’t be saved. Photos taken with the cameras can be morphed in nine different ways including cutting different photos and piecing them together on the screen.

The DSi has parental controls, which the DS and DS Lite didn’t have. These controls let parents turn off Web browsing completely. A better compromise might have been to let parents limit kids to certain sites. The parental controls can also put restrictions on the DSi so it can’t play games with certain ratings. For instance, if a child goes to school and tries to play a friend’s M-rated game in his DSi, it won’t work.

The DSi works well as a music player, albeit a lot chunkier than an iPod. A high-capacity SD memory card could potentially add hundreds of songs to the device, and you can press buttons to play on-screen instruments in the background while listening to your tunes. If you’re using headphones (not included with the device) and you close the DSi, music will keep playing through the headphones so you can put the DSi in a bag and go. In past versions, the DSi went to sleep when closed. It plays only AAC files, not MP3s.

I used the DSi’s Web browser to read some news on WSJ.com and to check my Web-based email, plugging letters and symbols into the touch-screen keyboard. A stylus can be used for precise lettering, but I got by with my fingernails.

The DSi games are approachable for all types of people, and are obviously not geared toward the graphics-rich visuals that hard-core gamers adore. I liked the way they incorporated the device’s touch screen for drawings and its cameras for photo games.

The Nintendo DSi is $20 more than the price of the original DS, and $40 more than the DS Lite. But its two cameras, snappy Web browser and music-player capabilities make it a likable and well-rounded device that any family member could use.

Edited By Walter S. Mossberg

Email us at mossbergsolution@wsj.com. Find this and other columns and videos online free at the All Things Digital Web site: http://solution.allthingsd.com

Corrections & Amplifications

Photos taken on the Nintendo DSi can be sent to other DSis. Due to inaccurate information provided by Nintendo, yesterday’s Mossberg Solution erroneously stated photos couldn’t be shared between DSis.

How BlackBerry Models Differ

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:12:02 +0000

Here are a few questions I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability.

I get confused by all the different models of the BlackBerry — Bold, Storm, Curve, Pearl and so on. Can you briefly explain the differences?

There are too many models to list here, because RIM, the maker of BlackBerry, makes varying versions for competing wireless carriers, and these may have different features, even if they look the same. However, here’s a quick breakdown of the main flavors.

The Bold is the top-of-the-line BlackBerry, relatively large and costly, with a wide keyboard and a big, vivid screen. The Curve is its little brother — still sporting a good, full, keyboard, but lower-priced, smaller and lighter. The newest Curve, called the 8900, has a beautiful screen and is even sleeker than its predecessor.

The Pearl is a slimmer, low-priced, more fashion-oriented model with a truncated keyboard that has two letters on each key and relies on software to guess which one you meant to hit. The Pearl Flip is much like the Pearl, except, as its name implies, it’s a flip phone.

The Storm is the BlackBerry line’s most direct competitor to the Apple iPhone. It’s the only BlackBerry without a physical keyboard, instead relying on a large, beautiful touch screen for typing and navigation. Unlike on the iPhone, however, the Storm provides physical feedback each time you press down on the screen.

I’d be interested in the new, tiny iPod Shuffle, except that I dislike Apple’s earbuds. And, because they have now moved the playback controls to the earbud cord, I can’t use my favorite third-party set. What are my options?

Well, one option is to buy the old model of the Shuffle, which Apple is keeping on the market. It’s larger, but still very small, and has the controls on the player itself, rather than on the earbud cord, so you can use plain old earbuds or headphones from other companies. Plus, at $49, it’s $30 less, though it has only 25% of the capacity of the new one and lacks the new model’s voice features.

Another, costlier, option is to buy better earbuds that have the new controller built in. Apple sells a pair of $79 in-ear buds with a control module on the cord. They were designed for the iPod Touch, but the company says they work perfectly with the new Shuffle. Several other headphone companies, such as Klipsch, have announced plans to offer either headphones or adapters with Shuffle-compatible controls in coming months.

Is it safe to upgrade my Vista PC to the beta version of Windows 7?

Since it is a beta version, there is always some danger of problems. But I have upgraded a couple of Vista computers with no special tricks or help, and with no significant problems. Still, there are a couple of caveats. First, Microsoft will be replacing the beta with a more polished “release candidate” that could involve a re-installation process, so you may want to hold off. Second, Microsoft isn’t guaranteeing that every hardware feature on every computer or peripheral will work properly under the pre-release versions.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

A How-to Guide to How-to Videos

Katherine Boehret — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:01:00 +0000

If there’s a skill or process you want to learn or know more about, chances are there’s an online video for it. These days you can find a video that will teach you to cook, survive college, build your own headphones or even become a better kisser.

This week, I took a look at just a few Web sites that make finding these videos easy, including Howcast Media Inc.’s Howcast.com, WonderHowTo.com from WonderHowTo Inc. and eHow Inc.’s eHow.com. Howcast.com, which launched in February, encourages users to make and share good-quality, entertaining videos by providing tools on its site, and has about 5,000 videos so far. WonderHowTo.com, launched in January, used a different strategy by aggregating over 110,000 videos from various sources — including Howcast, YouTube and Scripps Networks (SSP) — rather than publishing its own content. EHow, a site that started in 1999 with text-only content, contains over 100,000 instructional articles submitted by its users or eHow editors, and has a small catalog of videos.

Howcast videos can be seen in full-screen mode using a player that illustrates step-by-step text instructions beside video screens.

After testing each of these sites, I found that my favorite how-to videos had steps that were clearly labeled and numbered and the ability to fast forward to or play back specific parts in the video — tools that Howcast included in almost all of its videos. At least some of the videos on the three sites simply illustrate things you could likely figure out how to do without watching a video, such as “How to Make Green Beer.” (Add food coloring.) Howcast.com and WonderHowTo both require users to sign in, which confirms their date of birth, before looking at what they consider “mature” content.

These three free sites are advertisement-supported, and Howcast’s ads run alongside videos. WonderHowTo.com runs ads at the top and side of its own site, on which it will play certain videos. But because videos on WonderHowTo come from other sources, those other sites can show video-embedded ads according to their rules. EHow’s videos run pop-up text advertisements displaying names and links of other related (and sometimes unrelated) Web sites. But I couldn’t get the pop-up ads to stay closed.

Overall, I preferred the look of Howcast’s site and its well-organized videos. But its content paled in comparison to WonderHowTo’s 110,000 videos and even eHow’s 100,000 instructional articles. WonderHowTo.com does a nice job of gathering content from across the Web, though the inconsistencies of other sites (including advertisements, layout and video player) were a bit frustrating. EHow’s articles were useful, as were its few videos, but I couldn’t get over the site’s unyielding video pop-up ads.

Howcast.com’s content was informative with an amusing edge, including a video titled “How to Tell If Your Boyfriend’s A Psycho.” (If he calls 50 times a day, for example.) Other videos on the site are more serious, like “How to Make Sushi” by an executive sushi chef in New York City.

The founders of Howcast Media formerly worked in Google’s (GOOG) video department, including during the acquisition of YouTube. All of Howcast’s content comes from one of four sources: written and produced by Howcast in its studios; emerging filmmakers who apply and are accepted into the Howcast Directors Program to receive $50 a video and 50% of the advertising revenue generated from videos that generate over 40,000 views on the site; content partners like Popular Science; and Howcast users’ personal how-to videos.

In order to make it easier for average users to upload better-looking videos, Howcast provides an Upload and Enhance tool that simply and quickly adds professional-looking graphics and printable steps to go along with how-to videos. This formula makes videos more enjoyable to watch.

Videos made in the Howcast Studios include accompanying music, good narratives and actors who add humor to an otherwise humdrum how-to. Among its helpful features is a video player that has smart blue markers to show where facts are sprinkled throughout the video and green markers to illustrate where tips appear. For example, the fact at the end of a video for beginner guitarists called “How to Play a Basic Bar Chord” is “The late Kurt Cobain claimed he was trying to rip off the Pixies when he wrote ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit. ‘” In full-screen view, users can zoom in on any part of a video, and written-out steps and thumbnail stills of the scene appear to the right of the screen.

Howcast tries to run ads alongside videos that relate to the content. A video titled “How To Clean Your Dog’s Teeth” has an ad for PetSmart (PETM) Stores running on its page.

WonderHowTo.com was developed by a former television executive with the intention of using the site to produce its own video, like Howcast.com. Instead, WonderHowTo.com opted to tap the vast selection of how-to videos already available on the Web.

A Browse button pulls down 35 categories from which users can sort content, including Spirituality, Dating & Relationships and Fitness. In the Fashion subcategory under Beauty & Style, I found 290 videos including one on “How to Tie a Windsor Knot” and another titled “How to Turn Old Underpants Into a Bra” — neither of which I’ll be using anytime soon. Other categories include Clip of the Day, Recommendations (for users who are logged in) and Fresh, where new videos are listed. Users can grade videos to help others tell which they think are the best, and a Top Grade category compiles the top-ranked videos.

WonderHowTo’s content comes from over 700 sites, according to the company. I used the site to find a video on YouTube about how to do a front-flip, clips on VideoJug.com that provided terrific tennis tips from a coach, and a video from EasyBarTricks.com about how to stick a beer bottle to a wall without glue or gum. (Hint: You’ll need a corner and a wall you don’t mind marking up.) WonderHowTo made it easier to find these videos than by performing a general search on the Web.

I submitted a non-how-to video to this site by simply entering a URL, without logging in. I never found the video I submitted on the site; WonderHowTo explained that it screens all videos prior to posting them, so it must have found my video.

EHow.com uses its database of articles to encourage people to watch videos, when they’re relevant. This site uses calm, pastel colors to give a relaxed feeling — especially compared with WonderHowTo, where banner ads surround the page. EHow’s 26 categories include Parenting, Parties & Entertaining and Weddings. Twelve subcategories within Weddings led to 23 articles about Bridal Party Responsibilities — a popular topic was “How To Deal With a Bridezilla.” Related videos, such as “How To Get Rid of Wedding Day Jitters,” ran along the right of the page.

Videos can also be found on eHow within a marked tab at the top of the page. But unlike the articles on eHow, these videos weren’t well organized or as easily searchable. I watched one of eHow’s Featured Videos called “How to Know if Your Toe Is Broken,” but after closing a pop-up ad for UPS (UPS) during Step One of the video, another ad popped up during Step Five. Neither ad had anything to do with broken toes.

But the eHow videos were professional-looking and included quite a few tips that I didn’t know. That broken toe video was submitted by the eHow Health Editor, and a link at the top of the page led me to hundreds of other health-related articles. I found another video on “How To Remove Wallpaper,” which was posted by the Home & Garden Editor and included a list of things I would need to proceed, along with numbered steps.

It isn’t always easy to learn from the information you find online, and how-to videos can be a big help — especially when they’re well-made and easy to find using one of these sites. Howcast.com has well-presented content that was enjoyable to watch, but WonderHowTo.com offers a better variety of instructional videos.

Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Apple's MacBook Air Is Beautiful and Thin, but Omits Features

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:01:00 +0000

Apple finally has entered the subnotebook market, introducing a lightweight laptop meant to please road warriors. But, typical of Apple, the company took a different approach from its competitors. The result is a beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers.

The new aluminum-clad MacBook Air, which I’ve been testing for several days, is billed as the world’s thinnest notebook computer. Its thickest point measures just three-quarters of an inch, which is slimmer than the thinnest point on some other subnotebooks. And it employs some innovative software features, such as fingertip gestures for its touchpad that are similar to those on Apple’s iPhone.

[ See post to watch video ]

Apple refused to make the most common compromise computer makers employ to create their littlest laptops. Other subnotebooks — a category generally defined as weighing three pounds or less — have screens of just 10 to 12 inches and compressed keyboards. The three-pound MacBook Air, by contrast, features a 13.3-inch display and a full-size keyboard.

It’s impossible to convey in words just how pleasing and surprising this computer feels in the hand. It’s so svelte when closed that it’s a real shock to discover the big screen and keyboard inside.

But there’s a price for this laptop’s daring design: Apple had to give up some features road warriors consider standard in a subnotebook, and certain of these omissions are radical. Chief among them is the lack of a removable battery. So, while the MacBook Air will be a perfect choice for some travelers, I can’t recommend it for all. It really depends on your style of working on the road and what features you value most.

The MacBook Air, which will be available next week, costs $1,800 with an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a generous two gigabytes of memory. A second model, with a faster, cutting-edge, 64-gigabyte, solid-state drive and a slightly speedier processor, costs a whopping $3,100. The $1,800 price for the main model isn’t unusual in subnotebooks, which can easily top $2,000, although some competitors cost less.

In my tests, the MacBook Air’s screen and keyboard were a pleasure to use. The machine felt speedy, even with multiple programs running. And the laptop has the same Leopard operating system, superior built-in software, and paucity of viruses and spyware that I believe generally give the Mac an edge. I was able to install and run Windows XP using the third-party Parallels software.

But then there are those trade-offs. The sealed-in battery means you can’t carry a spare in case you run out of juice, and you have to bring it to a dealer when you need a new one. There’s no built-in DVD drive. The thin case can’t accommodate a larger internal hard disk. And the machine omits many common ports and connectors.

The MacBook Air

There’s no Ethernet jack for wired broadband Internet connections and no dedicated slot for the most common types of external cellphone modems. That means that out of the box, the MacBook Air has only one way to get on the Internet — through its fast, built-in Wi-Fi connection. If you’re out of Wi-Fi range, you’re out of luck, unless you buy an optional, $30 add-on Ethernet connector or a cellphone modem that connects via USB.

In fact, the MacBook Air has only three connectors: a headphone jack, a single USB port and a port for connecting an external monitor.

That single USB port is a problem, because so many peripherals use USB. You can buy a tiny, cheap USB hub that adds three more ports, but that’s yet another item to carry.

The lack of a DVD drive is partly solved by some clever software Apple included that lets you “borrow” the DVD drive on any other Mac or Windows PC on your network, so you can transfer files or install new software from a CD or DVD. This worked fine in my tests, in which I installed several new programs from CDs on remote computers, but it requires disabling third-party firewalls on Windows machines. It also doesn’t work for installing Windows on your Mac, for watching DVDs, or for playing or importing music. For those tasks, you need an external DVD drive. Apple sells one for $99.

In my standard battery test, where I disable all power-saving features, set the screen brightness at maximum, turn on the Wi-Fi and play an endless loop of music, the MacBook Air’s battery lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes. That means you could likely get 4.5 hours in a normal work pattern, almost the five hours Apple claims.

But the MacBook Air has another downside: its screen height. Because of the larger screen, the lid stands higher when opened than on most other subnotebooks. So it isn’t as usable as some competitors when the seat in front of you in coach on a plane is reclined.

If you value thinness, and a large screen and keyboard in a subnotebook, and don’t watch DVDs on planes or require spare batteries, the MacBook Air might be just the ticket. But if you rely on spare batteries, expect the usual array of ports, or like to play DVDs on planes, this isn’t the computer to buy.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online, free, at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Dell's All-in-One PC Has the Guts, Design to Compete With iMac

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design. And the company, which in recent years seemed to care only about corporate customers, techies and hard-core gamers, appears once again interested in average, mainstream consumers who value simplicity.

The most tangible example of this new approach is Dell’s XPS One desktop — an elegant, handsome, cleverly designed one-piece computer. If it didn’t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry’s design leaders, Apple or Sony.

[ See post to watch video ]

Like Apple’s iconic iMac, the XPS One looks like it’s simply a sleek, flat-panel monitor. The guts of the computer have been stuffed into the back of the screen.

But this new Dell is no mere iMac clone. It makes its own style statement, even though it shares the same 20-inch widescreen display and a similar Intel dual-core processor with the base-model iMac. Where the iMac is squarish and silver, the XPS One is all black and rectangular, with speakers attached to the sides and a wide glass base. It looks more like a small TV set than a computer and, in fact, comes with a built-in TV tuner.

In my tests, I found the XPS One to be much better designed and equipped than Gateway’s iMac competitor, also called the One. In fact, the Dell XPS One is the first Windows all-in-one desktop I’ve tested that I believe matches or exceeds the iMac in hardware design. That’s no small feat, especially coming from Dell.

Unlike the Apple, for example, the Dell has a built-in slot for camera memory cards. It comes standard with a wireless keyboard and mouse, which cost extra on the iMac. Its screen can be turned off with the touch of a button without turning off the computer itself. Its USB and headphone ports are arrayed conveniently on the side, instead of mainly at the rear, as on the iMac.

And, when you wave your hand in front of the black border to the right of the screen on the XPS One, a set of blue, back-lit touch controls magically appear for controlling the playback of music or video. They go away after a few seconds. The Dell also comes with a free year of 10 gigabytes of online backup.

For my tests, I used the least expensive standard configuration of the XPS One, which can be ordered for $1,499 at dell.com/theonepc. It came with two gigabytes of memory (twice the comparable iMac’s standard amount), a 250 gigabyte hard disk and Wi-Fi wireless networking, unusual in Windows desktops.

The computer performed crisply and well for me. I installed several popular third-party programs that weren’t included, such as Microsoft Office, the Firefox Web browser, Apple’s iTunes and Adobe Reader. All worked fine.

I also successfully tested the built-in TV function, which requires a cumbersome external attachment to work with a cable box. I was able to view and record TV shows, something you can’t do out of the box on an iMac.

I still recommend the iMac over the XPS One for several reasons other than hardware design. First, there’s the software. I believe Apple’s operating system, Leopard, is superior to the new Windows Vista operating system, the only choice on the XPS One. In my tests, a reboot of the XPS One took more than twice as long as a reboot of the iMac.

And I regard Apple’s built-in software, especially the iLife multimedia suite, as superior to the Dell’s built-in software, which includes a group of Adobe multimedia programs that are less well integrated and more complex.

The XPS One, unlike the iMac, also came with a bunch of craplets — trial software like Yahoo Music and come-ons for online services like NetZero.

Second, the iMac, unlike the Dell, is immune to the vast majority of malicious software floating around, so you don’t have to run annoying, memory-hogging security programs. The first time I turned on the beautiful Dell I was met with a warning that I had “multiple security problems,” and was led to install a security suite in a complex and tedious process.

Third, defying popular perception, the iMac costs less than the XPS One. The base, 20-inch iMac costs $1,199 — about $300 less. And even if you double the memory, and add a wireless keyboard and mouse to match the Dell, it’s still $1,399 — $100 less than the base XPS One (though Dell is currently running a sale that wipes out the $100 gap). Even the cheapest iMac has a dedicated video card with its own memory, something the base XPS One lacks.

Plus, while Dell offers only 20-inch screens on the XPS One, Apple has higher-end iMacs with huge 24-inch screens for the same price, or less, than the higher-end Dells.

Still, if you want a stylish Windows Vista machine that runs well and won’t cost a fortune, the XPS One fits the bill, despite its unlikely heritage.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online free at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Accessories for iPhone Are Hitting Market; Some Are Worthwhile

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:01:00 +0000

The hundreds of thousands of people who have bought the Apple iPhone since its debut Friday may soon start looking for add-on hardware and software for their shiny new devices.

At first glance, this should be easy. The iPhone uses the same hardware ports as the iPod, which has attracted thousands of accessories. And the iPhone uses a modified version of Apple’s Macintosh operating system, which runs numerous small programs called “widgets” that would be perfect for the iPhone.

But, in fact, using add-on hardware for the iPhone will, in many cases, require buying new gear, or at least adapters to make the old iPod gear work, because of subtle differences in the way its hardware ports work. And there is no way to load Mac software onto an iPhone — even widgets. So you have to access iPhone-specific software through the phone’s built-in Web browser.

I have been testing some of the very first crop of iPhone add-on hardware and software. Some work well, others not so much. I expect to return to this topic when the add-on market is more mature, but here is an early look.

Most of the first hardware accessories are cases and headsets, for both music and phone calls. I didn’t test any cases, though I liked the look of one from Belkin, called simply the Acrylic Case, because it has a kickstand on the back that makes it easy to watch videos on the iPhone without having to hold it upright. It costs $30.

A good guide to third-party iPhone cases, headsets and other accessories can be found at ilounge.com. Apple’s own limited selection of accessories can be viewed at apple.com/iphone/accessories.

Many headphones for the iPod won’t work on the iPhone, because its headphone jack is deeply recessed and the connectors on even expensive headphones just can’t reach in deep enough. Belkin sells an $11 adapter to solve this problem. I tested it with my expensive Shure iPod headphones and it worked.

The bigger problem is that even the costliest iPod headphones lack a microphone and a call-answering button, so they can’t handle the dual functionality of the iPhone — listening to music and conducting phone calls.

Apple includes such a combo headset with the iPhone. It looks like the standard white iPod earbuds, but includes a tiny controller, embedded in the right earbud cord, that incorporates a microphone and also acts as a button. Push it once and it answers calls or ends them. When playing music, a single push pauses a song and a rapid double push skips to the next song. I found these Apple earbuds worked very well and were much more comfortable than Apple’s old iPod earbuds.

If you want to use your existing third-party earbuds or headphones, Shure will begin selling in August a $40 adapter called the MPA-3c. It not only fits the phone’s recessed jack, but also includes a microphone and control button that works just like Apple’s. I tested it with several iPod earbuds, from Apple and others, and it worked fine, though the mic is very low on the cord and must be clipped higher up on your clothing to work optimally.

Altec Lansing has several iPhone-compatible wired headsets in the works. I tested one, the $90 UHS306, due in August, and liked it a lot. It doesn’t require any adapter and it has a combination microphone/control button mounted high up on one cord, plus a second cord-mounted controller for volume adjustment and muting.

Plantronics also plans several wireless Bluetooth headsets to work with the iPhone. Most existing Bluetooth headsets should also work, but only for phone functions. The iPhone doesn’t currently support playing stereo music through Bluetooth. I tested a new Plantronics Bluetooth headset, the $130 Discovery 665, and it worked well. It is available now. Apple will also be bringing out its own Bluetooth headset for phone calls for $129.

Many accessories, such as car audio kits and home speakers, that worked with the iPod’s bottom connector, will require a simple plastic adapter for the iPhone to fit into them. Apple sells these for $9 for a pack of three.

Other accessories that use the iPod connector won’t work right on the iPhone because they don’t reroute the sound from its speaker, a feature the iPod lacks; or because they aren’t properly shielded against interference from the iPhone’s transmitters. New versions are likely to be rolling out. These will display an Apple-endorsed label that says “Works with iPhone.”

I also tested about a dozen add-on iPhone software programs. Most were either rudimentary, pointless, or worked poorly.

There were two that I liked a lot. One is a Sudoku game, at sudoku.myiphone.pl. The second, at showtimes.optimalconnection.net, lets you look up movie show times in any zip code, and links to the phone’s Google Maps program and to the Fandango ticket-buying site.

Still, the whole system of running programs through the browser is more cumbersome and less satisfying than if you could directly install them on the phone.

You can find a growing list of iPhone software at iphoneapplicationlist.com.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online for free at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Ahead of the iPhone, Other Makers Offer Some Quality Devices

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Despite the feverish hype around Apple’s forthcoming $499 iPhone, which goes on sale next week, the established makers of smart phones aren’t idle. They continue to turn out new models capable of not only making voice calls and exchanging text messages, but of handling email, surfing the Web, taking pictures, and playing music and video.

In fact, this category is getting so crowded that it’s hard to follow all of the contenders. T-Mobile and Sprint, for example, have just announced very similar smart phones running Microsoft’s latest Windows Mobile software. Both feature horizontal keyboards that slide out from beneath the screen. The T-Mobile Wing costs $299 after various rebates, while the Sprint Mogul, which runs on a faster network, costs $399.

[ See post to watch video ]

But I’ve been testing two other new smart phones that I find especially interesting. One is the latest attempt by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion to appeal to consumers. The other is a high-resolution camera phone by Nokia, which costs more than even the iPhone.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8300, sold by AT&T, is sort of a cross between the maker’s low-end consumer-oriented Pearl and its larger, more traditional models like the 8800 series. It costs $199 after rebate, with a two-year contract.

Unlike the Pearl, which manages its slender size by sporting only a squished keyboard where two letters must share each key, the Curve has a full, if slightly compressed, keyboard. I found it no problem to use accurately. It does, however, use the Pearl-like trackball instead of the famous BlackBerry side-mounted wheel.

To accommodate the keyboard and a wider screen, the Curve is wider and a bit thicker than the Pearl, and has more of the traditional BlackBerry look. And it’s over 20% heavier. But it’s narrower, shorter and lighter than the 8800, though a bit thicker.

The silver-colored Curve doesn’t boast any technological breakthroughs. It’s mostly an attempt to bring the BlackBerry’s email capabilities to a model that doesn’t compromise the keyboard the way the Pearl did. It has all the traditional BlackBerry features, plus a two-megapixel camera, a slot for a memory card, and the ability to play music and videos.

In my tests, I had no trouble at all sending and receiving email on the Curve, taking or displaying pictures, or playing music. I was able to move over some songs and pictures from my own computer, and they displayed and played as promised. Voice quality was fine, and phone talk time is about four hours — reasonable but not outstanding.

In a welcome move, the Curve has a standard headphone jack, capable of playing music in stereo and handling phone calls. It also includes Bluetooth for wireless headsets and use in cars, but it doesn’t have Wi-Fi wireless networking. It also runs on AT&T’s relatively slow EDGE network instead of the carrier’s faster data network. And the Web browser is mediocre.

The Nokia N95 lacks a full keyboard, physical or virtual and its email is primitive, but that’s not its main purpose. This device is the best combination of a camera and a phone I’ve ever tested, and includes a long list of other media features.

The camera boasts five megapixel resolution, highly unusual for a phone, and it takes marvelous photos. When I transferred my shots to my computer, they were large, sharp and vivid, just as if they’d come from a standard camera. The camera has Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, multiple flash settings and various scene settings. It also has a burst mode capable of taking six shots in rapid sequence.

But getting such a good camera in a phone will set you back a whopping $749. And you can’t buy it through any phone carrier, only from Nokia’s Web site (nseries.com) or from various electronics stores. You have to buy a phone plan separately.

Nokia’s N95, left, and BlackBerry’s Curve 8300

Like the Curve, the N95 has good voice quality, but runs on the slow EDGE network, though a future version could support faster networks. Unlike the BlackBerry, the current N95 also can use Wi-Fi networks. Battery life is only fair: 3.5 hours of talk time. While Nokia touts the phone’s Web browser, I found it to be unimpressive. But the phone includes GPS mapping, with optional navigation. It also accepts memory cards for storage.

Physically, the N95 is small, but chunky; on one side, it looks like a plum-colored camera. If you slide its screen in one direction, the keypad is revealed. Sliding it the opposite way reveals standard controls for playing music and video clips. I was able to move pictures and songs from my computer, but the songs failed to display album covers when played.

For $749, you could buy the Curve and a very nice digital camera. But the N95 is for photo enthusiasts who want an all-in-one device. The Curve is a more mainstream smart phone that aims for a balance of features at a low price.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online free at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

New Earphone Devices Let You Go Cordless On iPods, Cellphones

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:59:00 +0000

Wireless earphones are becoming quite common. You often see cellphone users walking down the street with the alien-like appendages protruding from an ear. And even in the world of iPods, where the famous white earbud cord still rules, a half-dozen or more wireless headphones have been introduced.

But there are problems with going cord-free. In the case of cellphone wireless headsets, loud street and crowd noises make it hard to hear. And the wireless iPod headphones have been big, bulky units of unremarkable audio quality.

Now, some wireless earphones address those problems. For cellphones, a new wireless headset called Jawbone promises to filter out all that background noise. For iPods, new wireless earphones called Ety8 promise to bring small size and great sound quality to the wireless category. Both products use Bluetooth wireless technology to transmit audio from the device to the ear.

I’ve been testing these two new products and have found that each lives up to its claims. Both are advances that have real advantages over the more standard cord-free competitors. But each also has some drawbacks that might deter some folks from using them.

The wireless Jawbone is a sleek, futuristic-looking gadget made by a small San Francisco company called Aliph. It will be sold, starting Dec. 21, for $120 by Cingular Wireless. The earphone will work with any Bluetooth cellphone, not just those on Cingular’s network. Aliph will also sell the new Jawbone on its Web site, www.jawbone.com. The Cingular model will be silver colored. Aliph will offer it in red and black, too.

What makes jawbone special is its noise-cancellation feature, called Noise Shield. You can stand in front of a blaring boom box or a weed whacker with a Jawbone, and its technology, derived from military research, will almost entirely obliterate that background noise. You can also hear the other party better.

This effect is achieved through multiple small, built-in microphones, including one that rests against your cheek, detecting the vibration of your voice through the bones in your face. The gadget uses that reading to help identify and cancel all other sound that isn’t your voice.

In my tests, on a Palm Treo from Verizon and a Samsung Blackjack from Cingular, the Jawbone worked well. On a downtown street, it silenced the sound of traffic and crowd noise. In an office, it blocked out loud music only a few inches away. The noise cancellation is far better than on any other cellphone headset I’ve tried. Battery life is up to a decent six hours.

But there are two downsides to the new Jawbone. First, it can’t defeat wind. Even a mild breeze made Jawbone calls noisy. Second, it has some user-interface problems. The same button that turns the Noise Shield on and off also raises and lowers the volume, and the beeps of the two are hard to distinguish. I also found it hard to get a comfortable fit, though the unit comes with multiple behind-the-ear loops and rubber earbuds.

If you’re an iPod lover, the Ety8 wireless earphones may be just the thing to replace those trademark white earbud cords. Unlike other cordless iPod earphones, the Ety8s aren’t large, over-the-ear headphones. They’re light, in-ear earbuds. They’re made by Etymotic Research of Elk Grove Village, Ill., a high-end audio company whose wired earphones are highly praised.

The Ety8 earphones cost $300 from the company’s site, www.etymotic.com. That includes the headphones and a small adapter that plugs into the iPod to give it wireless capability. You can also use the earphones with other devices with wireless capability built in. For that, you can buy earphones without the adapter for $200.

Like some other high-end earphones, from Etymotic and from competitors like Shure, the Ety8s are meant to go deep into the ear, and come with rubber and foam tips for a snug fit.

The Ety8 also has tiny buttons on the right earpiece to wirelessly control the iPod. You can adjust the volume, play or pause music, or skip ahead or back — all without touching the iPod, which can be 20 or 30 feet away.

They work with the current full-size iPods, the previous generation of full-size iPods, and iPod Nano and Mini models. Battery life is six to nine hours. The adapter draws power from the iPod’s battery, so it will also reduce the battery life of the iPod itself.

In my tests, the Ety8 earphones worked great, both on a new full-size iPod and on an older iPod Mini. They produced excellent sound and were comfortable to wear, once I got used to a cloth-wrapped cord that connects the two earpieces and is meant to be draped behind your neck.

The big downside of the Ety8 is this: They are ugly. They are relatively large, black rectangles that look like matchbooks pasted onto your ears. If you can get over that, the Ety8 wireless earphones for the iPod are great.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com.