Wikipedia 101

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) is a free, Internet-based multilingual encyclopedia that has more than 15 million articles and is currently the largest and most popular general reference site on the Internet. The articles are written by registered volunteers around the world and cover an amazing variety of subjects.

The occasional cultural bias, as well as reliability and accuracy, have been criticized, but Wikipedia is supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, and its policies strongly support verifiable information and a neutral point of view.

For Wikipedia on the go, there’s the Wikireader (www.thewikireader.com), a self-contained device that holds more than three million entries from the online site, all quickly and easily searchable. It’s a snap to check out a word or concept by just looking it up on the spot.

Wikireader’s 3.5-inch touch screen has a virtual keyboard and selection and scrolling functions. The text-only LCD screen is easy to read but not back lighted, so you’ll need good ambient lighting to view it. Wikireader is compact, portable, and fun to use. Information has never been easier to find. We like it.

Smart TV

Get ready for the merger of TV and Internet with “Smart TVs.” Smart TVs are television sets that connect to the Internet to access content for entertainment, information and more--without turning on your computer or even having a computer (OK, you do need  a wireless or ethernet connection to the Internet via cable or DSL modem, which may need a computer to initially configure). Smart TVs can also stream videos, photos and music from home media servers or a computer.

LG Electronics (LG) (www.lg.com) will soon ship Internet connected Smart TVs. They’ll have a simple on-screen Home Dashboard, controlled in point and click fashion by a Wii-like remote, to select TV programs and access online content from sources such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and many others.

The LG SmartTV includes a web browser (so you don’t even need to turn on your computer to access the Internet), which lets you watch news, reviews and more directly on the television screen.

If you have an older, not-so-smart TV, LG has a SmartTV Upgrader that converts your TV set into a wireless Internet connected SmartTV with all its benefits, including easy access to premium content, a web browser and the ability to stream content from any device connected to your home network. Just connect the small Upgrader to an HDMI input on your TV,  and you have a “Smart” TV. Very cool.

2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

We were two of the 140,000 people at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where more than 2,700 exhibitors showed the present and future in technology. Our impressions:

Cell phones are filled with an ever-growing number of capabilities. Your iPhone using the appropriate app (application program) allows you to check your home security system, control a home-wide music or TV system, turn lights on or off, set your heating or A/C--and much more--from anywhere you can get a cellular and/or a WiFi signal. Android phones promise similar capabilities soon.

The Apple iPad was everywhere, running about anything you can imagine. More than 70 other tablet computers were on display too; some available now in a variety of sizes, more coming soon.

Connected televisions are hot. These TVs “connect” to the Internet via a home wireless network or ethernet cable, showing streaming content from some major providers (i.e. Netflix and Pandora), or from your home media server or PC and can include photos, videos and music.

Excitement over 3D-TV has waned a bit, but we did see some new 3D-TV sets, and at least three companies introduced consumer level 3D HD camcorders. We’re not sure about wearing those 3D glasses; the promised glassless sets may help, but we were not impressed with the one we saw.

Other areas showcased products to monitor health and fitness and those designed for seniors and much more. We’ll cover these and more in future blogs. Check back soon.

HD Radio - What is it?

HD Radio (hybrid-digital radio) provides clear, near FM quality AM radio reception and also provides FM radio reception that rivals CD audio quality. The cool factor is the FM subchannels (not available in AM HD) for carrying content different than the main signal. That means an HD FM radio station could carry soft rock on its main signal, while one of its subchannels carries live sports events. Very cool.

Listening to HD is free (the cost for needed equipment, upgrades and the like is up to the station). There are more than 2,000 HD radio stations and more than 1,000 subchannels in the US.

 
 
You’ll need to buy a HD Radio if you want HD features. We tried a small FM portable HD radio from Insignia (www.insigniaproducts.com, $50), and the local FM HD radio stations did sound clearer than standard FM stations, and we enjoyed having the subchannel content so readily available.





Since almost all HD stations transmit a “hybrid” signal containing both a standard signal and the HD signal, your old radios still works fine, but you won’t have the HD features.

If you want to know more about HD Radio, go to our web site at http://www.norma-tony.com/031010.htm