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Spotify Finally Makes Its Australian Debut 
Top 10 Pervasive Tech Myths That Are Only Wasting Your Time We told you about a couple of iPhone activation tricks, but here’s the easy iWay for iDummies like me: iActivator, a graphic program for Mac OS X that will activate the iPhone just by touching a button, without any command line voodoo.
As if you need to ask what the Z stands for. Panasonic has been pushing the optical-zoom envelope for years, and now, with the Lumix DMC-FZ18, pretty much turns you into some kind of stalker. The 8-megapixel camera with 18X optical zoom lens will be out in September in silver or black for $399. Like the more diminutive DMC-FX33 and FX55 we just told you about, this has the Intelligent Auto Mode that I am a fan of. When I played around with the FZ18, I let the continuous focus do all the work, snapping shots with perfect clarity, all the way across a large crowded room. Like I said, a bit stalky, but so very useful.
Today, Panasonic is launching the Lumix FX33 and FX55, two 8 megapixel cameras with 28mm wide-angle 3.6X optical zoom Leica lenses. The DMC-FX55, with a 3″ LCD, will sell for $349 in silver, black and pink; the DMC-FX33, with 2.5″ LCD, will go for $299 and come in silver, black, blue and brown. I know, you’re sick of hearing about shiny, pocketsized cameras. I just have to say, I played around with these two, and they have something called “Intelligent Auto Mode” (no, don’t think about Knight Rider) that might make them stand out.
If you’ve been saving up your nickels to get a $800 TiVo Series3, you just got yourself a $500 bonus prize. Today TiVo releases the TiVo HD, a scaled-back version of the original Series3 that lists for just $299. We got our hands on one, and managed the even more complicated task of convincing Cablevision to install two CableCARDs. Now that it’s up and running, I can’t think of a single reason to ever plug in that Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD again. (Oh yeah, the TiVo’s a loaner.) galleryPost('TiVoHDUnboxing', 8, 'TiVo HD Unboxing');
D-Link’s DUB-9240 Wireless USB hub was announced today. For non-wireless USB equipped PCs (everything but the Lenovo T61 and Dell Inspiron 1720), the kit includes an adapter, called the DUB-1210. It operates with the four port hub (DUB-2240), which your devices connect to by cable, at the 3.4GHz to 4.5GHz range to reduce interference.
Kiss your favorite cords goodbye, because Certified Wireless USB is throwing them out with the trash. Industry giants including Dell and IBM have come on board as early adopters of the new USB standard, which combines the data transfer rates of USB with the ease-of-use and cable-free nature of Bluetooth and WiFi. Dell is rolling out its new Inspiron 1720 next month, a mobile media notebook that includes a built-in Certified Wireless USB chip. In conjunction with new lines of CWUSB routers launched by D-Link and IOGear, the 1720 can connect with 127 other devices and swap data at a blistering 480Mb/s (at 3 meters; speeds fall to a respectable 110Mb/s at 10 meters).
Crediting a strategic price cut and a strong E3 showing, Sony is gloating over its latest figures: PS3 sales are up 135% since the July 9th announcement of the $499 price tag. With Xbox 360 sales dropping, new firmware updates enhancing the basic functionality of the system, Blu-ray pushing hard against HD-DVD and a growing lineup of original titles including the exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4, the PS3 seems determined to become a serious console competitor before the year is over.
Johnny Five—hero of Short Circuit, Short Circuit 2, and all the Short Circuit sequels that have been playing only in our hearts since the franchise died in 1988—is indeed alive, and for sale on eBay. galleryPost('Johnny5', 4, 'Johnny 5');
