TTL – The Tech Link Blog

Dell

Recently, Dell started offering pre-installed movies on their computers during online checkout. They are now pushing the media distribution further by offering pre-installed “music packs” on their PCs.

Dell’s agreement with Universal enables the computer maker to offer attractively priced music when a customer buys a new computer. A 50-song pack will cost $25, and a 100-song pack will cost $50. That’s half of what it would cost if the same amount of songs were bough on iTunes!

All songs will be DRM-free. Users will be able to use and listen to the purchased songs anywhere, anytime. As of now, the XPS One and Dell Mini 9 netbook are excluded from the offering.

The Boston Globe

Fortune

Apple is the #1 most admired company according to more than 3,700 industry experts.

The experts were surveyed by Fortune and the Hay Group and asked to select 10 companies they admire the most and rate them in eight key areas: innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of products/services.

Here is the list:

1. Apple
2. Berkshire Hathaway
3. General Electric
4. Google
5. Toyota Motor
6. Starbucks
7. FedEx
8. Procter & Gamble
9. Johnson & Johnson
10. Goldman Sachs
11. Target
12. Southwest Airlines
13. American Express
14. BMW
15. Costco
16. Microsoft
17. UPS
18. Cisco Systems
19. 3M
20. Nordstrom

Fortune via MacDailyNews

Netflix

Netflix, the company that started out as an online over-the-mail DVD renting service, is expanding rapidly towards online streaming and promising high definition (HD) content delivered directly on the Xbox 360.

Netflix has chosen to make the HD service available only on the Xbox 360 at first and then turn to the PC market. The service will be available through a dashboard update scheduled in mid-November.

Subscribers of the Netflix service will also have to be subscribed to Xbox Live! to be able to enjoy over 10,000 standard definition titles along with the new HD content. If you’re a big movie watcher, this offer might be very interesting…

The Boy Genius Report

P!nk: Funhouse

P!nk, along with LaFace/Zomba Label Group and Sony BMG, has entered yet another new kind of marketing with a free application available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The application is available on the Apple App Store. Once installed, users will be able to listen to 30-second samples of all tracks available on P!nk’s newest album, Funhouse, which is available today. The application also allows access to restricted fan material such as pictures, videos, biography, etc.

It will only be a matter of time before we see all kinds of applications like this for other artists and let’s bet that the future only holds even more original marketing ideas for the public.

PR-CANADA.net

Videocassette Recorder

It’s been more than 50 years since the first appearance of a videocassette recorder (VCR) in this world and the technology is slowly disappearing in American households.

With the arrival of the recordable DVDs and PVRs, who needs VCRs anymore?

JVC was one of the last companies that was still making standalone VCR recorders/players and now decided to put an end to this line of products. The only products we will now see that still have VCR capabilities will be in combo (DVD + VCR) units.

TechRadar UK

USB

Superspeed USB (or USB 3.0) is currently in the last stages of its development and should start being integrated into computers and peripherals within the next 12 months.

This new technology promises speeds that are up to 10 times faster than current USB 2.0 we all know and love. Superspeed USB will be a welcomed upgrade for consumers that own high definition camcorders and are transferring huge files to portable hard drives using USB.

As an example, the developpers of the technology were able to transfer a 6GB video file at 320MB/s in less than 30 seconds! With current USB 2.0 technology, the same file would transfer in about 4 or 5 minutes.

APCMag via WinBeta.org

RadioShack

$89.25 for my Acer Aspire 3623WXMi laptop and $229.71 for my HTC P3300 PocketPC phone… Here’s what you are looking at with the new RadioShack trade-in program.

The program allows you to trade in your old stuff (GPS, cell phones, video games, computers, laptops, mp3 players, etc.) and receive a RadioShack gift certificate in return. If you have stuff lying around in your closet and haven’t got the time to list it on Craigslist or eBay, this might be a good alternative for you.

RadioShack Trade-In Program
I4U News

Dell Inspiron Mini12

Dell has just announced that the new Inspiron Mini 12 laptop will be available globally sometime in the month of November for around $600.

Dell refers to this product as being a laptop (not a netbook). This sounds rather unusual, as this product runs on an Intel Atom-type CPU which, so far, has been used only by UMPCs and netbooks. Morover, this specific model will run on a “Z” series Atom CPU which was developed for handheld internet tablets, not notebooks.

Here are some specifications:

• 12-inch display (1280×800)
• Atom CPU (1.3GHz Z520 or 1.6GHz Z530)
• 1GB RAM
• 40, 60, or 80GB hard drive
• Bluetooth and 802.11b/g
• Built-in webcam
• 3G wireless option available in 2009
• 3 or 6-cell battery (respectively 3h and 6h operating time)
• 3 USB ports and a 3-in-1 card reader
• Windows Vista Home Edition (Linux Ubuntu available later)
• Starting weight of 2.72 and 0.92in at its thinnest point

ZDNet

Truphone

Truphone is a VoIP application that you install on your cell phone and allows you to make cheap (very cheap) international and overseas calls, and it is now available for BlackBerry devices.

Truphone will also be available for other devices (LG, Samsung, HTC, etc.) in the future.

If you own a compatible phone, you can download the software for free on the Truphone website (link bellow), and start saving money now!

Truphone
GigaOM

Casio EXILIM W63CA

The Asians will never cease to amaze us. One of the latest phones from Casio is the EXILIM Keitai W63CA.

This “flip and twist” phone packs an 8.1 megapixel camera lens with 9-point autofocus and flash, and a 3.1in OLED display (480×800).

Casio is well known for their cameras here in America but not for their phones, so it would be very surprising that we would ever see this phone on our turf anytime soon.

Electricpig

E3 Expo

The Entertainment Software Association has announced the official date for the E3 Expo. The 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 2nd to June 4th, 2009.

This event gathers professionals and companies focused primarily on the video games industry, and helps them showcase their new and upcoming products and services to the general public. Much like a car show, but for video games.

The event suffered in the last few years from less and less traffic (because of smaller locations), so this year, the event organizers decided to make things more appealing by thinking BIG.

From the ESA press release: …these changes include increased booth sizes, increased qualified audiences, and an intensified focus on reinforcing the high-octane growth, innovation, and captivating entertainment that are driving the computer and video game industry.

E3 Expo
The Entertainment Software Association

Autodesk & Softimage

Softimage, the Canadian company behind the visual effects in movies such as Jurrassic Park, Titanic, The Fifth Element, Happy Feet, 300, and many other movies and video games has been acquired by Autodesk. The acquisition will cost $35 million to Autodesk.

Autodesk are the makers of widely used 3D design software like Maya, and popular CAD software know as AutoCAD. Both companies share simalar goals and work in related markets. This acquisition should strenghten both companies and diversify their product lines to become more competitive in their respective markets.

Edge Online

Microsoft

Microsoft kept it’s title as the world’s software leader by posting optimistic results for the 3rd quarter that closed on September 30.

Revenues were up by 9% on one year at $15.06 billion. Profits were up by 1.8% at $4.37 billion ($0.48 per share).

Although Microsoft posted fairly positive results in the 3rd quarterd comparted to the same period last year, the company has revised their year-end forecast from between $67.3 to $68.1 billion to something between $64.9 and $66.4 billion. This announcement was made because of the slowdown in U.S. and global economy.

The Globe and Mail

Deezer

Music site Deezer has now released the first official version of their iPhone and iPod Touch player, and it’s available for download directly on the Apple App Store.

For those of you not familiar with Deezer, it is very similar to iMeem. You can search for songs, artists, albums and stream them directly on your computer without the need to download the song.

Deezer also offers web radios and something they call “SmartRadio” where the service lets you discover new music based on your listening taste. These two features will be the only ones available on the iPhone and iPod Touch at first but Deezer plans on releasing a full featured application that will allow the user to enjoy 100% of the features available in the future.

clubic.com (French)

NEC LaVie Light

By releasing their new LaVie Light Netbook, NEC seems to think so.

NEC’s new netbook will be available in Japan on November 6th. No dates or prices for America as of now, but I’m sure we can all continue living our lives without another netbook.

Here are the main specifications for this new product:

• Intel Atom N270 CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB hard drive
• XP Home
• weighs 2.6 pounds
• 8.9-inch screen (1024×600)
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• SD card slot
• 1.3-megapixel camera

CNET