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Convert between video formats with MPEG Streamclip for Mac

The diversity of video compression formats means some files fail to open in different players. For those who do not want to search for the extra downloads or add-ons for your favorite media player, Streamclip for Mac may be a good option for your system.

Unlike other choices, MPEG Streamclip for Mac comes as freeware, making it easy to try out and justifying its lack of available features. Simple installation had the program up and running within 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the confusing interface was difficult to interpret and there were no instructions easily available. More specifically, the cluttered and technical … Read more

Recalibrate your expectations of how good an in-ear headphone can sound

I've been listening to Jerry Harvey's custom-molded in-ear headphones for years. The very first one, the UE10, was a game changer; in 2006 it was the best sounding in-ear headphone I'd heard. Now with his new Freqphase JH13 and JH16 in-ears, Harvey's done it again. The performance gains in clarity, detail, resolution, and stereo imaging are huge -- the adrenaline-pumping sound of the music you love over a set of Harvey's headphones can't be matched by any other in-ear 'phones.

Years before he made headphones, Harvey mixed stage monitor sound for Kiss, Van Halen, … Read more

Does size matter? Over-the-ear vs. in-ear headphones

Since in-ear headphones sit in or near the ear canal, they don't interact with the pinna, the bends and curves of the outer ear that direct sound to the ear canal. The pinna also serves as an acoustic filter, enhancing the frequency range of human speech, and it also supplies directional cues, so we can localize where sound is coming from. That's how our ears and brains process sound in real life, but in-ear headphones don't interact with the pinna, so they can't sound as realistic as full-size headphones or speakers. In-ears can still sound great, … Read more

Three awesome-sounding on-ear headphones

I was shaken and stirred by the Bowers & Wilkins P5 on-ear headphones back in 2010. It set a new standard for sumptuous sound and build quality for very small, on-ear headphones. Designed with portable music players and phones in mind, the P5 was definitely a step up from most ear buds, and the sound was easy to listen to over the long haul. The P5 ($300) is still around, but B & W recently introduced a similar, but less expensive model, the P3 ($200).

When I unboxed the new one I decided to first judge it without directly comparing … Read more

Hands-on with the Samsung Series 5 Ultra: Like a Series 9, but affordable

For those who have been craving a more affordable Samsung ultrabook, here's your savior: the Series 5 Ultra.

Last year, the Samsung Series 9 nearly stole the show as one of the must-have laptops at CES, but the thin 13-incher--an ultrabook before the name ultrabook was coined--cost more than a MacBook Air.

This year, the Series 9 survives, in an even sleeker yet still expensive iteration. The Series 5 Ultra, which comes in both 13 and 14-inch varieties, starts at $899. That's the price we've come to expect from a Windows ultrabook, and surprisingly enough, the Series 5 Ultra looks like it hasn't made too many concessions to get there.… Read more

Canadian firm plans 78-satellite Net service

A Canadian satellite maker plans to launch a network of 78 small, relatively low-flying satellites designed to help relieve network congestion that's significantly dampening smartphone enthusiasm.

MSCI, which stands for Microsat Systems Canada Inc., is trying to be a bit of a maverick with its project, called CommStellation. The company said today that its approach of using small, inexpensive satellites in low orbit--about 620 miles above the Earth--means better coverage of the world's population, quicker launch, and better network capacity.

The company likes to spotlight its competition with the O3b, the Google-backed satellite project to improve Net access … Read more

iWood 3B leads charge in smartphone devolution

Forget what I told you before about disguising your iPhone; there are alternatives to feeling embarrassed by your mobile phone. Why not buy one that you can be proud of, maybe even one forged from the ashes of Miss Mother Nature herself? Set yourself up with an iWood 3B smartphone and you'll never again miss "all the times you wood rather stab someone in the eye than talk about 3G anything."

The iWood 3B is the perfect complement for the on-the-go professional who knows when it's time to work, when it's time to play, and when it's time to tap on a 3-inch by 4-1/2 half inch piece of Bamboo Plywood. Amazingly, the entire device is crafted from a single block of wood, and it's contoured at a precise 90-degree angle to fit ergonomically in your hand.

Like its current competition, it has all the internal components you now expect out of a full-time device: accelerometer, proximity/light/infrared sensor, and even its own sensor for sensing sensors around your sector. Best of all, the iWood 3B draws all of its power from a rechargeable gyroscopic battery that should last for approximately infinity hours with just one twitch.

What all-in-one (AIO) would be prepared for the masses without its own set of unique applications? Aside from the standard to-do list, calendar, MP3 player, and Web, the iWood also offers its own line of real-world apps that run autonomously off the OS. … Read more

Daily Debrief: Apple's iPhone apps sell, 3G network flails

It's been a month of mixed reviews for Apple's iPhone 3G. One on hand, millions of users have clearly given the Apps Store a vote of approval by downloading 60 million applications to their phones in the first month. Even though many of them are free, Apple CEO Steve Jobs tells The Wall Street Journal that translates into roughly $30 million in sales, or 1 million bucks per day.

The bad news for Apple is the constant stream of complaints coming in about the phones' 3G connectivity. In Monday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I sit down … Read more

The world's smallest flip camera phone

AT&T has finally launched the Pantech C3b, which is apparently the world's smallest flip camera phone with Bluetooth. Measuring only 2.72 inches tall, 1.69 inches wide, and 0.8 inch thick, it is essentially the same as the Pantech C300. The Pantech C3b is different only in that it has changeable covers and that it has integrated Bluetooth. It packs in quite a number of features in such a tiny device, like a VGA camera, mobile e-mail services, text messaging, and GPRS connectivity. Sure, it's not a terribly fancy phone, but for the low … Read more