cables

Top 5 money-sucking technologies

I am an unapologetic cheapskate. In fact, I got into this whole technology journalism thing as a way to feed my gadget lust without spending a dime to play with the latest tech.

I won't lie, it's a great gig. But just like any "kid in a candy shop" scenario, you gain a different perspective when you actually work in the candy shop.

There are a lot of good things to say about technology, and the high-tech age we currently live in. But it is also true that technology has provided a number of new and … Read more

Apple TV nears Time Warner Cable deal, Bloomberg says

Apple and Time Warner Cable are nearing a deal that would bring new channels to the computer maker's set-top box, Apple TV, for subscribers of the cable television service, Bloomberg reported Tuesday citing people with knowledge of the talks.

A deal would bring the set-top box a significant influx of channels, and its first flood of live ones.

Apple has been expanding its offerings on the device, which connects Web videos and other media to the traditional television but lacks the the broad array of channels that its chief competitor Roku offers.

Earlier this year, Apple TV got its … Read more

Could Google be next with a game console?

CNET Update hearts it:

In this episode of Update:

- Preorder a GamePop by Sunday to get it for free, or else get the GamePop Mini free with a subscription.

- Prepare for a Nexus Q comeback if Google relaunches it as an Android-gaming console.

- Leave your evening plans in the hands of Max, the new Netflix suggestion feature.

- Catch a glimpse of Android 4.3 leaked screenshots.

- Ditch the extra cable box this summer with Time Warner Cable's live TV app on Xbox.

- Bid farewell to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which isn't getting an upgradeRead more

Time Warner Cable to bring 300 channels to Xbox 360

Time Warner Cable and Microsoft have inked a deal to bring scads of TV channels to the Xbox 360.

Later this summer, Time Warner Cable will launch its TV application on Xbox Live, bringing up to 300 live TV channels to the Xbox 360. The service will be available only to those who are current Time Warner Cable customers and who subscribe to Xbox Live Gold.

According to Microsoft, Time Warner Cable's channel offerings will include AMC, Bravo, Comedy Central, and CNN. The app will also work with voice controls through the company's Kinect sensor.

Microsoft has been … Read more

With the Cardas EM5813, in-ear headphones just got a lot better

Cardas Audio has been making audiophile cables since 1987, so I was taken aback when I heard George Cardas was working on a headphone model. That was four years ago, when Cardas was approached by a major in-ear headphone manufacturer to make cables for them, but when George started listening to their headphones he was less than thrilled with the sound. One thing led to another, he thought he could do better, and decided to make his own headphones.

Prototypes were built, he listened, he measured, tweaked the design, made more prototypes, listened and measured. Most dynamic in-ear headphones use … Read more

HDBaseT takes HDMI and 4K further

All HDMI cables are the same, but that now-ubiquitous connector has limitations. Ultralong runs can be problematic and expensive, HDMI cable can't conveniently be run through walls, and when carrying 4K video, it can only handle runs of a few feet.

That's the message the people from HDBaseT sent when they introduced me to their transmission protocol this week. HDBaseT is designed to allow a single Cat 5e cable -- incredibly common and incredibly cheap today -- to carry video of up to 4K resolution, audio, data (100BaseT Ethernet), power (up to 100 watts), and even other signals … Read more

Comcast ditches the DVR for cloud recordings

CNET Update is posting to Myspace:

In this episode of Update:

- Learn how Comcast and other cable providers are updating set-top boxes and channel guides.

- Give your smartphone more camera with the Galaxy S4 Zoom coming out later this year.

- Prepare for Google Maps to get more social, now that Google bought the app Waze.

- Rock out with music stations and GIFs on Myspace's new iPhone app.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, … Read more

Pay TV goading media companies to withhold on Web?

To discourage media companies from proliferating Web-based entertainment, pay-TV operators such as Time Warner Cable are using tactics like offering higher payments or threatening to drop programming, according to a report by Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources.

Such goading is meant to keep programming out of the hands of digital entertainment services that companies like Intel and Apple are pursuing.

As cable companies negotiate distribution agreements with content providers, a chief interest is keeping as much hold on exclusive content as they can. That gatekeeper status has long been a cable company strategy to keep customers and fend off digital competition. … Read more

Comcast expands Wi-Fi network with new 'neighborhood' initiative

Comcast is making it even easier for its broadband subscribers to access the Internet outside the confines of their homes.

For the past couple of years, the company, along with several other cable operators, has been building out a Wi-Fi network in public areas, such as train platforms and in small businesses such as cafes and retail locations, to allow its broadband customers mobile access to the Internet at no additional charge.

On Monday, the company will make two announcements that will expand this network.

The first is the launch of the new home-based, neighborhood hot-spot initiative, in which subscribers … Read more

Cuba debuts Internet centers, but can people afford them?

One of the most closed-off countries in the world has finally started to roll out Internet for its citizens. The Cuban government has officially opened 118 public Internet centers across the country, according to the Associated Press.

Up until now, computers with Internet access were sparse on the island. Besides a few universities and employers offering access, some of the only places to get online were tourist hotels that charged up to $8 an hour for erratic Wi-Fi, according to the Associated Press.

The Cuban government estimates that only 2.9 percent of the country's citizens get online, according … Read more