SAN FRANCISCO – Today’s unveiling of a smaller, cheaper Apple TV set-top box is the latest in a long line of tech industry efforts to conquer the living room. Recent reports and rumors have Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Sony all developing low-cost entertainment devices that would stream entertainment bits–movies, TV shows, music, photos, and so on–from the Internet to your HDTV.

These endeavors date back to the Internet’s formative years in the 90s, when numerous hardware, software, and online companies gave the Net-TV fusion a shot, but no one got it right.

The Early Days

America Online, back then the 800-pound ogre of online, tried an interactive TV service called AOL TV that quickly fizzled out. Microsoft and Intel teamed up with MTV to deliver digital TV content to big-screen PCs, which were destined for the living room (well, perhaps not). And Gateway 2000 launched an unsuccessful TV/PC hybrid system, as did Compaq Computer and Thomson Electronics.

Many early efforts failed in part because the technologies needed to make them work–speedy and affordable broadband service, in-home Wi-Fi, and faster processors capable of handling HD video streams–weren’t ready for prime time.

They are now, of course. Online video services like Netflix are seeing a surge in subscribers, while Blockbuster and similar DVD-rental chains are marching toward bankruptcy. The easy availability of low-cost media-streaming hardware, including DVRs, set-top boxes (e.g., Roku and Boxee gear), and various Blu-ray players and game consoles, has helped as well.

Of course, not all recent efforts have succeeded, either. The original Apple TV, which debuted in 2007, long endured a tepid reception from critics and end users alike. Even Apple seemed to ignore it. The aggressive $99 price of the new model, however, will certainly help Cupertino’s chances in the set-top market.

More to Come

The coming months will bring a flood of Apple TV competitors, most notably Google TV, the search giant’s much anticipated set-top box that’s slated to arrive this fall. And Amazon, which already runs a thriving online movie service (which, like Apple TV, offers 99-cent rentals of TV episodes), is reportedly developing a subscription streaming service that would challenge Netflix.

Sony, meanwhile, is expected to announce a new music and video subscription service as early as Wednesday, according to the Financial Times. The service would use Sony’s PlayStation game console and other Internet-connected devices to stream content. Finally, Microsoft is rumored to be developing a TV channel for its Xbox 360 console.

SAN FRANCISCO – In a continuing trend, more businesses are shifting loyalties from Blackberry to iPhones and Android devices as the relative newcomers make inroads into the corporate world. Three-quarters of the 200 businesses surveyed in the United States and the U.K in the study reported that their employees are choosing other than Blackberry, Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd. reported to Bloomberg. The number was 83 percent for U.S. companies.
The biggest drop comes as bankers, lawyers and government workers – Blackberry’s once-loyal clientele – abandon the phones for other brands on the market.

Several studies on smartphones have predicted the trend, including Nielsen Co. which said that new subscribers for Blackberry dropped and more than half of Blackberry users planned to switch to an iPhone or Android phone. Last month a study by the NPD Group also reported that in 2010′s second quarter, Android phones rose to 33 percent of the market and Research in Motion’s Blackberry dropped to 28 percent. The Apple iPhone was 22 percent of the smartphone market.

One of the latest products, the Blackberry Torch 9800, was deemed adequate but hardly competitive with recent Android devices and the iPhone. With a sluggish browser, a small and low-resolution touchscreen and a cramped keyboard, the phone may only appeal to previous Blackberry users and loyalists. Some are calling RIM’s latest smartphones consolation prizes for executives who wish they could have an iPhone. Others are comparing RIM to IBM because it cornered the market for several years but seemed to stop reinventing itself or innovating.

The business world has spoken loudly and clearly, they want more from RIM and if it expects to stay relevant the company needs to comply. The next few years will tell us if RIM is still able to compete and innovate in the quicksilver mobile arena.

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has sold over three million copies worldwide in the first month of its release, building on the game’s momentum as the bestselling PC game of 2010 and the fastest-selling real-time strategy game of all time.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was released simultaneously in North America, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on July 27. With day-one sales topping 1 million copies, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty became the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and has won numerous critical accolades, including multiple editor’s choice awards from major gaming publications.

“We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centers on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II is available through a new version of Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.

The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty continues the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War^®. The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players are able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games are also included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.

For more information on StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, visit the official website at www.blizzard.com/games/sc2/.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twelve #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

LONDON – Just under one in five (19.8 percent) respondents to a PC Advisor poll stated that Apple Macs are “superior” to Windows PCs.
The survey asked the question ‘Mac versus PC: where do you stand?’.

The most popular answer, with 27.4 percent, was ‘I prefer PCs because Macs cost too much’, closely followed by ’100 percent Windows PC. I would never buy an Apple Mac’ (26.8 percent).

“I’ve noticed that anyone who owns a Mac immediately feels the need to justify this by extolling its virtues, and rubbishing Windows PCs,” commented forum member Pineman100. “I have yet to see any convincing evidence that Macs are any more reliable than PCs.”

AL47 added: “Same things as usual: Macs are more expensive and less tinkerable. That’s it for me to be honest. Won’t ever have a Mac.”

A further 16.1 percent admitted that they ‘prefer PCs because I’ve never used a Mac’.

But a surprisingly high 19.8 percent of respondents ticked the option ‘I prefer Macs – they’re superior to PCs’.

“I’ve used both systems and find my iMac to be more reliable, better built, a stranger to the BSOD [blue screen of death] and more user-friendly than a windows PC,” wrote Brumas. “What’s more, there is no cumbersome, bulky, space-hogging tower, as everything is contained in the monitor. I won’t go on!”

The voting was completed by 6.1 percent plumping for ‘Neither – I’m a Linux man (or woman)’, and 3.7 percent ticking ‘Don’t know/other’.

SAN FRANCISCO – Leave it to Sony to throw a new twist into the e-reader game: The company’s refreshed lineup of e-readers and new touchscreen technology ups the ante over its competition. The E-Ink e-reader has just gotten way more interesting.

All three of Sony’s new models use the E-Ink Pearl display that’s already made a positive impression on the Amazon Kindle (3 rd generation) and Amazon Kindle DX Graphite. The new twist is that Sony has ditched the annoying touchscreen overlay of its previous Reader Touch Edition; that overlay was responsible for many of that unit’s faults, including its unresponsive navigation, terrible glare, fuzzy text, and poor contrast.
But that was then. The new crop of readers blows all of those problems into the past.

Instead, Sony uses an infrared optical technology touchscreen on each of its new models: The Reader Pocket Edition, Reader Touch Edition, and Reader Daily Edition. The touchscreen works by using infrared sensors to detect where your finger is on the screen; it compares that information against a matrix that identifies where your finger is and what action you are trying to accomplish, and then performs that action.

I found the result compelling–a highly responsive E-Ink touchscreen display. In my hands-on time with the units, I was impressed by how light of a touch was required to make a selection, the polar opposite of my experience with the Reader Touch Edition.

Add that to the new Readers’ improved specs (lighter weight, more compact design), stylish looks, plus its support the open ePub format, and Sony has definitely given us reason to once more take its e-reader hardware seriously.

Unfortunately, Sony appears not to be reading the headlines about the current e-reader price war, and the prospects for a $99 e-reader. Instead of providing competitive pricing with Amazon’s $139 Wi-Fi-only Kindle, or even a slight premium (this is Sony, after all; a premium is often to be expected), Sony’s pricing feels is high: The 5-inch Reader Pocket Edition, $179; the 6-inch Reader Touch Edition, $229; and the Reader Daily Edition, $299.
The Daily Edition remains the only connected reader in the series, a surprising move on Sony’s part given its Amazon and Barnes & Noble competition. At the least, I was disappointed that the Touch Edition lacked Wi-Fi and an on-board store; both feel fairly compulsory at this point. My guess is that Sony’s emphasis on international sales (new additions to the country lineup include Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, and China) may have something to do with the lack of Wi-Fi and a built-in store on the Pocket and Touch Editions.

With its latest models, Sony definitely shows its still in the game. While the touch screen technology really does bring the best of both the E-Ink and LCD worlds to an e-reader, the higher price may be a deterrent that holds consumers back. On the other hand, if the idea of touch navigation–swipes to change the page, for example–is a must-have feature, the extra dollars may be worth it. See our Visual Tour of the new Readers to learn more about the each model.

Western Digital Corp., a manufacturer of external storage solutions, announced that it is already shipping the fourth generation WD Green Series, the WD20EARS (2TB) and WD15EARS (1.5 TB) drives which currently boast of the highest areal density in the industry with their 667 GB/platter 3-platter design, 64 MB cache.

As hard drive capacities increase, the power required to run those drives increases as well. WD Caviar Green drives, according to the company, allow energy-conscious customers to build systems with higher capacities and the right balance of system performance to ensure reliability while conserving energy.

The new WD Caviar Green 2TB (3-disk) offers low power consumption than current 2 TB drives in the market. WD claims to have reduced power consumption by up to 40% compared to standard desktop drives with the combination of its IntelliSeek, NoTouch, and IntelliPower technologies.

IntelliPower, according to WD, is a fine-tuned balance of spin speed, transfer rate, and caching algorithms designed to deliver both significant power savings and solid performance. IntelliSeek, meanwhile, calculates optimum speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration. While the No Touch ramp load technology makes it possible for the recording head never to touch the disk media, thus, ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media, as well as better drive protection in transit.

D-Link, a supplier of network products, has introduced the D-Link DGS-1210 Smart III Switch Series which integrates more management and security functions including D-Link’s Safeguard Engine. This feature, according to the company, enhances the robustness of the new switches and increases the overall network serviceability, reliability and availability, by taking the extra step to identify unwanted interruptions caused by viruses to prevent equipment downtime. These switches also feature the Auto Voice VLAN to ensure that bandwidth for voice-related functions on a voice-ready network is set at the highest priority.

Equipped with a complete lineup of Layer 2 (L2) features, the DGS-1210 switches include Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) Snooping which prevents the host on a local network from receiving traffic for a multicast group they have not explicitly joined, Port Mirroring, Spanning Tree which prevents bridge loops in multiple connection in a network and ensures communication remains constant, and Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) which controls the bundling of several physical ports together to form a single logical channel. The IEEE 802.3x Flow Control function allows servers to directly connect to the switch for fast and reliable data transfer.

The DGS-1210 switches are also equipped with D-Link’s “green friendly” technology that allows the devices to save power without sacrificing operational performance or functionality. By incorporating a special chipset developed by Advanced Silicon Technology, a company which specializes in high-performance and high-density full-chip layouts, this chipset supports and supplements the  DGS-1210’s firmware to allow power to be saved by link status and cable length.

The search for the best Filipino-made Websites of 2010 is on. The 12^th Philippine Web Awards (PWA) will begin accepting nominations on Sept. 1.

An annual search for outstanding Pinoy Web sites, the PWA is organized and produced by Media G8way Corporation (MGC), publisher of two of the country’s leading IT publications, Computerworld Philippines and PC World Philippines. The company is also the exclusive Philippine representative of the global IT information giant International Data Group (IDG).

First held in 1997, the PWA has recognized and honored outstanding Filipino talent and creativity in the fields of Web design and development every year for the past 11 years. For this year, the most outstanding Filipino-made Web sites will be chosen in 15 categories: Arts and Portfolio, Blogs, Celebrities and Personalities, Community and Portal, Corporate, E-Commerce, E-Government, Entertainment, E-Services, Lifestyle and Leisure, Magazines and Zines, Organizations, Personal, Schools, and SMEs.

Organizers of the 12^th PWA will soon begin talks with the new leadership of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the National Computer Center (NCC), two staunch supporters of the Awards program, for the inclusion of a special category for the Web sites of local government units (LGUs).

Called the e-LGU, this special category has been an integral part of the PWA for the last three years. It has three subcategories: e-LGU City, e-LGU Municipality and e-LGU Province.

This year, the nomination period will run from Sept. 1 to Oct. 15. The end of nominations will mark the opening of the validation round where all nominated entries shall be screened to determine whether or not they have been entered under the right category and to make sure that they comply with eligibility parameters set by the organizers.

Once declared valid, entries automatically move on to the elimination phase where a set of judges, composed of Web developers, designers and artists, shall then evaluate them according to the given criteria and narrow them down to a short list of 10 semifinalists for each category.

The list of semifinalists – from which the public can choose, through online and SMS voting, their bets for the People’s Choice Awards – will be published on the 12^th PWA Website on Nov. 3. This will kick off the semifinal round which will end on Nov. 19 with the further narrowing down of the list of hopefuls to five finalists per category.

The finals round will follow and will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 6. As in past PWAs, this round will be judged by an elite panel that will include Web design gurus and top IT journalists from overseas.

Finally, the much-awaited Awards Night will be held on Dec. 9, starting at 6 pm, in the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Below are the important dates to remember for the 12^th PWA:

Nomination Period: September 1 – October 15

Validation Round: October 16-October 18

Elimination Round: October 19 – November 2

Publication of List of Semifinals: November 3

Semifinal Round: November 3 – November 19

Final Round: November 20 – December 6

Awards Night: December 9