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Best Buy Working on a Rocketfish Tablet

Best Buy’s CTO and Geek Squad founder, Robert Stephens has just piqued our interest today after tweeting some pics of a Rocketfish tablet. In case you haven't spent any time in the big box electronics chain, Rocketfish is Best Buy's in-house brand for various accessories. But a Best Buy tablet? There are a few things this might be, some of them pretty exciting.

There are a fair number of similarities to the HP Slate, at least superficially. The ports seem to be the same, and the design is similar. So it's possible this tablet is being manufactured by HP. It would be a cunning way for HP to test the markets. They said the HP Slate would be a business only product, but they didn't say anything about a Rocketfish-branded, HP-built tablet. If this device fails, consumers will chalk it up to Best Buy, not HP. 

But what OS is this tablet running? The obvious answer is Windows 7, just like the Slate. But HP did acquire Palm for webOS. But would they really debut a webOS tablet under someone else's brand? While webOS is a long shot, Stephens did let it slip a while back the company was working on an Android 2.2 tablet. What's your take on this?

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Top of Mind: The Subscription is Optional My Ass!

Welcome to the first edition of my new column, Top of Mind, in which I’ll discuss a variety of issues percolating at the top of my brain. Some topics will be from the news, others will spring from my life as a tech geek, and many will be related to my day-to-day work as reviews editor here at Maximum PC.

One trend that’s been bugging me lately is the proliferation of products that come with subscription plans attached. I’ve recently encountered three examples where subscriptions are ostensibly optional, but where much of the product’s value and appeal vaporizes if you don’t pony up for the subscription.

Read more after the jump.

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Logitech Alert Video Surveillance System Review

We’re long-time fans of Logitech’s Wi-Life security cameras—we’ve used them to remotely monitor Maximum PC Lab North since the home was built in 2007. Now we can’t wait to retire that system and replace it with Logitech’s all-new and vastly superior Alert system.

Logitech wisely carried forward everything we dug about the old Wi-Life product line: The cameras (there are indoor and outdoor models) are equipped with customizable motion sensors, they can be programmed to record video when those sensors are activated, and the software sends alerts via email (or a message to your phone) with video clips attached.

Continue reading after the jump.

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Monsoon Multimedia Announces Slingbox Killer

When it comes to place-shifting—streaming live TV content from your set-top box to a PC or mobile device somewhere else in the world—most people think of Sling Media and the Slingbox. Monsoon Multimedia offered a competing product as early as 2007—but you’ve probably never heard of the Hava Wireless HD (unless you read our review).

We haven’t heard much from Monsoon over the past few years, but today they announced a new a brand-new place-shifter with an equally odd name: The Vulkano. Monsoon is making some pretty big promises for this device; if they can deliver, the Vulcano could become a breakthrough product when it ships in August.

 

 

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Best Buy Has No Sense of Humor, Wants to Fire Employee Over YouTube Video

Young Brian Maupin of Kansas City made a hilarious video on YouTube that over a million people viewed (check out the vid here). The only problem is that Brian also works at Best Buy, and Best Buy has no sense of humor. The videos in question poke a little fun at Apple and the iPhone. Best Buy feels the video disparages a product that it sells, as well as the electronics retailer itself. Heaven forbid your employees have opinions about gadgets that they express in their spare time. Brian is now suspended indefinitely and is probably on the way to unemployment.

The most popular video has a customer at "Phone Mart" insisting that the only phone he (or she, the cartoon is indistinct) wants is the iPhone. Even after being told the Evo 4G could print money and grant wishes, the customer still wanted the iPhone because it has "the Wi-Fis". The weird thing here is that the videos say nothing about Best Buy, and Brian does not announce himself as a Best Buy employee. Indeed, the only connection Best Buy has to these videos is the one it has created for itself by perusing this. Maupin is taking the whole thing in stride saying, " I see it all as a blessing in disguise. I’ve wanted to start my career in graphic design/animation for so long, I see this as my kick in the pants to go get it."

Brian suspects Best Buy figured out who he was by digging through his other videos, which he removed at Best Buy's request. He refused to remove the Evo vs iPhone video as it had nothing to do with Best Buy. We wish him the best in his future video endeavors, and shake our collective fist at Best Buy.

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New Amazon Kindle Jobs Could Mean New Device

Despite releasing a Kindle app for the iPad, Amazon isn't giving up on their own hardware just yet. Lab 126, the Amazon department responsible for the Kindle hardware, has been on a hiring spree as of late. Many of the new positions are for testing and product creation. This indicates that Amazon may be readying new hardware.

This is further evidenced by their recent acquisition of Touchco, a touchscreen technology startup. Sources at Amazon that could not speak on record also indicated Amazon is working with publishers to discuss adding games to the Kindle platform. This could signal a direct assault on the iPad.

It's clear the Kindle needs to evolve. Compared to the iPad, it's looking a little dated considering the current price of $260. Even though the Kindle is meant for only one thing, we feel like it could stand to gain a few new features. It doesn't have to compare spec for spec with the iPad, but it has to change or risk obsolescence.

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Majority of Amazon Sales Now Come from Non-media Items

In a time long ago, Amazon was a book seller. They've continued to sell paper books while becoming the leader in ebooks, but they also sell a multitude of other products. In the past, most of Amazon's business was selling media like books, music, and movies. Now those "other" products make up the majority of the online retailer's sales. The news came in Amazon's earnings call today when it was also announced that they smashed projections by rocking a 46% revenue increase over last year.

Overall, Amazon took in $3.43 billion in sales from media, and $3.51 billion from everything else. Many analysts have expected this so-called "inversion point" to occur eventually. Amazon benefits from this in that they have a solid buffer in the face of the changing media landscape. It's no secret that Amazon liked having the eBook business all to themselves, but they'll never have that kind of comfortable perch again.

Certainly people are buying all sorts of things from Amazon. What are getting there? Still just books and DVDs? Or have you started buying your electronics from Amazon as well?

amz

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Microsoft Kin Takes Fifteen Minutes to Refresh Notifications

Microsoft's new Kin phones are heavily integrated with social networks and Redmond's new cloud service. The story that Microsoft was really pushing  at the event was that the Kin phones will allow users to stay in touch by pulling in all their social networking notifications. But after further clarification from Microsoft, it looks like those notifications will be delayed by as much as 15 minutes.

Microsoft claims that battery life and poor API support from social networks are to blame. While we can certainly see that as a possibility, something just doesn't sit right. According to Engadget (and we agree), this could have something to do with Verizon and their 3G pricing. Big Red recently institute a $10 per month data fee for most non-smartphones. This move could be meant to get a sweeter deal from Verizon, thus keeping the Kin One and Kin Two financially in reach for teens.

Microsoft points out there is a manual refresh button to update all that social whatnot. At this point there are no other 3G restrictions we're aware of. However, these phones have passable web browsers, so perhaps Verizon still intends to limit them to a 25MB monthly cap like seen in the $10 plan. maybe these phones will even be subject to that charge, and the notification compromise was just to avoid the requirement of a full data plan.

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New Survey Shows Touch Screen Smartphones Users are More Satisfied

Two new J.D. Power surveys have shown that consumer satisfaction is highest among those that use touchscreen smartphones. On a scale of 1000 points, touchscreen phones scored 771. Traditional feature phones weren’t far behind though, with a rating of 756. Apple’s iPhone is obviously included in the touchscreen category, and its 810 rating pulled up the smartphone average. In fact, Apple came out first in overall satisfaction. Though, RIM did well too with a score of 741.

Participant in the survey were asked to rate their phone’s ease of operation, operating system quality, features, design, and battery power. Feature phone users did not have to answer questions about their phone’s operating system, because – well, none of them are very good. The survey also found that people are sharing media at ever increasing rates. Over 50% of respondents with smartphones said they share pictures, music, or video with friends on their phone.

When it comes down to it, is it really that surprising that people spending significantly more money on phones are happier with them? It seems likely that at least some feature phone users are hankering for a smartphone. If you have a smartphone, how do you feel about it?

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Image via JD Power

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Day 74: Droid Outsells iPhone and Google Nexus One

Flurry Analytics offers real time data to developers about how consumers use their mobile applications. Any application that uses Flurry Analytics rats out its user to an app developer, and at the same time provide some data about the smartphone community. Working their magic on the data they’ve received, Flurry says the Motorola Droid is one very popular phone.

Flurry says that 80 percent of all iPhone OS and Android devices use these reporting analytics. From this Flurry is able to make some educated guesses about the nature of the smartphone marketplace. And in that marketplace Flurry says Motorola’s Droid’s first 74 days moved more units than Apple’s iPhone did during that same period of time 1.05 million to 1.0 million. Flurry uses 74 days because that’s when Apple reported the iPhone’s reaching the 1 million units sold mark. While better after 74 days, the Droid has a ways to go to catch up to the 42.5 million iPhones sold.

Bad news here, though, is that not all Android phones are being as well received. During its first 74 days (actually 70 plus some extrapolation), Google’s Nexus One has move only 0.135 million units. Flurry ascribes the poor showing of the Nexus One to “unconventional choices in marketing, pricing and distribution.”

There’s a lot of other issues involved here, which make a precise comparison difficult. Flurry readily acknowledges such issues. However, what does seem apparent is Nexus One, despite the hype and anticipation, isn’t catching on--at least not just yet.

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