It's official: DigitalLife postponed

As reported here first on Tuesday, the 2008 DigitalLife consumer electronics, technology and gaming expo scheduled for Sept. 25 to 28 in New York is off the calendar.

An official notice is now on the Web site and the ticket sales engine, which had been accepting orders as late as this morning, has been taken off line. The show was to be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

"After careful deliberations, we have decided to postpone the DigitalLife show scheduled for September 25-28," wrote Paul O'Reilly, vice president of the DigitalLife event, in a statement.

"The poor economic conditions have created a very different and difficult dynamic for us this year and we weren't confident that we could present a show experience that was consistent with the successes of prior years. Hopefully a bigger and stronger DigitalLife will return in 2009. We will make additional announcements about the future of the show when details are available."

Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features

All rights reserved

DigitalLife Postponed?

The DigitalLife consumer technology event scheduled for the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York has been postponed, according to sources, including exhibitors.

The event was to run Sept. 25-28, but has now been taken off the calendar, according to sources.

According to its Web site, the DigitalLife show was expected to draw 60,000 "tech enthusiasts" and 1,500 members of the press.

However, such figures might have been overly optimistic given the types of small vendors who were present at a DigitalLife press preview held earlier this summer at the Roosevelt Hotel. Many of the big names in consumer electronics and personal computing were not present at the press preview.

As of Tuesday evening, the DigitalLife Web site was still selling tickets and inviting exhibitors to participate.

Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features
All rights reserved

VAIO Up! Sony unveils all-star notebook lineup

With much of New York City's attention focused on Yankee Stadium and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities, Sony took time out Monday to move a few players in its notebook lineup off of its virtual on-deck circle and into the marketplace.

At a special press event near Times Square, Sony showed off a mix of business, multimedia and lightweight notebooks aimed at capturing the attention of different types of users.

The heavy hitter of the group is the Sony VAIO FW (above), which aims to be both big and svelte at the same time. While its 16.4-inch widescreen display is bigger than that of most notebooks, the missing six-tenths of an inch allows it to fit into a package significantly smaller than that of notebooks with 17-inch screens. At 6.4 to 6.7 pounds, it's much lighter than Sony's own VAIO AR series 17-inch-screen notebooks, which can weigh as much as 8.4 pounds.

The premium version of the VAIO FW ($1,750) comes with a Blu-ray disk drive that can output 1080p high-definition video to an external HDTV. A standard version ($1,000) comes with a rewritable DVD drive.

Sony's new utility infielder is the VAIO BZ business notebook (right), which is built for hard and frequent use. The unit (starting at $1,000) weighs less than six pounds and is housed in a magnesium alloy shell. The hard disk is protected by Sony's G-Sensor shock-detection technology, which counteracts sudden movements.


In addition to 15.4-inch screens and spill-resistant keyboards, the VAIO BZ series notebooks have fingerprint sensors, memory card ports and built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking.

On the thin, light and colorful side, the VAIO SR series of ultraportables (left, starting at $1,400) weigh just over four pounds, have 13.3 inch screens and are packaged with entertainment and media-sharing software. The units, which can be ordered with a built-in webcam, come in five colors: black, sunset pink, glossy pink, classic silver and glossy silver.

The VAIO Z series of lightweight, performance business notebooks come in carbon-fiber shells and feature 13.3 inch displays. The units come in at just over 3 pounds, have HDMI ports, can be ordered with Blu-ray disk drives and come with data-migration software so you can import data from your old computer via an online service. Like the VAIO FW and VAIO SR, the VAIO Z offers flat, slightly raised keys (see below), which, according to Sony, provides a more user-friendly typing experience.


The VAIO Z can also be ordered with a solid state drive, a feature which greatly speeds up data retrieval shortens boot-up time. A version with a standard hard disk starts at $1,800 while a unit with a solid state drive will cost about $2,300.


All of the units above are now available only or in Sony Style stores, according to Mike Abary (above), senior vice president for IT product marketing at Sony Electronics Inc.

Top and bottom photos Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features.
Other photos courtesy of Sony Electronics Inc.
Text Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features.

Stamping Out the Rising Cost of Postage

So the price of a First Class postage stamp goes from 41 to 42 cents on May 12. What can you do about it?

Go online! As of May 12, the U.S. Postal Service will offer discounts on certain types of mail if you print your own electronic postage and use printed address labels.

Read my piece from Monday's New York Daily News for more information.

And of course, let me know what you think.

Photo courtesy of Dymo
Text Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features

High Tech for the High Road

So what kind of high-tech gizmo will you plunk into your car next? No idea?

Then take a look at my piece on auto gadgets from the recent New York International Auto Show in the New York Daily News.

And of course, let me know what you think.

Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features

MGM Grand at Foxwoods: High-Tech Gamble?

The new MGM Grand at Foxwoods doesn't open its doors until May 17, but there's already a buzz over its business-friendly features and high-tech amenities.

Take a look at my piece from Sunday's New York Daily News.

And of course let me know what you think.

Photo and text Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features

Wi-Fi: Sometimes free, not always easy

A free wireless Internet connection can be pretty handy when you're out and about town or traveling. Finding it is sometimes the hard part. Why pay up to $30 a day for Wi-Fi when free--and legal--connections are easy to come by?

Take a look at my piece in the Your Money section of the March 3 issue of the New York Daily News.

If you have some tips of your own, let me know. Thanks.

Are Your Tech Tools Tough Enough?

How tough is your cell phone? Can your notebook survive a trip to the sidewalk? Whether you work outdoors or just have a permanent case of fumblefingers, there are plenty of ruggedized devices that can survived being knocked around.

Take a look at my piece in today's New York Daily News ... and let me know what you think.

CES 2008: Simple Pleasures

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show was jam-packed with sophisticated technology that could do everything except slice your bread every morning, but sometimes the best tech is the simple innovation which makes life easier without much fuss.

Luckily there were many examples of useful, but simple devices at CES and here are a handful that may be worth a glance:

Energizer Duo

The $14.99 Energizer Duo battery charger connects to either an AC outlet or to a computer's USB port and can charge two AAA or AA batteries in two to five hours, depending on size and power rating. Since many small devices, like some digital cameras, require only two batteries, the slim charger can help some mobile professionals travel a little lighter.

In addition to a set of LEDs on the outside that let you know the charging status of the batteries, you can also surf to the Duo's Web site and download a small utility which lets you see the charging status right on your computer screen. The utility is available in both Windows and Mac versions. The unit comes with two AAA batteries and an AC adapter.

Sonic Alert Portable Vibrating Alarm Clock

If you're a really deep sleeper, chances are good that you've met your match with the Sonic Alert Portable Vibrating Alarm Clock (Model SBP100ss) from Sonic Alert Inc. of Troy, Mich. When the alarm goes off, you get not only an audible alert but a surprisingly strong rattling mechanism kicks in and shakes the unit with enough force to send tremors throughout your mattress, thus bringing an abrupt end to your sleep cycle.

No the technology in the $29.95 unit is not particularly cutting edge, but anyone who has missed an important morning meeting because of a wimpy hotel alarm clock or a wake-up call that never came might appreciate the circular unit, which is just one in the company's line of Sonic Boom vibrating, flashing and/or extra-loud alarm clocks.

CES 2008: Sony's Silly Rockin' Robot: The Rolly

So what was the worst thing about the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas? The long lines? The thick crowds?

The answer: The press conferences. Many were very long on fluff and very short on substance. Minor technology advances and fair-to-middling products were trumpeted as if their introductions marked watershed moments in the history of high technology.

For example, Sony Electronics, in a glitzy press conference attended by hundreds of media representatives, literally rolled out a new digital music player which seems destined for some museum of tacky technology: The Rolly.

The best way to explain the Rolly, which will ship this spring at a price still to be determined, is to let you see the darn thing in action.



Yep, that's it: A small egg-shaped digital music player which rocks and rolls and spins with the music and has little clamshell caps at either end that pop open and snap close with the beat.

Somehow I don't foresee the day when many of these things will be scuttling across the floors of high school lunchrooms, college dorms or the platforms of commuter rail and bus stations. The target audience seem to be limited to computer geeks and audio nuts who love scaring their cats.

In Sony's press release, Steve Haber, the senior vice president of Sony Electronics' Digital Imaging and Audio Division, says that the spinning gizmo, "... isn’t just another gadget; the Rolly is a sophisticated piece of entertainment technology."

Yes, it's an interesting, er, spin on high tech, yes it has two gigabytes of flash memory, yes you can stream music to it via a Bluetooth wireless connection and, yes it can display about 700 colors as it spins around, but I still don't get it.

Do you?

Text and video Copyright 2008 Stadium Circle Features