This one goes in the box of “things I definitely need to do.” Lifehacker has an excellent wrapup of how you can build a fully and completely automated media center; that is, not only does it automatically snag the movies and TV shows that you want to watch, but it take care of archiving itself, naming its own files, and tying it all together into a simple interface and experience that makes it easier for you to sit down in front of your HDTV with your computer connected to it just knowing that the program you want to watch is waiting for you, without having to worry about whether you downloaded it yourself, or having to spend tons of time downloading the things you want to see on your own.

The more automated you can make the process, the more time you can spend actually watching your media and enjoying it rather than getting yourself to the point where you can enjoy it.

[ Lifehacker :: Set Up a Fully Automated Media Center ]

I absolutely love Google Voice. I was skeptical about it at first, but now that I have it, and I have the app on my phone, I don’t know what I’d do without the ability to review, listen to, and archive voicemail without actually having to place a call to anyone. And while I find Google’s ability to transcribe messages still a little inaccurate, it’s getting better all the time.

I haven’t taken the leap to telling everyone to use my actual Google Voice number instead of my mobile number, and I haven’t gotten as deep into setting the app up to send certain calls to certain places or to do different things for different contact groups just yet – I’m certain I haven’t scratched the surface of Google Voice’s abilities yet. That being said though, there are lots of really cool things you can do with Google Voice, considering you can score yourself an invite.

Over at MakeUseOf there are a few really great Google Voice features you may not be aware of that are definitely worth knowing about, including making outbound calls with Google Voice, listening in on your voicemail as it’s being recorded, and even using it to record calls that you make. Check out the whole list:

[ MakeUseOf :: 5 Cool Things You Can Do with Google Voice ]

Mashable.com posted a number of beautiful free Wordpress themes lately, a topic which is near and dear to my heart. Wordpress is the backend of all of my blogs, including this one, and while I love the themes I’ve chosen, they’re only getting better over time and I love watching new ones be developed, designed, and made available to the public.

This collection of 14 themes is particularly nice, and a number of them are designed for the modern user’s display: multiple columns of data, room for ads if the blog wants to post them, and an attractive and image-heavy layout that can work for more types of sites than traditional top-to-bottom blogs. If you’re a wordpress junkie like I am, head over and check them out.

[ Mashable :: 14 Fantastic Free Wordpress Themes ]

Earlier this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft took the stage and finally announced a product that people in the mobile space have been waiting for for a long time: Windows Mobile 7, or more appropriately (since Microsoft re-dubbed the product a couple of months ago “Windows Phone,”) Windows Phone 7 Series. Windows Phone 7 will be Microsoft’s new mobile operating system, replacing the aging and unattractive Windows Mobile 6.5 that’s the mainstay of a number of enterprise-class and tech-savvy smartphones currently on the market.

Faced with stiff competition in the smartphone space from companies like Apple and Google, Microsoft was forced to come to the table with something strong or risk falling even father behind in the smartphone space – a slip that likely would have met with their downfall in the mobile marketplace. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile has never been a particularly strong OS, and the bulk of its functionality came from the fact that because it’s a Microsoft product and Exchange is also a Microsoft product, the only competition for it on the corporate side has been RIM’s BlackBerry, which unseated Windows Mobile in a huge way. Now, Windows Mobile looks dated, aged, and reminds us of an era when it’s major competition was the old Palm OS (not to be confused with Palm’s WebOS, which is on its new smartphones.)

Windows Phone 7 on the other hand, looks incredible. It’s been updated, it looks modern, it looks sleek, it’s got integration with your social networks and services, it’s got a stunning touch-screen interface, and it brings in two of Microsoft’s most successful properties to the mobile space: Zune and XBox Live. That’s right – your music and your Windows Phone 7 Series device will sync with Zune marketplace and you can snag your music from there, and your mobile gaming experience will be integrated with XBox Live. This alone proves that Microsoft means business and is rolling up its sleeves in the mobile space again.

But it’ll take more than rolled up sleeves and determination to make people abandon their iPhones and G1s for a Windows Phone 7 device.

Before we dive into why, here’s a hands-on video with Windows Phone 7 by my friend Sascha Segan at PC Magazine, who was out at the Mobile World Congress and got to see a live demo of the new operating system:

Continue reading Spinning Gears :: Thoughts on Windows Phone 7…

As you all well know, I’m a huge fan of really impressive and creative-looking workstations. Desks, home offices, you name it, I love seeing them – and this roundup of what the author called “minimalist” workstations at Webdesigner Depot is no exception. I wouldn’t call them all minimalist, but I can definitely see the contrast between these workstations and some of the huge, sprawling, multi-display, multi-computer setups that a lot of pepole have.

Most of these workstations feature one computer, maybe one or two displays, and a pretty organized workspace – a lot of them even feature some bias lighting to set the mood. Not all of them are horribly practical for anyone who uses their computer for long periods of time, but I’ll say one thing for them, they all look good.

Now then, I definitely want to get some bias lighting for my workspace.

[ Webdesigner Depot :: A Showcase of Minimalist Workstations ]

Whether you like your thumbdrives to also open beers for you or you just want them as flush to the side of your computer as possible, over at Pixelelement I noted a roundup of 10 awesome thumbdrives perfect for geeks of all tastes! Whether you love to skate, snowboard, or surf, or perhaps you’re like me and you’re an anime fan, you’ll appreciate at least one or two of the drives in the roundup.

I definitely dig the TrekStor bottle opener above, but I’m also a fan of the little Gundam USB drive in the roundup, and the Transformer (Ravage was never one of my faves, but I dig it!) – I don’t know if I’d like the Nano, just because I’d most certainly lose it.

[ Pixelelement :: 10 Awesome USB Thumb Drives for Geeks ]

VIdeo game console manufacturers, set-top box makers, and even television manufacturers are all clawing to get their hands on a partnership with Netflix or Blockbuster Online so buyers can do what they obviously want to do; stream audio and video straight to their HDTVs.

The rationale is simple – streaming Netflix and Blockbuster Online over broadband to the home has become a huge part of both companies’ business models, and clearly video on demand is the future of rented movies and material. Even Netflix’s CEO said that they expect their physical disc-mailing business to decline over the next several years as their streaming business soars.

So clearly the general public is happier with paying for temporary access to video content, whether they pay Netflix or Blockbuster Online to send them DVD or Blu-Ray discs straight to their homes, where they watch them and then return them in a mailer or they get the content streamed directly to their XBox 360 or their Boxee Box or their HTPC. We’re all comfortable with the concept that we pay a monthly fee to watch as many movies as we can stand or the mail can deliver to us, and when we’re finished watching or we send it back, the movie’s gone forever unless we want to watch it again. When we cancel our accounts with Netflix or Blockbuster Online, our access to that content is gone forever.

So, then, why isn’t the same for subscription music services? The Zune Marketplace, Rhapsody, Napster, all of those services operate using exactly the same business model, if not more generous than the video services’ are. The Zune Marketplace, for example, gives you a number of credits you can spend monthly to download and permanently own the songs you really like, instead of losing access to them if you ever terminate your account. Netflix doesn’t say every month “you’ve been such a great customer, why don’t you keep these movies from your queue, go ahead, take them,” but in order for a service like the Zune Marketplace to survive, they have to.

Why are we so okay with essentially leasing our movies from Netflix and Blockbuster Online, but we’re not okay with leasing our music from Zune Marketplace and Rhapsody in the exact same way? I have a couple of ideas, but it mostly has to do with history and perception – not functionality. Let’s dive in.

Continue reading Spinning Gears :: Why Are Rented Movies Okay but Rented Music Not?…