Cubalaya Blog US

America's Most Wanted Notebook?

Since the holiday shopping season kicked off unofficially a few weeks ago, it seems as if there is a surprise leader on the most-wanted list.  While the new Microsoft Zune, the Nintendo Wii and its newest game, Guitar Hero III, have been hard to find due to hight demand, the Asus Eee PC has been selling so fast in its first two weeks on the market that it's almost impossible to find one anywhere.  Retailers are consistently sold out; and when they do get a shipment it doesn't even make it to the shelves. 

Although it might seem bizarre that a notebook with a 7-inch screen is so popular, a closer look at the Eee makes it easier to understand its wide appeal. First off, its price tag is $400, which makes it extremely inexpensive for an ultraportable notebook.  And while its performance and hard-drive space are anything but unlimited, it still runs Linux and browses the web just fine.  Need more hard-drive space?  Just plug in a 4GB SD card and you've doubled the capacity.

Furthermore, the Eee is quite small and lightweight, coming in at around 2.4 pounds with its power adapter.  It connects quite easily to wireless networks and has a VGA port and 3 USB ports, making it easy to connect to any type of device.  And while the keyboard is tiny, it is still manageable, and with the pre-installed Open Office software it is possible to work on documents without too much trouble.

There have been over ten thousand units sold already, and the official holiday shopping season is only two days old.  And with all things considered, it's no wonder Amazon and CNET say the Asus Eee is rated the "most wanted Christmas gift among notebooks products".

Here is a short video clip of the Asus Eee:

http://www.aviadbenhorin.com/

3 Skype Mobile Phone and GPhone Updates

3, Britain's fifth-largest mobile service operator, has released a new phone with built-in Skype capability.  British phone users will be able to conduct Skype calls to other users through a dedicated button on the phone's  interface.  With this new model 3 is probably hoping to reverse its steady loss of customers over the past few years, and with an estimated 2.5 million Skype users in the UK, they just might be able to lure some of them over with the mobile VOIP option.

Supposedly the Skype service will be free to users under contract or those who fill up their prepay account regularly.  However, the SkypeOut option (placing calls at low prices to non-Skype users) will not be offered apparently, for the obvious competitive reasons.  According to the Guardian, the phone will reportedly also feature a 2MB and MP3 player with video playback as well.

TechCrunch reports that Skype has an estimated 246 million users worldwide, although only about 70 million of them are believed to be active users.  And many of the active users are not paying users, as regular Skype service is free.

In more news, Google has been talking to US wireless carriers Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (as well as Vodafone internationally) about its plans for the GPhone.  The way things are shaping out, it looks like Google doesn't want to create one special GPhone, but rather branch out and let the manufacturers use its applications for a diverse selection of devices.  Google already has an extensive list of web-based applications, such as Google Maps and YouTube, and with the recent addition of a word-processing and an excel-like application, the Internet giant has put itself more in a position to battle Windows Mobile than Apple's iPhone.

Altogether, it looks like the mobile industry is headed for some serious changes during the next year or so, with VOIP systems like Skype starting to get a foothold in the market, and Google looking to make mobile phones an open platform for developers to build lots of applications on top of.

Initially cell phones were just taking over the conventional photography. The availability of portable printers made it even easier. However, now it is being used to play the car audio as well, and this is not just the ringtones, but full songs, and hundreds of them.

Women's Blogs

A recent survey shows that 50% of Americans regularly visit blogs, and more interestingly, that more women have blogs than men, as 20% of women who regularly visit blogs have one themselves, as opposed to 14% of men.  Taking this statistic for granted, one shouldn't be surprised by the index sites for women's blogs, listing blogs on every subject from Arts to Websites.

One example of this type of site is blogher.com.  Besides reading other women's blogs, it is possible to register your own blog and add it to the database.    Blogsbywomen.org is another example, with over   5,100 blogs listed.

There are also more topic-oriented sites, such as askpatty.com, which specializes in automotive advice for women. 

This site has everything a woman needs to know about cars; there's a list of women-friendly certified dealers across the country, information about alternative fuels, an advice page for car trouble and much more.

And allwomenstalk.com specializes in fashion, style and entertainment, as it gathers  articles from popular blogs and websites for women and shows them all in one place.  This site is more trendy than the others, with a more stylish design and user interface.

Online Payment Methods

With Amazon starting its own full-blown online payment system, PayPal and its owner eBay have found a worthy competitor.  Although some people only look to Amazon as a place to get that out-of-print long-lost paperback, it has become a shopping giant for new and used items, the latter traditionally considered eBay's forte.  An online payment system makes life much easier for private merchants, allowing them to receive their payment without going through the fuss of working with the credit card companies.

But not just the merchants benefit from this kind of system- giving personal information online, especially a credit card number or an electronic check, has always been a bit risky.  Online security has improved substantially over the years, but the fear of electronic fraud has been one of the major factors in PayPal's success.  They act as the middleman between the customer and the merchant, and keep the fomer's financial data to themselves, offering a stronger sense of security, not to mention making purchases a quicker process.  In fact, eBay determined this idea so useful to its business model that it purchased PayPal in 2002. 

And then came Google Checkout.  Waiving all transaction fees through the end of 2007, Google is looking to expand its circle of merchants during the holiday season.  While still lacking many of PayPal's features, the Google has a wide range of online stores which accept Google Checkout, allows payments through a mobile phone (soon to be extended further with the GPhone?), and, unlike PayPal, has great customer service.  And looking at the recent upgrades to the Checkout service- it seems Google takes customer feedback to heart.

GPhone vs. iPhone?

Although Google executives all but deny it, a few leaks, the recent publishing of a patent, and a lot of healthy speculation can only lead one to think that the iPhone won't be alone for very long.  When given a moment's thought, it seems that Google has the right basic applications for a successful 3G, Wi-Fi-equipped mobile phone.  GMail, Google Search, Google Video, YouTube (acquired by Google last year), Google News and Google Maps can provide a strong basis for mobile phone services such as e-mail access, GPS, video playback and web-surfing.

One thing Google hasn't done yet, though, is step into the hardware world.  But rumor has it that Samsung is handling that part of the business, leaving the Internet giant free to focus on what they do best- user-friendly operating systems.  Best of all, Google might be looking to bypass the mobile service providers and traditional payments, instead enabling the customer to pay for everything from the phone bill through parking fares to vending machines through the newly patented Text Message Payment system.

Looking at the supposed design of the GPhone, it's hard not to draw comparisons with Apple's recently released iPhone.  The iPhone is quite compatible with some of Google's services and so have they recently increased the compatibility with Google on their personal computers too, but it looks like they will be in direct competition sometime next year. 

One can only expect that the GPhone, whatever qualities it may have, will probably cost less than the hefty $500 price tag of the iPhone.

Paul's Not Dead!

Are you a Beatles fan?  Are you another one among the many disappointed that most of their songs are no longer than two-and-a-half minutes each?  And are you still suspicious of Paul McCartney walking barefoot across "Abbey Road"?  If you are, we have something in common.

Even though the Anthology was released almost 12 years ago, I hadn't decided to buy it until recently.  I just figured that I already had a big enough collection of Beatles music, and that the previously unreleased tracks would not be anything special (otherwise they would have been released in the first place).

 

But the Anthology is nothing short of extraordinary.  Three double albums of some really terrific music, and the previously unreleased pieces are all worthwhile.  From "Free as a Bird" to "The End" I can only wish I had bought the Anthology long ago.

There was still one problem, though.  With Junior usually heading to bed before the sun sets, I can't use the full capabilities of my sound system.  Waking him up means a very long night for me and the Missus (not to mention incurring the wrath of said woman).

Enter the Bose QuietComfort 3 Noise Canceling Headphones.  They not only allow me to listen to the four Liverpudlians without disturbing anybody, but also let me turn into a real "Nowhere Man", where even Junior's screams can't reach me (which I'm sure my wife will make me pay for later).

 

I'd especially recommend these headphones for those of you who want to listen to music in other noise-rich environments, like on the plane or at the mall.  Don't ask me how they work; just sit back, relax, and enjoy the silence.

Buying Guides

I know I'm not an electronics genius.  I mean, how could I be one if I still have my Dad's old record player (along with some great original Beatles records by the way)?  But I decided yesterday to upgrade to a digital camera, and thank goodness I found out that cubalaya has a buying guides section, with a comprehensive digital camera guide. 

And since I've opened up to electronics, it's about time I upgraded our home entertainment system, which at the moment consists of a pre-historic 1994 model Panasonic 29'' TV.  Not to knock Ole' Sparky, but the 21st century is already 7 years old.  I am currently debating between an LCD or a plasma TV set, but, as you might have already guessed, I had no idea there was a difference between them until I read the cubalaya television buying guide.

But enough electronics talk.  Did I mention I'm looking for a new stroller?  I know that today they come with all sorts of accessories (I even heard a rumor about a built-in MP3 player!), so I was able to find a wide range of models on the stroller search page.  I'm seriously considering a jogging stroller, and maybe that MP3 player would come in handy so Junior won't have to listen to his old man huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf.