Audiophiles have long argued that vinyl records offer better sound quality compared to CDs or MP3s, but their stoic loyalty in the face of change was seen as little more than nostalgia over the 25 years digital recordings has dominated the music industry. In recent years, however, sales of LPs -- that's short for long-playing records -- have more than doubled online and are regaining overall market share, thanks to new converts looking for more than they can find in an MP3 selling for 99 cents online. …mehr
Back when I was a Palm Centro owner, I used the excellent freeware app to turn Brendan Benson's "Spit It Out" into my ringtone. But when I upgraded to an , I discovered that charges 99 cents for ringtones--even if you already own the song. …mehr
Imagine how different the tech industry might have been had Gary Kildall accepted IBM's offer, back in 1980, to license his computer operating system for a top-secret project. CP/M would have been the OS that shipped with the original IBM PC, and the world might never have heard the name of Kildall's competitor, who eventually accepted the contract: a Mr. Bill Gates. …mehr
BBCReader from bears a passing resemblance to the for the iPhone and iPod touch. Both apps have similar interfaces--the day's top stories appear on the first screen, with headlines, short blurbs and small images scrolling down the left-hand side of the screen. Both apps are content-rich, with sections coving a broad spectrum of world news, health, technology, business and entertainment. And both apps are interminably slow to load. …mehr
Rich Internet application (RIA) development didn't used to be a heavyweight competition. Just a few short years ago, when developers wanted to create a browser experience beyond the ordinary -- to incorporate sophisticated dashboards or jazzy special effects, for example -- they could draw from a handful of obscure and fledgling tools. The were still coming together. Even the showed their youth. …mehr
In this age of "sandbox" games, multiplayer online whatever, and user-generated content, sometimes, you just want to sit back and blow some... stuff... up. The whimsically named free game allows you to do just that, with class vector-style graphics and a few nifty gameplay enhancements. …mehr
Not too long ago, I had lunch with a graphic designer acquaintance and fellow Mac cultist who bemoaned the mediocrity of so many iPhone apps. "They don't look like they're Apple quality," he complained. "They're so dull and drab. They're boring!" …mehr
Zune owners now have a fix for their failing devices thanks to Microsoft that has posted instructions on how to start the new year off with a working digital music player. Yesterday causing the digital music players to lock up, reboot themselves, and freeze. Zune users are calling Micorosoft screw-up "Zune 2K9," a reference to the . The problem was caused by the Zune's internal clock and its inability to handle leap years, according to Microsoft. …mehr
Cisco has won much attention from consumer news sites since the New York Times Monday that the networking giant at CES next week is a digital stereo system that can move music wirelessly around a house, among other consumer offerings. But analysts and pundits say there are hurdles that Cisco must overcome in a market where Cisco is an unknown brand. Pundits also point to similar offerings from Sonos, Logitech and Apple. …mehr
Imagine if the classic games The Lost Vikings, Lemmings, and Super Mario World were thrown into a blender. The result would be , a cute and clever puzzle platform game starring little tomato-like creatures called Rolandos. …mehr
Nintendo, Sony: Let's talk for a sec--just you and me. Look, guys, over the past couple of years, you've had a great run. Nintendo, your DS has tons of games, a wide variety of unique stuff that's a blast to play. Sony, your PSP is a gadget-lover's gaming tool, with everything from Skype to Internet-radio support (oh, yeah, and you have some cool games, as well). But unless you both do something in 2009, the iPhone and iPod Touch will soon become the top dogs in handheld gaming. …mehr
Today's hint is tangentially related to OS X, in that it uses iTunes, but it will really be of interest only to Apple TV owners. One of my issues with the Apple TV has been the inability to easily organize my movies, leading to a long list of entries in the My Movies section of the interface. As of Apple TV's 2.3 software update, however, that problem has been solved. You can now arbitrarily group movies into folders, just by adding a certain tag in iTunes. So instead of seeing the 19 separate entries for your James Bond movies, you can instead see a James Bond folder at the top level. Navigate into that folder on the Apple TV, and you'll find the individual movies. To me, this makes the My Movies interface a lot cleaner and easier to navigate. …mehr
provides quick and free access to videos and photos from sites such as Flickr, YouTube, Smugmug and others. You can finger-flick though the landscape-view grid of thumbnails until something catches your eye, and then tap that particular pic or video to zoom in. …mehr
Picture this: You're gearing up to create a killer playlist on your 30GB Zune for your annual New Year's bash. All of a sudden, your , reboots itself, and freezes. What the heck is going on? …mehr
What is it about the Wii and video games and screaming kids that fascinates us? I'd sure love to ask the 108,911 folks who've viewed the YouTube clip below. …mehr
At last year's Macworld Expo, I , a tool from that adds power to OS X's Spotlight search facility. In particular, I liked that HoudahSpot allowed me to add columns to the search results, something you still can't do in the 10.5 version of Spotlight. With Thursday's release of version 2.3.1, HoudahSpot gains new capabilities, a welcome appearance change, and a 15-day trial period, and a new $25 price point (down from roughly $30 before). Previous trial versions of HoudahSpot were restricted to 20 searches; the new time-based trial will let you get a real feel for HoudahSpot's abilities before making a purchase decision. …mehr
New Year's is a great occasion for taking pause to reassess priorities, needs, and wants. As we enter what looks to be a trying 2009, such a pause is even more critical. IT resources will be limited and business pressures higher. But that doesn't mean you withdraw or go into reactive mode. In tough times, being clear on your priorities is even more important, as everything you do is more critical. So InfoWorld asked its CTO Council member and its cadre of expert contributors for their top New Year's resolutions to give the tech industry a list that we hope will help you make the most of your 2009 priorities. …mehr
Suppose you use Microsoft Office's Entourage to maintain your list of contacts and calendar appointments? Further suppose you wish to sync these data with your iPhone or with your MobileMe account. Can you do it? Yes. …mehr
Intel's new quad-core Core i7 processors were only launched in late November, but desktop systems featuring the CPUs--from the likes of Dell, Falcon Northwest, Micro Express, and others--have already made an impact on PC World's Top 10 charts. …mehr
The world has been clamoring for this one for awhile. And what better way to start the new year then by playing around with the Dev Team's newest creation--an official unlock for the iPhone 3G. We'll run through the basics of this wonderful little tool and show you exactly how you can jailbreak and unlock your phone. You'll be able to run as many third-party applications as you want on your device. And more importantly, you'll be able to use your iPhone on any cell phone carrier you want. …mehr
World of Warcraft, Tetris, and the PlayStation 2 make strange bedfellows, but they each topped Nielsen's of popular media trends in the U.S. World of Warcraft's a no-brainer on the PC games chart. But what about 's twenty-some-year-old Tetris for mobiles? And are people really still playing the PS2? …mehr
I don't know about you, but I like to listen to background music while I work. It drowns out ambient chatter, helps me focus on the task at hand, and really eliminates any distractions that might cause me to lose focus. Trouble is, when a song I like comes on via iTunes' shuffle mode--or worse, when a song I hate comes on. Suddenly, I'm either singing along or diving for the iTunes fast-forward button--in other words, not focusing on the task at hand. …mehr
is the final installment in Spiderweb Software's Geneforge saga, a series of fantasy-themed role-playing games. The Geneforge saga features enriched story lines, open-ended gameplay, and multiple endings, but lacks graphical sophistication or a quality soundtrack. With Geneforge 5, the developers have crafted a strong ending note to the series, but the game's main problem is also its main selling point: it looks and plays like a game released 15 years ago. …mehr
What would the ultimate full-size laptop need to include to convince you to ditch your desktop for good? Our dual-screen laptop concept merges some of the best tech from Apple, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Toshiba, and others, along with some old-fashioned "if only" whimsy. Read on for the full parts list, and let us know what you think. …mehr
Free--it's my favorite word. It's probably the most popular word found in advertising to get you to buy something. But has free ever really meant free? The catch is usually that you have to buy something in order to get something else free. Or maybe you have to agree to give up your personal information, forever dooming you to junk mail, to get that free hotel stay in Vegas. …mehr
Staying in shape is really about two things. First you have to find an aerobic activity that you enjoy, or at least don't consider drudgery. And second you have to find a diet that is healthful, but not so boring and restrictive that you can't stay on it. This article is about cool technology that can help you discover, embark on, and stick with the exercise and diet regimens that are right for you. So here we go. …mehr
No matter how calm and cool it may look on the outside, your PCs could be hot on the inside. As you add more power--and more pieces of hardware--to your PC, the hotter it tends to run. And heat can cause serious damage to your computer's components. Touching the case or listening for fans isn't the best way to judge the true temperature of your system; you need internal help from a utility like . …mehr
Spam, oh spam -- can we ever get rid of you? 2008 saw a to the endless sea of junk mail, but the relief . Now, spam experts say new forms of annoyances are on the way for the new year. …mehr
Windows lost nearly a full percentage point of market share for the second month in a row in December, pushing 's operating system to a new low, an Internet measurement company reported yesterday. …mehr
can put system monitors, news displays, and other widgets on your desktop. Its resource-usage widget in particular looks good and offers good info. That said, Rainmeter in its current form is meant mostly for techies. …mehr
Predicting the future ain't easy. That's why astrologers and fortune tellers tend to keep their forecasts as vague as possible. But in the high-stakes world of high technology, the future belongs to those who see it coming well in advance. …mehr
We had a sneaking suspicion it was so, and now we know for sure: Our readers are a savvy bunch. The stories that you liked this year also happen to be some of our favorites, too. Here's a list of PC World's most popular stories of 2008. …mehr
