This past weekend, the DigitalLife convention was held in NYC. It features tons of companies who are on the forefront of today’s leading technologies. Some of the heavy hitters present include Sony with their PS3 game console and Microsoft showing off Windows Vista. A number of smaller companies showed up to promote their products as well. Let us take you through DigitalLife, showcasing some of our favorite companies and technologies that will blow you away!
Sony Playstation 3
The most anticipated next generation console was on the floor at DigitalLife and fully playable. After playing both “NBA Live ’07” and “Resistance: Fall of Man”, I was able to truly grasp how much power the PS3 can put out. The graphics are phenomenal, the game play is spectacular, and the lightweight Bluetooth controllers are top notch. Though it commands a high price tag of $500 or more depending on which system version you purchase, the PS3 is going to be tough for the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii to beat this year.
The PS3 being shown through a projector
NBA Live ’07
Tivo Series 3 HD Box
Tivo’s recently released Series 3 box is a 300-hour recording masterpiece. Aside from the massive amount of storage it has, the system comes with dual-tuners capable of recording two shows at once in HD while you watch a 3rd show. Dual Cable Card slots allow for multiple recording from 2 cable sources and of course it comes with tons of software-based features. HD doesn’t come cheap though; be prepared to shell out $800 for this box in stores.
Tivo Series 3
Square-Enix Final Fantasy 12
Any RPG-gamer knows by now that the Final Fantasy series from Square-Enix is the best in town. After games like Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10, you thought they couldn’t do better right? Wrong. Final Fantasy 12 is absolutely amazing. Square-Enix has truly pushed the PS2 to its limits. This game has it all: from game play, to sound, to character and level design, you will truly be amazed. The game has over 250 hours of game play according to a Square-Enix rep., so be prepared to become good friends with your couch.
The Square Enix Display
M-Audio’s Sub-$300 Home Recording Solution
Ever come up with something really good on guitar but wanted to record it and make a song out of it? You can do that now for an affordable price with M-Audio’s new “sub-$300” home recording solution. You can snap up their Session software and USB interface for $99, grab the Keystation49e MIDI keyboard for $99, and finish it up with StudioPro3 monitors for great sound. M-Audio is really trying to help amateur musicians go further with their music and this is a great way to pursue that.
The M-Audio Recording Station
Maxtor OneTouch III Hard Drive
If you have a TON of files (and I mean a ton), you’re going to want to pick up Maxtor’s new OneTouch III hard drive. Why? 1.5-terabytes for $799, that’s why. This is a great deal for a ton of storage all in one place. It features one-touch backup and some great Mac and PC software, so everyone’s covered. People who play a lot of games, edit videos, or have an expanding media collection will truly benefit the most from this, but any consumer will be amazed with what they can do with 1.5TB of space.
The 1.5 TB Maxtor OneTouch III
Victory Records
Like I said, not all exhibitors at DigitalLife are big-name technology companies. Victory Records is a great example of just that. The record label has come out strong over the past 10 years by bringing you even more hardcore, screamo, and metal bands than you can shake a stick at. They were at DigitalLife showcasing some of their bands that have ended up in video game soundtracks. It’s very cool that a smaller record label is around to promote their artists and give them the proper respect they deserve, so thanks to Victory Records for doing just that.
The Victory Records Display
Vongo
At least someone around here is doing a decent movie-download service. Vongo aims to do just that at the cost of $9.99 a month for unlimited movies to watch on your PC. Though there are some Pay-Per-View movies that will cost more, the overall cost is cheap enough to warrant the service useful to most consumers. The service currently works on Windows, but not on Mac OS X due to Apple not opening up more about their “FairPlay” DRM. Try it out though because you may be surprised at the offerings you can download and watch on the go.
Are you Vongoing?
Logitech Harmony 1000 Remote Control
Oh boy. Get ready for some serious TV control. Logitech’s new Harmony 1000 remote control blows its predecessors and other competitors out of the water. For $500 you get a touch screen remote that will allow you to control your media center and home electronics with complete ease. It comes with a re-chargeable battery too which means you won’t be dropping an additional $500 on AA batteries. One of the coolest features is the computer-based setup, which allows you to easily download settings into the remote via USB. Click here to see Digital Trends First Look on the Harmony 1000 remote.
The Logitech Harmony 1000
ITVN
For as little as $9.99 a month you can get plenty of content. There’s Starz, Encore, and other great premium channels on-demand. Plus cable channels, shows, music videos, and other great content. ITVN is offering up lots of programming through their service. Just get an ITVN box, hook it up to your broadband Internet connection, connect it to your TV, and you’re ready to go.
How smart is ITVN?
Sony Vaio TX Series Notebooks
Sony also had the new Vaio TX notebooks on display at DigitalLife. These colorful, ultra portable laptops are “Vista Ready” and full of features like a total weight of 2.8 pounds, 11.1” WXGA displays with XBRITE, DVD burners, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11g/b WiFi. As for processing and RAM, that’s up to you and how powerful you want your machine to be. Sony is offering these in many colors like lime and red, so you can get a machine that is personal to your style!
Sony Vaio TX Laptops
This Next
ThisNext claims they are a “shopcasting” site. A word like shopcasting is full of nonsense, but think of ThisNext more like a helpful shopping guide. Type in “iPod” for instance and you’ll find an iPod Nano, some cases, and other iPod-related items. The system works through people giving recommendations on different products. You can help contribute to the site by reviewing products and tagging them with words related to the product. A whole new concept of social shopping that everyone should check out.
The ThisNext website
Microsoft Windows Vista
The Operating System that’s making a lot of noise was on display at DigitalLife, both on the show floor and the press room. After spending a good 30-minutes with Windows Vista using the Aero Glass enhancements, I was impressed. Microsoft hasn’t quite gotten to the level of Mac OS X prettiness, but this new version of their popular OS is the best yet. Internet Explorer 7 works pretty decently too. There are so many features of Vista that are new it would be impossible to list them all. Just be on the lookout when it drops for consumers in Q1 of 2007.
Organize your media with Vista
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