-------------------- Sept. 13, 2004 -------------------- Further Thoughts on HDTV It's time for my regular Web chat -- surf in at 2 p.m. ET today or submit a question early - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4063E2949E17F3F5A54D20 . I'll be talking about Windows Media Player 10, the subject of my review on Sunday - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D402392949E17F3F5A54D20 , along with any other topics on your mind. (One suggestion: What happened to cause me to give halfway-positive reviews to multiple Microsoft products in a row? My reputation is in shreds.) In the meantime, I'll keep this e-letter short, limiting it to a couple of observations about the digital-TV package - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D403382949E17F3F5A54D20 we ran two Sundays ago and a review that I haven't had space to run in print. When I wrote - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4093B2949E17F3F5A54D20 that digital television is a confusing topic, I'm not sure I realized how confusing it was. During my Web chat last Monday - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4003A2949E17F3F5A54D20 , I was peppered with questions that I thought had obvious answers, such as, "Will my old TV set stop working when they shut off the analog signal in 2006 or whenever?" The answer to that one is "no." You'll be able to plug in a digital tuner of one sort or another and watch TV with the same quality and resolution as now. It won't be high-definition, though. That would require a new set. I think the basic problem with digital television is that so many of the big decisions -- from what standards would constitute "high definition" to when analog broadcasts might be shut off to what sort of copy restrictions may be built into future digital sets -- have been settled with little input from actual viewers. We all just found out about these things after the decisions were made and are still trying to figure out what they mean. On the other hand, a lot of people who wrote into my Web chat testified to the quality of their over-the-air HDTV reception. One wrote: "I have a steady diet of 12-15 HD channels from Baltimore and Washington. How could I have possibly gone wrong with this purchase? Is this Nirvana going to last, or is there some tech leap around the corner that will fill me with buyer's remorse?" If digital TV can bring even some of us back to the days of watching TV without paying a monthly bill, I will be very happy.Taking the Web on the Go I spent several weeks over this summer trying out Verizon Wireless's SuperPages 2.0 - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D408252949E17F3F5A54D20 application, a downloadable phone book program you can rent on newer Verizon cell phones. At first, this can seem like a silly idea: You can already get phone listings from a phone! By dialing 411! And talking to a real human! Ah, but that will cost you per call, while SuperPages costs $2.49 a month or $1.25 a day and offers a bit more than phone numbers and addresses. (A simpler version, with fewer options, is available for older Verizon phones.) One annoying SuperPages feature is the initial search screen, which instructed me to type "the first three letters" of a business's name -- instead of "at least the first three letters." That language led me to waste time scrolling through immensely long lists of names, when typing more letters would have saved me far more time. (The screen that invited me to type in a city's name was much clearer in this regard.) I could conduct searches by city and state, address or (most useful on a cell phone) Zip code. When this program found a business, I could press a button to call it, view a map, get driving directions or read (barely useful) reviews of restaurants. I could also add that business or person's number to the phone's address book by pressing a button. The weather feature, however, looked like an afterthought, offering no more detail than what runs on The Post's front page: the date, high and low temperatures and a short description like "mostly cloudy." SuperPages can also look for movies playing at nearby theaters, a nice extra. But when I selected a movie and asked to see theaters where it was playing, I got a strictly alphabetical listing instead of a list showing what was closest to my Zip code. The second-biggest issue here was the time it took to conduct these searches. Just loading the application took about 25 seconds, starting from an offline mode. Conducting a business-name search took another minute and change. The biggest issue was the way that SuperPages never knew where I was -- I had to enter my Zip code or street address to start a search, even though Verizon's network has a pretty good idea of where the phone might be. Verizon says it is working on adding this capability, but it needs to make sure it works reliably without compromising the reliability of the phone. You might ask why anybody would bother using this application when you can just hit a Web page and use that for your searches. But SuperPages works faster than that. Like the Sherlock and Watson programs for Mac OS X or the Mozilla Amazon Browser - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D409242949E17F3F5A54D20 , it separates Web data from the Web, putting it in a simpler, more accessible container. Services like SuperPages certainly have a bright future, if a recent personal experience is any sign. My friend Doug called me the other week from a cabin in Wisconsin -- not to say hi, but to see if I could look up some hotel information on the Web for his drive home. How did we ever live without the Internet...? -- Rob Pegoraro ([EMAIL PROTECTED] - [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) -------------------- Advertisement Get your news just the way you like it. - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D406272949E17F3F5A54D20 Add your favorite columnists and topics to a washingtonpost.com newsletter delivered to your in-box each morning. It's a free and easy way to make sure you never miss a thing. Personalize your e-mail today - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D407262949E17F3F5A54D20 and enjoy customized articles tomorrow. -------------------- Read Rob Pegoraro's HELP FILE Column Norton Plug-In Error; Worn Out Floppy Disks - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D402212949E17F3F5A54D20 (Sept. 12, 2004) Digital Camera Fragility; Windows Auto-Update on a Dial-up - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D403202949E17F3F5A54D20 (Sept. 5, 2004) Laptop FireWire Ports; Home Firewalls - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D400232949E17F3F5A54D20 (Aug. 29, 2004) More Stories - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D401222949E17F3F5A54D20 -------------------- SUNDAY'S PERSONAL TECH FEATURES FAST FORWARD Microsoft Sings a New Tune With Windows Media Player 10 - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4092D2949E17F3F5A54D20 It's amazing to see what an entrenched monopolist will do when it finally meets real competition. – Rob Pegoraro Today 2 p.m. ET: Rob Hosts Personal Tech Discussion - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4002C2949E17F3F5A54D20 A Closer Look SP2 Fights Worms, Has Bugs - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4072F2949E17F3F5A54D20 Software conflicts are not the only issue causing some users heartburn. Many people have downloaded or installed the update without a hitch, but others have not been so lucky. – By Mike Musgrove WEB WATCH Yahoo Makes A Deal With The Donald - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4082E2949E17F3F5A54D20 Fans who can't get enough of NBC's "The Apprentice" can visit a new companion Web site produced by Yahoo and watch an extra 40 minutes of video each week that will not be shown on Thursday's reality TV show. – By Leslie Walker GAME AND SOFTWARE REVIEWS Encarta 2005 Reference Library Premium DVD, Microsoft - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D404292949E17F3F5A54D20 Alohabob PC Backup, Eisenworld - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D405282949E17F3F5A54D20 DECODING DIGITAL TELEVISION To Be Picture-Perfect, a Choice of 3 - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4012B2949E17F3F5A54D20 Digital, high-definition television can be a complex enough business in its own right. But the shift from analog to digital now also means a shift from fat to flat. Your Questions Answered: Recording, Broadcast Reception, Shopping, More... - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4022A2949E17F3F5A54D20 Fast Forward: The Digital Transition - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D401552949E17F3F5A54D20 STAYING SAFE ONLINE Computer Naivete Costs a Bundle - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D402542949E17F3F5A54D20 A comment from my daughter marked the start of a large headache, one that launched an odyssey that has taken $800 and roughly 48 man-hours over nearly three weeks to end. – By Kathleen Day A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D409572949E17F3F5A54D20 Take Care to Guard Your Windows - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D400562949E17F3F5A54D20 Computer Users Need a Good Backup Plan - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D405512949E17F3F5A54D20 Skepticism Is the Message for E-Mail - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D406502949E17F3F5A54D20 When to Leave What Closed - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D403532949E17F3F5A54D20 Geek Speak - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D404522949E17F3F5A54D20 More News and Features DISCUSSION TRANSCRIPT Building EBay Businesses - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4025D2949E17F3F5A54D20 Scot Wingo, author of eBay Strategies: 10 Proven Methods to Maximize Your eBay Business, answered reader questions about the online marketplace. Washington Post columnist Leslie Walker was his host. (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 9) FROM REAL ESTATE Plugged Into the Market - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4035C2949E17F3F5A54D20 Tech-conscious home sellers and buyers are becoming more common. They expect their real estate agents to wield all the latest tech toys on the market. They refuse to work with any agent who doesn't regard technology as a necessary ally. (Post, Sept. 12) THE POKER CRAZE Poker's Popularity Proves a Hot Hand for Gaming Industry - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4005F2949E17F3F5A54D20 Poker is on fire, its popularity fanned by a combination of television, technology and, for some, the allure of big money. (Post, Sept. 6) .COM Spreading Knowledge, The Wiki Way - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4015E2949E17F3F5A54D20 One of the Internet's more fascinating social experiments was born at a time when it seemed all the dot-coms were dying. Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia started in January 2001, has since surprised Web watchers by maturing into a popular reference site. (Post, Sept. 9) GAMING DISCUSSION PBS: The Video Game Revolution - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D407592949E17F3F5A54D20 Greg Palmer, producer, writer and host, was online to discuss the documentary. (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 9) THE DOWNLOAD Executives Plan Online Memorial To 9/11 Victims - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D408582949E17F3F5A54D20 The Living Memorial, announced in New York, was conceived by Monica Iken, who lost her husband, a bond trader, in the attacks on the World Trade Center. (Post, Sept. 9) THE FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY Pirated Goods Swamp China - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4045B2949E17F3F5A54D20 China last Monday touted the impact of a recent crackdown on pirated goods, seeking to mollify criticism from the United States that it has done little to curb the brazen and widespread sale of such things as illegally copied Hollywood films, fake auto parts and pharmaceuticals. (Post, Sept. 7) E-Music 'F' Is for File Sharing - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4055A2949E17F3F5A54D20 Colleges throughout the region, faced with cease-and-desist letters and straining bandwidth resources, have stepped up their efforts to curtail students' illegal downloads of copyrighted music. (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 9) House Panel Moves to Criminalize Spyware, Net Piracy - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D404452949E17F3F5A54D20 FROM HEALTH A Hands-Off Approach - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D405442949E17F3F5A54D20 Since the mid-1980s, high-tech devices that "hear" what a user says and turn the spoken word into electronic text have held out promise to amputees, upper-body paraplegics and others unable to type or manipulate a mouse. (Post, Sept. 7) REVIEWS Bonus Points - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D402472949E17F3F5A54D20 This week: "Strangers on a Train" ON THE WIRES Atari to Reissue Scores of Old Games: - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D403462949E17F3F5A54D20 Atari wants to take you back in time, and to get there, you can ride a "Centipede" or an "Asteroid," or bounce back and forth between the pixilated paddles of "Pong." (AP, Sept. 8) Review: 'Political Machine': - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D408412949E17F3F5A54D20 Political couch potatoes who can't get enough of the impending presidential election will find endless fun with "The Political Machine." (AP, Sept. 8) INTERACTIVE GUIDE 2004 Laptop Guide - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D409402949E17F3F5A54D20 Check out reviews of five laptop models from Apple, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba. Also included are key stats -- price, processor and memory, storage, communications, expansion and support -- on each model. Rob Pegoraro's Laptop Column: The Rightness of Lightness - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D406432949E17F3F5A54D20 Feature Story: Muscle Laptops Dominate a Market That's on Hold - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D407422949E17F3F5A54D20 washingtonpost.com's RSS Refining Paperless News - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4054D2949E17F3F5A54D20 Instead of wearing out your Web browser's "refresh" command to check for the latest updates, a Really Simple Syndication program can fetch the news for you. (Post, March 14) Sign-up for free washingtonpost.com RSS feed - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4064C2949E17F3F5A54D20 -------------------- Read Rob Pegoraro's Past E-Letters Let's Talk About Computer Security - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4034F2949E17F3F5A54D20 (Aug. 16, 2004) Microsoft Completes XP Upgrade - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4044E2949E17F3F5A54D20 (Aug. 9, 2004) Calling Out the Copy Controllers - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D400492949E17F3F5A54D20 (Aug. 2, 2004) More Stories - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D401482949E17F3F5A54D20 -------------------- Personal Tech Reviews and Features Main Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4074B2949E17F3F5A54D20 Desktop PCs - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4084A2949E17F3F5A54D20 Digital Cameras - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D407752949E17F3F5A54D20 DVD and Video Reviews - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D408742949E17F3F5A54D20 E-Music - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D405772949E17F3F5A54D20 Games - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D406762949E17F3F5A54D20 Handhelds/PDAs - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D401712949E17F3F5A54D20 Home Entertainment - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D402702949E17F3F5A54D20 Internet Service Providers and WiFi - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D409732949E17F3F5A54D20 Laptops - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D400722949E17F3F5A54D20 Wireless Phones and Plans - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4087D2949E17F3F5A54D20 Columns and Special Reports Rob Pegoraro's Help File - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4097C2949E17F3F5A54D20 Leslie Walker's .com - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4067F2949E17F3F5A54D20 Cynthia L. Webb's Filter - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4077E2949E17F3F5A54D20 Shannon Henry's The Download - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D403792949E17F3F5A54D20 Cybersecurity - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D404782949E17F3F5A54D20 The War on Spam - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4007B2949E17F3F5A54D20 -------------------- E-Mail Newsletter Services To sign up for additional newsletters or get help, visit the E-mail Preferences Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D4017A2949E17F3F5A54D20 To unsubscribe, visit the E-mail Preferences Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT044D409652949E17F3F5A54D20 (do not reply to this e-mail). For feedback, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Technology Newsletter . For advertising information, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Newsletter Feedback . 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