The Connected Traveler: Lunch@Piero's

Kwan Lee, MIT Media Lab - Viral Radios

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:44:30 GMT

Kwan Lee, MIT Media Lab
Imagine a bottom-up world where phones and computers talk to one another, creating their own network, with no cellphone providers and no phone bills. Ma Bell must be soiling her knickers over schemes like Fluid Voice from MIT Media Lab. In cases such as Hurricane Katrina or the earthquake in India and Pakistan, however, lives might have been saved with such an instant communications infrastructure. Kwan Lee of MIT spoke with us about "viral radios".
LISTEN MP3

From Digital to Diesel - Chuck Tannert, Senior Editor, Cargo Magazine

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 01:17:14 GMT

Chuck Tannert, Senior Editor, Cargo Magazine
Chuck, who is Cargo' s Automotive Editor, tells us what is new in tech on the dashboard and under the hood as our conversation strays from digital to diesel.
LISTEN MP3

WorldVibrations - Radio Station & Podcaster in-a-Box

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:44:35 GMT

WorldVibrations
Radio Station & Podcaster in-a-Box
The WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster is a professional-quality, studio-silent broadcast/podcast appliance the size of a VCR that can make anyone a broadcaster. It combines podcasting with a fully-automated or live internet radio station that can also, if licensed, feed a radio transmitter. The WVRS-P make is easy for podcasters to integrate their shows into a 24x7 radio format and for broadcasters, mobile content producers, musicians, schools or hobbyists to do internet radio and podcasts on the same unit. The WorldVibrations Radio Station was used to broadcast the “Live at Piero’s” show. Pat Meier-Johnson herself interviews WorldVibrations creator Russ Johnson.
www.worldvibrations.com
LISTEN MP3

ZVOX AUDIO - All-In-One-Cabinet Virtual Surround Audio System

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:39:19 GMT

ZVOX AUDIO
All-In-One-Cabinet Virtual Surround Audio System
ZVOX Audio showed the ZVOX Mini, an all-in-one-cabinet high-performance audio system with virtual surround sound for use with iPODs, LCD TVs, laptop PCs, portable DVD and CD players, MP3 player, PCs TV or game consoles. Providing unbelievably big, lifelike, realistic, room-filling sound, the ZVOX Mini blows the socks off conventional home theater in-a-box devices. ZVOX AUDIO also showed its PortaParty carrybag for the ZVOX Mini and rechargeable battery with pockets to store and connect MP3 or CD players to the Mini without removing them from the bag. We sounded out ZVOX President Tom Hannaher for details.
www.zvoxaudio.com
LISTEN MP3

United States Communities Association - Broadband Sandards for Communities

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:31:14 GMT

United States Communities Association (US-CCA)
Communities-Driven Broadband Access Association
The US-CCA is a communities-driven broadband access association with a mission of helping communities establish broadband/connectivity goals, establishing standardized residential/commercial wiring models, as well as the promotion of community broadband as the fifth utility.

Founded in 2005, the US-CCA brings communities together to share and build referential models of public and public/private partnerships, standards forums, as well as the ability to build and promote their communications assets for community use and business development. We talked with Tom Henderson, one of US-CCA's founders.
www.us-cca.org
LISTEN MP3

Telling Stories - Personal Storytelling Software

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:25:57 GMT

Telling Stories Inc.
Personal Storytelling Software
See your own life story evolve before your eyes. The newest Telling Stories Deluxe personal storytelling software creates personal histories of family members, rich with scanned pictures, sounds, home movies, recorded interviews and videos. Play back on DVD, the Web, or even a video-capable mobile phone. The new Telling Stories Deluxe works alone or easily integrates with MyFamily.com’s Family Tree Maker®, the world’s most popular genealogy software. Great for weddings, reunions, anniversaries, baby’s first year and other milestones or for creating oral and visual histories with elders. Telling Stories' Seth Socolow tells us the story.
www.tellingstories.com
LISTEN MP3

TelEvolution - PhoneGnome™ VoIP-Enables Your Landline

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:14:41 GMT

TelEvolution
VoIP-Enables Your Landline
PhoneGnome™ is a revolutionary voice technology product, developed by TelEvolution, Inc. TelEvolution created PhoneGnome™ to utilize the flexibility, control and power of the Internet within the VoIP framework, making phone calls free, just like email. PhoneGnome™ transparently joins Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with a customer's existing Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) service. PhoneGnome™ owners then are free to make Internet and PSTN telephone calls from their traditional telephone, dialing ordinary telephone numbers the same way they always have.
www.phonegnome.com
LISTEN MP3

Sonare Technologies - Sound-Management Solutions for Voice Privacy

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:05:13 GMT

Sonare Technologies, A Herman Miller Company
Sound-Management Solutions for Voice Privacy:
Sonare Technologies, a Herman Miller company, demonstrated a functioning prototype of its next generation Babble product. The award-winning version of Babble launched in June 2005 provides voice privacy for phone conversations. The next version will provide voice privacy for face-to-face conversations. Sonare approaches the sound of voice as a design element to be managed, rather than eliminated. Committed to providing the most innovative sound-management solutions, Sonare is taking a fresh approach to confidentially and security. We interviewed Sonare's Bill DeKruif.
www.sonaretechnologies.com
LISTEN MP3

Sennheiser: Headphones for Virtually Any Applications

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:53:20 GMT

Sennheiser Electronic Corporation
Headphones for Virtually Any Application
For over 60 years, Sennheiser has been the acknowledged world leader in microphone and headphone technology, and most recently in the expanding telecommunication industry. This year at Piero's, Sennheiser featured the CX 300 stereo ear-canal headphones - ideal for use with MP3, CD, MD or DVD players as well as the BW 900 Bluetooth® office headset with "adaptive intelligence". Sennheiser also demoed its latest sport, audiophile, wireless, home entertainment and in-flight headphones, along with its newest VoIP headsets with Skype™ to make FREE internet calls almost anywhere in the world! We talked with Sennheiser's Eric Palonen.
www.sennheiserusa.com
LISTEN MP3

S3 Graphics - Cool-running Hi-Def Graphics Processor & Cards

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:36:35 GMT

S3Graphics Inc.
Cool-running Hi-Def Graphics Processor and Cards
S3Graphics demonstrated its ChromeS27 system boasting powerful new video processing capabilities as well as superb 3D performance. ChromeS27 is a performance driven, feature-rich graphics processor enabling an authentic Hi-Def™ visual experience, while still maintaining low power consumption for low noise designs.

S3Graphics also showcased a dual graphics card technology demonstration of its latest MultiChrome™ technology. MultiChrome is open platform and cable free, enabling two Chrome S27 cards or GPUs to operate together to provide additional game acceleration on any motherboard with suitable PCI Express slots. We interviewed S3s Nadeem Mohammad.
www.s3graphics.com
LISTEN MP3

One Voice Media Center Communicator - Voice Navigation for Windows XP Media Center

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:29:42 GMT

One Voice Technologies
Voice Navigation for Windows XP Media Center:
Version 2.0 of One Voice Technologies' Media Center Communicator™ (MCC™) offers the perfect complement to Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005. Media Center Communicator revolutionizes the digital home experience by allowing you to talk to your Media Center PC with no voice training required! Media Center Communicator offers you the ability to transform your living room into the most advanced entertainment, multimedia and communications center imaginable. Ideal for voice command navigation of Media Center slide shows, recording TV, selecting and playing music, reading and sending e-mail, sending SMS text messages, video chat and VoIP. We spoke with One Voice president Dean Weber.
www.onev.com/mcc/
LISTEN MP3

Netmax Communications - Smart Professional Digital Filing Station

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:18:16 GMT

Netmax Communications
Smart Professional Digital Filing Station:
NetMax demonstrated WebVAULT, the "Smart Professional Digital Filing Station." WebVAULT stores-and-supports professional personal contact-data or small business files and their use on a protected filing station that combines site-resident storage for wired-or-wireless synchronization to SmartPhones, PDAs, PCs, MACs, and Linux desktops with high security web and network access. All data/files are offloaded to WebVAULT central storage - integrating these to files, directories or sub-directories. As a Smart Professional Digital Filing Station, WebVAULT supports the filing/access of data and important files for the professional user, centralizing, synchronizing, and managing (and sharing) their files from anywhere. We talked to Frank Berko of Netmax.
www.netmax.com
LISTEN MP3

Logic Supply - Mini-ITX Solutions & Perimeter Firewalls

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:04:36 GMT

Logic Supply, Inc.
Mini-ITX Solutions, Perimeter Firewalls:
Logic Supply is a leading distributor and developer of fanless and embedded solutions based on VIA's mini-ITX mainboard. Its engineering division has recently finished development on the Perimeter™ line of firewalls. Based on VIA EPIA mainboards and open-source m0n0wall software, these firewalls offer an excellent price-performance ratio and the kind of flexibility and feature set ideal for small and medium sized businesses, Perimeter firewalls take full advantage of the small size, quiet operation and energy efficiency of the VIA mini-ITX hardware. We spoke with Logic Supply's Roland Groenwald.
www.logicsupply.com
LISTEN MP3

Linspire Desktop Linux Operating System

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:58:17 GMT

Linspire
Linspire Desktop Linux Operating System
Linspire showed a variety of machines pre-installed with the top-rated affordable Linspire desktop Linux operating system including:
- Linspire mini: Offered through the channel by AOpen for system builders to configure and offer with Linspire desktop Linux, this exciting Mac mini-like form factor weighs in at a low $399 price point.
- KooBox Line - A new line of well-appointed yet value-priced computers pre-installed with Linspire desktop Linux.
- Systemax/Tiger Direct Build-to-Order machines - Low price point, high-performance customizable Linux boxes that have been getting great reviews.
www.linspire.com
LISTEN MP3

Khronos Group - Compatible Standards for Mobile Media

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:48:43 GMT

Khronos Group
Mobile Development Environment
Mobile phones are rapidly morphing into powerful, media-capable computing platforms which will drive increased revenue from premium handsets, advanced handheld applications and multi-user network data services. The Khronos Group is creating a royalty-free application development platform for the authoring and acceleration of advanced dynamic media on handheld, console and embedded devices.

At CES 2006 Khronos announced the public availability of several new specifications in this mobile media ecosystem – and is also announcing a new platform initiative - OpenKODE™ - to define a complete coherent mobile development environment. We spoke with Neil Trevett of the Khronos Group.
www.khronos.org
LISTEN MP3

Ituner VoomPC Car PC

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:35:43 GMT

Ituner
Car PC (see Demo in Chevrolet SSR in the Piero's Parking Lot):
The VoomPC car PC in was shown off in a bright yellow Chevy SSR in the Lunch@Piero's parking lot . It's based on the Mini-Box VoomPC series, based on the the VIA mini-ITX boards where software and hardware integrators can quickly deploy car PC applications without the need to worry about designing the hardware plaform. Furthermore, these appliances are Linux ready, with OS size ranging from 32-256MB of CompactFlash or hard Drive memory. VIA's Rick Clayton installed the unit without cutting a hole or in any way altering his soon-to-be classic truck.
www.mini-box.com
LISTEN MP3

VIA Technologies, Inc - Performance Chipsets & Power-efficient Processor Platforms

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:23:46 GMT

VIA Technologies, Inc
VIA: Performance Chipsets & Power-efficient Processor Platforms
VIA showcased a host of its leading PC silicon and platforms, from high performance chipsets and discrete graphics powering today’s top PC games, to its renowned power-efficient processor platforms, including the first public demo of the newest Mini-ITX and the brand new, tiny Nano-ITX mainboards. There was a diverse range of partner products that take advantage of the ultra cool, ultra small profile of VIA processors and platforms. Partner companies exhibited mobile, telematics and home products.

We spoke with VIA's Keith Kowal.
www.via.com.tw
LISTEN MP3

Pop Science's Chief Tech Editor Talks About Tech's Hits and Misses

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 01:53:22 GMT

It's "Your" Popular Science

Nope, this is not your father's Popular Science. Nor is it you grandfather's, your great grandfathers or your great-great grandfather's. Born in 1872, Popular Science is literally as old as Darwin, but as fresh in the digital age as it was when it documented the invention of the telephone, the phonograph and the lightbulb. We talked with Suzanne Kantra Kirshner, the magazine's Chief Technology Editor, about matters ranging from bizarre Victorian inventions to pocket-sized HDTV cameras, what's hot at CES and some of the technologies and products Pop Science has judged the "Best of What's New".
LISTEN - MP3

Connect Common Household & Business Devices with Global Cache'

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:53:37 GMT

Global Cache'
Connect Common Devices to a Network:
We've followed Robin Ford and Walt Keller's Global Cache' from the beginning. Now they have the makings of a big hit. Robin talked about their products that connect common household and business devices to a network, where they can be accessed and controlled using network-based software. GC showed its core product at Piero's, the GC-100 Network Adapter, which connects infrared (TV, DVD), serial (speakers, stereos), and contact closure (lights, pool/spa) devices to a network. In addition, it exhibited its award winning infrared GC-IRL IR Learner.
www.globalcache.com
LISTEN MP3

DualCor: Is it a Cellphone? Is it a PC? How about BOTH!

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:45:23 GMT

DualCor Technologies, Inc.
Dual Processor Wireless Handheld Device:
A small device that will be out this spring, is getting a lot of buzz. We talked to Steve Hanley about the DualCor cPC, an “all-in-one,” wireless handheld device combining the functionality of a desktop personal computer, PDA and cell phone. A unique dual processor architecture and integrated 40GB hard drive allows the cPC to concurrently run both Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows® Mobile 5.0 applications while simultaneously supporting broadband data and phone connectivity. The device represents a new category of hardware for global enterprise computing and promises to end the compromise between mobility, functionality and productivity for the mobile business professional.
www.dualcor.com
LISTEN MP3

CMWare Enables PC Place Shifting of Digital Content & Applications

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:37:07 GMT

CMWare, Inc
PC Place Shifting Solution:
For CMWare's John Cashman, PC place shifting is the name of the game. CMWare's M³ solution allows users to access a PC from any networked device, cellphone for example. NetAffect provides on demand access from any networked device to PCs. The result is the ability to deliver fully secure, high-quality, on-demand access to: any content such as pictures, music, video files; any digital rights managed (DRM) protected content (iTunes, Rhapsody,.); any application (MSFT Office, Quicken, etc.); any entertainment portal (Yahoo! Launch, MTV Overdrive, etc.).
www.cmware.com
LISTEN MP3

Chili Systems Introduces All-In-One Network Server Appliance

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:26:33 GMT

Chili Systems, Inc.
All in One Network Servier Appliance:
We talked to Pedro Mata abut the ChiliBox and he and his staff's affection for through VIA's Padlock Security, an advanced firewall and router, as well as file sharing and secure remote access. The latest version of the ChiliBox, which was unveiled at Lunch @ Piero's also includes a wireless access point, increased file share storage, and many new service features. Ideal for remote access, professionals from graphic artists to accountants can connect clients to the ChiliDrive to share files online.
www.chilisystems.com
LISTEN MP3

Inside the Mind of an Inventor - John Boucard

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:16:49 GMT

Stan Lee with Power Patrol "Villain" & "Hero" Rings

Infinite Machines LLC
Linking Physical Objects to Digital Experiences:
We had a chat with John Boucard, head of invention studio Infinite Machines LLC. One of his inventions is Expericons, tiny charms that can link physical objects to digital experiences. Anyone can use Expericons to activate custom collections of pictures, music, videos, and websites on devices such as computers, phones, set top boxes, and even DVD Players...for less than the price of a greeting card. Recently, Comic-book legend Stan Lee partnered with Boucard to introduce Power Patrol Jewelry for collectors, comic book fans and gaming fanatics based on Expericon technology.
www.infinitemachines.com
LISTEN MP3

Lunch@Pieros Podcast During CES - Preview

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:19:20 GMT

Welcome to the Live @ Piero's broadcast and podcast from Lunch @ Pieros, the exclusive event where innovators and the media meet during the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. We will be broadcasting live Thursday and Friday on Live365 and you can find podcasts of our programs and interviews right here. We have more than 20 interviews already scheduled over the two days including special guest Susanne Kantra Kirschner, Sr. Technology editor of Popular Science, who will give us her critical take on the hits and misses at CES. We'll also look into the mind of inventor John Boucard, who with Spiderman creator Stan Lee reinvented the secret decoder ring in the form of tiny charms that link up with digital content. We'll examine cellphones that are computers that are cellphones, stuff that connects almost anything with anything else, storytelling software, car PCs and other unconventional hardware powered by the VIA CPUs and its Swiss-Army mainboard, the EPIA Mini-ITX, awesome audio gear, a way to sweet-talk your computer into doing what you want it to do, voice privacy technology, servers and software that let you access your data anywhere and a few "codec moments" from the digital content domain.

Join your host Russ Johnson live Thursday and Friday January 5th and 6th from 11:30PM TO 1:30PM and subscribe to our podcast above for listening anytime.

Sponsored in part by Live365, Sennheiser and the WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster

Listen MP3