User: drag-po

<analogy> Cell / PCS Phones </analogy>

On: Netpliance Ban I-Opener Mods

Cell/PCS service providers routinely sell phones at prices around 1/4 of their cost. They are carefull to either make you sign a 1-3 year service contract, use a proprietary technology, or service provider lock the phone. Nothing is free - the phone subsidy is paid for by the customer over time. Seems like Netpliance had a similar bussines plan, they simply didn't think it through, or maybe didn't foresee the potential real use of the i-opener.

Nothing new.

On: Netscape Communicator 4.72 Released

Got all excited, just as I have many times this year. New version of Communicator, Yeah! Ants in my pants.

Took a little looking - but found not one change to Navigator, which is the part of Communicator I, and everyone else, actually use. Damn. I was had again.

The forgotten reason: THX-EX

On: No Star Wars TPM on DVD

It was stated by Lucas and Rick McCallum (Episode I Producer) in a spring issue of Starwars Insider that the reason that Episodes IV-VI were not yet released on DVD (and were not going to be in the near future) was that they wanted to release them with the sound in THX-EX format. THX-EX is of course the new sound system developed for Episode I which contains a center rear dialogue speaker. It was first implemented in theatres last spring prior to the release of Episode I. McCallum stated that before the release of any of the Star Wars movies on DVD Lucasfilm would first develop a THX-EX Home-Theater line of amplifiers, and allow for these to enter the market, thereby making the release of Star Wars DVD's in the format usefull.

It was of course put forward that Lucas was adhering to such a stategy because:

• he wanted us to experience the movies in their full glory
• he didn't want to be percieved as opportunistic by releasing different versions of the DVDs

Ha!