Panasonic recently announced its HDC-SDT750 3D consumer camcorder, which will be available in October of this year for about $1,400.

The camcorder itself sounds impressive with enhancements to its noise reduction technology; it offers 1080/60p (1,920 x 1,080) recording ability; and, there are plenty of manual controls. The camera also features time lapse recording, which just sounds cool. Sound will come from a 5.1-channel audio system. With five built-in microphones, multi-directional recording should compliment the 3D viewing nicely.

Artificial visual disparity through left- & right-eye recording—

To record in 3D, the camera requires a conversion lens, which artificially reproduces visual disparity. Therefore to watch it, you’ll need a 3D TV that’s capable of side-by-side (SbS) 3D playback like one of Panasonic’s own VIERA sets.

Despite my skepticism, this could be just the toy gadget to get me excited about 3D TV. Who wouldn’t want to create their own 3D masterpiece?

The largest obstacle still remains the price of entry into this technology. Factor in the cost of the TV, 3D programming packages and media, a pair of 3D glasses for each family member, and now this camera…it will be tough to justify 3D in the budget with the Mrs. But I’m interested.

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“Setup is a breeze.”

“Open the door to a whole new world of entertainment.”

DIRECTV’s video on demand service sounds great! Only one problem. My router is way over there, and I’m not crazy about running an ethernet cable across the room…or down the hall for that matter. No worries. Drop some cash on a wireless adapter…problem solved!

The Wireless-N adapter offered up by DIRECTV is a hundred bucks; and if you don’t have one of those money trees, then that’s another problem. There are a few less expensive options that offer the same quality and streaming capability as the one endorsed by DIRECTV. Of the choices I found while lurking around on the satellite forums, the best all-around option based on price and reviews appears to be the TRENDnet Wireless N Gaming Adapter (Model TEW-647GA).

SETTING UP YOUR ADAPTER. One of the common issues regardless of which adapter you use seems to be setup. But I found this process to be a breeze. My TRENDnet came with an AC power cord, ethernet cable, and a setup CD. I tried using the Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) method; but after a couple of failed attempts, I used the setup CD. The directions that come with the adapter are perfect. Take your laptop with you to the room with your HD DVR. Setup involves plugging your adapter into the laptop via the ethernet cable, powering up the adapter, and following the TRENDnet setup menu.

Once setup completed, I removed the ethernet cable from the laptop and plugged it into the DIRECTV Plus HD DVR (I’m using model HR22). Next I pressed the MENU button on my DVR remote, chose “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, and then “System Setup”. Go to “Network Setup” and choose “Connect Now”. This will prompt your DVR to begin accessing the VOD menu. You’ll get a message that says something about taking 24 hours to complete the process. Regardless, there should be VOD offerings to begin watching immediately.

So far, my experience has been great. Streaming quality is excellent although that’s helped by a buffer. It’s important to point out that I’m using a cable connection piped through a Wireless-N router; but if you have an opportunity to use dual-band wireless router (like the Linksys E3000), you’ll better off in the long run especially if you have simultaneous usage across your home network.

Now go watch something. I’ve got Hot Tub Time Machine queued up.

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The iPad app turns the ‘fancy tablet reader/website viewer’ into a more useful tool. Flipboard sorts content from your Facebook and Twitter feeds into a flipboard grid — articles, images, videos, links — and allows you to flip through that content like pages in a magazine. In addition to having the ability to like and comment on those items, the app aggregates others’ tweets and comments into view as well.

If I had to choose one significant feature that Flipboard lacks, it would be updates across multiple social networking sites…think HootSuite. However, I’d have to assume that they’ve already got some new features in the works. There’s just so much potential here. Nicely done, Flipboard.

Download the Flipboard app from iTunes.

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Back in February, I was given the opportunity to test Twitter For BlackBerry by the folks over at IntoMobile. In true beta style, it was buggy and was missing many of the essential functions we’ve become accustomed to using Twitter apps like UberTwitter, Seesmsic or SocialScope. Regardless, I took what it gave me and returned some of my own thoughts about the app.

Yesterday, the application was released to the public with some upgrades to the closed beta version. Many of the bug fixes were implemented with the update resulting in a smoother experience. And some functions — editing lists and updating profiles, instant DM and @ reply notification — were added as well.

There are still some wishlist items that this app lacks in order for it to be a worthy switch from one of the apps above.

Multiple Accounts. Unless you log out of one account and then into another, there is no way to support multiple accounts on Twitter For BlackBerry. Yet. Hopefully, this is one of the features added in the next update. Considering all the mulitple personalities that are using Twitter, this is a must.

Editable Retweeting. I don’t know about you, but I love to add my 2 cents to RTs. Twitter For BlackBerry only retweets using the new format. And worse yet, it doesn’t appear in your timeline to confirm that your RT was RT’d.

URL Shortening. Doing this is a chore in this app. You have to visit your favorite URL shortener from your BlackBerry browser, paste your link into the appropriate field, shorten it, copy the shortened link, head over to the Twitter For BlackBerry app, and paste it into your tweet. Ouch.

Auto Refresh. Twitter For BlackBerry offers an option to periodically update your feed, but it would be nice if it offered to update each time you access the app as well. This eliminates the need for a shortcut key (but don’t get rid of that)…or worse yet accessing the menu, scrolling down to ‘refresh’ and clicking.

Bugs! While my Twitter For BlackBerry app runs much smoother, I’ve discovered a couple of bugs. Every now and then while typing a new tweet, the words sudddenly disappear. A screenshot of what I’m referring to would be great right here. But that’s a little annoying. To fix this, you have to close the app, which means losing your tweet and starting all over.

While I can’t prove that Twitter For BlackBerry is to blame, typing texts or BBMs can be a hassle. Like a ghostwriter, random symbols and letter variations start popping up in my messages. A reboot (alt+right shift+del) is necessary. However, when I deleted the app for a period of time, these issues disappeared as well.

Despite what appear to be gripes with Twitter For BlackBerry, this app certainly has potential to be a top consideration for Twitter users. Hopefully, these changes are addressed sooner than later. What are some of the things you want to see from the next version of this app?

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“Pleh! Bpbpbpbpbpbp.” Translation: “P-L-A-N-E. Plane. (propeller sound effect)”

This 2 1/2 year old girl is obviously quite the Apple product expert. And it’s amazing how she becomes frustrated some of the user interface features. Perhaps Apple should begin letting toddlers beta test these things. Sign us up, Apple!

[Hat Tip: Laughing Squid, Todd Lappin]

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If you’ve been waiting around for this as long as I have, then you’ll be thrilled to know that DIRECTV has released its DVR Scheduler application for the BlackBerry. And, of course, it’s in Beta (v1.1.2). But it’s better than nothing.

Even in Beta form, it’s faster by design…making the same functionality from the “m” website a little quicker by placing all options front and center rather than having to click through a list of links thanks to the easy user interface.

The app allows you to search for any television show up to 14 days in advance; browse programs by channel or date & time; get program information instantly, including description, length and rating; record a single episode or an entire series; order DIRECTV Cinema™ right on your phone (only available for iPhone, Android, and Palm for now).

All of the menus are straightforward. Start your search as you would online: by show title, by channel, or by date & time. If searching by channel, you may use your BlackBerry keyboard to type the channel name once the list of channels has been listed, which of course is extremely helpful.

Arrange your results by date or by channel…

After you’ve selected your show, there’s the option to view show details. Assuming you’ve got one you want and are ready to schedule the recording…get confirmation after selecting the receiver, giving the recording a priority, and choosing how long to keep it.

To download the DIRECTV DVR Scheduler application, visit m.directv.com/mobileapps from your smartphone browser. DIRECTV has also setup a Mobile App Technical Forum for you to leave feedback and report any issues with your app.

For more information, check out the DIRECTV website.

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A couple of weeks ago, my DVR decided not to record one of my shows (I refuse to admit user error…ok, it was user error). Since Jack Bauer on my 15.1″ screen just isn’t the same, I booted up the PS3 with the hopes of pulling up Hulu on the PlayStation browser. Apparently I’ve been under a rock.

Back in November, Netflix brought streaming video to the PS3 making it the only Netflix-friendly device that allows for gaming, streaming video on demand, and Blu-Ray capability. But the ability to stream Hulu to my HDTV from my PS3 all of a sudden became more important.

Then I found PlayOn — developed by MediaMall Technologies — which allows you to watch all your favorite, shows, movies and sports with a networked PC and a Wii, PS3, XBOX 360, or other compliant device.

I downloaded the 14-day free trial, which was the hardest part…because it took the longest. With my PS3 on the “Video” category, the PlayOn icon suddenly appears in the menu of options. If it doesn’t appear after a several seconds, choose “Search for Media Servers”. Now you have the ability to watch videos from Hulu, Netflix, CBS, ESPN, CNN, YouTube, and Amazon VOD in full screen (and in most cases) HD-like goodness. Thankfully Hulu videos don’t look artificially zoomed. And YouTube videos vary greatly depending upon the quality at which they were uploaded. I found the same result for CBS videos as well.

PlayOn settings allow you to personalize your channels

The “Channels” option in the PlayOn settings allows you to personalize your channels for Netflix, Hulu and Amazon VOD. And it allows for multiple YouTube channels…add your subscriptions here. While I have not yet explored that realm, additional content is available through a handful of third-party apps (channels) that can be downloaded to your PC.

PlayOn minimum requirements are limited to PC for now — sorry Mac users — but my 2 year old laptop just passes the test. My other hardware includes the PS3, a Sony BRAVIA HDTV, and a Linksys WRT610N Dual-N Band wireless router.

Buffering is pretty consistent, but expect some short pauses and choppiness on occasion. After fiddling with the PlayOn settings, I found that unchecking the “Always Process Entire Video” in the General Settings tab helped my setup run much smoother. Most of the PS3 control options are available including 1 minute interval scene search, rewind, fast forward, and super duper fast forward. I found the latter to be less of a control…more of a nuisance.

If after your 14-day free trial you want to continue using PlayOn, you can purchase the software for $39.99. The video below sums it all up nicely.

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When Tim Tebow decided to participate in the 2010 Senior Bowl, college football fans from all over flocked to Ladd-Peebles Stadium. But following the game, critics and draft analysts proceeded to pick apart his throwing motion from his awkward release to his unorthodox throwing base (like throwing a shotput, balance favors his front foot). And it may have been the best thing for him. He immediately began to rebuild his motion, which appeared to be the only flaw in his brand. When he decided not to throw in this year’s NFL Combine, the criticism started all over. But there’s no denying his leadership, his faith, his likeability, his will to win — perfect combination for the face of any franchise.

Joining Tebow in the “I’ll throw during my Pro Day” club were Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy all of whom are working through some sort of injury. Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan added his name to that list as he also continues to improve his throwing form. And the criticism continues. But will it even matter come draft day? All of the above are among the best at the quarterback position, and have walked the walk throughout their respective careers.

Not The Size, But The Motion. This seems to be the appropriate theme for this year’s crop of QBs. Of the top prospects, only Tony Pike & Sam Bradford have the height that scouts regard as “ideal”, but the knock for both has been their weight…or lack thereof. Dan LeFevour is the closest thing to the perfect package at 6’3-1/4″, 230. Unfortunately, he doesn’t share the same spotlight as the aforementioned group.

The focus has been throwing motion, specifically that of Tim Tebow. Although he does not plan to unveil Tebow 2.0 until his March 17 Pro Day, we’ve already had a sneak peek at Tebow’s new throwing motion. Dan LeFevour is another QB who has displayed tremendous ability to win, to lead, and to execute (30 TDs & only 3 INTs in the redzone this season); but teams raise their collective brow at his not so compact, less snappy release. His Pro Day is March 24. Jevan Snead is another throwing motion project. I noticed that he holds the ball low by his waist and has to bring it up to throw. His release is quick, but he’s just killing his arm as it is an all-arm throw. To his credit, his accuracy was second to none. But the bad taste he left in the mouths of scouts as a result of his lackluster season will leave teams with a huge question mark by his name.

Zac Robinson had the best overall combine performance in my opnion. He threw well, he looked like he was having a good time out there…comfortable, and he performed well in all of the events (unofficial 4.69 and 4.66 in the 40-yd dash [3], 35″ vertical jump [2], and 9’2″ broad jump [T-5]). Tim Tebow ran an 4.70 and 4.72 in the 40 [4], clocked a 6.66 (how ironic) in the 3-cone drill [1], produced a 38.5″ vertical [1], and leaped 9’7″ in the broad jump [2]. Colt McCoy only covered 40 yards in only 4.79 seconds. And for two QBs that displayed an uncanny ability to elude defenders, these times aren’t impressive. Regardless, they have proven their abilities on the football field.

Speaking of abilities, in case you missed Mike Kafka’s 4th QTR performance in the East West Shrine Game, it’s worth watching. Check it out here.

Running Backs Carry Their Weight. Sure it’s impressive when a RB runs a sub-4.40 40-yd dash, but it might be more impressive when a RB that weighs over 225 lbs blasts through the 40 under 4.7. Although unofficial, Stanford RB Toby Gerhart (231 lbs) did it in 4.53 and 4.58 seconds. LaGarrette Blount, who weighed in at 241 lbs, did it with unofficial times of 4.62 and 4.69 seconds. He also covered the 3-cone drill in 6.85 seconds [3]. Aside from his impressive accomplishments at the Senior Bowl and Combine, he has remained focused on the big picture.

Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon is another prospect with a skeleton in his closet — a July 2009 DUI — but has managed to put it all behind him. The 233-lb RB [unofficially] covered 40 yards in 4.65 & 4.67 (official 4.70) seconds to which some reacted with a yawn. But his run-catch-block toolbox and durability puts him at the top of the list for consideration.

Auburn’s Ben Tate leaps into draft position — The Birmingham News / Hal Yeager

Some RBs helped themselves at the Combine rather handsomely. Auburn’s Ben Tate weighed in at 220 lbs and covered the 40-yd dash in 4.43 seconds [3], threw up 26 reps in the bench press [T-1], launched 40.5 inches in the vertical jump [2] and 10’4″ in the broad jump [T-1]. Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty weighed in at 225 lbs and breezed through 40 yards in 4.49 seconds [6]. His vertical jump was half an inch better than Tate at 41″ [1]; he matched his broad jump at 10’4″ [T-1].

Ambi-Dexter-ous. When asked if he was a running back or wide receiver, Dexter McCluster responded, “I’m both”. There’s no denying his big play ability. But he didn’t meet expectations — both his and that of the scouts — when running his 40-yd dash. He produced an official time of 4.58. Regardless, he ought to be one of the top players taken in this draft. At only 5’9″, 172 lbs, he cut through defenses like a hot knife through butter…as a tailback…in the SEC.

Mardy Gilyard, who is also referred to as an undersized playmaker, didn’t produce the same “wow” factor at the Combine that he does on the field. He’ll have another chance to woo NFL teams during his Pro Day on March 10. His production speaks for itself.

Beyond Dez Bryant and Golden Tate, the draft forecast looks pretty cloudy. Demaryius Thomas from Georgia Tech looks great…when he’s not hurt. And Taylor Price from Ohio may be the diamond in the rough, or more appropriately the needle in the haystack. Taylor remained under the radar until the Senior Bowl. He capitalized on the momentum during Combine workouts, and topped it off with a 4.41 40-yd dash [2]. His soft hands are reminiscent of Brian Robiskie.

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On the plus side, this SD 3.0 card reads at speeds up to 15 MB/sec. And thanks to exFAT file structure, this card will undoubtedly improve rapid shooting of still images not to mention the increased capacity for HD video.

If there is a downside to this memory card, it would be the limited number of devices that are currently compatible with the SDXC** (SD eXtended Capacity) format. That includes the recently-announced camcorders from Panasonic, the Canon PowerShot SX210IS, and likely the Samsung TL350 just to name a few. SDXC devices will eventually include a handful of HDTVs, Blu-ray recorders/players, camcorders, cameras, mobile phones, navigation systems and computers yet to hit the streets.

The card is available immediately on SanDisk.com for $349.99.

**The SD Association lists some important points for early adopters to be aware of when using SDXC cards.

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For now, the free BlackBerry app is available for download on the Bold 9000 & 9700, Curve 8520 & 8900, Storm 9530 & 9550, and on the Tour 9630.

If you already have a Kindle, you can access your Kindle books from your BlackBerry smartphone even if you don’t have your Kindle with you. With the Whispersync technology, the app automatically synchronizes your last page read and annotations across all devices registered to the same Amazon.com account. Amazon help has more information on how to do things like sync across Kindle devices and applications, download content, and delete books.

It appears that most titles are $9.99 with a “decide to buy” first chapter preview. Unfortunately, Kindle newspapers, magazines and blogs are not a BlackBerry feature…yet.

To download the Kindle For BlackBerry app, visit amazon.com/kindlebb from your BlackBerry browser.

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[Hat Tip: Nan Palmero - Jeff & Erin's Cinema]

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DIRECTV.com

According to the DIRECTV website, multi-room viewing (MRV) provides a single, combined playlist of all your recorded programs on any connected TV. You can also record and delete shows from any TV connected to an HD receiver, not just the one connected to the HD DVR.

The folks over at DBStalk.com have been testing the service for several months now, and provided their readers with a First Look (pdf link) of the service with some details of their findings and some tips and tricks for future beta testers.

The kicker is that DIRECTV plans to charge for the service. Hey. It’s a great service, but not one worth paying for in my opinion. Regardless of what I think, keep the enhancements coming, DIRECTV. Especially to Video On Demand.

[Hat Tip: DBStalk.com]

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Once I got it on my phone, it didn’t work properly. CaptureIt was saving the screenshot as a blank white screen. Here’s how you fix it:

Go to Settings > Options > Applications.

Select the CaptureIt application and then select Edit Permissions.

Make sure all permissions are set to “Allow”. In this case, my Interactions permission was set to “Custom”. Click the return button, and your BlackBerry will prompt you to Save your changes. Once you’ve made and saved these changes, you can produce screenshots for days.

You can download the CaptureIt app for BlackBerry. Just go to m.thetechmogul.com from your BlackBerry browser.

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We’ve all seen Tim Tebow react to similar situations with intensity, emotion and class.

You can always expect the same from Colt McCoy. Best of luck next year, buddy.

Peter Thamel of the New York Times reflects on The Agony of Colt McCoy.

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Got a PowerPoint® presentation coming up? Imagine having the ability to leave your laptop at home, and delivering the entire thing from your BlackBerry. That will soon be a reality.

Sometime this year, Research In Motion will deliver its BlackBerry Presenter, which will allow you to do just that…present…wirelessly. Plug it in to a monitor or projector, and slides come out of the magic box. It will also offer a variety of features including a loop mode and a freeze mode. What would be even better is the ability to ‘present’ a slideshow of photos or videos, which it does not currently do. Looks like it’s only PowerPoint® slides for now. According to shopblackberry.com, it will cost $199.99 when it is released (go there to sign up for updates on availability).

Compatibility includes most BlackBerry smartphones with at least v4.6 of the OS to include the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520, 8530 and 8900; BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 and 9700; BlackBerry® Storm™ 9500, 9530 and 9550 (Storm2); and BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630.

It’s no pico projector, but it’ll do.

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Will Grandma Millie & Grandma Fran join the ranks of past Internet sensations? I have no idea, but I can’t stop watching this. It’s Internet gold.

[Hat Tip: Joanne Casey]

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Kindle For BlackBerry Coming Soon

Amazon has finally added a page dedicated to the BlackBerry app’s release. By adding your email address to the “Notify Me” field, you’ll be notified when it is ready to download. The app is already available for the iPhone via Apple’s App Store.

Quick Facts About Kindle For BlackBerry:
– Search and browse more than 390,000 books
– Books you purchase can also be read on a Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible mobile device
– Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs are not currently available for Kindle for BlackBerry

So while Sony & Amazon try to decide who’s best and a rumored iSlate Apple reader tries to find its way to fruition, why not use your existing device to fulfill your reading needs…until, of course, you can decide on a proper reader.

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