| Refurbished iPod nanos priced from $79
Apple's online store is offering a variety of iPod nanos in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities at discounted rates. The company's 2GB iPod nanos are available in silver for $79, storing up to 500 songs and offering up to 24 hours of music playback on one battery charge. Reconditioned 4GB iPod nanos are priced at $99, hold up to 1,000 songs, and are available in silver as well as blue and pink. Apple's 8GB iPod nanos, avialable in black for $149, holds up to 2,000 songs while offering the same battery life ad the company's 2GB and 4GB models. Apple's latest iPod shuffles are also available with 1GB of storage capacity in silver, pink, blue, green, and orange for $49 each. .
Get Smart: a Guide to Spiffy Phones
Apple Inc.'s iPhone has shaken up the "smart phone" business and set other manufacturers scrambling to add features and make it easier to get e-mail, surf the Web and enjoy music and movies on a cell phone. Prices also have come down to the point where some of these feature-packed models cost little more than "dumb" phones. Sizes have come down too - gone are the days when carrying a smart phone was a workout. Remember, though, that you need a data plan to get the most out of a smart phone, which usually adds about $20 to the monthly cost. (Prices below are with two-year carrier contracts unless noted.) The top contenders of this holiday season (and a few to avoid): Apple iPhone (AT&T) This is the star of the field, despite a number of shortcomings.
Anti-P2P College Bill Moving Through House
An anonymous reader writes "A news.com article is covering an amendment to the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (pdf) that should make folks in Hollywood, the RIAA, and the MPAA well pleased. The tiny section seeks to hinge government approval of an institution of higher learning on whether or not they adequately dissuade Peer-to-Peer filesharing of copyrighted materials. The Act came out of the House Education and Labor Committee, which agreed on the terms unanimously. There is still some question, though, as to what penalties should be handed down for institutions that don't do enough to protect intellectual property. 'Some university representatives and fair-use advocates worry that schools run the risk of losing aid for their students if they fail to come up with the required plans.
For quality footage, size often matters
Video camcorders are clearly evolving at a faster pace than their camera counterparts. This year marked a strong move to high definition video (HDV), which now is a popular format for many new models. HDV comes in two sizes, 1080 (full HD) or 720 pixels wide. Either version looks great on your TV, computer or iPod. Here are trends you will see. • Buy the latest models, the improvements can be significant. • Video quality suffers with the hand-size, small camcorders. Some models are cool to use, but there's too much to pack in a small space. • Sound recording is better with more sensitive microphones. • There's a move away from MiniDV (tape), but don't count this out if you want to edit video. It's still the easiest way.
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