Operation: Chicken Scratch

The staff here at OCS are still in debate over these two consoles, as they each have their own unique features. Since the specification differences have been mapped out many times already upon various sites around the web, we are going to skip all that and get right down to the meat and potatoes . . . FEATURES vs. PRICE!

Here is a simple break down of the major differences that we can see. In all fairness (to the Xbox 360), we can’t compare the entry level Xbox 360 to the entry level PS3, so we’ll start with the Premium System for Xbox against Sony’s entry level PS3:

The Xbox 360 does have an entry level “Arcade” system which doesn’t inlude the 20GB HDD or a headset, but it does offer a 256MB memory card and a cheaper $279 price. The PS3 offers an 80GB model which features backward compability with PS2 games for $499.

The Xbox 360 offers an available 120GB HDD for $129, while the PS3 requires you to spring for the 80GB model. Another option is to buy an external HDD for the PS3 and utilize one of the USB ports to expand your storage space. Chances are, $129 will get you at least 120GB of storage space, in addition to the internal 40GB HDD.

This is a feature the Xbox 360 just can’t compete with. Why they didn’t include built-in WiFi capability is insane. If your console is near your PC or Mac however, ineternet connection sharing is a solution. Check out our post on How To: Connect to Mac

Another “upgrade” for the Xbox 360, while the PS3 offers a Blu-Ray DVD player in both models.

Ok, so the Xbox may have a slight advantage with Xbox Live! over PS3’s gaming network. One of the features that Sony is lacking here is being able to access your dashboard during game play. If you want to invite a friend to a match, you actually have to back out of the game play. Sony also makes chatting with friends difficult, and requires you to quit the game entirely before initiating a chat session.

The wired controller included with the Xbox is a bonus that Sony doesn’t include, however the wireless headset is extra. Sony has the right idea of allowing any Bluetooth 2.0 headset to connect to the system, although it would have been nice if they included even a cheap one in the package.

Microsoft almost missed the boat on this one, but realized it was stupid to offer High-Def features without HDMI outputs and fixed their mistake.

As far as graphics go, there are plenty of online screen shot comparisons that pretty much sum it up . . . there ain’t much difference. Although developers have advised Sony adopters to be patient, as the graphics engine included with the PS3 is evidently capable of producing some serious detail once the developers get rolling. From what we understand, game development for the PS3 is much more difficult than the Xbox platform, this is why we see many of the titles released weeks or months for Xbox 360 prior to PS3. The Sony will display up to 1080p resolution via the Blu-Ray DVD player, a feature Xbox users have to purchase the HD-DVD player to receive.

Another consideration when looking at these systems is reliability. The Xbox 360 is notorious for overheating and ultimately disappointing gamers with the “Ring of Death”, thereby rendering the console useless. We’ve read on recent postings around the web that consoles produced after October 2007 have corrected this problem and now offer an extended 3yr manufacturer warranty (unconfirmed). We can definatly say that the fans on the M$ console are working overtime! The cooling system for the Xbox is so loud, that it makes it hard to even watch a DVD in close proximity. Compared to the whisper quiet Playstation, this is a big pitfall for the Xbox.

Assuming you already have a Bluetooth headset (used with your mobile phone), to get the same feature set on the Xbox 360 as offered standard on the PS3, will cost you somewhere around $895. This factors in the purchase of the larger 120GB HDD for the Xbox, so if you want to keep the smaller 20GB HDD, then subtract $129 for a total of $766. Either way, the PS3 undisputably offers more bang for the buck! Does that mean it’s better? We’ll leave that up to you to comment on.

Want to get your DVDs onto your iPod, iPhone, add them to your media library, or watch them on your AppleTV?

The problem is that commercial DVDs are copy-protected, which means you can’t “rip” or “burn” them in programs such as iTunes like a normal music CD. You need an application that removes this copy protection and extracts the video content. What you need is a tool for converting DVDs (or VIDEO_TS folders) to MPEG-4 files for playback on a computer, iPod, or similar device. HandBrake 0.9.1 (formerly MediaFork), can do just that.

HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.

HandBrake is feature rich, allowing you to customize your output format, and you don’t have to be tech savvy to use it.

Presets provide settings optimized for devices like Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod. Of course, you can adjust your settings manually by going through the many video, audio, and other settings to tweak the exact formatting.

Even if you don’t watch movies on your iPod or iPhone, HandBrake is useful for putting movies on your portable hard-drive or laptop for portability. I store mine on a Western Digital portable hard-drive which can be plugged into any computer via USB for playback.

If you’re like us and enjoy the freedom of taking your DVDs on the road, HandBrake is a must-have app. Best of all, it’s freeware!

Note that some DVDs include a technique for preventing ripping; some of these DVDs can prevent HandBrake from properly converting. Check out MacTheRipper for a possible workaround.

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We believe Phlink by the folks at Ovolab is hands down, one of the best hardware/software combinations ever created.

From voicemail to home automation, there isn’t much this powerhouse can’t do.

Basically, if you can dream it, Phlink can do it. How does it work? Through Applescript. There are tons of free scripts available through the resources link on Ovolab’s website to automate, integrate, and execute just about any action you may want to perform.

Advanced voicemail.
Store all voicemail messages on your Mac, receive them by email when you’re away. If you’re not in the office, but you are waiting for an important call, tell Phlink to take a message and email it to you, to alert you on your mobile phone! Plus, create separate voice mailboxes for each member of the family!

Auto attendant.
Phlink can answer calls 24 hours a day. Plus, it can announce callers - you can even tell it to announce specific callers only, while redirecting others to voicemail. Phlink is able to transfer and forward* calls to other extensions or phone numbers. Phlink can even display caller ID and additional caller information on other Macs on the local network based on your Address Book or look them up online!

PBX Functionality.
Create your own phone trees that callers navigate by pressing keys on the telephone keypad.

A personal touch.
Provide customized information to your friends - and only to them. Tell your closest friends how they can reach you, and tell the others you’re unreachable.

Announce callers.
When the phone rings, have your Mac tell you who is calling by speaking the name of the caller, or use customized ringtones. You can even tell Phlink to automatically look up the caller’s name on the Internet!

Online information gathering.
Ask Phlink to dynamically look up information on the Internet, such as traffic information, news headlines, weather forecasts for a given city, stock quotes, and more. Phlink will speak it to you over the phone.

Automate your home.
Control your X-10 home automation system over the phone. Turn on the lights. Open the gate. Warm up the Jacuzzi. Take a camera snapshot and send it to yourself by email.

We’ve been using Phlink for about 3 years now and still constantly find ourselves coming up with new ways to utilize the system. At only $149, Phlink is one of the most exciting, (maybe even life-changing) purchases a Mac owner can make.

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We see the cell phone industry continuing to evolve with amazing new technology, and we’re still going to see traditional handsets, but companies outside of regular carriers/manufacturers are going to begin to play a bigger part (like the Apple iPhone).

In July when Google announced it was willing to spend $4.6 billion to buy wireless spectrum in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission auction, analysts began to speculate about the next entrance into this broadening technology.

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal explains the idealogy behind Google’s project:

The Google-powered phones are expected to wrap together several Google applications — among them, its search engine, Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail email — that have already made their way onto some mobile devices. The most radical element of the plan, though, is Google’s push to make the phones’ software “open” right down to the operating system, the layer that controls applications and interacts with the hardware. That means independent software developers would get access to the tools they need to build additional phone features.

With all the lawsuits surrounding the “unlocking” of phones in recent news, pushing an “open source” phone could be revolutionary in the cell phone communications business.

CEO Eric Schmidt, spoke at the All Things Digital conference in May regarding Google’s plans:

The most likely scenario from a Google perspective is to build some, if you will, inspirational platform [applications]; but primarily focus on getting third parties to do it because that’s where the innovation will come from.

Early communications with Google hint that the web giant could attempt to adopt an advertizing driven platform, eliminating service carriers completely.

Sources claim we could see a first release as early as next year.

The first BlackBerry to offer a camera, audio player, and a video player–in a noticeably smaller and lighter package than it’s predecessors. It actually looks much like an ordinary cell phone.

This “CrackBerry” has a penalty for such a small size however: The Pearl’s keys are tiny, and, cojoined. Research In Motion (RIM) calls it a SureType keyboard, which is basically a QWERTY keyboard, saving space by combining two letters per key. As you type, the SureType system “guesses” words based on your entry. When it’s correct, it’s a real time-saver, when it’s not, well . . . I’m not a patient person and this little bastard almost went out the window on more than one occasion.

The Pearl also has several multimedia functionalities. A 1.3-megapixel camera is the easiest to spot, and just as easy to use. Simply view your shot on the 2.25-inch screen and use the trackball to zoom (up to 5x), then press it to snap. Picture quality was about what you’d expect from a camera phone.

In addition to a camera, the Pearl is also the first BlackBerry to sport an MP3 player. Actually you can play AAC, MP3, and WAV files on the device. You can store music files in the on-board memory or use a microSD Card (not included). While this is the first BlackBerry to support an expandable media card, the card slot’s location behind the battery is not easy to get to. To add or remove the card, you need to first slide the back off of the phone and then remove the battery.

The jog wheel typically found on the right-hand side of the device has been replaced with a little white trackball that sits on the face of the phone, about the size of an eraser-style pointing device found on some laptops. The trackball illuminates white when the phone is active, making it look like . . . (see device name).

It also supports AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging networks. But more impressively is the BlackBerry Messenger application. This is a real-time, direct-connection to other BB users which lets chatters know when an entry has been delivered, read, and being responded to via on screen annotations. This is a feature we really liked.

The Pearl supports the RIM push e-mail technology that has made the BlackBerry so popular, providing access to popular POP/IMAP accounts like Gmail, or access to Enterprise servers.

In our testing, we found call quality satisfactory. Most calls were loud and clear. One of the nice things the BB has over the Treo is that you don’t have to worry about hanging up on people or muting a conversation when your cheek mistakenly touches the screen (Yes, I know this can be disabled on the Treo).

Battery life was OUTSTANDING, with talk-time lasting more than 8 hours! Not bad considering all the other stuff going on with this photo snapping-chat messaging-music playing-mobile phone device.

Considering the whole package, we were generally pleased with the combination of features on this tiny smartphone. However, the keyboard layout was a little frustrating compared to previous BB designs. This prevents us from giving the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 anything more than 3 stars.

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