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The study, done independently by Solutions Research Group, and released Thursday, was undertaken to explore the “digital lifestyles” of American women. Data was collected from more than 2,000 respondents between October 2006 and February 2008.

A new report on the tech habits of women shows that the female of the species is edging out the male in the areas of DVR use and ownership of portable game devices.

What the final tally shows is that women are as comfortable with popular consumer technology as men (not really a surprise), and that they’re making significant inroads into the gaming lifestyle, which has long been dominated by men.

In the gaming realm, men continue to lead in playing video game consoles–half of all men had played a console game in the previous month, whereas 38 percent of women had–but women are demonstrating a taste for portable game devices. Fourteen percent of women who describe themselves as “gamers” own a PSP (PlayStation Portable), compared to 11 percent of men who are gamers.

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TiVo)

“It’s a marginal difference, but in every other category, men or boys are slightly or substantially higher, as in the case of
Xbox 360 ownership,” Yigit said. “We find in general that girls and young women are more likely to skew to (owning) portable units, like the Game Boy Advance for the convenience and portability.”

For example, SGR characterizes women who own DVRs as much “more enthusiastic” about them than men. That’s because women spend 56 percent of their TV-watching time viewing time-shifted content on their DVR. Men spend 42 percent of their time using their DVRs. The discrepancy between the two has much to do with the type of shows men and women watch, according to Kaan Yigit, SGR’s director of syndicated studies.

“Men are more likely to watch sports, which has more impact live, obviously,” he said. Women are more likely to watch half-hour comedies and 1-hour dramas, he said. Because of those same content preferences, women are also more likely to stream television shows from network TV Web sites.

Women who own DVRs spend more than half of their TV viewing time watching time-shifted content.

According to a recent article in Vanity Fair, the full story line of the game does a good job of letting players feel as if they’re getting to actually be in what could almost be a seventh Star Wars movie. The article insinuated that the storytelling was that good and that the graphics only helped cement the illusion.

That’s why I rushed across town Thursday afternoon–to see what I believe was the first public demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the studio’s forthcoming game, and a title that seeks to fill in the chronological gap between the end of the unsatisfactory film, Episode III and the original Star Wars, now known as Episode IV.

(Credit:
LucasArts)

I would say that the results of DMM, as I saw them, were good. I didn’t think I was seeing real physics, or the kinds of special effects I might see in a real Star Wars movie, but it did look pretty good.

In this new game, the main character is an apprentice of Darth Vader, and the story line, according to Haden Blackman, the game’s project lead, centers on that apprentice’s path to redemption.

LucasArts’ new game, ‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,’ centers around the redemption story line surrounding Darth Vader’s apprentice.

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LucasArts)

In other words, in most games, if you do the same thing twice, the result will be exactly the same both times because there’s no brain in the game allowing for a little chaos to creep in. Euphoria is meant to be that chaos. So things would turn out just a little bit different each time.

SAN FRANCISCO–During the Game Development Conference, which is happening this week here, it’s rare that I, or any other journalist cover it, would leave the area immediately surrounding the confab.

All in all, I think the game looked fun, and very complex. I’m not a big fan of the previous Star Wars games, though, so perhaps I’m missing a little context.

But when LucasArts invites you to its famous facilities in San Francisco’s Presidio to show off what is being regarded as a ground-breaking game, you get the heck out of dodge.

Based on what I saw Thursday, I’d say the graphics were good, but not movie-quality good. Still, I got a chance to see what should be two pretty ground-breaking technologies that the game showcases.

‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’ features two new, ground-breaking technologies, Euphoria, a bio-feedback AI system that makes it possible to have things happen differently every time rather than looking the same each time; and Digital Molecular Matter, a new physics system that makes it possible for things to break realistically rather than in the sort of cartoon-like way they always have in games.

First, is what is known as Euphoria. It is a new form of artificial intelligence software, developed by a company called Natural Motion, which is designed to make it possible for things happen just a little differently each time in the game, even if they begin the same way.

The other new technology is called digital molecular matter, from a company called Pixelux, and it is designed to bring more realistic consequences to things like a door breaking, or something smashing into a big piece of metal. That is to say, again, in most games, if you break a door down, it will shatter into a disturbingly unrealistic set of shattered pieces. If you break a door in real life, it would splinter and shatter and bend and there would be shards. DMM, as it’s known, is meant to depict that realism.

And only time will tell whether it really is like being in an actual movie.

So what are your options if you still want to enjoy some portable TV action after February 17th, 2009? Well, you’ll need to shell out for a new portable TV with an ATSC tuner. There are only a few options, such as this Accurian 7-inch LCD and the Insigna NS-7HTV, which isn’t even currently available on BestBuy.com. We do expect more portable TVs with ATSC tuners to hit the market as the DTV deadline approaches–which will help alleviate this problem–but right now you should stay away from almost all current portable TVs–or if you buy one, realize that it’s going to lose most of its functionality in less than a year.

Portable TVs can be great for camping or in case of emergency, but you’re probably going to be getting ripped off if you buy one in 2008. That’s because almost all portable TVs use standard analog TV signals, and those signals are going to get turned off on February 17, 2009. And even though these TVs are just about obsolete, you can still buy them at places like Target, Wal-mart Stores, and Amazon. Some of the pages have warnings about the impending DTV transition, but some of them don’t.

While it is possible that someone will come out with a battery-powered DTV converter–which could work with a portable TV that has inputs–we wouldn’t hold our breath. The FCC’s DTV FAQ page already explicitly says, “it is not anticipated that battery powered digital-to-analog converter boxes will be produced,” and we haven’t heard anything from any manufacturer about making one. That means pretty much all existing portable TVs will be rendered useless, unless you’re using an external device to feed it video.

More DTV transition resources
CNET’s Quick guide to the DTV transition
Don’t sign up for your $40 DTV converter box coupon–yet
Which (nearly) free DTV converter box should I buy?
DTV Coupon Program

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Wal-Mart Stores)

Sorry little guy, but your days are numbered.

Editors’ note: Since the publication of this story, a battery-powered DTV converter box has been released, the Winegard RCDT09A. While we’d still hold off on buying a new portable TV this year–it’s better to wait for portable TVs with new digital tuners–older analog portable TVs can be used with the RCDT09A if they have a composite or RF input. For more information, read our full review of the Winegard RCDT09A.

So in short, AOL is packaging up the dial-up business for sale or some other significant change, and fine-tuning the subscription plans is part of an effort to make the package look as tempting as possible to a would-be buyer.

AOL is a significant business for Time Warner, but it’s shrinking. In the first quarter of 2008, AOL generated $1.13 billion in revenue–10 percent of Time Warner’s total but down 23 percent from $1.46 billion in the year-earlier quarter. It also generated $284 million in operating income in the first quarter, a 74 percent drop from $1.08 billion the year earlier.

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Time Warner)

The change could wring more revenue from low-value subscribers, lower AOL’s costs for those who stay at the $10 rate, and shuck the least active, least valuable AOL members. Overall, the rate change could play a small role helping make AOL’s Internet access business look more appealing to would-be buyers as Time Warner seeks to “enhance…strategic flexibility.”

“AOL’s strategy is to continue to transition from a business that has relied heavily on subscription revenues from dial-up subscribers to one that attracts and engages more Internet users and takes advantage of the recent as well as anticipated growth in online advertising,” Time Warner said in the filing.

But still, the move could indeed drive some subscribers away, either to broadband Internet service or to dial-up competitors such as NetZero, Earthlink’s budget PeoplePC subsidiary, and Microsoft’s MSN Dial-up, said Forrester analyst Sally Cohen.

“AOL’s Advertising revenues associated with the AOL Network, in large part, are generated from the activity of current and former AOL subscribers,” AOL parent company Time Warner said in a regulatory filing regarding AOL’s not-so-hot first-quarter results. “Therefore, the decline in subscribers also could have an adverse impact on AOL’s Advertising revenues generated on the AOL Network to the extent that subscribers canceling their subscriptions do not maintain their relationship with and usage of the AOL Network.”

So AOL would be wise to work hard to keep ex-subscribers part of the AOL network–not just with marketing but with education to help people figure out how to ditch AOL’s all-in-one software for dialing up, checking e-mail, browsing the Web, and using AIM. It will take time for people to find and install the standalone version of AIM, to figure out how to use AOL’s Web-based e-mail, and to download and print that picture of the grandchild.

AOL is raising the subscription fee by 20 percent for its low-cost dial-up service plan, a move that illuminates an awkward phase of its transition from an Internet service provider to an online media and advertising company.

To help make the move, AOL is splitting in two, the access business such as dial-up and the audience business that includes the Web sites and advertising. All necessary decisions to split the two parts’ operations and finances should be done by now.

Losing subscribers and their $120 a year is an obvious downside for AOL. But a more subtle problem is that losing subscribers could hurt the online business that’s AOL’s future. That’s because AOL subscribers happen to own a lot of the eyeballs visiting AOL’s Web properties and watching AOL-delivered advertisements.

Time Warner CEO JEff Bewkes

“This really brings into question, for the price-sensitive consumers still on dial-up, ‘Maybe we should just upgrade to broadband,’” Cohen said. “In some markets you can get DSL for cheaper than $12 a month.”

Those subscribers already have a potentially strong AOL affiliation through their own e-mail addresses and instant-messenger nicknames, not to mention a social network of sorts through e-mail address book and IM buddy lists.

Bye-bye subscribers
AOL lost 647,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2008, dropping to a still impressive 8.7 million in the United States, but clearly the company hopes not to lose more.

“We’re doing this for two reasons. First, to increase the accountability and operational focus of each of those businesses, and, second, and just as important, to enhance our strategic flexibility,” said Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes in a conference call after reporting last quarter’s financial results.

The Time Warner division told subscribers last week that beginning July 27, it would raise its monthly dial-up rate from $9.99 to $11.99 per month. Subscribers who specifically sign up for a plan with limited technical support can keep the $9.99 rate, though, but they won’t get phone-based help unless dealing with an Internet connection issue.

If AOL handles the transition well, though, it could keep those AOL members and the revenue they generate even as dial-up fades into technology history.

AOL’s plans
Protecting the dial-up business at all costs clearly isn’t a great long-term strategy. More than half of U.S. homes with Internet access now use broadband, Cohen said, and clearly it’s the wave of the future, and AOL knows it.

Subscribers still worth money
Given what AOL has built up over the years–still an impressive property if not a high-growth company like Google–it would be foolish to lose its link with people as they ditch their dial-up.

The move obviously could hasten the exodus of subscribers from AOL. But critics may be wise to take a deep breath before deriding AOL for a boneheaded membership disincentive for people who have abundant other options.

“This plan is still a great value, saving you at least $3 to $10 per month over comparable plans from other major Internet service providers,” the company said in the e-mailed notice, which touts features such as online storage, parental controls, and antivirus software. And AOL spokeswoman Anne Bentley pointed out limitations on various rival plans such as technical support fees and low prices that are introductory only or that are contingent on signing up for a full year.

If you share this habit, it’s probably a good idea to break it–broken headphones do not a happy music listener make. And if this can happen to a top-of-the-line pair of earphones, it’s a risk for many sets out there. Yes, it would be nice if the cables offered better stress relief close to the plug, but the fact is many of them don’t, and the damage is easy to avoid with a little foresight. Luckily for me, the break on my Shure SE310s is actually on the extender cable, rather than the Y cable connected directly to the earbuds, so it’s easy (and cheap) enough to replace. Good thing, too, because although Shure earphones come with a pretty great two-year warranty, this type of damage falls under “user error,” and it’s up to the company’s discretion whether or not they replace it. Not that you couldn’t fib a little about how the break came about, but a discerning manufacturer will probably call you out on it. Or maybe–just maybe–if the customer service rep is feeling extra-generous, you might get a nice, new pair of headphones.

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CNET Networks/Donald Bell)

Not too long ago, at the end of the inaugural post for my reoccurring Q&A feature, MP3 Mailbox Monday, I threw in a little tip about how to store your headphones while not using them with your MP3 player. To reiterate: you should avoid wrapping your earphones around your device while leaving the plug in the jack, because it puts stress on the cable and can cause damage to the wires inside. Perhaps it seemed that this tip was just some good advice from someone who has your best interests at heart (me, of course), or maybe it came off as preachy, or maybe you just thought: “well, duh.”

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CNET Networks/Jasmine France)

Sadness.

Correct way to store headphones

You may rightfully wonder at this point why I wouldn’t make use of such a handy accessory. Well, first of all, I’m lazy. That’s right. I said it. And before you go condemning me for readily admitting to my indulgence in one of the seven deadly sins, I’d like a show of hands from the people who store their headphones in the way that I’ve mentioned above. That’s what I thought. OK, I can’t actually see you. But I would guess at least half of MP3 player users employ the cable-wrap method, which, by the way, is not as bad if you actually unplug the headphones first. But I also have trouble with this seemingly effortless step–even though I have experienced first-hand the damage that may be inflicted. What it really boils down to is habit: I have to train myself to store my earphones in a way more conducive to their health.

Incorrect way to store headphones

If you were in this last camp, you hit the nail on the head. The reason I chose that moment to bestow this little tidbit upon Crave readers is due to the fact that I’d recently pulled out my Creative Zen V Plus, unwound my Shure SE310s, and discovered, much to my dismay, that there was a crack in the cable next to the plug and the wires inside were exposed and in danger of fraying. Ouch. Not that I wasn’t aware of the fact that this was not the best way to be storing my $300 headphones. After all, Shure doesn’t include that nice hardshell case for decoration. Still, with a cable as thick as that found attached to Shure earphones, damage to the cord was the least of my concern. I was much more worried about what might befall the ‘buds being bashed around in my bag, although even that did not inspire me to use the included case on a regular basis.

(Credit:
CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)

That’s huge.

Must be high in value
Must be super-easy to use
Must run on Dell

Look at the math.

The other big reason Lyman cites for Dell’s choice of Fonality is its hybrid-hosted model. Regardless of the reason, it’s a huge coup for Fonality.

Fonality brings to the table a product designed to be easy to use and directly installable. Dell brings its market reach and brand. It’s a good deal for Dell. It could be the making of Fonality.

This is big news for the VoIP world–and for the open-source Asterisk project underlying Fonality.

Dell didn’t choose Fonality because it’s built on open source, however, as Chris Lyman, Fonality’s CEO, noted early Wednesday on his blog. Rather, Dell was looking for three things. The product:

Dell has entered a partnership to take to Fonality’s affordable VoIP phone systems to small and midsize businesses.

Needless to say, the opportunity is huge. According to a Dell’Oro Group group analyst quoted in The Wall Street Journal (PDF), 35 million small businesses worldwide are expected to adopt VoIP calling over the next three years.

An IDC analysis pegs Dell at more than 28 percent market share in the United States SMB market, or roughly 7 million of the 25 million SMBs in the U.S. This deal immediately helps to put Fonality in front of Dell’s SMB customer base and the new accounts into which it’s selling.

Dell will be selling the Fonality VoIP Phone System through its global SMB sales organization, as well as its channel.

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Toshiba is in talks to buy SanDisk’s chipmaking facilities, according to Japan-based reports.

Currently, Toshiba and SanDisk jointly own flash memory manufacturing facilities in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

SanDisk is the largest supplier of retail flash drives in the U.S.

As SanDisk’s profits have been squeezed, its stock has plunged more than $60 per share during the past two years.

All this makes for a vulnerable takeover target. SanDisk’s chairman and CEO, Eli Harari, said last month that the $26-a-share bid from Samsung was “opportunistically timed at the trough of an industry-wide downturn.”

Last month, SanDisk rejected a buyout offer from Samsung. The Milpitas, Calif.-based company has been caught in a brutal downward spiral of flash memory prices and is a laggard in the growing market for solid-state drives–where Samsung is currently the leader.

Toshiba and SanDisk have two joint ventures that manufacture NAND flash memory. SanDisk has a 49.9 percent interest in each of the ventures and also funds R&D related to the ventures.

Toshiba has started negotiations to buy SanDisk’s portion of the facilities, according to Nikkei. The newspaper said this is in response to Samsung’s bid to buy SanDisk that was disclosed last month.

For those of you who actually have lives and don’t pay attention to the latest iteration of goofy Internet phenomena (think “all your base are belong to us,” “the Internet is a series of tubes,” or lolcats), Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” is the Web equivalent of the old, “Is your refrigerator running?” prank call.

Two decades ago this week–on March 12, 1988–the corny pop song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The gag known as “Rickrolling” consists of sending someone a link that purports to be something good, only to have it direct that person to the cheesy video for the ’80s pop song.

If it sounds pointless and stupid, that’s because it is. The practice is believed to have started in the 4chan (warning: content may not be safe for work) online forums, the same den of virtual infamy that allegedly brought forth lolcats as well as a good portion of the anti-Scientology hacker activity that went on earlier this year.

But there are far simpler ways to celebrate. Just go ahead and trick someone into watching that video. Everyone’s pumped about the presence of the Speed Racer and Incredible Hulk trailers on the Web–use that to your advantage!

What does this have to do with the Internet? Oh, just about everything.

On Wednesday, avid members of the Digg community celebrated the song’s 20th anniversary of hitting the top spot on Billboard with an extensive comment thread of the song’s cringeworthy lyrics.

Google’s Android is one of many Linux-based operating systems designed for mobile phones. But because the software is backed by Google, it might actually have more legs than other versions of the software. Ultimately, Android’s success will be determined by what phone manufacturers and application developers do with the software. After all, consumers don’t buy operating systems. They buy cool devices that can do really cool things.

That said, it’s not surprising that AT&T has expressed interest in Android. Verizon executives have also said they are looking at Android for their consumer branded phones but, like AT&T, they are not willing to commit to Android. Still, Verizon’s newly launched open device program would allow device makers to use Android. My guess is that if a handset maker comes up with a compelling phone that uses Android, Verizon and AT&T will surely offer them on their networks. But for now, it’s hard to say what those phones will look like since no manufacturer is actually selling Android handsets yet.

This is good news for Google, which benefits greatly from having as many carriers and handset makers as possible using its new operating system.

Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile signed on as part of the consortium, but AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 and No. 2 operators in the country, had not committed to using Android.

When Google announced it was developing the open-source, Linux-based Android platform last year, the company also announced the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of handset makers, carriers and chip designers that will work to implement Android.

Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T’s wireless unit, told the Journal he has reviewed the technology closely and is “confident it is something we are going to want in our portfolio.”

LAS VEGAS–AT&T’s top wireless man told the Wall Street Journal at the
CTIA tradeshow here this week that the company is considering using Google’s Android handsets.

While there’s been a lot of hype surrounding Android, the reality is that Android is simply an operating system just like Windows Mobile and Symbian, which are operating systems designed for smartphones. Operators also use dozens of other operating systems on their regular phones. This has turned into a bit of a problem for operators because it’s difficult for developers to come up with new applications and services quickly. Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone, the biggest cell phone company in the world, addressed this issue during his keynote at the CTIA show. And he urged the industry to work with fewer operating systems.

Just what did Citrix buy when it bought XenSource? As Dana Blankenhorn analyzes, Citrix appears to be in a dead sprint to remove any and all value from open source, virtualization buzz, etc. that it may have acquired when it bought XenSource:

Citrix either got completely snowed in the acquisition or, much more likely, it’s getting pressure from its bosom-buddy, Microsoft. What it’s not getting is much value for its $500 million.

And now, a quarter after the deal was closed, Citrix officials have indicated that they will use the hot XenSource branding, but de-emphasize its identity as a virtualization company. Citrix’s flasgship Presentation Server has been renamed to XenApp Server, a fitting title considering its function as an application delivery platform. But it has no XenSource code.

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