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Sony’s MDR-NC300D digital noise canceling earbuds use the same technology found in Sony’s top of the line, and very much respected, MDR-NC500D over the ear headphones, and at $300 these earbuds ain’t cheap but they might actually be worth it.

Sony claims these earbuds have 98.4 percent ambient noise reduction, which is the result of their digital high-quality noise canceling technology. Using the same AI feature found in the over the ear bigger brother, the earbuds will have three noise canceling settings geared for plane, bus/train and office. The earbuds are powered by one AA batter with an approximate 20 hours of batter life and feature volume control and monitor button on the battery holder / controller.

The MDR-NC300D will be available next month for a whopping $300, but seeing how good their over the ear MDR-NC500D are for frequent flayers, these earbuds might be the right buy. For the right person that is…

Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends, Other Events, iPhone

(image by Cult of Mac)

As expected, there are a number of iPhone and iPod-related accessories coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Here’s a couple we’ve seen already:

• iHome’s got both audio systems and alarm clocks on display — the clocks even have a sync button that will pull the time in straight from your iPhone or iPod, so no more having to set it yourself.
• They’ve also got another unit for the kitchen, but is it just us or do these all look pretty much the same?
• Sharper Image has a clock that uses an app on the iPhone screen as the clock hands, while sitting in a dock that holds numbers around the handset. They also have a speaker dock that can pull sports, news, and weather information from a custom app and display it on a separate LED screen. Pretty cool, actually, even if an iPhone already gives you all of that information anyway.
• FLO TV and Mophie are trying to bring mobile television to the iPhone this year.
• And Tunebug is showing off “surface sound” speakers — you attach a little piece to a bike helmet or other surface, and it turns the whole thing into a giant speaker, sending the music into your head. Freaky.

So far, as you can see, it’s mostly clocks and speakers. Which sounds about right for CES, actually — not everybody gets to release an augmented reality helicopter. We’ll keep an eye on the show all this week, and let you know about any other iPod-related releases there.

TUAWCES Watch: More clocks and docks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Bugatti, Design/Style, Luxury

The car you see here is not the latest special edition Bugatti Veyron, nor is it a Chinese knockoff of the extreme hypercar. It is in fact a 1999 Bugatti Veyron design concept built by then-SEAT head of design, Walter de’Silva. It seems Walter was asked to submit a design concept by then-head of Volkswagen Design, Hartmut Warkuss. Word came that VW head honcho Ferdinand Piëch was working on the revival of the Bugatti brand and he needed some proposals. This full-scale mockup was built and presented, but ultimately rejected in favor of Hartmut’s own design. Thank goodness.

The de’Silva concept car languished in some dark corner until Quattroruote uncovered it and printed a spread on the car in August. Scans of that article have found their way onto the interwebs and ultimately into our own grubby little hands so we could share them with you. While there are some similarities between the de’Silva concept and the production Veyron, we’re glad VAG decided to go with the Warkuss design. Based on the Giugiaro-styled Chiron 18.3, the Veyron ultimately looked much more sophisticated and elegant. Still, this concept lives on as a footnote in the long story of the world’s most outrageous supercar.

[Source: Quattroruote via Coachbuild.com and ryanokeefe]

Walter de’Silva’s forgotten 1999 Bugatti Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Ferrari, Rumormill

Few words have greater impact when mashed together than “Ferrari” and “GTO.” While there are rivals at times, the most expensive car in the word for the last three decades has been the original, Daytona Coupe battling, Le Mans winning Ferrari 250 GTO. Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and raced into history by Phil Hill, few cars wear the moniker “legendary” quite as well. After all, only 39 were ever made.

But, like Leah, there is another. The mighty Ferrari 288 GTO. Developed — like Porsche’s 959 and 961 — for Group B action, few if any cars set our hearts so totally on fire. Know nothings might scoff at the 2.85-liter displacement, but those of us in the know will point to the two turbochargers, two intercoolers and 400 stampeding horses. We might even tell them that if they turned the boost pressure up from 11.6 psi to something a bit higher, 600 hp is well within reach. However, the 288 GTO isn’t, as just 272 examples (though some say 273) were made. Compare that to the 1,315 Ferrari F40s that were built. A car we should point out, that’s basically a 288 GTO with a body kit.

Now there might be three. EVO is reporting that Ferrari is about to let loose a new GTO upon the world in the form of a 700 horsepower monster called the 599 GTO. Obviously, it’s an evolution of the street 599, and in fact EVO’s claiming it’s the racetrack only 599XX for the street. During a recent interview, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa told the Brit mag that when the 458 Italia debuted, the 599 was internally reassigned to the “Sports Car” division, instead of where it used to reside, as a “GT.”

More interestingly, should it come to fruition, the 599 GTO will have specs to make Enzo owners smack their own foreheads. 700 hp will come from the raising the 6.0-liter V12’s redline to a stunning 9,000 rpm. A faster transmission should shave gear change times down from 100 milliseconds to an essentially F1 quick 60 milliseconds. And it will be light. Everything should add up to a 3.2 second dash to 60 mph and an Enzo-matching top speed of 217 mph. Though if the 599 GTO went a little bit faster than that, we wouldn’t be all that surprised. Tip of the Ferrari branded $50 Kimi Räikkönen baseball cap (no, really) to Kevin!

[Source: EVO]

Rumormill: Ferrari 599 GTO? EVO says 700-hp bruiser is on the way originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony is planning to release a new device called the Dash, which it’s describing as a “personal Internet viewer.”

Hmmm, an “Internet viewer.” Sounds kind of like a computer. Or my iPhone. Sony is building this product for more casual use, when you just want to check something quickly without turning on and browsing your computer — for example if you want to check the weather, the latest headline, or our calendar.

The Dash includes a 7-inch, tilt-able, color touchscreen; stereo speakers; WiFi; and access to more than 1,500 apps from Sony’s Bravia platform, including YouTube videos, Pandora radio, Epicurious recipes, and Navteq traffic updates.

The apps turn the Dash into much more than a digital picture frame. The Dash might also be compared to a tablet computer, but portability doesn’t seem to be a priority, since you need to plug it in and have access to a WiFi (as opposed to mobile) network.

Sony announced the Dash at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and said it plans to make the Dash available in April for $199.

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Panasonic opened its press event with a video conference of its chairman Fumio Ohtsubo talking from Osaka, Japan, with a crystal clear high-definition image on a big screen. That high-end video conferencing system will be in the market in April. But the real push at the Japanese company is — you heard many times before already — 3-D TV.

Just like Samsung, Panasonic is launching a whole ecosystem of products around 3-D. The company is launching everything needed to push 3-D, which has become a hot ticket thanks to the success of James Cameron’s Avatar film in movie theaters. These Panasonic products, from TVs to glasses to cameras, will help stoke the use of 3-D.

Panasonic said that content for 3-D is coming. DirecTV said that it will launch three 3-D channels over its satellite TV service by the end of June, 2010. Panasonic made an early effort to launch 3-D TVs and said last year that it would debut a line-up of such TVs for 2010. Now it’s following through on that with a bunch of new models.

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I’m 35 now, but back when I was in the junior high years of school, I hated physical education (PE) class. I dreaded it, but maybe not as much as the last kid picked for team sports. Not sure what I’m talking about?

The coaches teaching my classes usually thought it a good idea to let a team leader pick team members for baseball, kickball, dodgeball or whatever game of torture the day presented. The leaders were popular people who played basketball on the school’s team. So, the two leaders would take turns picking a team member until there were one or two people left. You could always see them calculating: Who would be worse, the really skinny girl or the boy with thick glasses?

I was the really skinny girl, and everyone assumed I wasn’t good at any sport. (I was usually picked second to last.) In basketball, I merely existed. No one passed the ball to me. Yet, one day during a basketball game a boy who I was told had a crush on me, decided to pass me the ball. Well, no one was guarding me, and I made the shot. Everyone stood there in a moment of amazement.

My point in this story is that PE class can leave scars. Researcher Billy Strean, a professor at the University of Alberta, thinks that humiliation in PE class can turn students off fitness for life. His research was published in Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise.

Strean believes that the coach’s personal characteristics are important to determining how students will feel about physical fitness later in life. He cautions that coaches shouldn’t embarrass students or be unfair during PE class.

In his research, Strean found that study participants had better experiences from minimally organized games like street hockey, rather than more organized activities. He says that minimal rules and no scorekeeping would be useful. And, might I add, no team leaders choosing their team mates!

FYI – After the age of around 13, I never participated in team sports again. Though, I do enjoy walking and yoga.

(Image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

PE Class Ruin Your Attitude Toward Exerise?

In terms of new hot startups, Square is among the hottest. And for good reason. If it takes off, it has the potential to transform the way vendors and consumers handle transactions. (There’s a reason it was worth $40 million before launch.) Not surprisingly, the talent is also flowing to them.

Square has just hired Bob Lee, a software engineer at Google. And not just any engineer, Lee led the core library development for Android — yes, Google’s mobile platform that is exploding with growth and excitement right now. And yet, Lee is leaving after 5 years at Google for something he clearly feels is even more exciting, Square.

Square’s Buzz Andersen tweeted the news today, and confirmed that Lee is on board fulltime with Square now. Lee, who is apparently known as “Crazy Bob,” will be heading up development of Square’s Android app, we hear. Currently, Square only works on the iPhone and iPod touch. Getting to the other mobile platforms will be vital for the company’s success. And of these platforms, Android is clearly the first priority.

How Square will interact with Android devices isn’t yet clear since the system requires a hardware component as well. On the iPhone and iPod touch, a little square (hence, the name) plugs into the headphone jack — something which the iPhone OS 3.0 allows for.

Update: Lee has just tweeted about the news as well.

Update 2: Square co-founder Jack Dorsey also says that there are two other hires that Square will be announcing soon.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Two days ago, I wrote a speculative piece wondering if Apple hadn’t leaked some of the information about its forthcoming tablet device to the Wall Street Journal itself. I based this on a number of curiosities in the post, the timing of it, as well as the history between the secretive company as the publication. Today, The Mac Observer suspects the same thing happened. Only they have a much better reason to believe: The author used to be in charge of doing just that for Apple.

John Martellaro, now a senior editor at The Mac Observer, was formerly a Senior Marketing Manager at Apple. As he writes in his post:

Often Apple has a need to let information out, unofficially. The company has been doing that for years, and it helps preserve Apple’s consistent, official reputation for never talking about unreleased products. I know, because when I was a Senior Marketing Manager at Apple, I was instructed to do some controlled leaks.

Lest you be suspicious of Martellaro’s claim, he did indeed hold that role at Apple (here’s some Apple developer documentation tied to him in 2001), and it’s hard to imagine he would have any reason to make up such a thing. In fact, it’s been widely believed for a long while that Apple does this from time to time.

And Martellaro goes into more details. Apparently, senior execs used to come to his team and say they need to get information out there. They were never allowed to email it to anyone, it always had to be on the phone or in person, so there was no paper trail.

He also notes that stock manipulation never factors in (one would hope not), though I suppose one could argue that if Apple did in fact leak the Jobs’ liver transplant information to the WSJ on a Friday night a few months ago, it was a form of manipulation, because they were making sure the stock wouldn’t tank on the news.

Martellaro sums up his post: “That’s how Apple does controlled leaks, and the WSJ article from yesterday was a classic example.“ So there you go.

[photo: flickr/photo denbow]

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Sony just announced at their ever-hectic press conference that the PS3 will be able to play full 3D movies through the newly announced 3D Bravias.

Last year, Sony threw us the Webbie mini camcorder. This year, it’s the Bloggie. Will next year’s pico-camcorder be called the Tweetie? The RSSfeedie? The Faxmachinie?

There’s three Bloggie models this year, the MHS-PM5, MHS-PM5K and MHS-CM5. All three film in 1080p video and take 5.0-megapixel photos. The CM5 brings a much-needed feature to the pocket-cam set—an optical zoom (in this case, 5x). Finally!

The lenses of the PM5 and PM5K swivel in 270-degrees for that perfect “MySpace snap” that the Bloggie users will be craving, and are connectable via USB to both PC and Mac. What separates the PM5 and PM5K is that the latter can shoot 360-degree videos, via a lens adapter. All three accept either SD or Memory Stick, which is good because none have any internal memory.

SteadyShot image stabilization is only available when shooting in the 720p resolution with 30fps, so watch out for those shaky hands when shooting in 1080p with 30fps. 6-inch LCD screens feature on all models and the CM5 one also has an HDMI connector. Update: The Bloggie line will be available in February, with the CM5 going for $200 and the PM5 coming in at $180. [Sony]

I’ve seen 3D on every type of TV/glasses combo, but up until now, the video feed itself was always streamed from Blu-ray. So with DirecTV announcing three 3D HD channels arriving in 2010, I just had to try it out.

My verdict: After about 5 minutes of watching the feed on a 50-ish inch Panasonic plasma (using shutter glasses, of course), I think DirecTV’s broadcast is about as good as any 3D I’ve seen for the home theater market.

Really, while I despise the low quality of my HD DirecTV channels at home, the 3D stream gliding to the floor of CES is not nearly as compressed as the crap subscribers have been looking at. It’s actually quite sharp—as sharp as any 3D I’ve seen.

But that’s not to say the same issues I have with shutter glasses 3D aren’t there—I still feel an inherent distance from the screen, and frame rates tend to get choppy on sports—choppier, I suspect, than the sports footage I’ve seen on 3D Blu-ray. Skin tones, too, seemed to be lacking that extra bit of color data that makes them pop—and color information is the first thing to go in video compression (but without a side-by-side of the same TV with the same video clip, it’s tough to control for the testing).

Footage of Toy Story 2, meanwhile, was fairly brilliant (and colorful!), as were the crashing white caps of a waterfall from some nameless nature documentary. As sharp as Blu-ray (for all intents and purposes), I have to say, DirecTV sure can make a pretty picture when they’re trying.

It’s just too bad that DirecTV needs the pressure of 3D to do it, and 5 minutes of the experience gave me a headache that’s still bothering me even now.

Sony is beefing up their VAIO line with three new notebooks, the F-, Y- and W-Series, and is refreshing their VAIO Z-Series. The four new models are available with Blu-ray drives as well as Sony’s Transfer Jet technology.

The Sony VAIO Z-Series, with a 13.1″ LED backlit screen, weighs only three pounds, thanks to a lightweight carbon fiber body. This road warrior can still kick back and entertain, with a Blu-ray optical drive and HDMI out for movie time. The Z-Series will use solid state drives of up to 512 GB and come with optional 3G connectivity from Verizon. Pre-orders are available now with configurations starting at $1000.

The F-Series is a multi-media affair, with a 16.4″ 16:9 screen, and an optional Blu-ray drive to take advantage of that wide aspect ratio. Of course, it pumps out video in full 1080p and boasts an Intel Core i7 processor. It will be available sometime in the spring for around $1900.

The VAIO Y-Series is a 13.3″ LED, 3.9lb notebook based on affordability and portability. It’s stuck with a Intel Core 2 Duo, but at only $800 makes for a good value. Pre-sales start today.

Sony VAIO Z-Series

Ultra-Mobility Meets Ultra-Performance

At just over three pounds, the Z notebook is housed in a durable carbon-fiber aluminum chassis and delivers all the features found in a full-sized PC including the latest powerful Intel® processor technology.

It incorporates a 13.1-inch (diagonal) high-resolution LED backlight screen, delivering a bright picture with 100 percent color saturation (select models) while conserving power and providing a wide spectrum of true-to-life colors.

The Z model has an optional Blu-ray Disc (BD) optical drive for enjoying, creating and storing high-definition content. Watch BD movies in stunning clarity while on the road or utilize the HDMI output during meetings and make presentations come to life in full 1080 HD resolution. Compatible HDTV and HDMI cable required, sold separately.

-more-

A dynamic hybrid graphics system lets you easily set your graphics performance to provide power when you need it and energy savings to extend battery life when you do not. Select “speed” for maximum power when multi-tasking, “stamina” to conserve energy or “auto” to have the unit select the appropriate computing usage for you.

The PC integrates wireless 3G Mobile Broadband technology provided by Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In (optional), Wi-Fi® (802.11n), and Bluetooth® wireless technologies-so you will always be connected. For 3G Mobile Broadband technology, a separate Verizon service subscription is required (fees apply).

The Z Series comes exclusively in solid state drive (SSD) models-up to 512GB. Faster and more durable, the SSD unit provides a rapid boot-up and quicker access to applications than is typical of standard hard drives.

Sony VAIO F-Series

Multi-media Powerhouse

Featuring a 16.4-inch (diagonal) screen, the VAIO F Series is the ultimate multi-media, entertainment notebook. It incorporates an optional Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive so it can play high-definition content like movies in Full 1080 HD resolution as well as record, store and playback personal content on high-capacity BD media (select models).

Its display is ideal for watching Blu-ray Disc movies. Since many HD films are shot with a 16:9 aspect ratio, the unit’s extra-wide LCD is constructed with the same dimensions. This minimizes the black bars that typically appear, letting you view movies in their intended format.

For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, it also has an HDMI™ output connector so you can connect to a high-definition TV set for a larger viewing experience.

An NVIDIA® GeForce® dedicated graphics card provides high-definition graphics processing for intense gaming action without placing huge demands on the unit’s CPU.

Launch directly into Sony’s own Media Gallery software by pushing the designated VAIO button on the keyboard and create high-quality home movies. Import your photos and video, choose a theme and soundtrack, click finish and the software does the rest, generating a professional-looking movie complete with special effects.

The PC incorporates Sony’s own Transfer Jet™ technology (select models) enabling you to wirelessly transfer digital photos from select digital cameras-quickly and easily. Simply place your camera on the palm rest and your digital images transfer automatically. A Transfer Jet enabled digital camera and Memory Stick® are required.

It packs an Intel® CoreTM i7 Processor with 4 cores and supports Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies delivering the performance needed for multitasking.

Both notebooks come equipped with an assist button that links directly to VAIO Care™ software to help maintain and troubleshoot any issues. They also incorporate backlit keyboards for typing in dark situations.

The Z Series comes with Windows® 7 Professional operating system. The F Series is loaded with Windows Home Premium 64-Bit operating system.

The VAIO Z Series will retail for about $1,900 and be available in late spring. For more information on the Z Series log on to www.sony.com/pr/zseries.

The F Series will start at around $1,000 and is available online today for pre-orders at www.sony.com/pr/fseries. They will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and at other major retailers around the country.

Sony VAIO Y-Series

MEDIA ALERT: NEW Sony notebook DELIVERS PORTABILITY AND PERFORMACE AT AFFORDABLE PRICE

Subject: Media Alert: VAIO® Y Series Notebook Ideal for Those On-the-Go

WHO: Great for students and anyone who is constantly on the move, the VAIO Y® Series notebook offers premium portability and serious power at an affordable price. A breeze to carry at just 3.9 lbs, this PC features a durable magnesium casing and delivers up to seven hours of battery life for true mobile freedom.

WHAT: With a thin 1.2-inch profile, the Y Series notebook delivers both portability and performance. An optional Intel® Core™ 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor and up to 8GBs of RAM help ensure that this PC delivers the power to meet your computing demands, whether running multiple programs or streaming movies over a wireless connection.

The 13.3-inch LED backlit widescreen display on the Y Series offers lower power consumption for improved battery life while providing incredibly high brightness levels that amplify colors and deliver clear, crisp picture quality.

Whether a TV show or sharing photos and home videos, the Y Series notebook lets you view content on your compatible big-screen at an incredibly high level of resolution. An HDMI™ output delivers both your video and audio to compatible televisions and displays via a single cable (sold separately), providing the optimal digital connection.

It is also equipped with Stereo Bluetooth® technology for streaming CD-quality music and audio from your notebook to other compatible devices, such as wireless Bluetooth headphones or speakers.

A precisely engineered keyboard creates a more intuitive typing experience on the Y Series while helping to reduce mistakes and a built-in camera and microphone provides easy video messaging with friends and family.

WHERE: The VAIO Y Series starts at $800 and is available starting today for pre-sales, at Sony Style stores around the country. To find the closest Sony Style store, please visit: www.sony.com/pr/yseries.

While just about all of the Lenovo news is already in the wild, it’s far more fun to get a private tour of the new and updated devices. This morning we had a chunk of Lenovo’s time so we pulled out the video camera to look at the latest and greatest mobile gear: the IdeaPad U1 and the SkyLight smartbook. Have a 17 minute look-see for the details and impressions.

First up is the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid. This unique device has a detachable screen with it’s own processor, providing a small notebook and a media / web tablet. A Snapdragon runs the display part while an Intel CULV powers the main machine and the two devices can “speak” to each other. Lenovo hopes to keep the U1 cost under $1,000 and I agree with them on that aspect. Although the U1 is really two devices, it becomes far more compelling at $800 or $900 instead over a grand. So far the U1 is the most innovative computing device I’ve yet seen at the CES.

The SkyLight smartbook was next and it’s a thin, light device with a very usable keyboard. Like the tablet portion of the U1, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor powers the unit and it runs a custom version of Linux. Unlike the U1, the 10.1″ display isn’t a touchscreen. You’ll see that the environment has a widget look and feel and although it’s not a performance powerhouse, the device runs admirably on the guts of a high-end smartphone.

Although we didn’t capture it on video, we also played with the Lenovo S12-3 and S12-3T netbooks. The multi-touch capacitive display on the S12-3T was very nice to tap around on, but of course, capacitive means no inking without some special stylus solution.

Sony’s new Vaio W series “eco-edition” is so green—(how green is it?)—that it doesn’t even have a printed manual. Its materials are all recycled, and would make a great accompaniment for a Prius. Update: Hands-on!

So I just played around with the Vaio W, and it’s disappointingly low-end. It does have the new Pine Trail Atoms, but they have no plans to add video acceleration (like the Ion or Broadcom) which means it pretty much can’t handle much heavy work. It’s also running exclusively Windows 7 Starter. The environmental stuff is kind of cool; the lid, palm-rest and bottom panel are all made from 80% recycled material, and 20% of that is from recycled CDs and DVDs. But on the other hand, it’s available only at Sony Style stores and it’s going to cost a totally unreasonable $530. For that kind of money you can get a very respectable ultrathin or at least a netbook with Ion graphics.

MEDIA ALERT: Sony Launches Eco-Friendly VAIO Mini PC Comprised OF ENVIROMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS

SUBJECT: Media Alert: Perfect for Casual Computing, VAIO W Series Mini Notebook is Now Eco-Friendly

WHO: Great for environmentalists and families alike, the VAIO W® Series Eco Edition 212AX mini notebook features a reprocessed plastic chassis comprised of approximately 20 percent recycled CDs. It also comes in a stylish reusable carrying-case made from recycled PET bottles-no wasted cardboard packaging.

Committed to the environment, Sony also features trade-in and recycling programs. For more on Sony’s proactive approach to creating products that grow out of greener thinking please visit: www.sony.com/green.

WHAT: An ideal secondary PC, the VAIO W Series is ideal for anyone who wants casual computing, web browsing and social networking at their fingertips.

It also comes with parental controls built-in so you can create a safe on-line experience for kids. Featuring Kidzui and Online Family Norton software, kids have the freedom to learn, play, search and discover sites on the Internet while it gives parents the tools to manage the sites they visit.

The W Series has a HD (1366×768) 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display that lets you view an entire web page side-to-side on a single screen.

Its roomy 250GB hard drive for all your on-screen media – movies, photos and videos – just like that of a full-size PC. And with a long battery life, users can get up to seven hours of use on a single charge.

The VAIO W Series Eco Edition comes in sugar white with a translucent green interior. It is equipped with Microsoft® Windows® 7 Starter operating system.

WHERE: The VAIO W Series Eco Edition mini notebook starts at $480 and is available starting today for pre-sales, at Sony Style stores around the country. To find the closest Sony Style store, please visit: www.sony.com/pr/wseries.

A few weeks ago, EFF published its first draft of a Buyer’s Guide to E-Book Privacy, which summarized and commented on the privacy-related policies and behaviors of several e-readers. In that first draft we incorporated the actual language of the privacy policies as much as possible, which unfortunately created some confusion since companies generally use different language to address similar issues. We also did a few other things clumsily.

Since then, thanks to the feedback and corrections we’ve received, we’ve made some updates and corrections to the guide which we hope will make it more useful. First, we’ve re-written many of the questions and answers to provide more clarity about the behavior of each e-reader. Second, we’ve tried point out where companies’ privacy policies themselves are unclear on particular issues. And finally, we’ve made the whole thing easier to read by changing its visual layout.

This guide continues to be a work in progress. So, please continue to let us know whether it’s helpful and what additions you’d like to see.

Updated 1/1/08: Changed AZM to AZW.