Weekend of December 12th, 2008

Gear up for another exciting "Into Tomorrow"! We're sharing some of the "Emails to Santa" we've received. Also,
find out about our thoughts on the new BlackBerry Storm and how it competes with other touchscreen smartphones.

Hour 2:

Hour 3:

Download the Audio Archive

The commercial-free version of this show has been edited & archived
for your listening pleasure! Simply click on the MP3 link below.

If you’d like to save it on your computer, right-click on the link.

Hour 1 MP3
Hour 2 MP3
Hour 3 MP3

"Into Tomorrow" Video Update

Make and receive calls and playback your music thru a wireless speaker system from Altec Lansing. Check it out in our Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza. Also featuring: This Week in Tech History with Chris Graveline.

Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza

inMotion SoundBlade
Bluetooth Speaker System

The inMotion SoundBlade wireless speaker system from Altec Lansing is dedicated to mobile phones. It’s wireless in the sense that it connects via Bluetooth to your phone. Other than being able to play music, you can make and receive calls. Therefore, it can be used as a handsfree speakerphone. But first, make sure your phone is Bluetooth enabled and A2DP compatible. A2DP means it can stream high-fidelity audio from one Bluetooth device to another.

The pairing process was pretty simple. As soon as you turn the speaker ON for the first time, it’s set to search for devices. That was convenient. We paired it with the new BlackBerry Storm from Verizon and worked great! Once you’ve paired it, you’re done. Call quality is pretty good. The microphone is on the top side with other typical speaker controls. The closer you are to it the better, of course, but you don’t necessarily have to be up close to it.

I wish I could say the same for the music playback. I found it a bit tinny at times, depending on what I was listening. The louder the song, the worst it got. I guess it’s ok at a moderate level if you’re using it at work, but if you want to listen at home or in a large room, it may not be for you. I was really disappointed with the music playback. I recommend you keep the volume on your phone set to about half-full for a better listening experience.

The inMotion SoundBlade speaker system is available for around 130 bucks, but if you shop around well, you’ll find it for $100.

By Rob Almanza

Additional Websites/Resources Mentioned