Entertainment

Legal P2P site doesn't have what it takes

At first blush, Qtrax seemed like a good idea.

Executives there wooed reporters by promising to corral illegal file sharing. They built an interface on top of the Gnutella network where millions of songs are pirated. They pledged to offer users a legal way to download and share music.

Qtrax managers said they had convinced the big record labels that it could turn file sharing into a cash cow for them. They said all four of the most powerful labels were on board.

But on Monday, Qtrax was more than 12 hours late launching its music service. A day earlier, … Read more

Lego bricks turn 50

If you happen to have seen my work in the past, you may have noticed that I am a big fan of all things Lego.

Over the years, I've covered two national master Lego model builder competitions, visited Microsoft headquarters for a demonstration of Lego robots, written about the communities behind Lego robotics, and much more. Oh, and played with the bricks a lot myself, though certainly not nearly as much as some of the people I've met while writing about this wonderful toy.

I even have a friend whose car is covered in the colored bricks.

So … Read more

Qtrax offtrack with all the major labels

UPDATE: 7:12 A.M. (1-28-08): Qtrax continues to delay the launch of its much awaited legal file-sharing site as more record labels confirm that the startup doesn't have permission to sell their music.

For weeks, Qtrax, an ad-supported P2P site, had promised to offer free and legal music downloads from all four of the major record labels when it opened for business.

But despite earlier reports, Qtrax's Web site will apparently not feature legal downloads from any of the majors when it debuts. On the eve of the site's launch, Warner Music Group and Universal Music … Read more

Cowon A3 reviewed

If our Cowon Q5W review left you wanting more, we've posted our Cowon A3 review just minutes ago. Seems like it's been raining portable video players around here lately. We've also updated the reviews for both of these glorious video gadgets with First Look videos, for those of you who find the act of reading too stressful.

Been looking for a worthy DivX-compatible portable video player with a built-in DVR? Follow me.

Charlatans choose Radiohead-esque album promotion

British rock group The Charlatans are the latest to experiment with an online music giveaway.

The alternative rock band, known for such songs as "One to Another" and "Weirdo," said on its Web site that fans will be allowed to download its latest album, You Cross My Path, free of charge starting March 3. The music can be downloaded from the band's Web site or here.

The album's digital distribution will be followed by the release of a physical CD beginning May 19. This will include the sale of a vinyl box set.

This … Read more

U2 3D: What 3D ought to be

Having now seen U2 3D, I can confidently say the era of three-dimensional movie-making is upon us. The movie shows what 3D can be if done right, and more important, it shows it works with real humans, not just computer-generated subjects.

I saw Beowulf in 3D three times to compare the three major 3D display technologies, Imax, Dolby 3D, and Real D. That movie was a great proof-of-concept for the projection technology, but Beowulf itself was hardly a cinema classic.

In addition, with computer graphics, a filmmaker can exert complete control over the virtual cameras. But Beowulf whetted my appetite, … Read more

Crossfade TV: Best of 2007

Later this week we'll post a brand-new Crossfade TV episode, featuring three artists who are already making a big splash in 2008. In the meantime, and before '07 fades entirely into memory, have a look at our end-of-the-season video special highlighting faves from last year's crop, including Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Kanye West, and Richard Hawley.

Cowon Q5W reviewed

The moment the Cowon Q5W portable video player hit my desk, I knew I would be in for a long review. After legions of iPod fans called foul when Apple failed to deliver a high-capacity touch-screen video player last fall (a 16GB iPod Touch just won't cut it for some folks) Cowon's long-promised 60GB Q5W seemed like the perfect cure. The Cowon Q5W is no mere PVP, however, considering that Cowon saw fit to infuse it with a treasure trove of coveted features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, composite video output, MSN Messenger, and even GPS navigation.

So why … Read more

'MacHeads' movie seems a realistic look at cult of Mac

This afternoon, I heard about the forthcoming film, MacHeads, for the first time.

My first thought was, huh, someone has made a movie based on Leander Kahney's book, The Cult of Mac.

I watched the trailer, and sure enough, Kahney--a former editor of mine when I wrote for Wired News--was in it. But it didn't look at all like it was his film.

Rather, it appears to be a similar look at the cultlike community and emotions that surround Apple, the Mac, and all things non-Windows.

For me, the trailer itself was gratifying enough, as from the very … Read more