Sony Corp. announced plans to compete with Amazon.com by releasing a new e-book reader with wireless capability. Sony has sold e-book readers since 2006, but has been overshadowed by Amazon.com’s Kindle ever since its launch. Previous Sony readers operate with “electronic ink”, requiring users to connect the device to a computer in order to download books. Now the company plans to offer a reader that will compete with the latest version of the Kindle by allowing users to download materials over AT&T Inc.’s cellular network.

Users of Sony’s new reader will be able to view books from a variety of stores, unlike Kindle users, who can only download books from Amazon.com. Books downloaded to the new Sony reader can be transferred to and viewed on cell phones and a variety of other devices. The new reader will feature another significant difference from the Kindle: the ability to download books from local libraries. Each book will be available for 21 days with the use of a library card.

Sony began selling a smaller “Pocket Edition” e-book reader for $199 this week as well as a $299 larger, touch-screen version. Both of these versions have to be connected to a computer to download books. The Sony Reader Daily Edition with wireless capability will be offered for $399, but will not require any wireless fees to download materials, and will feature a 7-inch touch-screen. The most recent version of the Kindle is $299, but does not include touch-screen technology. The Sony Daily Edition is planned to hit stores in December.

According to Nokia’s own Executive Vice President for Devices, there’s a simple reason why this company (which usually operates on the cell phone market) has decided to come up with a netbook of their own. According to Kai Oistamo, their business is connecting people – and as such the Nokia Booklet 3G was a natural evolution for Nokia. That’s actually a good reasoning, especially since netbooks are the kind of device that effectively bridge the gap between a smartphone and a full-blown laptop.

Judging from the technical specs that were divulged so far, a lot of research and planning was put into developing this device, and it’s clearly positioned as a confident step forward among the vast offerings of netbooks already available on the market. The much anticipated Nokia Booklet 3G does indeed convey the impression that Nokia has been paying good attention to what’s going on within the industry. This is a slim aluminum-cased machine with several integrated devices which aren’t always common in netbooks, including a 3G/HSPA modem, bluetooth, GPS, bluetooth… and of course wireless connectivity. Most notably, it sports a 10.1″ HD screen and HDMI port for high definition video-out.

With a little over two pounds of weight and less than one inch thick and an autonomy of up to 12 hours on a single charge, it looks as though this is going to be a brilliant netbook – although it probably won’t be one of the cheapest machines around. It will be officially presented to the public in September 2, 2009 – so if this article aroused your interest, rest assured you’ll get access to all the detailed specs and release dates very soon.

In order to promote their newly released line of Xpress music phones, Nokia has recently announced that they will be offering a free yearly membership to the Nokia Music Service with each Xpress phone purchase. New Xpress music phone purchasers will now be able to download music onto their phones and a personal computer for free during the yearly membership to the Nokia Music Service. They will also be able to keep their music downloads on their phones and computer after their free yearly membership is completed, if they choose to cancel their membership to the music service at that time.

With their new line of music phones and music service, Nokia aims to break into the highly competitive market of online music downloads. Already known for their affordable and reliable line of phones, Nokia stands to gain a large number of additional phone users if they are successful in their campaign to break into the music service market. This may not be easy given the long popularity and loyalty of many consumers to existing online music companies, and it remains to be seen if Nokia can offer both a superb phone and music service simultaneously.

With their new phone and free music service bundle, Nokia will be challenging the value of many of the packages currently offered by other phone companies. If Nokia is successful in marketing their new Xpress music phones to buyers and can attract a substantial number of users to their music service, Nokia will have made a very smart move with this offer.

Microsoft is releasing its highly anticipated new operating system on October 22, 2009. The new operating system, Windows 7, will be a step up from Windows Vista.

Getting a Copy of Windows 7 before its official release date could be a tricky venture for those who aren’t either beta testers or Microsoft employees. If you do not fall into those two categories, there are a couple of ways that you can get your hands on a copy of Windows 7.

The simplest and easiest way is to pre-order it and be the first in line. If you want a legitimate and full copy of Windows 7 with no hassle, this is the way to go.

For those if you who are risk takers, there is also the option of pirating a copy. A few file sharing sites claim to have the leaked code for Windows 7, and if you look hard enough I am sure you could find it. Keep in mind, pirating a copy of anything is illegal, and in addition to the major consequences, pirated software carry a lot of viruses and trojans.

Unfortunately those are the two best options left for those of us wanting to get Windows 7 earlier than the rest of the crowd. There was an option to download the Release Candidate from Microsoft, but that download is no longer available. There might be web sites online that had mirrors of the Release Candidate along with extra serial keys.

To sum up, unless you work for Microsoft, are a beta-tester, or do not mind breaking the law, the only way to get your hands on Windows 7 early is to pre-order it.

It is expected that more Android phones will be available to consumers by the end of this year. Google, internet search giant and maker of the Android OS, announced Wednesday their plan to make at least 18 new versions of the popular web enabled mobile phone available to the general public before the end of 2009. Seen as a fierce competitor to Apple’s iPhone, the Android operating system for mobile phones surprised many when it was first released in late 2007. Partnering with T-Mobile, Google and its Android team worked hard to bring their brand to market with the first Android phone, the G1. Since then, it has been hampered by issues with rights for user applications or apps. Google worked to get their Apps store up and running and now featured a few thousand applications.

This new offering from the Android team is likely to bring a wider variety of availability for the phone and its applications. Currently, there are two versions of commercially available phones using the Android Operating system: the G1 from T-Mobile in the United States and HTC’s “Magic” phone in most of Europe. In Wednesday’s announcement to the press, Andy Rubin, Senior Director of Mobile Platforms for Google, said he hopes for “over 20″ phones able to use the Android mobile Operating System, but 18 was his conservative estimate by the end of this year. The opening of Android on more phone may be a plus or minus while Google competes with Apple, Microsoft mobile OS, Research in Motion (Blackberry), and Palm to win the hearts, and hands, of consumers looking to use there phone for so much more than making calls.

With most households and workplaces using high speed Internet, Internet radio stations have become more popular. Internet radio can be more entertaining than the local radio stations we used to be limited to. Internet radio offers thousands of more music choices usually free or at a low monthly cost. It allows the user to hear languages from other countries and discover new artists.

There are many benefits to using Internet radio as opposed to plugging in a stereo player. Firstly, there is no static and users would never have to worry about locating a signal. Another benefit to Internet radio is being able to listen while at work. Most office places require computer work along with Internet access for their employees. This also allows every employee a choice in their music. Companies would not have to try to please everyone by picking a neutral station. A third benefit would be limited to no commercial time. Most Internet stations only use banner ads as opposed to commercials. Talk shows would no longer have to interrupt their hot topics because they have to take a commercial break.

Although Internet radio is mostly used on computers, there are other options. Cell phones such as the IPhone and Blackberry allow their users to download applications for Internet radio. So even if someone is at work but does not work with a computer, they can still listen to the radio. Even with the widespread adoption of MP3 players, radio stations will not be eliminated. With Internet radio definitely on the rise, radio disc jockeys will have always have a job.

If you are involved in touring productions such as rock concerts, live theater or other events, it’s important for you to be able to set up and tear down your stage as quickly as possible. A simple portable truss system for your stage and lighting needs can not only save you valuable time in setting up and moving your stage but it can also save you manpower costs.

One of the best options is the xStage system from Milosgroup. The modular design makes it portable, flexible and easy to manage. It’s easy to integrate a lighting truss with the xStage system in order to add illumination for night time performance. To learn more about the xStage modular stage system for yourself, visit http://www.milosgroup.com.

Getting a phone call on your cell phone that you do not recognize can be annoying. Prank calls are something that have been haunting the public for a very long time. Nowadays, these prank calls are even being made on cell phones. Below are three options on how to trace a cell phone number and the pros and cons of each option.

First, you could trace a cell phone by using a free service. If you do a search on the world wide web you could find a free service that will trace a cell phone number for you. The advantages of using the free service is of course that you do not have to pay anything. However, most of these free services will not give you much information. In fact, depending on the number you want to trace, the information may be very limited.

If you want to trace a cell phone number and get all the information you need to stop the calls you could use a paid online service. These services charge a fee, but will give you information such as the first and last name of the person that called you. The paid services are also easy to find, all you will need is access to the Internet.

Lastly, if these calls are becoming overwhelming and you feel threatened, you could always get the police involved. The local police office will have a source where they can trace the calls for you. This option is for a much more serious situation.

It is estimated that as many as 45 million computers reach the end of their usefulness each year, prompting a decision on what will be done to dispose of them. Computers contain toxic materials such as lead and mercury that can leech into groundwater, making them unsafe (and illegal in many jurisdictions) to put into a landfill. However, there are several ways in which obsolete computers can be safely recycled.

The easiest way to recycle a computer is by contacting the original manufacturer. Dell and Apple, for example, both have recycling programs. In these programs, the shipping costs are borne by the computer manufacturer, and participation in these programs may entitle the computer owner to a small discount on their next purchase.

If the computer manufacturer is no longer in business, consider whether the old computer may still be useful to someone else. An older computer can be an excellent gift for a child or family member. If this is not an option, consider donating the computer to a local thrift shop. This donation may be tax-deductible. Alternatively, an old computer can be sold to a pawn shop or at a garage sale.

If the computer is so old that it is not desirable for anyone, and the computer manufacturer no longer exists or does not recycle, it will be necessary to contact an electronics recycler. Most local waste management companies are able to direct their customers to organizations that handle the recycling of electronics in an environmentally sound manner.

There are many people that want to watch their television without disturbing the other people in their home. The best thing for this is probably going to be to buy a pair of wireless TV Headphones. You might be wondering if you really need them and what they can cost you.

Do You Need Wireless TV Headphones?

There are many ways that you can answer this question. If you have more than one person in the home that likes things a little quieter than you do, then you might want to consider them. These headphones give you the chance to watch your program while the other people in your home can conitnue studying or working on other things. These headphones can help to make you happy and everyone else in the home by dulling the sound and letting others do what they would like to do as well.

What Do They Cost?

These headsets will usually run around $40 for a basic model with a charger to keep it fully charged. You may be able to find a used set that will run you a little lower in price, but there will be no telling what you would get and there would be no warranty on them at all and that is something that you should have.

Wireless headphones for your TV are going to be a great thing to add to your household in order to give yourself or someone else in the house some form silence to work in, but you should know all the facts before jumping right in. That way you will be prepared for anything that you may find and the prices that you can expect.