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So long and thanks for all the fun!

April 9th, 2010, 3:54 pm by

The Gadgetress blog launched five years ago as a spot to post my high-tech musings. It evolved into a gadget-review column, then a how-tech-saves-money site and finally a blog dedicated to reporting the latest on local TV and mobile services.

But all good things must come to an end and the Gadgetress blog is retiring. That’s because after nearly 10 years at the Orange County Register, I’m leaving this great gig — and Orange County — for that mysterious “to pursue other opportunities.”

It’s really a mystery to me what I’ll be doing next. I’m taking a break for a few months. Seriously. I may return to the world of tech journalism. If you want to keep track of what’s next for me, just head to my personal site at tamara.net.

I enjoyed every minute, especially the interaction with readers. Thank you readers, fans, critics, the companies and even Time Warner Cable. I’ve learned a lot from all of you and hopefully vice versa. I’ve updated the story archives so if you’re looking for an old post on TV service, here’s where to go:

For all other tech-related stories and questions, here are a few people who may be able to help you:

Farewell good readers. I’ll be on Twitter, Facebook and who knows where else? May we meet again!

Signing out,

Tamara “The Gadgetress” Chuang

Posted in: news • • • • • • | 51 Comments »

10 ways to watch TV cheaper

April 9th, 2010, 8:10 am by
Read more:

My prediction: This is going to be a big year for TV. But not because the last episode of “Lost”  airs next month. Or because yet another season of “American Idol” is one of this year’s highest rated shows.

What’s changing is how we watch TV. Hulu.com, which offers a ton of recently aired TV shows, is a mainstream hit. There are trials by Time Warner Cable offering subscribers access to some cable TV shows on the Web. Dish announced something similar (read: “Coming soon: Dish to let users watch TV online“).

Cable TV companies are losing subscribers. Online video sites, which allow users to pick and choose what they want to watch, are gaining viewers. And for the first time last fall, a major cable provider took its fight against the ever-increasing fees paid to networks to rebroadcast shows public. Something has got to give!

While the state of paid TV is undergoing a monumental change, several services are already available to help consumers pay for only what they want to watch. Now, there’s probably more than 10 suggestions on how to watch web TV on a TV, but you get the picture.

While you can hook up a computer to your PC (a la Windows Media Center or some other DIY software), I’ve tracked down some newer alternatives to pipe TV shows from the Web to your big screen TV.  I’ve listed some below, but I’m sure every reader has his or her own favorites. Please share with the rest of us in the comments and if I’m able, I’ll elevate them to the list below. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 26 Comments »

AT&T adds 2 cell sites in Irvine, Orange

April 9th, 2010, 7:27 am by

AT&T has added new 3G wireless cell sites in Irvine and Orange. The company could not provide details on the locations.

The 3G cell sites includes the recent upgrade to High-Speed Packet Access 7.2 technology, which should speed up Internet browsing and data transmission on the cellular network.

The company also announced new sites in San Bernardino and Chino and one in Kern County’s Shafter.

AT&T plans to add 200 cell sites in California, which should be good news to local iPhone users.

Latest news on cell sites:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • | 23 Comments »

Sezmi TV a deal at $20/month but not for everyone, says tester

April 8th, 2010, 7:35 pm by

This is part of a series of stories. See links below for more.

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In his quest to find an alternative to cable TV, Josh Kaplan signed up last fall to test a brand new TV service called Sezmi. This hybrid online, over-the-air broadcast would ultimately cost $4.99 to $19.99 a month when it launched in February 2010. But as a tester, the Long Beach resident got it all for free.

His verdict? Not ready for prime time.

“I really want them to be successful,” said Kaplan, who lives in Long Beach. “I love to hear of an upstart that’s challenging the status quo. I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by the quality because I wasn’t expecting much.”

Sezmi launched in the Orange County market in February 2010 offering a different kind of TV service. Besides the usual free over-the-air channels like CBS and Fox, the Sezmi box also offers around 15 cable channels, including CNN, Nickelodeon and Discovery. The Belmont, Ca. company has contracts with Turner Broadcasting, Discovery, Viacom and NBC Universal.

The $4.99 price includes the over-the-air channels and Youtube access; the $19.99 price includes everything else. That’s a steal compared to Kaplan’s current TV bill of $175 for Verizon FiOS TV and Internet service, which continues to creep up.

But set up was off putting to Kaplan. He had difficulty connecting the box to his home network so Sezmi sent him a Homeplug kit that routes Internet service over the home’s electrical system. Still there were issues but after “about 4 to 5 days, I happened to get it to work,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Ditching cable for Xbox saves Seal Beach man $70/month

April 8th, 2010, 5:12 pm by

This is the first in a short series about alternatives to TV service. More coming on Friday.
DITCHING CABLE: Jeremy Baker gave up cable after he lost his job. But he still watches the latest shows thanks to services like PlayOn, Netflix and others. Photo by CINDY YAMANAKA

Everything changed when Jeremy Baker lost his job in November 2008 — including how he watched TV.

The Seal Beach resident  didn’t watch a ton of TV but his cable bill had crept up to $130 a month. Scrambling to cut costs, he canceled cable and bought a Microsoft Xbox 360 game console.

Read more:

“I know it doesn’t make sense but I did the math. After 6 months, the Xbox was paid for,” Baker said.

It’s what he did with the Xbox that helped him save money. By changing the source of his TV service, Baker was able to watch most of his favorite shows on his TV for half of what he had paid the cable company.

He purchased PlayOn software for $30 and got a subscription to Netflix. For $8.99/month, Netflix offers unlimited access to its online video library, which includes thousands of movies and TV shows, plus one DVD rental at a time. PlayOn gave him access to several TV shows plucked from sites like the popular Hulu.com, ComedyCentral.com (including ”The Daily Show with Jon Stewart“) plus an assortment of on-demand shows from MTV, Food Networks, HGTV, SyFy and Discovery Channel.

The best part? He can still watch it all on his regular TV, thanks to the Xbox.

“I got really into watching the old ‘Law & Orders’ and every ‘SVU’ and ‘Criminal Intent,’”  Baker said. “I’m probably paying $60 a month.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 27 Comments »

Time Warner joins 3-D cable frenzy for Tiger’s return

April 7th, 2010, 7:49 am by

Time Warner Cable has put its foot in the 3-D TV ring and said Wednesday it will offer the upcoming Masters Tournament in 3-D. The golf event, which has the added publicity of Tiger Woods returning to the tournamnet,  starts April 8.

Time Warner, however, will only offer the coverage on demand, unlike other cable providers Cox Communications and Comcast Corp. (see “Cox getting into 3-D; ESPN 3-D starts in June“). Those companies are offering viewers a mix of live 3-D broadcasts and on-demand coverage.

Offering 3-D broadcasts is a big step for cable companies, which are maxed out when it comes to channel capacity on existing cable lines. Hence, they tend to be behind the competition for the number of HD channels offered. While Cox is using switched digital video technology to convert some channels into a type of on-demand channel so they’re not broadcasting 24/7, Time Warner has been moving the space-hogging analog channels to digital.

Time Warner’s 3-D coverage will be available until April 30 to customers with a cable HD box and HDMI cord. But to get the full 3-D experience, consumers must also have a 3-D HDTV.  (Read related story: “Should your next HDTV be 3-D?)

“We remain committed to bringing our customers not just the latest programming, but the most innovative ways to watch it. The Masters coverage and these viewing parties will provide a good test for the future rollout of 3-D TV in our footprint,” said Melinda Witmer, Executive Vice President of Programming for Time Warner Cable in a statement.

If you don’t have a special TV but were hoping to watch the game in 3D, Time Warner is hosting two private viewing parties. Looks like anyone can sneak in to the San Diego event. Here’s where to show up: The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo on Saturday, April, 10th, from  1:00 PM – 4:00 PST, at 12280 Greens East Rd, San Diego, CA 92128. More details at Time Warner’s site.

Previously on 3-D TVs:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Time Warner adds baseball channel free for 1 week, $179 for season

April 6th, 2010, 10:05 am by

Is the batter up? Who’s on first? Customers of Time Warner Cable and other paid-TV providers can find out for free this week as MLB Extra Innings channel offers a free preview through April 11.

Time Warner is the only one with an official announcement on the freebie. The baseball package, which will broadcast “well over 2,000 out-of market baseball games” this year is $179 for the whole season from Time Warner if you order by April 11. After that, it goes up to $199.

Some special features for this season include a way to watch the same game broadcast from the home team and the visiting team. You choose. Also, there will be a multi-screen mosaic so viewers can watch multiple games in the same TV frame.

In Orange County, Cox Communications also offers the MLB package. Consumers can check with their local TV service to see if the MLB free preview is available. More details at www.getbaseball.com or by calling 1-888-SPORTS-iN.

Previous TV coverage:

Posted in: news • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Reasons why you can’t order Verizon FiOS TV

April 5th, 2010, 11:36 am by

Last week, Verizon gave Orange County the most detailed information to date on where its elusive FiOS TV and Internet is offered.

The company listed 19 zip codes in area cities that may qualify for the fiber-optic services that boasts Internet speeds of 50 megabits per second and a slate of the most HD channels nationwide. But as I mentioned in the original post, this doesn’t mean that EVERYONE who lives in those zip codes can order FiOS TV and Internet service. Jon Davies, with Verizon, offered the zip codes to help readers, not frustrate them.

“I was hoping it would help readers get a better sense of where we are — I didn’t mean to cause frustration! But, as you know, the biggest challenge we’ve always had with FiOS is making it available to everyone who wants it,” Davies said.

So, to help clarify availability in those zip codes, I’m listing reasons why you may not be able to order FiOS for your home.

1.  You live on the wrong side of the zip code. Zip codes don’t conform to the boundaries of Verizon’s footprint so some customers in these areas may be AT&T customers. Verizon is targeting its existing wired telephone base first before it expands outside its territory. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • | 20 Comments »

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