Show Synopsis

A new year brings new technologies to the consumer market, and what better place to get an advanced look at those new technologies than from the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada! Craig reports on the show, describing new gadgets, toys, and must-have items, as well as interviewing cutting-edge movers and shakers in the world of consumer electronics. If you're a consumer, you won't want to miss this one!

Review and Comment Articles

1. VoIP: Calling on the cheap! Voice over Internet Protocol is one of the up and coming technologies, one that can save you lots of money. If you have a broadband Internet connection, this technology may be just the ticket to lowering your phone bills.

Some of the major players in this technology include AT&T, Verizon, and the latest VoIP rising star, Vonage. AT&T's CallVantage service starts at $29.99/month, and is reputed to provide excellent voice quality.

Verizon's VoiceWing service starts at $29.95 for Verizon DSL customers, $34.95 for all other ISP users.

Lingo, a low-cost provider with international flavor, with a Basic Plan starting at $14.95, International Unlimited for $79.95, and even a $7.95 offering for free calls to other Lingo users.

Packet8 offers simple, no-frills service starting at $19.95.

And Vonage, the current big dog in the VoIP kennel, weighs in with a variety of plans, including a Premium Unlimited plan for $24.99 and Basic 500 (long distance minutes) for $14.99.

Bill Gates .vs. BSOD

2. Bill Gates .vs. BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death): Bill Gates got a taste of his own medicine last week when, while demonstrating software at the Consumer Electronics Show, his computer, running a Microsoft Operating System with Microsoft applications software, crashed!! Showing a Blue Screen of Death to the assembled and amused attendees, many felt that seeing Bill Gates suffer from his own company's variable quality was a fitting scene for the CES.

Microsoft's latest "Security" patches

3. Craig talks about Microsoft's newest fixes for Windows, including Microsoft's new Malicious Software Removal Tool. While the tool is useful, the patches are questionable: Although meant to correct certain security flaws, Craig warns that, despite arguments to the contrary, you might want to wait for them to "Fix the fix" before applying these updates.

Family and Technology Articles

iPod, uPod, we all Pod...

1. Apple's new iPod Shuffle. "Enjoy Uncertainty," says the caption on Apple's webpage for their newest iPod product, the Shuffle.  If you like to be surprised by the people in your life, the Shuffle may just become your newest friend, playing randomly selected tunes that you download from your computer.

Spam and Dregs

2. Even with two prominent Spam purveyors cooling their heels in prison, so-called "Spam" continues to clog our email inboxes and detract from the "online experience" many seek when going online.

Students and Computers

3. Students and Computers: Do computers really enhance the academic experience and improve learning? A new study shows mixed results -- Whereas computers in school may serve to bring some test scores down, home computers seem to do the opposite, bringing up math scores. What causes this disparity? Craig casts a critical eye on the subject.

Phishing Phor Your Phunds

4. Craig warns that "Phishing," the practice of using bogus emails to dig up your private financial information and hijack your funds, is on the rise, with a spate of new phishing attempts coming in just this week. More on this during the show...

Our Guest - David Gregg

5. David Gregg joins Craig live to talk about the Apple's new offerings announced this week   (iPods, cameras, etc.). They'll also discuss a few of the many new items seen at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, including some great digital cameras and an 80 inch Plasma TV.

Business and Security Articles