Ken C. Pohlmann

Garmin nüvi 350 Personal Travel Assistant/MP3 Player

A Mini Tour de Force

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted April 4, 2006

$900 •GPS receiver with voice prompts •MP3 music and JPEG photo player •Optional travel and language guides •3.5-inch touchscreen •Text-to-speech synthesis •3.875 x 2.875 x 0.875 inches •5 oun

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Paradigm Cinema 330 Home Theater Speaker System

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted April 6, 2006

What We Think These trim speakers provide surprisingly big and refined sound at a good price. Truth be told, huge speakers are a pain, especially when you've got six or more c

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'I Want It All!'

The High-Def DVD Warriors Dig In

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted May 5, 2006

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Motorola SLVR L7 iTunes Phone

A cellphone for the tragically hip

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted May 6, 2006

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The Dark Side of the Disc

Think black cds sound better? dream on...

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted December 6, 2005

When the Compact Disc was introduced 22 years ago, it rocked everyone's world. Like any seismic change, it fostered its share of controversy and anger and even some name-calling. As a devout young digerati, I waited patiently for all the conspiracy theories to die away. I'm still waiting.

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Satellite Goes Surround

How Does XM Manage to Do Surround Sound Over Satellite Radio? And How Does It Sound?

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted June 5, 2006

Shown above is the special microphone configuration Neural Audio came up with so XM can capture all the channels for a surround sound broadcast of a live performance from a single position.

Maybe I'm just someone who's easily impressed, but the whole idea of sending audio and video data tens of thousands of miles into space to hit satellites that then send the data back to earth amazes

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Coming Soon to a Brain Near You

The ultimate in image and sound (eyes and ears not required)

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted June 3, 2006

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The Dark Side of the Tune

Sound quality is on the run

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted July 4, 2006

Did you hear that just now...? No, you didn't. You were talking on your cellphone, probably while listening to your iPod. This morning I saw a guy talking on his cellphone, listening to his iPod, and eating a cheeseburger - all at once. I just prayed that he wasn't going to get behind the wheel. But I digress.

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Shootout: Three Wireless Multiroom Music Systems

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted July 4, 2006

What's wrong with this picture? Right this moment, you can whip out your cellphone and call Directory Assistance in Sri Lanka, halfway around the world. On the other hand, you need wires (probably poorly concealed under the carpet) to run audio from your home theater to your home office.

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Worse and Worser

The Sony BMG Scandal: Not Just Rootkitting Around

By Ken C. Pohlmann
Posted February 6, 2006

From the vantage point of Sony BMG'S corporate headquarters, it probably seemed like a good idea at the time. With music piracy up and profits down, it made complete sense to add some get-tough digital-rights management (DRM) to certain CDs. But what seemed smart in the corporate world led to a royal debacle in the real world.

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