TechCrunch’s Andrew Keen will be interviewing the couple of Google masterminds with questions submitted by readers. You can submit questions on Google+ in This Thread or by Tweeting with the hashtag #techcrunchtv before or during (but not after) the interview to get everything you want to know out of the way!

Now for the stream, and remember this starts at 5:45 PT on July 21, 2011:

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Uplinq 2011 is a two-day event hosted by Qualcomm in San Diego. Yesterday, we covered the first keynote, which discussed the topics of 3D, peer-to-peer gaming, and augmented reality. A new Snapdragon “Game Pack” was also revealed as part of Qualcomm’s plans to support developers in optimizing games for its processors.

A keynote by HTC touched upon NFC technology, cloud data, and 4G, with Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop later taking the stage to outline five basic points for success. Various other demoes took place including HTC EVO 3D video recording and playback and HD games on the ASUS Eee Pad MeMO.

Mitsubishi’s 3D Home Cinema TV series uses an integrated 3D emitter that functions with special battery powered 3D viewing glasses. The pair I was donning was a super durable rubberized set used for high-volume demo purposes. For regular home use there’s a slightly more flattering alternative as well as third-party options. However, the glasses are not included with the purchase of the TV. They come in a bundled kit for $399 that includes two-pairs of glasses and a Blu-Ray Disc of 3D Disney content. You can also purchase single pairs for $149.

The minimum comfortable viewing distance is roughly 9 to 11 feet away for the 92-inch model and likely greater for those prone to motion sickness. I was able to sit about 6 feet away from the 82-inch model without any discomfort and that may have been due to the sharpness of the picture quality. The series employs the same DLP technology used in most 3D cinema screens with a 1080p resolution and 1000x faster pixel response time from a 120Hz sub-frame rate for smooth and crisp fast action scenes.

The image below of the 82-inch model gives you a better idea of just how big are these displays. The 92-inch model—not pictured—measures a whopping 4 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and almost 2 feet deep.

Connectivity features include StreamTV that lets you access the internet for various services including VUDU 3D movie streaming, Pandora, Facebook, and Twitter. The TV is Bluetooth enabled so that music can be streamed from cellphones or other Bluetooth enabled devices. The Mitsubishi TV Control app is available for download from iTunes that converts your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into a TV remote. Future developments may allow for streaming content from your mobile devices. Other connectors include four HDMI inputs, a USB media player, and a PC/DVI port.

As for sound, the series features Mitsubishi’s Unisen 5.1 Surround Sound that consists of 16 to 18 speakers beamed separately for an immersive audio experience without requiring additional speaker components. And should you wish to add a subwoofer, it can be connected wirelessly. This eliminates the usual mess of speaker cables and wires, and should keep the missus happy.

Mitsubishi’s Director of Product Development, David Naranjo, was kind enough to talk with us and confirmed that pricing would be $6000 for the 92-inch model, which won’t be available until mid-summer. The first video below is a short interview and the second video is a demo of the Unisen 5.1 Surround Sound.

Update: Video demo of Ovi Maps SR4 on a Nokia N8 after the cut!

The first thing Ovi Maps users should see is increased speed, both of the app itself and of the positioning lock. Nokia have developed their own WiFi triangulation system, which now means you’re more likely to get a positioning fix while indoors or in “urban canyon” style built-up areas. They’ve also set up a dedicated team to track hotspots, and the WiFi positioning system will be available as an API for other location-based services (LBS) to access on compatible Nokia devices. Meanwhile to speed positioning in larger countries, such as the US and China, Nokia have used a nifty shortcut to narrow down GPS/A-GPS positioning by factoring in cell tower ID.

While the technology might be getting more complex, the Ovi Maps UI has been tightened up. User feedback said the positioning indicator was too easily confused with the data meter, trying to give too much information when people only wanted to know if they had a fix or not, and if so how accurate it was. Now there’s a better partial-fix display, defaulting to a zoomed-out view that shows the limits of its accuracy. Zoom in, meanwhile, and that radius disappears so as not to overlap with the 3D landmarks, which have also seen a boost in number. City searches, meanwhile, default to a zoomed-out view that encompasses the whole city, rather than zooming in to the closest level.

Duee is particularly pleased with the Qype integration, which currently shows up as a new POI icon on the map itself and as an information source alongside wcities in a POI profile. Tapping that shows user ratings, information and reviews, all within Ovi Maps itself, plus you can tap through to more informationon Qype’s mobile site. Right now you can’t add your own Qype reviews through Ovi Maps, however, only rate the POI as before.

Nokia are pushing out nine “navigation packages” which will bundle an in-car holder and charger with an Ovi Maps compatible phone, and soon any Ovi Maps device will come with those accessories as standard. According to Duee, they’re also looking at other accessory possibilities, for instance tailored to the bike and pedestrian navigation guidance Ovi Maps offers.

As for what’s further down the line, as part of their recent corporate reshuffle the Ovi Maps teams have been made more focussed, and the end result of that should be faster releases in future. That should also include quicker NAVTEQ mapping data updates, and Duee’s team are looking at ways they could improve distribution for future releases, rather than users downloading a whole new version every time. They’re also considering how they can build user contribution into map and POI accuracy, whether that be a TomTom-style on-device flagging of incorrect roads, addresses or numbers, or some other system. What’s telling, though, is the amount to which Nokia are relying on consumer demand to shape the Ovi Maps service. Faster positioning, for instance, wasn’t top of the team’s list to tweak, but in-app feedback showed that it was at the top of the users’ list, and so it got prioritised.

Ovi Maps SR4 on Nokia N8:

We also asked Duee what he’d expect – or at least like – to see in five years time. He reckons that mapping and navigation will evolve to be a central context layer in mobile devices, not just an app you dip into to get from A to B or find a nearby restaurant. That might include augmented reality (AR) and Latitude-style updates on when friends, family and different social groups are nearby, but it will also likely incorporate new interaction technologies like voice search. Since Ovi Maps is integrated into a phone with a camera, you could take a photo of something and use that as a search trigger: pull up a digital menu from a photo of a restaurant sign, for instance, or get route information by snapping a shot of a bus stop. He’s also looking to gaming and online collaboration.

That’s all still to come, of course; for now, Ovi Maps SR4 (v3.0.4) is faster than before, looks better and packs more information. It’s available to download free from maps.ovi.com today, complete with new mapping data for Malta and the Maldives, among other places, and as before you can store maps on-device and not pay a cent in data fees while you’re on the move. Let us know how you get on!

Unfortunately – and unsurprisingly – Rubinstein wouldn’t be drawn on the contents of that roadmap, nor the sort of timescales it covered. Still, he maintains that Palm are looking to “continue to enhance the family” with a small handful of clearly related devices and a “great webOS experience in every product we do.” Just as Microsoft have targeted their new Kin platform at the mass-market, Rubinstein sees the Pixi – which he uses as his daily phone – as positioned for entry-level smartphone users, while the Pre Plus occupies the flagship spot. We pushed him on whether the company plans to flesh out the top-end next or somewhere else along the line, but he refused to be drawn; what we can expect, however, is a faster, more responsive delivery of new devices. Rubinstein blamed the lengthy delay before the GSM Pre’s launch on the company’s relatively small size and limited resources, paired with the difficulty in prepping the first UMTS device running webOS; now that’s been done, however, relationships with operators cemented and testing gone through, the company can “move more rapidly in future.”

It’s not just hardware that Palm recognises it needs to work on; the sales experience is also a point they’re keen to address. Rubinstein has previously criticised Verizon’s handling of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus launch, and it’s something he reiterated today. Palm ensured there was plenty of Verizon inventory – certainly enough to cover the Chinese New Year shut-down period – and they “would’ve liked [it] to move quicker.” There’s anecdotal evidence that the steps both parties took in the aftermath – bringing in Palm employees to better train Verizon salespeople on the nuances of webOS, preloading devices with tutorial videos and tips – have been working, Rubinstein insists, and that the experience has already helped them in launches with other carriers. He agrees that perhaps the core issue is demonstrating webOS’ strengths better; it’s “a matter of giving people training” on the platform, both those selling it and those considering buying devices based on it.

Part of that is emphasising the potential of the hardware on offer. Rubinstein reckons that the Pre Plus is faster than the iPhone 3GS in terms of raw hardware, and webOS is the only other platform on the market capable of immersive 3D gaming. Now that the App Catalog in Europe finally has paid software support, and together with the recently announced Unreal engine on the platform, Palm are looking to promote the Pre Plus among developers and buyers alike as a gaming device. Part of that is certainly looking at what Apple are doing with Game Center in iPhone OS 4.0, and “watching closely” the movement in iAd too.

Mobile advertising is an “evolving space”, Rubinstein agrees, and one Palm is certainly looking into. Still, the focus now is on the push into Europe, with O2, SFR and Vodafone partnerships to offer the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus in various markets. webOS’ growing App Catalog is definitely a part of that, and Palm are working with developers not only in the US but Europe to make sure the 1,000+ titles in there are soon joined by others. While he wouldn’t comment on the buy-out speculation, Rubinstein did tell us that keeping webOS to itself was “not something we’re religious about.” Palm is chasing objective scale when it comes to platform market share, and if they were approached by a company, could build a good working relationship and business model, licensing webOS “would make sense.”

With the iPad fresh to the market, and talk of a Google-branded rival running Android, we also asked about Rubinstein’s opinion on the burgeoning tablet segment. While Palm are focusing on smartphones right now, he did tell us that webOS was designed to be a “mobile device OS” rather than solely a smartphone platform, suited to a broad scale of devices up to tablets and even larger. Describing larger-scale touch computing as “an exciting area,” Rubinstein said that Palm were watching the tablet market and that “we – or licensees – could look at entering that in future.” Since we reckon webOS’ interface – especially its background notifications system – bests those of iPhone OS 4.0 or Android, that’s a direction we particularly hope somebody chooses to follow.

Is Palm going to turn around and announce a partnership deal, a buy-out or a licensing arrangement in the next days or weeks? You’d better believe that Jon Rubinstein is far too media-polished to let that slip. Still, he describes Palm’s current path as a “transformation story”, suggesting that while commentators love to presume that the smartphone market – and Palm’s place in it – is settled, in actual fact it’s in its infancy. “Everyone wants to go “it’s over”,” Rubinstein says, “there are all kinds of rumors. But we’re at the beginning of the mobile device story.”

Windows Phone 7 Series is one of the most highly-anticipated, most-talked about platforms to come around in awhile. A lot of people see it as the resurrection of a mobile Operating System, and we’re amongst them. Scoble expounded on his own ideas regarding the latest and greatest from the Redmond-based company, most of which circled around the fact that he believes Windows Phone 7 Series is a beautiful thing. He went on to further mention that the User Interface in the 7 Series has moved past the iPhone, which is a good thing. He did mention some problems, though. For example, it’s not out yet. We agree: that is a bad thing.

The second issue deserves its own paragraph. Scoble wanted to make it clear that Google has figured out the best game plan for their Android-based devices. Going as far as to say that when he picks out his next device next year, it’s not going to be because it’s pretty, but because of the services it offers. In this way, he does not believe that Microsoft (and Apple as well) will be able to offer the same experience. Case in point, while you get to keep all your applications from the iTunes Store via iTunes proper, you still have to sync your phone to the computer and download them. When you get a new Android device, if you’ve set up a back-up from a previous one you had, then the moment you sign in onto your new device your applications are immediately downloaded to your device. Right from the cloud.

What’s Scoble’s advice to Microsoft? Fire everyone that’s not working on Internet-based, mobile device products. From the top down. So basically start fresh.

Moving on to location-aware applications, he spoke on Twitter, Gowalla, and Foursquare. Despite the fact he was obviously overjoyed by the simple fact they were all working at this year’s SxSW, he noted that while it’s great Twitter is getting into the market, they aren’t offering something in return for people “checking in” at locations. Simply geotagging a location is not enough for people to keep up with the service. The reason Foursquare and Gowalla have picked up speed is because they give something back to the user, such as points, badges, and the like.

But everything isn’t roses and butterflies for the location-based service giants. Apparently, if you get the appropriate teams drunk enough (which, for the record, SxSW is a perfect place to do that), they’ll tell you that their biggest competitor is set to turn on their own location-based platform in April or May: Facebook. Considering the big user base it will build off of, we’re wondering what kind of services the platform will offer, and how indeed it will compete with the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla.

And then, of course, we have Google Buzz. Scoble’s been a high priority target on Google’s latest project, and has amassed quite a few followers since its launch. And while he believes that Google Buzz is interesting, he admits that it’s much like Twitter in that it doesn’t offer something in return for tagging a location. The most interesting part of Buzz is Google Maps, and the layer it exists in. Seeing nearby buzzes is great, but it’s not enough to be an actual competitor to the location-aware giants.

SxSW is still going on, so hopefully we’ll get the chance to mingle with a few other big names walking about. If we do, we’ll be sure to pass it along. Check out the video below if you want to hear all the bullet points in a more spoken fashion. Plus, you get to see all the people milling about like ants. Which is always fun.

There’s some confusion in the UK, where carrier 3 has launched the Huawei E583X under the name “MiFi”, a term more commonly associated with Novatel Wireless’ range.  Like the 2352, the 3 MiFi shares a single 3G data connection with up to five WiFi clients and runs from its own rechargeable battery; unlike the 2352, the 3 MiFi lacks the secondary applications processor and memory.  According to Hadley, the nomenclature issue has come about because 3 hold the “MiFi” telecom services trademark, while everywhere else Novatel hold the “MiFi” product trademark.  To get around that, in the UK the 2352 will be marketed under the Novatel Wireless name, rather than as the MiFi.

Rob also had a few words to say on the recently opened Novatel Developer Program, the first stage in bringing coders in to get third-party apps running on the MiFi 2352′s processor.  This is apparently only in its early stages, though we’re told there’ll be a significant consumer announcement coming soon, rather than merely the enterprise-friendly VPN and similar software that has been discussed previously.  While we’re not allowed to mention much of what Hadley told us is in the pipeline, we can say that Novatel are focusing heavily on the “personal” aspect of the MiFi, and leveraging the always-on webserver element of the device.

We suggested one of our own dream apps: a photo processing tool that would take shots from an Eye-Fi or a WiFi connected device, create multiple sizes on the MiFi itself, watermark them as appropriate, and then upload the web-sized versions to an online gallery (such as an Apple liveblog) while storing the full-sized images on the hotspot’s microSD card.  Giving nothing away, Hadley agreed that that sort of functionality was ideally-suited to the MiFi.

We also pressed him on the possibility of Android on the MiFi, something he had previously confirmed to SlashGear that was technically feasible.  While it’s not something Novatel Wireless are currently working on, he admitted that the Linux-based device certainly could be used with Google’s open-source distro, assuming the mobile platform’s dependency on having a screen and buttons could be reworked to suit the MiFi.  Android, we can’t help but think, could easily push the MiFi concept to its tipping point for third-party developers, and the device is crying out for some under-the-table hacking.  Similarly, when we tried to press Hadley for news on the rumored LTE MiFi he refused to be drawn; however, we’d be very surprised if Novatel didn’t have at least plans for personal LTE-sharing devices somewhere on an internal roadmap.

We’ll be keeping an eye on Novatel Wireless’ software announcements (and keep pestering them on Android); until then, check out our review of the MiFi 2352 and our unboxing video of the device below.

In describing the differentiation between Nokia Internet Tablets as we’ve known them to-date (the 770, N800 and N810), Jaaksi highlighted the most obvious change as being the UI.  However, the underlying business plan is also different, since the N900 will find gaining public attention – through cellular provider stores – far easier than its non-connected Internet Tablet predecessors.  It also makes good use of that connectivity, supporting OTA (over-the-air) downloads and upgrades for everything bar the cellular radios.  Undecided is whether N900 owners will be able to access OTA updates from Maemo 5 to 6, however.

What may present a headache is courting developers.  While kicking off any new platform can be difficult, Nokia of course benefits from the fact that Maemo 5 is open-source based and could, in theory at least, run desktop Linux apps with only minor tweaking.  However that misses the importance, Jaaksi pointed out, of tailoring the UI to a mobile device.

Throw into the pot that Nokia are already working on Maemo 6, set to launch in around a year’s time, and the fact that the new version will use Qt whereas Maemo 5 uses Gnome.  That could lead to incompatibility issues, or developers ramping up to code for the current release but finding those skills aren’t so useful when the next-gen OS arrives.  While he couldn’t describe the full pathway – likely because it’s still in development – Jaaksi did confirm that they would be working with developers on an upgrade pack that takes apps from 5 to 6.

Jaaksi also confirmed some more minor details about the N900.  It will support USB Mass-Storage mode when plugged into a computer, and while they’re not finished fettling the power settings the aim is a full day’s use per overnight charge.  At launch there won’t be N-Gage or Comes With Music support (the latter since the N900 doesn’t support the Microsoft DRM necessary) either.  Interestingly, the hardware design of the handset followed on from the software, rather than the more traditional way round; Maemo 5 was developed, and then Nokia looked at what hardware they’d need “to let the features shine”.

Uncertain right now is whether earlier Internet Tablets will see upgrades to Maemo 5.  Nokia are looking into it, apparently, but the differences in connectivity, hardware and acceleration in the N900 might make this impossible.  Similarly, the reason for the Booklet 3G using Windows 7 rather than Maemo is the oft-quoted netbook justification that customers generally prefer a familiar OS.

The N900 is certainly looking intriguing, and our hands-on earlier today did nothing to change that opinion.  It’ll hit the market in October, priced at €500 pre-subsidies.

Palm admitted that the delay is in no small part related to manufacturing issues that have caused a bottle-neck in Pre production.  They’re also resolute about their decision to go with 8GB of storage and not a byte more; whether that will seem such a good idea in six months time, after Apple unveil what’s expected to include a 64GB iPod touch come September, we’ll have to wait and see.

You can read the full write-up – plus our own editorial opinion on today’s GSM Pre announcement – over at My Pre.  For our European readers, who among you are planning on picking up a Pre come Christmas?  Let us know your thoughts about the smartphone in the comments.

Update: Video now added – in HD!

To recap the specs, the Touch Diamond2 has a 32.-inch 480 x 800 WVGA resistive touchscreen, dualband 3G/HSDPA, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and GPS, together with a 5-megapixel camera, FM radio and accelerometer.  There’s 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM, together with a touch-sensitive zoom bar and microSD port, all in a package 107.85 x 53.1 x 13.7mm in size and 117.5g in weight.

In terms of physical design, the one of the more obvious changes from the original Diamond is the newly-flattened back panel.  According to Eric, customer feedback didn’t score as highly as HTC themselves felt about the faceted design, and as such the phone is flat – and also sits flat on a table.  Up front there are four hardware keys – send and end, Windows and back – while there are volume controls along the top left side and a lock key on top.

HTC have used the two new Touch smartphones to debut the latest version of TouchFLO 3D.  There’s now greater integration between different tabs, so that you can for instance go into a recent contact, immediately see emails and IMs you’ve exchanged, and trigger any of a number of responses.  It’s much easier to watch and understand than it is to explain in text, hence our hands-on demo video.

Something we’ve certainly wondered about is what difference users will notice after the transition from Windows Mobile 6.1 to 6.5, especially given the latter’s more obvious changes are in the launcher and new lock screen.  According to Eric, the device will offer the choice of using the new Microsoft GUI or the existing TouchFLO 3D GUI; otherwise there’ll be little obvious difference.  HTC had no real input into Microsoft’s GUI development; when I suggested that this might be to the detriment of both companies, in terms of time and duplicated effort, Eric countered that in fact HTC see it as offering greater flexibility to the end-user rather than a one-size-fits-all product.

What HTC have done, in fact, is design the Touch Diamond2 with 6.5 in mind.  There’s a Windows flag key, just as required for the new version, and even in 6.1 it now calls up the TouchFLO 3D Programs menu, rather than the drop-down Start menu, to preview what 6.5 users will see with the new launcher.  As for the upgrade process, according to Eric it will be “as simple as flashing a new ROM”; whether that’s something most Windows Mobile users have ever done, we might argue with, but we imagine there’ll be a more streamlined upgrade path once the new OS arrives.

Headed for a Q2 2009 release, the Diamond2 will still get some fettling before its launch.  That should make it even faster, though I noticed very little lag in the pre-production unit today.  The touchscreen is even better than that on the Touch HD, which if you’ve read our review you’ll know was a revelation in resistive panels; when I asked HTC about this, they told me that they’re at a point where they can produce resistive and capacitive touchscreens with pretty much the same responsiveness and finger-feel.  Therefore the decision goes beyond simply technology, and instead asks which is the right panel for the implementation; since Windows Mobile is not fully finger-friendly, that means a resistive display is the obvious choice.

Also carried over from the Touch HD are the camera and optics, a 5-megapixel unit with autofocus but no flash.  Rather than change the hardware, HTC have tweaked the software to improve quality; we discussed the absence of a flash, but according to Eric the company believes it can make a bigger difference at this point by refining code rather than anything else.  HTC admit that, thanks to their enterprise background, they’re playing catch-up in some consumer functionality, such as imaging, so they prioritized their development as to what would make the biggest difference in the timescale available.  We’ll have to wait and see what image quality is like, but taking a shot was certainly quicker than it was on the Touch HD.

Overall, it’s hard not to like the HTC Touch Diamond2.  The screen quality is superb, and we imagine the Diamond2 will make for a great media player during your downtime.  The latest incarnation of TouchFLO 3D might not match the interconnected intelligence of Palm’s webOS Synergy, but it’s finally more than a glorified launcher and you can now do many common tasks without dropping into Windows Mobile.  It’s still pretty rare to see a device in which the software usability has been as well developed as the spec sheet.  We’ll obviously save our final judgement until we get the HTC Touch Diamond2 in to review – it’s expected in around a month, HTC tell us – but we’re already confident that it’ll be a strong performer.

Q1. Can you give our readers some background of Xfce, perhaps explain a little of what it does, and your involvement with the project?

Xfce is what you’d call a desktop environment, it includes not only the usual applications you would expect from a desktop, ie a window manager, a panel, a file manager, etc. but also an infrastructure such as a settings mechanism now based on DBUS and all the development libraries that help to write applications.

Like GNOME, Xfce is based on the gtk+ toolkit but it does not use gconf nor other gnome libs, except libwnck (that now replaces the equivalent library that we had in Xfce up to 4.4) or gstreamer (for the volume control applet).

Xfce is not new, I started the project in late 1996, before GNOME or gtk+ even existed, and the project has evolved from a single man project to the fairly large project that it is now, with several core developers and a large base of contributors and users.

Q2. Do you track how many distros are using Xfce as their default window manager, and also how many distros bundle it?

I do not really keep count of the distributions use Xfce as their default desktop (and that’s not just Linux, there are also some Opensolaris variants and BSD ones too), but we list the main ones on the web site. Actually, thanks to the standardization efforts introduced by the freedesktop.org, you can use Xfce with other different components, for example some distributions replace the window manager that comes with Xfce with Compiz, or the panel with cairo dock or some other panel.

It is important to remember that Xfce is not a window manager, it obviously includes a window manager, but it’s a lot more than that (even if the window manager remains one of the core components and at the heart of the global user experience), and each component can be replaced by another compatible component from another project, so Xfce or parts of Xfce can be found in many different distributions.

Q3. With netbooks taking the market by storm, Intel has taken it upon itself to develop a new distro called Moblin, and it’s utilizing Xfce as its default Window Manager. What do you think about Intel’s move, how do you think it could affect Linux take-up by non-technical users, and do you think it will help Xfce adoption?

I believe Intel’s support of Linux and free software is very important, not only the Moblin project but also all the code that is being developed openly by Intel, like Powertop, the Intel drivers for Xorg, WiFi, etc.

I think it’s definitely a great contribution to free software. As for Linux taking up on non technical users, it’s a lot more complex than just ease of use. People are so used to Windows, they’ve been using Windows for so long that they don’t realize that Windows is not easier than Linux (nobody is born knowing Windows, there’s always a learning curve and learning Windows is no easier than learning Mac OS pr Linux). I believe the user interfaces (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, whatever) that come with Linux are much more versatile, easy to use and more productive than what Windows offers, but they are different and not everybody feels confident when it’s different.

Learning a new interface, a new system, requires an effort, and Linux has to provide something that’s worth that effort. It could be because it’s cheaper (but I don’t think this is sustainable in the long run) or because it’s faster, or because it looks better, or it’s easier, or more productive, etc. Netbook vendors have started opening the road, but I feel frustrated because when I look at what is offered today, I think it’s too little, it’s either a locked down version or just a plain Linux distributions. What I’d expect would be in between, a full featured, configurable and attractive desktop yet customized for the hardware of the Netbook. That’s somehow what I achieved after tweaking the default installation of my Acer Aspire One to get rid of the limitations imposed by the default installation.

Q4. You’ve mentioned before that Xfce team was not involved with Moblin; are the Xfce team open to working together with Intel for better implementation of Xfce in the Moblin OS?

Of course we are open to work with Intel if they feel that’s needed! What I said is that myself, as a developer of Xfce, I am not involved with the Moblin project so I cannot comment on the Moblin project itself.

But we received interesting patches from Intel developers, including patches to improve the start up time of the session. In the future, for example, I’d be great to use some of Intel technologies, such as an optional Clutter backend for the compositor embedded in the Xfce window manager.

Q5. Aside from being a light window manager, why do you think netbooks would benefit from Xfce as their default window manager?

Start-up time is also something considering, and Intel has demoed that it was possible to boot Linux, and a full Xfce desktop in less than 5 seconds. That’s impressive.  [See here for more on the 5 second boot demo]

Q6. According to manufacturers, the vast majority of netbook buyers are choosing Windows XP over Linux, despite price advantages to open- source. Why do you think that is, and what might you do to turn the tide?

That’s a corollary of Q3, people want XP because they know XP. Even non technical users know how to deal with XP, and if not, they know someone who can help. And when it does not work, they just reinstall the system.

The advantage of Open Source is not the price, it’s its open nature. Knowledge is freedom and Open Source is all about freedom, no closed source alternative can match that. But this not something so obvious when you’re new to Open Source.

The challenge is to demonstrate the advantage of that freedom to end users, and to the hardware vendors. You cannot grab Linux, put it on a device and expect people to just adopt it like that, that requires a lot of commitment and I would like to see more and clearer commitment from hardware vendors. Again, in this regard, Intel is showing the way.

Q7. What can we expect from the Xfce team in 2009? Any particular milestones you’d like to see on the Xfce roadmap?

Xfce 4.6, definitely. It’s release is imminent now! [4.6 has now been released]

Q8. My personal favorite Xfce application (sub-project) is Midori (I’ve used it since 0.0.1x release). What is your favorite sub-project in Xfce?

All of the goodies that you find in goodies.xfce.org, really, are important, it’s what makes the Xfce more enjoyable to use. I don’t really have any favourite.

Q9. Looking more generally at netbooks, and the technology currently being developed by not only Intel with the Atom, but VIA’s Nano, NVIDIA’s Ion and AMD’s Neo, where do you see the segment evolving?

Hard to tell, I would not consider myself as an expert in the area. The limit between the netbooks and the entry level laptops is some kind of a gray area, but CPU power or 3D capabilities is not what I expect the most from a netbook.

What I expect from a netbook is battery life, light weight and small form-factor. I do not care much about power, I have another very powerful 17-inch laptop for that. And I am already impressed by what the netbook can do today, so I believe that running after performance for netbooks is not the way to go (unless you want to run the latest Windows on them, but I am not interested in that either), we’ve been there with desktops and laptops already, so I think it’s wrong to look at netbooks from that point of view.

What I really miss in today’s netbook is battery life, 2 hours of battery life for my current netbook is way under my expectations.

Q10. Google’s Android platform has brought open-source software into the spotlight with a mainstream audience, and the company has been open about their plans to put the OS into many devices, not just cellphones. How do you think Android might affect the Linux ecosystem, and have you or the rest of the team considered developing for the platform?

No, admittedly, I am not much interested in Android yet. The code might be released under an open source license, but the development of Android seems to be pretty centralized. In my opinion, there is difference between a project like Moblin made of existing open source projects, each one with its existing community of developers, and Android that is Google’s own project released under an Open Source license. That’s the challenge for Android, build its own community of Open Source developers.

Many thanks to Olivier for taking the time to answer our questions.  You can find out more about Xfce at the official site here.

Why did you choose Monster Music for this?

Ludacris: I’ve worked with them before, we’ve got a long history. They’re at the forefront of their game, and so am I – it was a natural partnership. And as soon as I heard the High Definition Surround (HDS) demo they sent over, I was like “whoa, this is what I want for my album!” It was an opportunity to make history, the first rap record to be released in HDS, and I always want to be pushing into new things.

Monster have obviously worked with Dr.Dre on a range of headphones. Do you have any hardware plans?

L: Yeah, we’ve got lots of plans, but nothing we can announce now. I’d like all of my albums to be produced in HDS from now on. We’ve thrown the gauntlet down and other people have to compete.

How difficult was it to remaster?

L: [Noel Lee] actually did all of the remastering

Noel Lee: It was very difficult! In the studio we isolate every individual voice, every individual instrument, and we can place them anywhere around the sound stage. Not just from a speaker in the corner, or from the center speaker, but we can position different parts between speakers, in the middle of the room, anywhere.

When they sent over Ludacris’ record, I was overwhelmed by how complex it was. It took us a long time to separate out all of the pieces, but then the quality of the end result you heard for yourself.

How involved were you in that remastering process?

L: I listened to each track as it was worked on, and I was blown away by the work they’d done.

The music industry is under siege at the moment from piracy and illegal downloads. Do you see this DVD and HDS as something that could change that?

L: Yes, this is definitely something more attractive than what you can find to download.

N: We see this as a way to rejuvenate the music industry and give them back an optical, physical product they can sell. About offering something new to consumers that they don’t necessarily get online.

What’s next?

N: The DVD is first, and then there’ll be a Blu-ray version with higher quality high-definition audio and video.

Because it’s DVD, is there extra content on there?

L: Oh yeah, it has lots of video, all sorts of extra content.

You ran a competition to go along with the launch; what was that about?

N: We asked people to submit videos to go along with the HDS DVD, trying to connect with the fan community and encourage interest. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response. The results will be announced today [January 7th].

We had a chance to listen to some of the new Theater of the Mind album with Ludacris and Eric, and it’s certainly a different experience to a standard stereo album.  Different settings allow you to sit in different places in a virtual auditorium: from the midst of the audience, to the front row, to right in among the musicians, selectable by the audio soundtrack control.  It’s a far more immersive way of listening to music, though we’re not sure it’ll be enough to turn the tide of internet piracy; after all, with the increase in bandwidth for home broadband connections, downloading an illegally ripped DVD doesn’t take all that much longer than a CD.

Sleek are the new kids on the in-ear block; both Mark and Jason come from a background in the hearing-aid industry, with over 35 years experience between them.  The company currently has just one product, the $209.99 SA6 in-ear earphones, the acoustic chambers of which took a full year of development.  Sleek worked with a high-end speaker manufacturer to develop a custom designed single driver, in fact the most expensive driver currently made.  That, together with their expertise in earpieces, adds up to between 27 and 40dB noise isolation (compared to 15-20dB from active noise cancelling over-the-ear headphones); since every ear is unique, the Krywkos added ‘VQ’, Variable Equalization, letting users finely tailor bass and treble responses in the earphones themselves.

The SA6′s were met with incredibly positive response, and spurred Sleek on to offer custom earbuds using the same moulding techniques that are used in hearing aids.  With these, users can expect 40-42dB noise reduction which, as Jason explained, means they can turn down the volume and be less at risk of ear damage.  They also offer a broader frequency range; “extra shimmer” at the extremes, as Jason put it.

Of course, the trend recently has been to go cable-free, and Sleek have been investigating possible wireless options for more than twelve months.  Bluetooth and the stereo A2DP profile were an obvious option, but the distinct loss of audio quality – Bluetooth has the same dynamic frequency range as FM radio – and poor battery life were unacceptable compromises.

In contrast, Kleer were offering CD-quality audio, much better battery performance, and ranges several times that of Bluetooth.  The Sleek Audio wireless adapter has a battery life of around 10hrs, plugging into whichever iPod, PMP or other device you choose and making no power demands on it.  In recent tests, indoor range – with multiple walls in-between – reached 45 to 50 feet with no loss of sound quality.  Total unimpeded range is listed as 60 feet, and up to four wireless adapters can pair with one transmitter.  Jason described a recent high-end audio show in Miami in which the wireless SA6 setup coped admirably despite a show-hall full of EMI.

The Sleek wireless system, then, plugs into the SA6 earphones to replace the usual cable.  Although that may not be as minimalist as, say, Sennheiser’s MX W1 earphones, each earbud of which is entirely wireless, it does keep prices down and make the system backward compatible to existing SA6 owners.  Jason suggested a fully wire-free setup would have cost buyers anything from $500; the upcoming bundle, including wireless and a pair of SA6 ‘phones, will set you back between $275 and $299 (pricing is not finalized).  The wireless system on its own will be priced at $120, and is available to preorder now.  Keeping it modular also means Sleek can offer a Bluetooth option in the future if, that is, customers want it.

Exclusively, Mark and Jason confirmed with SlashGear that they are working on a new, less expensive version of the SA6 that Sleek will release before the end of the year.  That will be followed in 6-8 months by new set of higher-end earphones, slotting in above the SA6.  Each of the earphones will use the same connectors as each other, meaning that no matter which version buyers choose, they’ll be able to take advantage of Sleek’s Kleer wireless system.  Mark also confirmed that the company is also in talks with other high-end earphone manufacturers about using the Sleek Audio wireless adapters.

Given the acquisition of Ultimate Ears by Logitech back in August, I asked Mark and Jason what they thought about the state of the independent earphone market.  They described the buy-out as an example of strength of the in-ear headphones market, but also a sign that people are beginning to recognise the quality of sound possible from PMPs.  Sleek admit that, if all you listen to are 128kbps MP3s, you’ll probably not see the point of the SA6′s – wireless or not – however encode at a higher bitrate and with good-quality in-ear earphones you can be hearing detail that previously would have demanded speakers costing many thousands of dollars.

Of course, many would say that $200+ is still plenty to pay for a set of earphones, so we’ve been testing the SA6′s and should have the full review later on this week.  We’ll also be testing out the Sleek’s wireless system once the first units make it out to reviewers, so stay tuned!

As well as the PMPs, there are two DVR docks; one a base station into which the Internet Media Tablet sits, the other a snap-on adapter more suitable to mobile use.  There’s also both a battery dock and a mini dock.  Amazon also have listed a Helmet Camcorder, compatible with both the Archos 5 and 7, that is intended for recording sports and leisure activities to the PMPs.

The pricing breaks down as follows:

• Archos 5 60GB – $349.99
• Archos 5 120GB – $399.99
• Archos 5 250GB – $449.99
• Archos 7 160GB – $449.99
• Archos 7 320GB – $549.99
• DVR Station – $99.99
• DVR snap-on – $79.99
• Battery dock – $49.99
• Mini dock – $29.99
• Helmet camcorder – $129.99

Availability for all of the PMPs and accessories is stated as 2-4 weeks.  Amazon also confirms that any of the new models have to potential to be HSDPA compatible:

“3.5G Ready: plug-in for enjoying Internet everywhere via the 3.5G-HSDPA GSM network by connecting a 3.5G-HSDPA dongle to a Mini Dock or Battery Dock USB port” Amazon.com

There’s no indication of whether a specific USB modem is needed or if any will work.

It has a built in microphone and speaker so you can playback what you just recorded. It has two channels, an XLR and a quarter-inch. The whole system is also battery powered so you don’t have to plug it in and you could podcast on the bus ride home if you wanted to.

Since it records directly on the iPod, everything is almost guaranteed to work because it automatically uses iPod compatible recording formats. The only downside is the limited number of iPods that it works with, really its just the 5th Gen iPod, the new Classics (oxymoron?), and the 3rd gen Nano, sadly, no price or availability right now as this is one of their newest devices.

Well I can’t think of anything worthwhile, but Wilson asked him more or less why Microsoft puts out products that just aren’t ready. Bill responded, but they best part came when Bill started making a comparison between Apple and Microsoft saying that Apple has a far narrower agenda and lineup of products which allows them to focus more, and they don’t release new, revolutionary, products that might fail.

Whereas Microsoft feels they have a manifest destiny to be the first to do as much as possible so they research new technology and they also release these products that might fail. One of Bill’s best examples was Xbox Live which wasn’t an entirely new idea, just they way they were offering the service was new, and it wound up succeeding. So, Microsoft releases new products constantly while Apple waits for either someone else to do it first or for them to have time to polish the product.

Bill Gates Explains The Difference Between Microsoft and Apple [via Gizmodo]

John is a pretty laid back guy, we chatted for a long time. I picked a few questions that I had been wondering about, and talked to a few people there to see what they’d like to know. Bear in mind that this interview took place the day after they announced the PS2 release of Rock Band, so he couldn’t really talk about it much. This was also a couple of days before the official price announcement.

If you guys have any other questions that weren’t really answered in the interview, let me know and I’ll do my best to find out what you need to know. Stay tuned for more coverage of the event!

Korn has been headlining the Family Values Tour for almost a month now with Guitar Hero sponsoring the second stage. At each stop they have a competition for the best Guitar Hero player, the winner gets an autographed guitar (a real one) and the opportunity to jam with Jonathan Davis. While I wasn’t able to enter the competition, I still had the chance to witness the late-night jam session. That video, however, is for another day.

Jonathan was kind enough to agree to an interview with me where we talked about gaming, gadgets and Guitar Hero. First, I have to say that Jonathan is a really cool guy, he’s very laid back and not uptight like some people that I’ve heard about. If you’re wondering what all of the background noise is, that’s some people playing Guitar Hero outside the bus.

Full video of the interview after the jump

I decided that since I was interviewing him for a tech news site I would skip all of the lame questions that I’m sure he’s been asked a few hundred times about his life, career etc. If you guys want to hear those, there are other interviews out there to watch. I got right to the point and asked him the important questions that no one else has been brave enough to ask.

I won’t spoil the whole interview for you, but he wasn’t sure about Korn being in an upcoming Guitar Hero game, but he said that if he were asked to do it, he’d definitely go for it. He’s also a Mac guy and a Crackberry addict. Also, he’d love to hear someone put up some Korn tracks on Guitar Hero, so if you happen to have the skills and the daring required to hack the PS2 version of the game, send us a video and we’ll put it up for him to see.

I’ve got a couple of other videos from the show that I’ll share with you later including Jonathan rocking out with the winner of the Guitar Hero competition, so stay tuned.

Jonathan, if you’re reading, thanks again for taking the time to sit down with me. I had a really great time, and I can’t wait to watch you next time you come through this area. I’ve been thinking about joining a PVP server on WoW, so maybe I’ll see you in-game sometime.

[flv]http://www.slashgear.com/media/kelly-on-the-iphone.flv[/flv]

In the video, Kelly said she would love to have an iPhone, but pricing is an issue and many surveys posted on internet sites agree with her. She said the iPhone does have the sex appeal and gives you “I want it now” feelings.

Vincent is going to camp out all the way until he gets hold of an iPhone, so if you see him around, stop by and say hi to him or give him some cookies.

Reporting from the line: Kelly’s take on the iPhone [via MY iTablet]

Definitely worth a listen if you prefer your gadgets less-than-stock.

Ben Heckendorn Interview [Hack-A-Day]

GeeXboX is a so-called Live CD; that is, a CD that contains an entire OS which runs without needing any installation to a connected hard drive. In this case, the OS is very much media specific, whether that be simply playing DVDs, video and audio files downloaded from the internet, scheduling and watching recordings of live TV and more. Yesterday, SlashGear sat down to talk with Benjamin Zores, one of the core developers of GeeXboX Embedded Linux for HTPC

Check out the interview after the cut…

SlashGear: Tell us about GeeXBoX.

Benjamin Zores: GeeXBoX is an embedded Linux distribution available as a form of LiveCD for both x86 and PowerPC based computers It aims at providing people a very easy to setup HTPC capable of reading nearly every kind of video format or codecs from nearly any kind of sources (plain files from CD, HDD, USB, but also network content from Samba or NFS shares or from UPnP or SHOUTcast media servers) It can also be used to watch analog or digital TV provided you got such a card Being an embedded LiveCD, it focuses on some specific features : no installation is required, you don’t have to install or add anything else to use it and it provides a user-friendly interface that makes it usable by people who don’t have any computer related skills (i.e being as easy to use as a regular DVD player). Considering that, GeeXBoX provides support for nearly any kind of hardware with an automatic device detection and configuration and allows being used to watch movies on TV Out and being controlled with a simple remote control only. And whatever its name tends to say, it has absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft XboX :)

SlashGear: What multimedia decoding does GeeXBoX support?

Benjamin Zores: nearly every kind of container and codec that may exists so basically any one that is supported by MPlayer and FFMpeg projects. which are: MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, Quicktime (through Win32 DLLs), WMA/WMV (through Win32 DLLs and natively in next version), VP5/6 (through DLLs and natively in next one)

SlashGear: Any issue with GPL to includes certain decoder into the distro itself?

Benjamin Zores: not really as all of our decoders are free codecs but some may however require using the Win32 DLLs for being decoded To solve this problem, we’ve made a Linux/Win32/MacOSX GUI that is called generator It is used to generate customized versions of GeeXBoX where you can add extra non-free codecs/firmwares to the iso (but then it’s user choice) So basically we provide a 100% GPL compliant free software but user may want to add extra bloat to it

SlashGear: How is the hardware support for GeeXBoX? especially remote control and IR support.

Benjamin Zores: We’ve included a built-in support for nearly every kind of h/w stuff (i.e all video cards, soundcards, tv/dvb cards, network and wifi cards) Some wifi cards however require a proprietary firmware to work and once again user has to add it personally through generator to use it about remotes there’s more work. we use a software called LIRC (Linux InfraRed) which is an API for many remote, so any kind of remote supported by LIRC (+- 2000) can be supported by GeeXBoX but people has to make it’s own key bindings. from now on, we only provide bindings for 10-15 remotes, such as ATI Remote Wonder 1 and 2, Windows MCE one and so on. the remote has to be chosen from generator