Savour the moment people, for this is our last week pre-iPad. The world will be very different in just a few short days. Water will taste different. Cats will become more friendly. Anand may finally be let past border security with only a light frisking. This is the hope.

But before we face the unstoppable deluge of Apple fanboyism, we’ve got some real news to talk about this week. Special guest and troubadour Brian Liu is on the show, dropping knowledge and giving us all Kindle envy. Topics of note include:

• Nintendo announced their upcoming handheld refresh, the Nintendo 3DS, in a very quiet fashion. I think the news broke in the dead of night. Did they really think we wouldn’t notice?
• Anand and Demers join forces in their hatred of Telus. Can’t say I blame them. I long for the day when we won’t speak ill of a telcom company.
• eReader prices are going down, which means us laggards might actually be able to afford one, finally. Brian, on the other hand…
• The Wall Street Journal thinks we’re going to pay $17.99 per month for a digital subscription — you know, on top of our $29.99 data plans.
• Finally, remember all that Android platform fragmentation we bitched about? That’s a big string of words, so I’ll forgive you if you don’t. Either way, Google says they’ve got a plan to fix it. Demers and about five other users care. (Zing!)

Listen here, or at the Not So Much News!

Length: 31:29
Close: God of War III Overture — Gerard Marino (GOW III OST)
Download: 30.2 MB
iTunes / RSS

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

In case you’ve been living in a fridge, you might not know that me and the Captain have been pretty psyched about that whole CES thing. The Consumer Electronics Show, held each year in Las Vegas, showcases the newest and coolest technology set to hit the market in the next few weeks, months and years. While I’ve blogged about it a few times this week, the show is finally over, which means we can both return to our regularly scheduled sleeping patterns. It probably doesn’t help that Las Vegas is three hours in the past.

Big themes this year?

• 3D. Everyone and their dog had some sort of 3D setup this year, with everything from televisions to games all showing off the newest industry craze — or, in our case, fad. Also, we talk about our hatred for clunky 3D eyewear.
• E-readers. This e-ink business has finally reached critical mass, with all sorts of people pushing out e-readers left, right and center. Big companies — Hearst and their Skiff come to mind — and small companies alike are trying to make e-readers more accessible to the masses, while building on the Kindle’s success. Exciting times.
• Tablets. Apple is set to release a tablet. It will change the world. Cancer will be cured, the starving will be fed, and the masses will rejoice. But don’t expect everyone else to take that news lying down. Microsoft has partnered with the likes of HP to put out a fancy new Slate device, while Dell is contemplating their own. By the way, what’s the difference between a tablet and a slate anyhow?

Oh, and there’s some MAG impressions to be had at the end of the ‘cast too, courtesy our new Forward Thinking segment. For all the usual fun and games, listen in to our CES recap, both here and at the Not So Much News!

Length: 36:17
Close: Discombobulate – Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes OST)
Download: 34.8 MB
iTunes / RSS

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friends! Enemies! Frienemies! Unless you have been living under a rock, or a similarly sized object of great girth and weight, you may have noticed that THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS NIGH. Specifically, Christmas, the day upon which we worship presents in mangers, wrapped in swaddling clothes. I believe this is how the story is told, but correct me if I am wrong.

Today’s episode is a lot like our Back-to-school Consumer Spectacular from all those weeks ago. It means that we at the Not So Horrible podcast embrace this culture of rampant spending, and explore the holiday season’s hottest gadgets — all for you, dear listener. While we obviously can’t cover everything, we’ve picked a few of our favourite gadgets, and a few of our favourite products, and aim to clear up the FUD surrounding them all. Things in this week’s super special, not-at-all blasphemous holiday special include…

• The Amazon Kindle, baby. The undoubted king of eBook readers these days has finally made its way to our igloos, and we give you the rundown on what to expect from this slick e-reading device.
• The Sony Reader. To balance things out, we discuss the most formidable challenger to King Kindle this holiday season, and whether the device is worth a few Benjamins.
• Televisions, people. We talk LCDs, Plasmas, and everything in between, giving you the lowdown on what contrast ratio means, and whether 240 really hertz.
• Microphones. You want to record your own podcast? We’ve got you covered, with some basic tips. Also, we give you a few pointers on what we’re using at home each week.
• Speakers. I’m in the market for a new set of speakers. The ‘cast looks at Logitech’s current offerings and what I think of each.
• And finally, What We Did This Week returns once again, with Anand rubbing his grubby paws all over Rim’s new Blackberry Storm 2, while I tap my way through the Legend of Zelda, Spirit Tracks.

It’s a heck of a podcast, and we sure hope you enjoy it as much as we did. We can’t promise any advice of biblical proportions, but we do offer just enough tips to make your trip into the electronics section that much easier. Without all that north star business, too.

Listen here, or at the Not So Much News!

Length: 39:34
Close: Kalimba – Mr. Scruff
Download: 38.0 MB
iTunes / RSS

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.