New Stereophile-Sponsored Audio Show Coming – The Audio Expo North American (AXPONA for short), launched under the auspices of Stereophile magazine and taking place in March of 2010, is being billed as the audio show of the future. The venue is the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, FL and the dates are March 5 thru 7. A variety of AV dealers, manufacturers and distributors will exhibit their newest audio products and technologies, equipment and supporting media. Three floors of the hotel will be used, with 18 large exhibit rooms on the main convention level. The show is expected to draw many exhibitors due to its cost to exhibitors being up to 25% less than other AV shows, and there being no charges for drayage or removing furniture from the rooms – two sources of savings to those participating. There will be a focus on hi-end playback equipment, and audio recording demonstrations, plus live musical performances and seminars with top industry names. A new web site has been designed for the show: www.AXPONA.com
Django’s 100th Birthday – January 23, 2010 will be the celebration of the 100th Birthday of legendary gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. His distinctive playing (in spite of missing fingers) made him one of the first prominent European jazz musicians and one of the most important jazz guitarists ever. His music has been celebrated in recent years with countless tribute albums, reissues, concerts, and gypsy jazz festivals around the world. The French label Dreyfus Jazz has kept Django’s music alive for many years. They are the home of gypsy jazz guitarists Bireli Lagrene, Philip Catherine, Sylvain Luc, Dorado Schmitt, Luis Salinas, and Grappelli-inspired violinist Didier Lockwood. New releases by most of these artists will begin next month.
Wireless Power Charging Coming – Dell has unveiled a notebook computer that can be recharged wirelessly, and Sony has a system in the experimental stage that is capable of sending 60w of electricity on a 22-inch HDTV half a meter away, with the possibility of extending the distance to 80cm with repeaters. The system could also be used with a laptop. Magnetic-resonance-based technology transfers the electricity from the transmitter to the receiver. Sony is working on commercialization of the system.
HP Launches Online Streaming Home Server – HP’s new MediaSmart Server offers maximum capacity, high-performance processors, Mac support and an intuitive user interface. It can store movies, photos, music and documents, plus provide easy access to all the files thru any Net-connected PC or Mac at any time. It has a video converter to automatically create videos for viewing at home or remotely. Advanced control features allow choice of specific video settings. The server also collects and organises media files on the comuputer and can stream it across the home network or to the Net. Microsoft’s new Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 makes the server cross-platform; it can even use Mac’s Time Machine backup program. In addition, owners of iPod Touch or iPhone can download a free app from Apple’s store which enables them to stay connected to their digital media on the server. They can stream any of the files on their server directly to their mobile device. The server has iTunes, Smart Power Management, an Intel Atom or Celeron processor, and up to 7 TB internal storage and 17 TB of storage when adding an external drive. The HP MediaSmart LX197 Server is now available at $599 and the EX490 is $899.
