Knowledge

Why can’t you just plug your PC into your hi-fi and get a great sound straight from iTunes?

You’re a Tone reader, so doubtless you’ll have seen reviews of these “streaming” gadgets that you place between your PC or laptop and your hi-fi.

But what does it all mean, and why would you want to pay yet more of your hard-earned just to connect your iTunes library to your hi-fi?

Believe it or not, these “streaming” devices are not just another snake oil solution to sagging profits in the rarefied world of high-end hi-fi.

If you’re a seasoned computer user, you’ll know that having a good sound card is important if you’re working with audio. And while your CD player will have a quality digital to analogue converter (DAC) if it’s a decent CD player, there is no DAC between your PC and your amplifier.

In the past year Tone has reviewed great streaming products from both Linn and Logitech, and in Tone 78, there’s even a wee $250 Music Streamer (in other words, a DAC) that will revolutionise the sound you’re getting from your PC.

We’re all after convenience in this post-modern world, but devices like the HRT Music Streamer (page 60) make it possible to get a shot of quality with that convenience.

Click here for more on music streamers

Tips

You want the best Broadband. Here’s how to go about it:

• Know what you want, and then double your estimated data needs. Like a good ale, once it’s available on tap, you’ll want more than you think.
• Find out about the exchange in your area. Some areas have faster services than others.
• Surf forums or talk to your neighbours and friends to find out which providers are working for them.
• Seriously consider wireless. It’s fast, you can connect from anywhere in the house, and it is the way of the future.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Take a note of you IP address and modem numbers, and put them somewhere you’ll remember, because you will need them.
• Don’t forget to set a password. You do need protection.

See Tone’s full Broadband story in the latest issue!

Your favourite classic arcade game

Pac-Man, Asteroids, Out Run, Paperboy… Ringing any bells? We’ve picked the top 20 classic arcade games and you can play some of them on our site, watch videos of gameplay, and read about their histories. A great time waster when work is a bit slow

News

• Iconic turntable brand Clearaudio is finally available in NZ
• NZ web television station launches
• Apple’s Snow Leopard offers canny refinements
• NZ gets its own hi-fi show
• Sony’s new Slimline PS3 outlined

Daily tech news at
www.tone.co.nz/news

Online gaming growing in popularity

We’ve got the online poker buzz. Once you get good enough you can make a bit of extra cash on the side, or you can just play for free. We’re not quite good enough yet to play for cash. You can play at sites such as Full Tilt Poker, Cake Poker, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet.

Make sure you play sensibly, and don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. There are courses online such as Certified Poker Experts, The Poker Training School, and 2-time world champion Jonathan Little’s training

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Videos

• Why Space Invaders is the most important computer game ever
• LCD guitar
• Sony Walkman ad from 1988
• Interview with Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube
• Gyroscopic Unicycle – it’s like a Segway with one wheel

More videos

Hands-free phone kits

You’ll need one

The latest Tone covers off some great hands-free phone kits. You’ll need one for the new driving laws coming in November. We’ve secured some great Yada product which you can have a look at on our website here – better still, you don’t even need to drive anywhere to get them!

10th birthday giveaway

It’s Tone’s 10th birthday, so we’ve got eight grand’s worth of home theatre and gaming gear to be won. It would look great in your lounge.