Samsung Ace misses mark for Sprint TV

MOBILE VIDEO
I tend to kvetch a lot about the crummy state of mobile video. The picture quality and sound you get simply depend on too many variables to make it worth paying for.

Samsung's Ace smartphone is as good as it gets for mobile video, but that's not saying much.

The Ace, a Windows Mobile 6 device, is available from Sprint for about $200 after rebate, and with a two-year contract. The Ace is like a tiny TV you can take to bed. It is roughly 5 inches by 2 inches and weighs about 4 ounces.

Unfortunately, and despite its potential to produce a bright, colorful, and sharp picture, I found the Ace to be useless for watching anything for more than a few minutes.

Last week, as my girls and I were riding out nasty colds, we got into a tug-of-war over the Ace. I wanted to get my fix of news from CNN or ABC, but Maeve and Oona could not get enough of the Looney Tunes available through the Sprint TV service.

The picture and sound on the Ace's 2.3-inch screen can be lovely. But thanks to spotty Sprint service in my part of Milton, and a busy network perhaps, we could hardly get through the first half of "Easter Yeggs." The audio part of the Elmer Fudd vs. Bugs battle played on. But the video was reduced to a painful, stop-action sequence.

The Sprint TV experience was no better at my Emmanuel College office on the Fenway. Again, the pictures froze on the channels I selected. Worse, the Ace kept prompting me to hit a button to keep it from falling asleep. Even when I did, the video dropped out anyway, leaving me with a black screen. Twice the Windows beach ball of death popped up without warning, and kicked me back to the main menu screen.

Video performance aside, the Ace is a solid phone. It has an excellent, sturdy keypad with backlit keys, a push-button scroll wheel, and a side volume control button.

As a productivity tool, I am comfortable recommending the Ace. But for video entertainment, the word is no-go.

Radio

Music from a beautiful box

My wife, Lisa (always on the lookout for beautiful things), has uncovered a simple radio that is iPod-friendly and brings a bit of class to the kitchen.

The Singgih Kartono Magno Wooden Radio (starting at $200) is handcrafted by Indonesian carpenters from sustainable sources.

At least that is what they say at Design Public (designpublic.com), where you can get the AM/FM/shortwave radio.

With the exception of its electronics, most of this radio comes from trees. From its wooden knobs to its wooden feet, and even its wood-tipped shortwave antenna, the Magno is a real treasure.

You can plug your iPod into the Magno, too. The sound from the radio is remarkably good.

And at roughly 8 inches by 8 inches by 4 inches, the Magno fits on the top of your fridge.

Prototype

Fluorescent light bulbs crafted as sculptures

Not only do fluorescent bulbs cast everything in a garish light, they are themselves ugly to look at. Some resemble the cooling rods in a nuke reactor. Others are swirled like piles of fake doggy-doo.

But the industrial designers at Hulger.com see fluorescent bulbs as malleable, and potentially beautiful.

Hulger's Plumen Project (plumen.com) aims to craft bulbs that go beyond "mere moral obligation" into illuminated sculptures, even centerpieces. Some of the plumens, which are part of a Museum of Modern Art exhibit at the moment, are shaped to look like ribbons or balls of yarn.

Just don't stare at the Plumens for too long when they are switched on.

Hulger chief executive Nicolas Roope said he hopes to partner with a manufacturer for the plumens.

Hulger is best known for its retro handsets for use with Skype and mobile phones. For those who pine for the feel of a real phone, many of the Hulger handsets (which connect to your mobile via an adapter you get from the company) are now on sale.

Innovative last week

An irritating idea for making money

Even Ivy Leaguers can have dumb ideas.

The Harvard Crimson reported recently that a group of undergrads have concocted a cellphone service that replaces rings with ads. It goes something like this: Acquire a number from the service, called Brring. Spam your contacts with the new number. Brring plays ads to your callers, and relays them to your cellphone number. You get paid a few pennies per call.

It's embarrassing for you and your contacts: You put your hand out for free money, and your friends feel put-upon, knowing your actual ringing number still works.

Venture capitalists meeting at MIT, including one Laura Ring (I kid you not), were scheduled to take up the Brring concept last week.