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Contrary to what some manufacturers claim, not everything new is innovative. Slapping a new shape or color on an old product doesn't qualify.
No, true innovation is about rethinking what technology can do for us. And that's just what the winners of the 2005 Digital World Innovations Awards do. They surprise us. They excite us. And most of all, they entertain us in ways we've never been entertained before.
And the winners are...
Subscription Music A-Go-Go
Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10
The allure of subscription music services is the access to hundreds of thousands of songs for one monthly fee. The downside: To listen, you've been stuck using a broadband-connected PC. Microsoft's Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 platform changes that. Using Microsoft's PlaysForSure Web site, you match up subscription services (like Napster) and devices (like Creative's Zen Personal Media Center). After that, you can put as many songs on your device as it will hold. A hardware-based clock in the player keeps track of your status, and as long as you subscribe to the service, you'll never run out of tunes.
High-Def Home Movie Maker
Sony HDR-FX1 HandyCam
Anyone who has browsed a Best Buy store knows high-definition makes almost any video captivating. Hey, even your relatives might want to watch your home movies if you record them in HD. First, you'll need one of these: Sony's HDR-FX1 HandyCam. Although it's not the first HD camcorder--JVC's GR-HD1, introduced in 2003, captured 720p high-def video--it's the first one that handles 1080i HD video and doesn't require Trump funds (it's a relatively affordable $3700). The HDR-FX1 uses mini-DV cassettes to hold up to 63 minutes' worth of footage. At 4.25 pounds it seems more like a semipro model than a "consumer camcorder," as Sony likes to call it, but something this innovative just isn't going to fit in your pocket.
That's Entertainment
HP Digital Entertainment Center Z500 Series
Look! There in the living room. It's a stereo component, it's a digital video recorder, no wait--it's both, and a PC, too. HP's Z500 Series puts it all together in a sleek black, brushed-aluminum box that anyone could mistake for a DVD player or AV amplifier. Packed in its handsome chassis is a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-powered PC with dual TV tuners, a 160GB or 200GB internal hard drive, a bay for HP's 160GB removable USB hard drive (included with the 200GB model), Wi-Fi, a wireless keyboard and remote, a DVD burner, and Dolby Digital 5.1. The $1699 Entertainment Center is more versatile than any dedicated media component--it's the first PC in full entertainment clothing.
