Strange New World: Tech Picks of the Week

June 5, 2008 — -- This week we take a look at how traditional over-the-air radio is actually not being left behind in today high-tech world. We also track Microsoft's latest move in a continued attempt to diversify and get an early look at the latest game from Sims guru Wil Wright.

Radio Gets Its Tech On

We would like to interrupt this regularly scheduled column with a test of the radio emergency innovation system ... Nothing like a little declining market share to force the old radio dog to learn new tricks, but that's what's happening. Real innovation seems to be coming to radio.

The industry actually is being smart about its new HD Radio services. Remember there is no analog give back in radio like in TV. So radio operators are free to develop new products just for digital, since their analog services are not affected.

For example, the industry is working on a deal with ConEdison of New York to use digital radio bandwidth as a means for the utility company to broadcast to users when is the most efficient time to run their appliances and other electrical tools during the day. David J. Field, president and CEO of Entercom, says the industry reselling the bandwidth to ConEd provides a means to communicate with customers without installing a fresh network.

And radio is being eyed by cellular operators as a means of complying with emergency broadcast signal regulation. Cell ops are on the hook from the Feds to have an emergency notification system in place. And Jeffrey H. Smulyan, chairman of Emmis Communications, said the radio industry is working closely with operators to put analog radio tuners in all domestic cell phones. The plan is that these units will allow users to access the radio emergency broadcast system, which has proved more durable during emergencies than cell networks.

We're not saying over-the-air radio is turning into all WiFi or Web 2.0 or anything. Radio is still very much radio: The artillery of the digital age. Yes, things move, but slowly and with great crashing and booming.

But still, strictly speaking from a technological perspective, while it moves slowly, the radio industry is at least starting to travel down the tech road.

Microsoft and HP Make a Deal

We know it may not seem like it, but HP is still the largest PC manufacturer in the world, and Microsoft just struck a deal with the company to put a toolbar powered by Microsoft's Live Search on every one of the new HP computers. The deal also calls for Live Search to be the default search engine on the installed Internet Explorer browser.

Although the terms of the deal were not released, the new tool bar should start appearing on HP units in 2009. Dell, the No. 2 PC manufacturer, has a similar deal with Google. That agreement runs out in 2009, and Dell is said to be looking for other partners. Look out Google ...

Spore Is Coming

The most-anticipated video game of the year lands in September, but we got a look at it early. It's from Wil Wright, the creator of the uber-popular "Sims" and "Sim City" franchises, and it's going to blow your mind.

You start the game as a spore, literally, and go from there. You evolve from this spore all the way up to a race of creatures that will explore space. You don't have to start that far back. If you don't want to play a long game, you can start in the middle and create your own race of creatures. You can make them any shape and color your crazy mind desires. Change the length of the legs and the walk changes. Add more eyes. Give it horns if you like. You can do it all.

The game is not out yet, but the "Spore Creature Creator" launches June 17, so you can get a head start on making crazy little beings.