DRM Smackdown Day is October 3. You In? September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
It's time for us to rise up against that devil, digital rights management (DRM), which is crippling content from sea to shining sea in the name of anti-piracy. Anti-DRM crusaders Defective by Design have designated Tuesday, October 3 to be the Day Against DRM. They're asking everyone to submit ideas about how to raise awareness and somehow defeat those torturous shackles on content:
"Clear your schedule for a world wide day of action against DRM. On Tuesday October 3rd we will all be taking action to raise the stakes and attempt to increase awareness to the threats of DRM - in a very significant way."But wait. We're no fans of DRM, but if the alternative is no content at all, there could be reasonable digital rights management measures that might be barely tolerable. Comments?
October 3rd Declared "Day Against DRM" [Defective by Design, via Boing Boing]
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Belt Lighter, Like a Cancer Inducing Batman Utility Belt September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Sometimes the simplest ideas end up being the most convenient. The buckle on this belt is actually a removable lighter. I highly doubt this one will get through airport security, but if you aren't trying to fly, then there is no worry about misplacing that lighter ever again. We don't need no water, let the motha' f'er burn (for $26).
Product Page [Via uncrate]
Belkin Releases Accessory Line for Samsung Players September 1, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Well I'll be a monkey's blue-assed uncle. It was just a little while ago that we presented our first, exclusive look at the Samsung YP-K5 MP3 player and Belkin already has a line of accessories out for this player. The other Samsung players Belkin will be accessorizing are the T9 and Z5.
For a little vehicular love, Belkin is releasing the TuneCast Auto for the T9. It is a FM transmitter and cigarette lighter charger. Also released is the TuneDok for the Z5. The TuneCast will retail for $49 and the TuneDok will retail for $29. Belkin also released a couple dual charging kits for K5, T9 and Z5. Two easily swappable adapters allow for the players to be synced to a PC via USB, charged via a wall outlet or charged via a cigarette vehicle outlet. The charging kits will retail for $34. Also Belkin is releasing screen overlays for the K5 and T9 players. Pretty basic—thin pieces of plastic overlays to protect the screen from scratches.
Belkin has also released a ton of different cases for the different players. The K5 player will have a convertible case, and a carabiner case. The T9 will have a neoprene armband, lanyard case and sports jacket. And the Z5 will have a sports jacket, folio case and sports jacket lanyard case. All of these cases will retail for $29, except for the sports jacket cases, which will go for $19.
Press Release [Belkin]
Thermidor Liberty Shelf: Motorized Refrigerator Shelves Are Way Cool September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
As appliance manufacturers grope for techno-ideas with little success, Thermidor creates an innovative design that could actually be useful: the Liberty Shelf, motorized refrigerator shelves that move up and down to accommodate items of various heights. Sure, you can do this manually, but have you tried it when the shelf is full of 40-ounce Colt 45s? It's damn near impossible, especially when half of those bottles have been emptied already.
The Liberty Shelf is part of Thermidor's Freedom Collection of flush-mounted built-in-style refrigerators, and there are a lot more innovative features inside these fridges, too, such as halogen light towers, an electronic control panel similar to those in $5500 Sub-Zero refrigerators, and the Freedom Hinge that opens up to 115 degrees. All this coolness will cost you, though, between $3500 and $4300 depending on size and options.
Product Page [Thermador, via OhGizmo]
Pioneer BDR-103: HD DVD/Blu-ray Combo Burner to Ship Next Year September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Pioneer announced it will release a dual-format HD DVD and Blu-ray writer sometime next year. The BDR-103 will integrate both formats into one drive, and it will support recordable and rewritable discs on both formats as well as play back prerecorded content.
Other manufacturers such as Toshiba, Samsung and LG have dabbled with the idea of a combo HD DVD/Blu-ray player, and we're thinking that both home theater players and burners such as this upcoming Pioneer model are inevitable. It's information like this just released from Pioneer that will keep smart buyers on the sidelines until dual-format players and burners are available.
Pioneer to release Dual format HD-DVD / Blu-Ray Writer [CD Freaks, via HD Beat]
Special Apple Media Event Planned For September 12: New iPods? September 1, 2006
READ MORE Announcements
Reports have surface on the Web today saying that Apple is inviting certain members of the media (read: not us, probably) to a "special event for new products." What products will be shown are completely unknown, naturally, but anyone with a pulse might hazard a guess that the event could be used to launch the new, proper video iPod, while some more adventurous people might mention "iPhone" in the same breath. Hopefully, they'll have their movie store worked out by then, or soon after.
The event, which is being held somewhere in northern California and perhaps at a Legion of Doom-like headquarters, is open only to invited members of the press. Additionally, the event is scheduled to take place at the same time as the Apple Expo in Paris. As it stands, Euro journalists will get to attend a videoconference in London of Apple's secretive northern California event. In any case, don't change that dial, since information regarding the event is likely to change quite a bit before it takes place.
Reports: Apple to hold special event on September 12th [iLounge]
FordLink Gives Pickup Truck Drivers Web Access, More September 1, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
You know wireless broadband is getting ubiquitous when even Ford pickup trucks are equipped with tablet PCs hooked up to the net. That's the case with Ford, launching its FordLink system for F-series pickups that consists of a tablet PC running Windows XP that's connected to the vast tubes of the Interwebs.
If you want to go all-out, you can get it with GPS, too, along with a full complement of small business management software and even a printer. Here's hoping those who want to get some office work done in the driver's seat accomplish most of their ministrations at stoplights and parked in driveways, and not on a two-lane blacktop at 80mph.
Office on Wheels: FordLink [Jalopnik]
iTunes Movie Store Details Emerge: $14.99 Per New Movie September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Some hard details regarding Apple's rumored iTunes Movie Store have crept out this morning, with word that Apple will be selling new release movies for $14.99 and back catalog movies for $9.99 perhaps as early as this month, according to reports. Of course, these movies would then be viewable on the iPod. But what use is a movie store if there's no movies?
You see, it appears that one of the big Hollywood studios, either Universal or Sony, has begin digitizing their back catalog going back to 1999 for use on a online store. While the method of compression is a closely guarded secret, it's also worth mentioning that the source of this information—a major studio digitizing its back catalog—was not able to confirm what online movie store the films will be heading to. While Apple's download service is the obvious choice, let's not forget that Amazon appears to be heading into the movie downloading business sooner rather than later.
iTunes Movie Store Coming [CrunchGear]
Originating Report: Wal-Mart and Apple Battle for Turf [BusinessWeek]
Creative's Batteryless (?) Travel Sound Popz Speakers September 1, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Apple-wannabe Creative has developed the Travel Sound PoPz, a pair of foldable, portable speakers that, somehow, are battery-free. Trendy people will immediately take to the speakers' compact design: measuring only 3.1x2.7x6.2-inches when folded and 7.1x2.9x3.4-inches when in use, the PoPz will fit just fine inside your cramped studio apartment. Since they're so small, it would take very little effort to transport them from party to party during the weekend.
The speakers are housed inside an interchangeable pouch that's available in pink, black, grey and blue. The Travel Sound PoPz command a price of about $34.
Creative Travel Sound PoPz P30 speakers [Fareastgizmos.com]
First Pictures of Nokia 5200, 5300 September 1, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Pictures of Nokia's upcoming budget 5200 and 5300 cellphones are spreading around the Web like wildfire. Right now, only rumored specs are available, but baseless rumors have never been ignored here anyway. So far, a 1.3-megapixel camera, LED flash, Bluetooth, and an awesome 128x160-pixel resolution screen are all you're going to find here. Allegedly, though, the 5300 will feature dedicated music control buttons, since music cellphones are so great and all.
Due to the shady, shadow government way in which these pictures were obtained, not a whole lot else is known, like price or even an estimated release date.
Exclusive: Nokia's New 5200 & 5300 - Mobile Phone Specifications and Reviews [MobileScraper via CrunchGear]
Philips 9-inch PhotoFrame: Two Inches Bigger, That's About It September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Philips already has our attention with its beautifully-designed 7-inch photo frame, and now a 9-inch unit augments the mix but doesn't add a lot more features. The pixel count of this larger screen wasn't noted, but word is that it's a "high-performance LCD screen" with increased levels of sharpness, brightness and contrast. In addition to its paltry onboard memory storage, it has two flash card readers that can both be used at the same time, accommodating SD, MMC, Memory Stick, CompactFlash and XD memory cards.
We're liking the solid construction and clean design of this frame, now available in two styles—Modern like its 7-inch brother and pictured here, and Classic, which we don't have a picture of yet. We have quite a bit hands-on experience with the 7-inch unit, whose user interface is baffling at first but works well nonetheless. We are a bit disappointed that this latest model doesn't include WiFi support, such as the eStarling picture frame, which teased us early this year but then unceremoniously disappeared. If someone would roll out a frame with its features, it could clean up in this market, no doubt.
The next big revelation about this Philips frame will be its price. Will it go the Samsung route and cost well over $300, or will the company further commoditize this hot category and bring it into the $150 range?
JBL Gets Jiggy With Speaker Design, Headphones September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Harmon Kardon/JBL is getting out on the edge with some in-your-face design, introducing two powered speaker systems, an iPod boombox, and its first line of headphones. The most striking of the designs were the JBL spyro speakers (upper left), substituting boxy old satellites with floweresque forms along with a mushroom-shaped subwoofer. If that's a little too girly for you, the JBL Spot (lower left) matches that mushroom sub with a couple of mushroomette satellites. Those two will be available in a variety of colors as well as optional design wrappers that let you skin them in a variety of ways.
The boombox has the Harman Kardon nameplate upfront, and the iPod docks up top along with the wireless remote that stows away in the back and S-Video output, too. That should be selling for €349 (around $448). Then JBL brings its first family of headphones to market, offered in a family of four variations. The JBL Reference 220 is in in-ear model, and the Reference 420 will be €150 (around $192) and has a volume control and leather earpads. The 500 series is designed for noise cancellation, and the reference 620 has an iPod dock connector Bluetooth module for rockin' around the house wirelessly. Release date for these sexy products wasn't announced.
Neue Boombox, Speakers, Kopfhörer - JBL legt vor (German), Lots of photos here [iPodfun.de]
Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Mini Boombox: First Unboxing, Review, and Video. September 1, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
Here it is. You might have seen some fuzzy flyby images of this MP3 player with speakers built into its backside. But we've got it in our hands. And we love it.
For a 4GB player, it's kinda chunky. The magnesium case is almost three times as thick as a nano, even though it has a slightly bigger footprint. But you would too if you had speakers built into your ass, mounted on sliding rails. I think I remember hearing that they're 1.5 watts, total. How loud are they? You know when there's some asshole talking on his cellphone in the library, and you just tell him to shut the hell up? It's about that loud, except it's not annoying. It's fucking great. Flipping on the EQ's 3D mode drew a soundscape I thought came from stereo speakers about a foot apart when I closed my eyes and gave a listen.
How does the rest of it hold up? We unbox, review from head to toe, drop the stat-smather, and even shoot some b-roll video of the speaker, after the jump.
IFA 2006: Samsung unveils stunning YP-K5 music player September 1, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Home Entertainment , Peripherals
Yummy. At IFA 2006 in Berlin, Samsung took the opportunity to show-off the forthcoming YP-K5, a uniquely designed music player that boasts a speaker that slides out, turning it into a freestanding mini-boom box.
According to Samsung, the sound will not be the kind of tinny noise you’d expect from most tiny speakers and will be capable of some decent bass. Might wait for a hands-on before swallowing that one whole just yet.
It sports a sexy colour OLED display measuring 1.7in, weighs in at 106g and measures 98x48x18mm. It has an FM radio, clock alarm that uses your chosen tune and the battery life is rated at 6 hours using the speaker and 30 hours with headphones.
It will ship in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB versions and will cost £199 for the 4GB version. Coming soon.
IFA 2006: Philips 100in AmbiLight Full Surround TV September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Home Entertainment , TV
Here’s your chance to gaze on yet another massive LCD TV that you will never ever own because to do so would mean selling your house and moving it into the shed. Anyway, looks like the happy guy with the beard got there first.
If you are lucky enough to be going to the IFA 2006 consumer goodies show in Berlin this week, you will at least have a chance to ogle and drool. This prototype 100in LCD TV boasts Ambilight Full Surround – a new, four-sided version of Philips’ ambient lighting technology. The lighting matches the colours being displayed on the screen to suck you in even more when watching your fave movies.
Philips is also showing off Ambilight Surround which works on three sides of your telly. Thankfully, the technology will also be shown on more reasonably priced – yet not cheap at all – models, such as the Cineos 42PF9831D.
IFA 2006: Fox announces eight Blu-ray movies September 1, 2006
READ MORE DVRs , Gadgets , Home Entertainment , Software , Storage , TV
It’s great that Blu-ray movies are finally arriving. In fact, it would probably be zippity-doo-daa-day if there were any commonly available players to play them on.
Fox is the latest to swear allegiance to the Blu-ray flag by announcing eight titles at IFA 2006, the world’s biggest consumer geekfest in Berlin. The line-up looks like this:
Kingdom of Heaven Directors Cut
Fantastic Four
Behind Enemy Lines
Transporter
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Omen: 666
Kiss of the Dragon
Speed
The discs will conveniently arrive – that’s if you really need a high-def Transporter - in the UK on Nov 14, just three days before the launch of the PS3. Kingdom of Heaven is the first movie on a dual-sided 50GB disc and will be followed in the coming months with Rocky, Bulletproof Monk, Windtalkers and The Usual Suspects.
Bulletproof Monk – WTF? - Martin Lynch
Commodore Gravel In Pocket Portable Media Player and Gravel In Home September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment , Portable Media
Featuring the weirdest name for a PMP we've heard this week, the Commodore Gravel In Pocket supports MP4, MPEG, DivX, Xvid, WMV, MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG, BMP and GIF files. It has 1 or 2GB of internal flash memory, plus an expandable SD slot for removable memory. It plays at a respectable 24FPS (film quality) on its 2.8-inch TFT screen.
Then there's the Gravel in Home system, which has a 80GB hard disk, which has Video On Demand and Replay TV support, but to what extent we're not sure. There should be more information at IFA from September 1 to September 6 in Berlin.
Press Release [Business Wire]
Oppo LCD TV/DVD Player With DivX Support September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
Back to school is upon us, and this Oppo LCD TV/DVD player is perfect for cramped university halls all over England. The £300 player has a 20-inch LCD, slot-loading DVD player, USB port and card reader. Best of all it looks like an iMac, which, I guess, is actually "worst of all" if you're not an iMac fan.
There's DVD, DivX, music CD and Kodak Picture CD support, which means you can download and burn those episodes of Entourage onto DVD to watch on this. Let's hug it out, bitches.
Product Page [Oppo via Uncrate]
TDK Makes 200GB Blu-ray Discs, Too Bad Nobody Can Play Them September 1, 2006
READ MORE Storage
Yes, TDK, who said they were going to make 200GB discs, went and made 200GB discs. Who'da thunk it? Well, unfortunately for everyone on the planet, there isn't any drive or player out right now that can read 200GB discs. Oh well.
The 200GB monster is single sided, but has six layers with 33.333333333 (continuing) GB on each layer. First 100GB discs, now 200GB discs. What's next, TDK? Are you going to blow our minds with, wait for it, THREE HUNDRED GIGABYTE DISCS? OMG.
TDK Unveils 200 GB Blu-Ray Media [Digital Trends]
Toilet Golf, For Saving Par whilst Dropping a Log September 1, 2006
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This is the potty putter. It's a miniature green and rug for in front of the toilet. What amazes me if that the guy in this picture needs to play golf and read a magazine. He must be one of those super poopers. $18
Product Page [Via Coolest-Gadgets]
HTC TyTN Sync Cradle September 1, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Speaking of the HTC TyTN, here's a dock and hot-sync cradle for £10. USB cable comes included, and the dock fits the HTC TyTN, HTC Hermes, HTC Z, Orange SPV M3100, T-Mobile MDA Vario II, i-Mate JASJAM, Qtek 9600 and Dopod CHT9000. Yes, they're all the same phone.
Dopod CHT9000 USB Cradle [Brando]
Creative Fatal1ty Keyboard: Same Shit, Different Name September 1, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
Here is an shot of the Fatal1ty keyboard being manufactured by Creative with Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel's logo plastered all across it. Keyboard look familiar? It should, it is damn near identical to the Auravision EluminX that we first told you about almost four years ago! What's up Fatal1ty? No new ideas for a keyboard?
The keyboard has backlighting that can be turned on and off. The keyset is the Sunrex keyset, which is similar to the feel of a laptop keyboard and has a quick response time, shorter keystrokes, etc. I think the best feature of all about this keyboard is that there are no bells or whistles. It is a keyboard. Period. No fancy calculator buttons or media buttons. It's got the letters and that is really all you need in a keyboard. Expect to pay around £30 or £40 when this keyboard hits the shelves mid-September.
Product Page [Creative]
Maxtek 4.3-inch GPS Navigation With Picture-in-Picture DMB September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Portable Media
If you think about it, we're a bit lucky here in the UK. If we look at gadgets such as the 4.3-inch T-DMB GPS navigation device from Maxtek, it's like looking into our own future. Sure, we can't have this now, but in a few years, we'll be able to watch TV and get directions to Tesco using the same device.
This MNT-4300DMB has a SiRF III GPS module, searchable maps, and Picture in Picture functionality so you can literally get directions and watch TV simultaneously. Best yet, it's only 349,000 Won (£185). We can't wait for the future to get here.
Maxtek to present 4.3-inch T-DMB navigation [AVING]
Sprint Palm Treo 700wx's User Manual Leaked Online September 1, 2006
READ MORE Smartphones
Boy, those fellers at Sprint really have their act together. First it's all the leaked product material. Now their actual user manual is online!
Fans of Treos who are stuck on the Sprint network can go have a look. Print out all 436 pages, grab a nice lemonade and head outside for a nice, relaxing read. I hear someone gets killed on page 274, and Wolverine makes a cameo on page 311.
User Manual [Mobility Today]
Palm Treo 700wx user manual appears [Mobility Today]
Philips Prestigo Universal Learning Remote September 1, 2006
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Looking more like a magician's wand than a remote, the Philips Prestigo—hey, someone there thought so too—has a touch-screen LCD and a rotary dial on its face to let you point and click your way to TV bliss. The LCD only lights up the appropriate buttons for the device you're controlling, so you won't get a "DVD EJECT" button when you're on TV mode.
The Prestigo is also a learning remote, which means you don't need to use a booklet to program in buttons. You can point your old remote at this one, activate the remote mating ritual, and you're set. Available now for £120.
Take Control of Home Entertainment with Stylish and Easy-To-Use Philips Prestigo [eHomeUpgrade via Hardware Zone]
Philips VOIP841 DECT Skype Phone September 1, 2006
READ MORE Smartphones
The Philips VOIP841 uses the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) frequency, an 1.8GHz band that was set aside to allow both security and better battery life than other cordless frequencies. The base-station allows you to plug in a normal land-line connection as well as your ethernet broadband connection. This means you're able to make calls on both Skype and your traditional house phone, much like the Linksys CIT300 we reviewed. However, the Philips doesn't require a PC at all, making it truly standalone.
The only problem, if there is one, with this unit is that it uses DECT instead of WiFi, which means you can't take it to wireless hot-spots like you can with the Belkin WiFi Skype phone. It would be fine as a home phone, but not one you can travel with. No price or availability yet.
Press Release [eHomeUpgrade]
HTC TyTN and XDA Trion Windows Mobile Phones Available Online Now September 1, 2006
READ MORE Smartphones
The XDA Trion is an OEM version of the HTC TyTN, the 3G, Windows Mobile 5.0 based PDA phone from HTC. Both these models are almost identical, save for the "QWERTZ" instead of "QWERTY" keyboard on the XDA Trion. Other than that, even their prices are the same—£450.
The phones have quad-band GSM, 64MB of storage, and a microSD slot for expandable memory. For connectivity, they support GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/Bluetooth/802.11b/g compliant. There's also a 2-megapixel phone and a secondary camera on the front for 3G video calls. Since it's GSM, you should be able to pick one up at the £450 price, and use it on one of the GSM providers here.
If you've already got a previous generation HTC device such as the T-Mobile MDA or the Verizon XV6700, there may not be a reason to upgrade. The software is the same on all these devices. You're just paying for the 3G support, higher quality camera, much faster processor, and video calling. If you don't need any of that, you can stick with the older model.
Product Page [Dynamism via Crunchgear]
Honest Technology's Placeshifting IPTV and Surveillance Device September 1, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
The IP Box from Honest Technology has two practical functions. One of these is place-shifting, sending the TV channels you have at home through your broadband connection to your remote device. You can keep an eye on CNN with your laptop or PDA while you're out in the world, wheeling and dealing. The video is compressed with the MPEG-4, but it still means you need to have a fat enough pipe to provide the uploading. For best results, turn off your bittorrent client.
The second use is to connect a compatible camera to the device, which will then stream home security video to you over the IP network. It's similar to how the TV channels get streamed, but instead of watching Oprah, you're watching an old, overweight babysitter you hired because your wife made you get rid of Sarah, the previous college-aged one. So, pretty much the same thing really, except less new car winning and more spanking.
Product Site [Honestech via CNET]
Analog Nokia Mobile Phone, What the Hell? September 1, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
We've seen some vintage phones given a new-age twist in the past, but this is just crazy. Crazy I tell you!
I've uploaded some photos of my analogue phone + old Nokia phone. I'm currently overseas so I've had to leave it behind, but every time I've used it, I got great reactions out of people who were extremely curious. The handset works just like a regular phone by the way!
I really like the carbineer clip at the end, you know, for easy and convenient transportation.
[MAKE]
Surprise! Mac mini Core Solo CPUs Quietly Getting Duo'd? September 1, 2006
READ MORE PC
Here's a report:mdash;a lone report, mind you, of a buyer's new Mac mini shipped with upgraded specs. He couldn't have been happier if a stripper jumped from the box. From SuperG's words found on hardmac.com:
I have ordered a Mac mini Core solo with 1GB of RAM last Saturday to use it as a server, and what a surprise when I received the box!My Mac mini has been upgraded:
- Core Duo 1.66GHz instead of Core Solo 1.5GHz
- HD 100GB instead of 60GB
- and a SuperDrive instead of a Combo!Thanks Apple !
On the box, the specifications are those of a Mac mini Core Solo...
Who knows if this is just a mistake, or the start of another beautiful revision. As of now, there aren't any changes to the Apple store. Anyone else have a similar experience?
[Hardmac via Mac Daily News]
TracNet 100 Mobile Stuffs WiFi and TV in your Car September 1, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
Here it is, the thing to make your computer a little bit more like KITT. The TracNet 100 Mobile puts a WiFi hotspot, web browsing, and IPTV in your hoopty ride. The data love comes courtesy of a Verizon EVDO card, built into the controller box. That box itself has 802.11G wireless, 3 ethernet ports, and an MSN IPTV tuner. Topping off the package is a remote and keyboard. But know that the TracNet system doesn't come with a monitor. You'll have to hook your own up through the VGA, or standard video outputs. Internet AND cable in the car? Looks like I'm going to need to fit a Lazyboy recliner in the backseat.
Of course, if you're looking for data strictly, and can do without the IPTV, we're going to go ahead and recommend you buy the Kyocera mobile EVDO router instead. It's only a few hundred knicker, vs the £1000 sticker price for the TracNet.
TracNet 100 Mobile Internet Receiver [KVH]
Pretec's 8GB SD 2.0 Memory Card September 1, 2006
READ MORE Storage
Pretec will release an 8GB SD 2.0 (SDHC) memory card before the end of the year that will have access speeds of up to 20MB per second. Unlike SD cards using the old SD 1.0/1.1, cards following the SD 2.0 standard won't have a 4GB size limit. Chalk this up to a new method of allocating space on the drive: whereas the 1.0/1.1 standard used something called byte addressing, the new standard allocates space using sector addressing. Perhaps not the most compelling information, but it's not every day that a Dell laptop explodes.
An important note is that memory cards using the new SD 2.0 standard aren't compatible with existing SD devices. Standards: they're here to help make our lives easier.
Pretec's line of extra spacious SD 2.0 cards will go into production during the fourth quarter. Right now, if you're on Pretec's party guest list, you can grab an 8GB card for £150.
Pretec 8GB SDHC Card Announced [Slashphone.com]
SIRIUS Stiletto, Soloist Doing It in the Wild September 1, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Home Entertainment
Nothing gets my blood pumping more than in the wild shots of some of the latest SIRIUS gadgets working together in the wild. This picture obviously proves that the Stiletto and the Soloist will work together like apples and oranges.
Stiletto and Soloist - so happy together [Orbitcast]
Entertrainer Exercise Motivator: Keep Moving, or Daddy Takes the TV Away September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Here's a torture device for the unmotivated and TV addicted: The Intertrainer Exercise Motivator (£75) from PowerUp Fitness, which is wirelessly connected to the TV and turns down the volume if you don't exercise hard enough. Just strap it around your torso, and if you start slacking off it senses your relaxation, going so far as shutting off the TV altogether.
At first glance we thought this was an electroshock device similar to that Invisible Fence collar you put around a dog's neck to stun it into submission. Alas, for that we'll have to wait for version 2.0. Either way, the whole idea is kind of sad.
Product Page [PowerUp Fitness, via OhGizmo]
Robot iPod Dock-on-Wheels September 1, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Home Entertainment
Since I'm the only one on the staff with an even basic knowledge of the language of Camões (Portuguese, kids), I come baring news on an robot-like device that works with the iPod. Given the name Miuro (it stands for music innovation based on utility robot technology), it's a small, ball-shaped iPod dock that rolls around on wheels. At the top of the ball is a slot for the iPod, which users can control with a remote control. Kenwood speakers line the outside of the robot, and can wireless play music saved on a nearby computer.
The Miuro will cost £470 when it's released to the whole world in the second half of 2007. Empresa japonesa lança robô para iPod (in Portuguese) [Terra]
Bedside Phone Center Has iPod Dock, Groovy Design September 1, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Right next to your bed there's room for just one more gadget, and if you play your cards right, maybe Santa will make sure it's the Bedside Phone Center,a combination radio/alarm clock/phone with an integrated iPod dock. The 2.4GHz cordless phone comes with two handsets, and includes all the normal POTS features, like a speakerphone, answering machine and a 40-number caller ID, plus newer features, like six selectable ring tones.
Like every other dock since the creation of man, this one will charge the iPod and play music—controllable with a wireless remote control—out of its wicked awesome speakers. Since it's an AM/FM radio, you just know that the speakers are phenomenal.
The Bedside Phone Center is available for£130. Extra handsets are available to purchase as well, for £30 a pop.
Product Page [Best of The Sharper Image via New Launches]
A Shot of Xbox Live Anywhere, On a Mobile September 1, 2006
READ MORE Online , Software
I know, I know, the picture is blurry. But that's just because you're like us: So excited to see this picture of Xbox Live running on a Windows Mobile phone, in person...well, it feels like you're RIGHT THERE. The point of this whole post: If anyone has better, new pic