nTren's Bluetooth MP3 Watch Sets Your Wrist Free For Other Uses October 03, 2007

The trouble with MP3 watches, like your manhood, is they are small beyond usability and, annoyingly, they require a physical attachment to your wrist to be of any use. The nTren Bluetooth MP3 Watch corrects part of the problem by adding in holy Bluetooth goodness. The new model will be available in 1GB or 2GB flavors and will ship with a wireless Bluetooth headset, so you can enjoy your music wire free.

Nail Assist is Sadly Not What You Think October 03, 2007

Read more Appliances

This one's going out for all the clumsy DIY freaks, people who aim for the nail, honest, but just end up playing Test Your Strength on their thumbs. Insert the nail head into the collar, so that the head is resting on the red vagina-y part. Then pull down the perspex tube so that it covers the nail, and hammer away, enjoying both pain-free home improvement and straight nails. -Addy Dugdale

[Yanko]

Zune 2: Old Zunes Get New Life October 03, 2007

Read more Digital Audio , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , MP3 , Music , Zune , iPod

The problem with buying into first generation technology is that you feel cheated with the next generation arrives and makes it look like something prehistoric.

Rather than ignoring the loyal 1.2 million folk that invested in the original Zune 30GB [above], Microsoft has actually done something quite smart. You see all those new features that the new players are getting – wireless syncing, TV importing, etc. – well the old Zunes are getting them too – for free.

Users of the old Zunes will get all of the new features, as well as the new interface, via a software download in November. Not too shabby.-Martin Lynch

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Zune 2: DRM-Free Tunes & A Social Website October 03, 2007

Read more Digital Audio , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , MP3 , Movies , Music , Zune , iPod

OK, the Zune hardware’s been extended with new models and put on a diet, but there’s a lot of things happening with the Zune universe too.

Zune Marketplace
Zune Marketplace – Microsoft’s iTunes – has been revamped, with a new look and feel and a better search engine. It also sees the arrival of 1 million DRM-free tunes – similar to what’s happening on other music download sites – which can be played on the Zune or other players. Marketplace will also offer thousands of videos for sale and more than 1,000 free audio and video podcasts. It will continue to offer unlimited downloads for $14.99 a month via Zune Pass.

Zune Social
This is the name for a new Zune online community site. It’s in beta to start, but Zune Social is setting itself up as a meeting place for Zune owners, where they can share their music tastes and views with other Zuneites. Users can create a Zune Card that contains information on your musical tastes and updates automatically to show what you’re listening right now, each time you sync. Friends can play samples from each others Cards. Microsoft is planning – later - to allow the Cards to be placed on key social networking sites like MySpace etc.

Even old Zune users aren’t being left out in the cold – check back in a while to find out why?-Martin Lynch

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Zune 2: Meet Microsoft’s New Players October 03, 2007

Read more Digital Audio , Gizmodo UK , MP3 , Music , Zune , iPod

The first Zune music player was not exactly a runaway success – too big, not very innovative etc. - but Microsoft is not giving up its iPod hunt, unveiling three new Zunes.

The Zune 2 models all sport the ability to sync with wireless networks, look less like bricks, have touch-sensitive navigation controls and two of them sport Flash memory storage.

At the top-end is one with an 80GB hard disk drive- up from the original's 30GB - and a bigger 3.2in screen. The 4GB and 8GB Flash-based models sport 1.8in displays. All displays have 320 x 240 pixel resolution and all models still retain the FM tuner. The wireless facilities have been extended from just swapping tunes with other Zunes to being able to sync with your PC wirelessly – which is handy, although it remains to be seen what kind of hit battery life will take.

The original wireless sharing of tunes with other Zune users has had the time limitation removed, although the tunes are still only good for three plays before they stop working. On the video front, TV recorded on Windows Media PCs can be easily imported to the Zune.

Microsoft is a long, long way behind in the media player market, having sold just over 1 million Zunes compared to Apple’s tally of more than 100 million iPods.

Due out in the US in mid-November, the Zune 80GB [available in black only] will cost $249, while the 8GB and 4GB Flash players [pink, green, black and glossy red] will cost $199 and $149, respectively.

More on the revamped site, DRM-free tunes and an online social site for Zuneites later.-Martin Lynch

zune microsoft ipod music

Acer Debuts First PC With Blu-ray/HD DVD Drive October 03, 2007

Read more Blu-ray , Gizmodo UK , HD DVD , Movies , PC

Blu-ray? HD-DVD? If you can’t decide, or really couldn’t care less right now, Acer is touting the perfect solution: the first desktop PC with a drive capable of reading both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

The Acer Aspire M5630 is surely the first in a long line of PCs that will offer combo Blu-ray/HD DVD drives in the coming months, but Acer gets the pat on the back for being first.

It’s likely that the drive is the LG Super Multi Blu, although that’s speculation right now. Other features include a Core 2 Quad-core processor, 2GB of DDD2 Ram, ATI X2400 Pro 256MB PCI-Express x16 video card, a 500GB hard disk drive and whopping 22in LCD display for under £1,000.

Well, that’s the price the Aussies are paying right now so expect that to rise by £50 for every time zone crossed on its way to the UK.-Martin Lynch

gadgets blu-ray PC HD DVD acer