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MovieBook VPD500

Birge Basik — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:59 +0000

ViewSonic Corparation has a new media player on the shelves: MovieBook VPD500. It has a 800×480 high resolution 5” large-screen, 8 GB of built-in internal memory and full support for multimedia formats. Other specs are: 720p video output, Micro SD card slot, 2500 mAh battery which can play up to 4 hours of video or 5 hours of music, support for AVI, RMVB, FLV, MP3, WMA and WAV, and APE and FLAC extensions. Plus, it’s super light; only 196 grams. It costs £115 and available in 3 colors; black, white and pink.

The Thecus N0204 miniNAS

Birge Basik — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:29:49 +0000

The Thecus N0204 is the smallest NAS (Network Attached Server) ever. It’s the size of a USB hard drive. N0204 is small but comes with RAID 0, 1 and JBOD support. It consumes 25-30% of a regular two-bay NAS device, which means you save both your pocket book and environment at the same time.

It’s silent and works at cool operating temperatures. If you need to change one of the hard disks, it’s no problem due to hot plug and swap capabilities. The miniNAS is designed for hassle-free setup and has full multimedia support. It’s compatible with both Mac and PC networks and will work with Wi-Fi or Gigabit LAN via the ethernet connection on the back of the unit. Lastly, it uses 2.5” hard drives, but you must provide your own as they’re not included… Its retail price is $150.

Revo’s Retro Heritage iPod Dock

Birge Basik — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:11:53 +0000

I’m sort of a Geek; I really like tech-stuff. It’s my pleasure to gather togehter those kind of new gadget stuffs for you, but I should confess that I really admire retro stuff aswell. I fell in love with the new dock series of Revo’s.

Revo Retro Heritage iPod Docks are really amazing. They have a shiny OLED screen, DAB, DAB+, FM and WiFi internet radio support. It is also offers wireless radio streaming.

The audio is provided by a 3” neodymium speaker drive by a 7 watt amplifier. The package contains a joystick control system, built-in USB port and supports for 3.5mm auxiliary cable. The Retro Heritage Dock measures 260×175x98mm. It is compatible with Apple iPod and iPhone generations. Yes, it’s little bit expensive; it has a $380 price tag. Now available for pre-order on the company’s official website.

iHome iP88 Dock

Birge Basik — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:02:22 +0000

iHome just rolled out their iPod alarm clock. The iP88 has three independent alarms to wake up to the iPhone, iPod, playlist, AM/FM radio or buzzer.

The iHome contains a sync button that provides syncing to users the unit with iPhone time. The audio system presents bass, treble, 3D sound and balance controls along with eight AM/FM presets. The size of the device are 9.05” x 4.25” x 3.54”. The iP88 is inclusive of a DST switch for quick daylight-savings time adjustment. It is equipped with backlit buttons and line in jack to play MP3/CDs. The iHome device packages high-fidelity stereo drivers in Reson8 speaker chambers that offer amazing clarity, depth, and power. Apart from the docking station, the package comes with remote control, and AC power adapter. It’s price is about $150.00.

New Apple iPod nano 5G = Music + Video + Radio

GadgetManiac — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:38:46 +0000

Steve Jobs introduced the new fifth generation Apple iPod nano at their event today. The new 5G nano now has a VGA video camera shooting 640 by 480 pixels, at 30 frames per second. No still picture taking though.

FM radio also (…funny, we always thought Steve disliked radios in iPods …), with pause and rewind. There’s also a built-in pedometer with Nike+ integration. Same general form factor as before, but with an improved 2.2 inch 240×276 display at 204 pixels per inch. The nano has become somewhat PMP-like. 16GB for $179.

During the presentation, Steve showed the following video called Threesie on Threesie, taken with the new nano 5G. While there do seem to be color issues and some compression artifacts in the video, the overall quality is not bad, considering the target market…it helps to shoot on a bright sunny day with its 100,000 ambient lumens:

Apple iPod nano 4G Reviewed

GadgetManiac — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:03:53 +0000

iLounge reviews the new fourth-generation Apple iPod nano, and gives it a score of A-.

The reviewer liked the sound quality, calling it the best ever for a nano, attributing it to a change in the audio chip. On the downside, the battery life is down at least when playing games. For those interested in a teardown of the 4G, see iFixit.

Here’s how the iPod nano has evolved since it was first introduced in September 2005…

Apple iPod nano Fourth-Generation (8GB/16GB) – iLounge, September 12 2008

XMP3 XM Satellite Radio Receiver

GadgetManiac — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:57:27 +0000

Sirius XM Radio’s new receiver called XMP3 is made by Pioneer, and will be available soon. Receives XMs 170 channels and can record 100 hours. Can record 5 channels simultaneously. Also plays MP3 and WMA songs from SD cards.

Not bad, but you might want to wait for the fabled unified receiver (gets programming from both Sirius + XM). Also, shares in Sirius, the merged entity closed today at an all-time low of 85 cents, so you might wait to see whether or not they emulate the superannuated Lehman Brothers. The company’s got some Sirius debt issues … there’s a pun there somewhere.

$279.99 + $12.95/Month

XMp3 pricing and features unveiled – Orbitcast, Setpember 15 2008

Apple iPod touch 2G

GadgetManiac — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:59:40 +0000

The second generation of the iPod touch was introduced today at Apple’s Let’s Rock event.

The new iPod touch 2G is lighter (by 4%) but a bit thicker (by 6%) than before, & now comes with integrated volume control buttons, a new internal speaker (low-res for casual listening) and a built-in receiver for Nike+. Estimated battery life is 36/6 hours for audio/video, up from 22/5 hours for the first-gen touch.

Also, EA has deigned to create a few games for the touch/iPhone including Spore Origins and Need for Speed/Undercover. While the graphics on the 2 games looked nice, gameplay via tilting the device seemed a bit dicey, altho Steve said the touch is the “best portable device for playing games”.

And in the there’s-always-room-for-improvement department, Popular Mechanics has agreed to share their Top 5 iPod Features Apple Won’t Unveil (Even Though It Could) wish list of features they would like to see included in the iPod touch, such as: Wi-Fi VoIP, Bluetooth, Camera and FM Radio. Their conclusion: it’s not going to happen.

Reaction to the event/launch/products was somewhat muted, see here and here, and curiously, there was neither reaction nor review from Walt Mossberg, who is usually provided access to pre-release products weeks in advance.

[Metrics are 4.3x2.4x0.33in and 4.05oz -or- 110x61.8x8.5mm and 115gr] 32GB capacity = $399

Apple iPod nano 4G

GadgetManiac — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:42:36 +0000

The big event today was the Apple Special Event, September 2008, aka “Let’s Rock”, occasioned at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. At ASE, Steve Jobs unveiled some new and improved products, including the fourth-generation of the iPod nano.

The new iPod nano features a curved aluminum design, curved glass over the display, thin (at 3.6×1.5×0.24 in, or 90.7×38.7×6.2mm + 1.3oz or 36.8gr), a music recommendation system called Genius and an accelerometer.

Steve Jobs at Let’s Rock

16GB for $199

New Zune Models for Fall ‘08

GadgetManiac — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:29:23 +0000

Microsoft adds 2 new models to their Zune family of MP3 players. The new Zune 120 GB player sells for $249.99, and the 16 GB model for $199.00.

Also MSFT has tweaked the device’s software to allow users to download songs from wireless hot spots, buy music heard on FM radio stations, as well as a music recommendation service, with a few new games thrown in.

Sounds like a step in the right direction and should help Zune move up from its 4% market share, although some grumps are unimpressed, see here: Zune Gets New Features That Won’t Help Sell Zunes.

Zune Takes Music Discovery to the Next Level With New Ways to Find and Access Digital Music – Microsoft press release, Sept. 8 2008