Corsair announced an update today to its Flash Voyager line of USB drives by adding a “GT” to the end of the name and changing the color from blue to red. Oh, and the company hand picks the NAND flash for each one and is using a new flash controller with enhanced dual channel and interleave memory technologies. What’s all this mean my friends? Put simply: Speed. As the sizes of these drives get larger (the GT comes in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models) speed becomes increasingly important. The read speed on the GT gets up to 34MB/s with write speeds up to 28MB/s. That’s about five times faster than average drives. And if you’re thinking about taking advantage of the ReadyBoost feature in Vista, you need this kind of speed, too. Other features include a proprietary all-rubber housing that is water and shock resistant and is able to operate in extreme temperatures, TrueCrypt encryption software for AES 256-bit encryption for the super spy in all of us and a 10-year warranty. The introductory MSRP for the three capacities are: $29.99 (2GB Flash Voyager GT), $59.99 (4GB Flash Voyager GT), and $119.99 (Flash Voyager GT 8GB). → Read More
Sony dropped a load of new photo printers today — the PictureStation DPP-FP90 (pictured above) and the PictureStation DPP-FP70 (pictured after the jump). Both print “lab-quality 4×6-inch prints” in 45 seconds (remember when you had to wait at CVS for an hour?), and the company seems especially proud of the built-in editing features that let you fix up your exposure, focus, and red eye on the LCDs (3.6-inches for the FP90, 2.5 for the FP70.) Bonus: If you’ve got a Sony camera, they claim to “optimize” the prints by reading embedded data. We’ll see about that. The FP90 will go for about $200, while the FP70 will ring you $150. Both are Vista-compatible. Click the jump to see the cheaper one in all it’s glory… → Read More
It’s pretty much bona fide that USB is the new charging standard. Rather than trying to force a new way of charging on everybody (which wouldn’t be too out of character), Sony is playing nice and showing off a useful new portable USB charger. Just pop in batteries and this thing sends juice to your gadget of choice — far easier than loading up your laptop, I’d say. It hits this summer for $35, including a pair of rechargeable batteries. → Read More
Jesus on a Cell Tower: Believers Sign-Up for Service, Have Faith They’ll Get Reception Excalibur Delivers Line of “Joke Man” Products: Inner Clown Dies USBCell Rechargeable Batteries Hands-On Live From Vegas: Sony 2007 Products Showcase Sony Bluetooth Headphones: Surpisingly Attractive → Read More
Later today music social network iLike will report that they’ve reached half a million registered users in the first four months since launching. What won’t be disclosed, but I’m hearing from insiders, is that around 20,000 new users are joining daily. The company, along with MOG, will present at the Digital Music Forum East conference in New York tomorrow. Together the two companies are America’s best answer to the Last.fm viral machine, which sees 15 million unique visitors per month and dominates the social music space. Last.fm is headquartered in London. The backbone of all three companies (iLike, MOG and Last.fm) is the gathering of meta data on users listening habits – all three have software that monitors what users listen to – and then integrating that data into their respective social networks. When I met with the Last.fm executive team last week in London, they told me they’ve collected over 6 billion pieces of user data to date, which they call “scrobbels” (they are gathering something like 175 new scrobbels per second). Last.fm is the MySpace of the music based social networks. → Read More
We’ve been dragging the ponds and dive bars of greater Seattle looking for more rumors and tips about the forthcoming ZunePhone, but things are quiet. We don’t like quiet. Here, then, is the first commercial for the ZunePhone, probably in response to the iPhone ad we saw at the Oscars. Enjoy! → Read More
Sony’s new ZS-BT1 ghettoblaster is anything but — sporting Bluetooth for easy access to the seven songs you have on your Walkman phone. It’ll be about 150 bucks when it hits around August, and should keep your grandpa happy with its FM radio and front-loading CD. It also helps that it’s got an audio-in channel for the input of your choice. → Read More
Sony pulled the curtain back from a gaggle of digital cameras today. The big feature is the new face-detection tech: Which they claim automatically focuses in on up to eight (count’em: EIGHT) faces. Plus, if they move or you move, the focus follows (which is good, because getting eight people to stand still ain’t easy, as anybody in a ska band can tell you.) Also of note: All these cams come with outputs for viewing your multi-megapixel pics in high-def on your (surely Bravia) HDTV. Click the jump to see full details and pics on these new pic-takers. → Read More
Sony made the BDP-S300 official today. Which, for about $600, makes it the cheapest non-PS3 way to watch Little Man in high-def. It also upscales your regular-ol’ DVDs to 1080p, features component video output to 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i, and pumps out 8 channels of uncompressed audio. It’ll hit in the Summer, and won’t make a lick of sense as a purchase, since PS3s will probably be cheaper and easier to find by then. → Read More
David Ciccone at Mobility Today got his grubby paws on the new Vaja Balance fitted case for the Samsung Blackjack. Vaja is known for their customizable cases so you can pretty much get them in any color you want. I’m not a big fan of cases for phones, but this one doesn’t seem to be too bad. If I had a Blackjack I might be tempted to get one. Prices start out at $65. Product Page [via Mobility Today] → Read More
Sony showed off a bunch of new TVs today. The big feature is the across-the-board inclusion of Bravia Internet Video Link–which lets you tune into all those Web-bound videos of people getting hit in the head that crave so much. And, as I said before, the name Bravia is no longer just for LCDs–micro-displays and front-projectors now get to share the honor. Click the jump for the some just-the-facts-ma’am details on the new line, and some nice TV porn. → Read More
I’m reporting live here from the Paris Hotel in beautiful Las Vegas, where Sony is showing off to dealers and the media a crapload of new announcements. It’s sort of like CES 1983 here — all Sony, all the time. Our Tokyo friends announced and showed off a whopping 33 new products today–in virtually every category. Over the course of the next couple of posts, I’m going to be showing you guys some highlights. Will anything here change your life? Nah. It really is another case of evolutionary updates. But it’s Sony, and no matter what detractors say, they speak with a loud enough voice that they’re usually worth listening to. For now, click the jump to see some highlights and future-facts from Sony’s just-ended press conference… → Read More
Just in time for summer and pool weather, Hammacher Schlemmer has released wireless water-resistant iPod speakers. While you can’t really take them swimming, you can keep them poolside and not stress about splashing water on them. The iPod and dock can be kept away from the pool to ensure your tiny investment won’t go under. In fact, you can keep them 150 feet away and you’ll still get crisp tunes through the 3-inch 6-watt speakers. The speakers’ features include AM/FM radio, alarm clock, auto shut-off, LCD, three A/V-out jacks, and one audio-in port. The docking station also recharges your iPod. Priced at $199.95 Product Page [via Gizmo Insight] → Read More
These harmless looking table lamps will make any secret agent think their room is safe enough to divulge secret plans. They’re sadly mistaken. GSM room monitors are crammed into the lamps and the microphones have a range of about 20 meters. All you would need to do is simply dial in and you listen to everything everyone is saying in the room. You’ll need a secret agent’s salary because they’ll set you back about $1,300. Product Page [via Red Ferret] → Read More
After developing their product on their own for six months, New York based Outside.in received financing from angels and three venture firms: Union Square Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners, and Village Ventures. Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures discusses the financing here. Outside.in aims to aggregate posts from local bloggers (placebloggers) into one tagged and searchable directory. According to Fred Wilson, they hope to do for blogging, what Google local search has done for the web. Sites like Yelp, InsiderPages, and Smalltown are also building local communities, but based around reviews, with discussions and blogs playing a supporting role. An example of the directory in action: the latest blog posts for Palo Alto, CA. Each post is given context by presenting the user with a map of the location the post is coded to, and other blogs in the area with similar tags. A blog’s whole feed is added to a local blogroll by user submission, but not all bloggers blog only about their local town. For blogs that occasionally write about an area, Outside.in has a bookmarklet for users to suggest individual stories, and a “Feedburner flare” option that adds a “geotag this” option to the bottom of your posts. → Read More
Humor is subjective. One man’s comic genius is another man’s lame a-hole. But even the most hardcore fan of Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling might be hard pressed to find the laughter in the new line of products from Excalibur Electronic. These talking devices are the sorts of thing only a product whore like Krusty the Klown might produce. We’re talking items like Jackie’s Talking Comedy Calculator ($29.95), so you can roll on the floor and laugh while you do some number crunching. But wait, there is more. Order today and you can get Jackie’s GrossMaster ($19.95), which offers all of the former Howard Stern sidekick’s G-rated jokes and songs, or introduce your kids to Jackie’s Mini JokeMaster Jr. ($9.95) or Jackie’s JokeMaster Jr. ($24.95), which are both loaded with jokes for kids ages 6 to 12 (the only age group that might actually enjoy these products). There is even Jackie’s Talking Insult Mirror for $20, which will tell your guests things such as “you’re ugly enough for twins!” I’m not sure when exactly the laugher died… but products like these convince me it is dead and buried! → Read More
I’m at the Adobe Engage event with a bunch of other bloggers including David Berlind, Tim O’Reilly, Robert Scoble and → Read More
Second Life has had music, but has otherwise been rather mute. That’s all soon to change when Linden Lab rolls out a beta test for person-to-person speech. Like a lot of other in-game speech systems, you’ll need a headset, but Second Life will provide a different peer-to-peer chat experience than those World of Warcraft conversational gems. The new system will mimic speech in the real world, adjusting the volume of voices relative to you based on the distance and direction of speaker. Like other products, voice will only be active on certain digital geographies, but private island owners will have the option to enable voice on their own land, depending on the terms of their subscription. Up to 100 people will be able to chat on the same connection at a time. If talking to everyone or just anyone is too much to handle, you can hold group conferences across geographical boundaries or talk one-to-one as well. The whole system is powered by a technological collaboration between the voice chat technologies of Vivox and 3D voice tech from DiamondWare. The initial beta will be for 1,000 residents (apply by emailing 3dvoice@lindenlab.com), broader beta in March, with a formal launch virtual world wide scheduled for Q2, 2007. → Read More
USBCell was kind enough to send over some rechargeable AA batteries for CrunchGear to test out and they couldn’t have arrived any sooner. My unhealthy addiction to Xbox 360 (and its wireless controllers) has been draining the ol’ wallet for a couple weeks now. UPDATE:USBCell was commended last week as a finalist for the Design Week Award for best consumer product of 2006. The Apple Shuffle was the winner in the category, not too shabby guys. → Read More
Able Planet’s Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones have received a ton of rave reviews the last few months and for good reason. They offer superior sound quality and protect your hearing so you can continue to rock out well into your golden years. No wonder they won the Innovations Design and Engineering award at this year’s CES. I’ve had the headphones for a couple of weeks now and I can’t bear to be without them. I didn’t have a chance to try them on any flights, but being in NYC, riding the subways were a good substitute. I’m pretty sure they’ve saved my hearing from any further deterioration caused by those crappy white earbuds from Apple. A normal commute on the train warrants my iPod volume level to be at least three-fourths of the full volume. With the Clear Harmony ‘phones, I never have to go above half volume and can keep it at a quarter of its power most of the time. The company’s Linx Audio technology does a bang-up job of creating high-frequency harmonics that enhance sound quality, maximize speech clarity, and filter out any undesired noise with 18 decibels of active noise cancellation. The difference between them being turned on and off is substantial. Your eardrums will thank you for purchasing these babies. → Read More
