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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

If you were this close to snapping up a new Zune after Microsoft pushed out its 3.1 software update, boy, are you glad you held off. At least, if you’ve been eying a Zune of the flash-based variety. Beginning today, the US Zunes are coming a little more in line with their Canadian brethren by falling from $129 to $99 (4GB), $149 to $139 (8GB) and $199 to $179 (16GB). The Car Pack / Dock Pack are also seeing a $10 decrease while the Home / AV pack is being reduced $20. You already purchased two in the time it took to read this, didn’t you?

Microsoft ratchets down pricing on flash-based Zunes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Storage

Not just everyone can get away with consumer-level kit, and if you plan on keeping that Counter-Strike server running for another four years without so much as a hiccup, you should probably look into some industrial-strength materials. To that end, we present to you a new pair from TDK: a U.DMA 6-compatible CompactFlash card and a line of PATA SSDs, both of which boast a maximum capacity of 16GB. Both lines combine the original GBDriver RA8 U.DMA 6-compatible NAND Flash memory controller with a high-frequency SLC NAND Flash memory module for read speeds of up to 50MB/sec and write speeds up to 30MB/sec. You’ll also find an error correction function scalable to 15 bit/sector ECC to provide high data reliability — remember, zero hiccups — and a static wear leveling function to greatly increase the write life span. Sadly, no pricing figures are disclosed, but both crews should start shipping next month.

[Via SlashGear]

TDK trots out industrial CompactFlash cards / SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

At Adobe’s MAX event this morning, none other than Andy Rubin himself helped to demo Flash running on a G1, proving that it’s possible (in case years of Nokias with S60 browsers haven’t already done a sufficient job of showing that) and that Apple’s running out of excuses. It wasn’t mentioned exactly when we’d see it pushed out in an over-the-air update (or available from the Market, possibly, we suppose), but at least Rubin confirmed that Adobe and Google are pooling their collective noggins to make it happen. Ads for life insurance just aren’t the same without an animated dancing dude or flying pig, so we’re delighted to hear that some balance is going to be restored to the world.

Finally, proper banner ads for Android: Flash demoed on a G1 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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pspan class=”mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image” style=”display: inline;”img alt=”flip mino2.jpg” src=”http://uk.gizmodo.com/flip%20mino2.jpg” width=”300″ height=”458″ class=”mt-image-left” style=”float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;” //spanDigital camcorders are old hat now but there’s one segment of the market that’s exciting consumers no end, and that’s tiny, cheap handhelds designed to slip in and out of your pocket with ease, shoot your video and then get it up on YouTube or MySpace faster than your victims can scream ‘Lawsuit!’.br / br / Kicked off by the Flip Ultra, and now with offerings from Creative and Kodak [the Zi6 is HD though], this market is buzzing with over a million Flip camcorders sold since 2007 and the Flip Ultra is rated by NPD as the No. 1 camcorder sold in the US./p pNow, there’s a new, smaller Flip called the mino and it’s a little dynamo. First off, we should clear a few things up: if you’re looking for a camcorder with extra features like zoom, multiple shooting modes, HD, face detection etc. etc. then look elsewhere. /p pIf you want a sexy little £120 camcorder designed for pointing and shooting video that can then be edited quickly and uploaded in a flash anywhere online thanks to the in-built software, stick around.br / /pimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’http://feeds.uk.gizmodo.com/c/552/f/9581/s/261259a/mf.gif’ border=’0′/div class=’mf-viral’table border=’0′trtd valign=’middle’a href=”http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=REVIEW: Flip mino Camcorder: Cool Christmas Stocking Fillerlink=http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/11/16/review_flip_mino_camcorder_coo.html” target=”_blank”img src=”http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif” border=”0″ //a/tdtd valign=’middle’a href=”http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=REVIEW: Flip mino Camcorder: Cool Christmas Stocking Fillerlink=http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/11/16/review_flip_mino_camcorder_coo.html” target=”_blank”img src=”http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif” border=”0″ //a/td/tr/table/divbr/br/a href=”http://da.feedsportal.com/r/24192522659/u/197/f/9581/c/552/s/39921050/a2.htm”img src=”http://da.feedsportal.com/r/24192522659/u/197/f/9581/c/552/s/39921050/a2.img” border=”0″//a

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Mark it down as a coincidence if you’d like, but a flurry of lawsuits revolving around the same companies just became public knowledge. For starters, Eastman Kodak has decided to sue Samsung and LG, alleging infringement of digital camera patents relating to image capture, compression and data storage; the suit is asking for “unspecified damages, and both cases seek injunctions prohibiting Samsung and LG from further imports and sales of the products.” Just hours later, Samsung hit back with this response: “Samsung plans to respond actively to these litigations and will remain committed to serving our customers by ensuring that accurate and reliable delivery of our products is not compromised in any way.” Got all that? Good. Moving on, we’ve also got chipmaker Spansion tossing a suit in Samsung’s direction, which is asking for “billions” in damages for patent infringement presumably related to flash memory. Who says it’s a slow period in the courtroom?

Read - Kodak sues Samsung / LG
Read - Samsung’s reply to lawsuits
Read - Spansion sues Samsung

Lawsuit whirligig: Spansion and Kodak sue Samsung, LG sued only by Kodak originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Mark it down as a coincidence if you’d like, but a flurry of lawsuits revolving around the same companies just became public knowledge. For starters, Eastman Kodak has decided to sue Samsung and LG, alleging infringement of digital camera patents relating to image capture, compression and data storage; the suit is asking for “unspecified damages, and both cases seek injunctions prohibiting Samsung and LG from further imports and sales of the products.” Just hours later, Samsung hit back with this response: “Samsung plans to respond actively to these litigations and will remain committed to serving our customers by ensuring that accurate and reliable delivery of our products is not compromised in any way.” Got all that? Good. Moving on, we’ve also got chipmaker Spansion tossing a suit in Samsung’s direction, which is asking for “billions” in damages for patent infringement presumably related to flash memory. Who says it’s a slow period in the courtroom?

Read - Kodak sues Samsung / LG
Read - Samsung’s reply to lawsuits
Read - Spansion sues Samsung

Lawsuit whirligig: Spansion and Kodak sue Samsung, LG sued only by Kodak originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Pure Digital’s Flip Mino just broke free from the confines of the VGA kiddie-pool to find itself tip-toeing gingerly into the shallow end of sacred high-definition waters. But with a retail price of $230, it’s best to temper your expectations of the new Flip Mino HD. For that price you get about an hour’s worth of fixed zoom, 720p, MPEG-4 video recorded to 4GB of built-in flash memory. Plug the USB cam into your PC or Mac to launch the built-in FlipShare editing software for fine-tuning your videos before sharing (compressed down to 480×270) to MySpace, YouTube or direct over email — HD sharing via an unnamed partner is coming early next year according to Pure.

Walt’s buddy, Katie Boehret, over at the Wall Street Journal already put hands to gear and came away duly impressed by the video and improved sound quality. The she-Walt also found the FlipShare software to be much improved over the Flip’s previous bundled wares while the camera remained dead-simple to use. All in all, well worth the $50 premium over the previous Flip Mino. Sample video posted after the break.

Continue reading Flip Mino goes H to the D with a WSJ review

Flip Mino goes H to the D with a WSJ review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want a Guitar Hero III Les Paul Bundle for $39.99? We got it. Want a Gateway 17″ Widescreen LCD monitor for $99? That too. A bigger Optiquest 22″ Widescreen display for $150? Yes. Maybe a 4GB SD HC card with adapter for just $9 (nine dollars)? Totally. Hit the jump for today’s gadget deals, with a special war movies section to celebrate veteran’s day (including Dr. Strangelove and his nuclear bombs).

Gaming:
• Guitar Hero III Wireless Les Paul Bundle (Game+Guitar) for PS3 for $39.99 (originally $99.99 - valid only on 11/11).
• Golden Axe Beast Rider for PS3 for $29.98 (originally $59.99 - in Target stores only).
• Tom Clancy’s End War for Xbox 360 for $39.99 (originally $59.99).

Monitors:
• Soyo 22” LCD Widescreen Monitor with Speakers for $149.95 plus free shipping (originally $199.99 - use this rebate form).
• Gateway 17” Widescreen LCD Monitor for $99.99 plus free shipping (originally $199.99).
• Optiquest 22” Widescreen LCD Monitor for $149.95 plus free shipping (originally $305.99 - use this rebate form).

Audio Accessories:
• iFlip 7” Portable Player for iPod for $24.95 (originally $199.99).

Memory:
• Kingston 4GB microSDHC Card with SD Adapter for $9 (originally $29.99 - valid only on 11/11. Use coupon code “MEW30P”).
• Kingston 8GB SDHC Flash Card for $15.99 (originally $32.99).

Stocking Stuffers (War Movie Special—thank you to our troops and to all our veterans who protect our country!):

Blu-ray:
• Black Hawk Down on Blu-ray for $14.86 (originally $28.95).
• Full Metal Jacket on Blu-ray for $15.86 (originally $28.99).
• The Manchurian Candidate on Blu-ray for $18.95 (originally $29.99).

DVDs:
• Saving Private Ryan on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.99).
• Jarhead on DVD for $3.83 (originally $9.99).
• Forrest Gump 2-Disc Collector’s Edition on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.98).
• Glory on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.94).
• Across the Universe on DVD for $9.94 (originally $19.99).
• Three Kings on DVD for $4.99 (originally $12.98).
• Midway on DVD for $5.86 (originally $14.98).
• Dr. Strangelove on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.94).

Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky has written a fascinating article on Tim Cook, the quiet Apple’s Chief Operating Office unknown by most of the public, but a key member of the Dream Team that helped Steve Jobs to turn the company around during its dark ages. Why now? I can’t help to think that this is related to Steve Jobs’ potential farewell and Apple’s future transition of power. But while that’s probably my tinfoil hat in action, Lashinsky asks himself the same question I did: Can Cook become Apple’s CEO? Reading the events and third-party comments portrayed in his article, it feels like this may very well be the case.

Even while he recently declared that “[Steve] is irreplaceable” and that he saw “Steve there with gray hair in his 70s, long after I’m retired”, Cook has been showing more at Apple events recently. He is right that Steve Jobs is irreplaceable: Nobody can match his charisma and vision in the industry, as he has demonstrated again and again during this years. But Cook has other qualities that match those of Jobs. And coupled with abilities of the rest of the Dream Team (Ive, Schiller, Serlet, Johnson et al), he may well the best guy to get into the iCEO’s chair as Steve takes a more laid back role in the company.

• Like Jobs, Cook is extremely demanding and passionate about work and doing things right. In a meeting back in 1998, when he arrived to Apple, he had a meeting about a problem in manufacturing in China. He suggested that someone should be there “driving this”. Thirty minutes later into the meeting, he looked at one of his lieutenant and asked him emotionless: “Why are you still here?”

• He is an extremely hard worker and is devoted to Apple, coming earlier and going out later than anyone else. Reportedly, he “genuinely” loves the company.

• He has run much of the company for years and has been responsible for making everything run like clockwork. Because of this, and the things above, Cook is the highest paid person at Apple and is the only management team member—apart from Jobs—who’s actually a board director at another company: Nike.

• As a result of that, and having to work with development, design, manufacturing, and distribution, he knows the company inside and out.

• While he’s quiet and calm, he can push people to the limit much like Steve Jobs does. According to a former executive, he asks very difficult questions, ones that he knows people can’t answer, and keeps pushing until he gets where he wants.

• Like Jobs, he has also looked at death in the eye: He was diagnosed multiple sclerosis in 1996, two years before coming to Apple. Fortunately, it was an error, but it left him with a different perspective on the world.

• He’s also a minimalist, an eternal bachelor who doesn’t flash his great fortune—living in a rented house in Palo Alto even while he has sold $100 million of Apple stock over the last years, and dedicating himself to sports and nature in his free time.

One of the most telling things about Cook, however, is his devotion for Bobby Kennedy. According to Lashinsky:

“He had a way of touching and relating to people of all walks of life,” Cook confided recently, according to someone who knows him well. “He was one of the people who got close enough to the presidency who really loved people, who wanted to raise people up.” Cook also admires the way Kennedy “was comfortable standing in his brother’s shadow and doing what he thought was right.” Coming from a man whose most critical career phase has been almost completely overshadowed by a charismatic leader with an uncommon ability to relate to the hopes and dreams of the masses, it’s a telling comment.

Indeed, it is. Head to Fortune for the rest of Tim Cook’s portrait. [Fortune]

Now that more or less everyone uses cellphones to tell the time, watches have been relegated to mere decorative pieces. At least that’s what it seems like with Tokyoflash’s watches, which look great but are nigh-impossible to read. It’s latest watch, Fire, is a beautiful streamlined little thing that wraps around your wrist and flashes multi-colored LED lights to tell the time. Each hole indicates one unit of time—yellow LEDs are the hours, red LEDs show every ten minutes and green LEDs show single minutes—not that you’d ever take the effort needed to figure that out. The cost for this man jewelry? $130. [TokyoFlash]