iRiver SPINN

The wait for the iRiver SPINN personal audio player unveiled this summer is nearly over, as the Korean company announced the touchscreen device will start shipping to US customers from October 3 onward. The personal audio players are currently available for pre-order. The 4GB SPINN is priced at nearly $250, and the 8GB version at $290. In other markets, such as Korea, the player can also be had in a 16GB capacity, but all share a 3.2-inch, 480×372 active matrix OLED (AMOLED) touchscreen.

The device features a dial that allows users to scroll through their play lists, fast forward or rewind audio and video tracks or tune the built-in FM radio tuner or DMB mobile TV (supported in Korea, not Stateside) and complements it with touchscreen controls as well. Aside from MP3 and WMA audio file support, the SPINN will play MPEG-4, WMV and rare APE, FLAC, and OGG videos recorded at as fast as 30fps. It will also support Flash 2.0 games. A dictionary is part of the included software, and Bluetooth 2.0 allows short-range wireless communications with compatible devices. Continue Reading…

HD DVD sales are currently strong in the States, reports the Financial Times.

The doomed high-def disc format was effectively cancelled by backers Toshiba and co earlier in the year, after the rival Blu-ray format emerged victorious, but “tough economic conditions” have breathed new life into the platform.

Aggressive price cuts for the hardware – said to be around $60 for HD DVD players, some of which upscale ordinary DVDs – have apparently made them attractive to cash-strapped consumers.

In addition, the cost of discs has fallen to around $10, and can still be found online at Amazon and Buy.com as well as smaller electronics stores.

“We expected to see a huge increase in Blu-ray sales [with] HD DVD dying but it just hasn’t happened”, Jeff Wisot, vice-president of marketing with Buy.com, told the FT. “HD DVD sales are still very strong.”

Ryan Kugler, president of Distribution Video & Audio, a buyer of excess video and audio inventory, has sold one million HD DVDs that were returned to the studios by big retailers and expects to sell another two to three million for Christmas.

Kugler said:

“Cheap entertainment always does well in a recession or depression”

In PC industry, one of the major challenges is how the manufacturers are able to come out with something unique so that they can distinguish themselves from the rest of competitors’ products. One of the good examples here is the PC system released by Shuttle that packages together with an embedded 7-inch touch screen monitor. Known as Shuttle D10, it is a next generation PC product targeted especially for space constraint office or home environment.

Besides suitable to be used as a conventional PC, Shuttle D10 can be fitted well as a central media server that sits in digital home. Thanks to its compact design and touch screen capability. With its X86 open architecture, users can run almost any application software on it with preinstalled Windows based OS such as XP or even Vista. Only one drawback, the touch screen monitor resolution is only 800 X 480, which is pretty basic and may not suitable for graphics intensive display.

Continue Reading…

We all want speakers that symbolize the wealth we posses, but rarely would any do that noble job. However, the Grande Utopia EM is an awesome speaker that takes up the responsibility of showing how grand a lifestyle you really would like to live.

The 4-way floorstanding bass-reflex loudspeakers are enough to make your visitors and guests feel puny and less endowed. The Grande Utopia EM crosses the limits of decadence by offering an audio quality that is unsurpassed. It offers a mechanical adjustment in order to optimize the “Sweet Spot,” which is apparently the G-Spot of perfect listening.

The drivers are another unique feature, with unmatched technology and science going in to each one of them. If all these specifications were not enough, even King Midas would frown upon you. In fact, King Midas may feel disappointed with you if you feel the $180,000 price tag for a pair is a bit too much. [Source: GrandeUtopiaEM]

Matsushita and Panasonic parent Matsushita are to extend their flat-panel display development deal.

The two Japanese giants said today they will work together on “superthin” plasma panels for TVs and combine their efforts to make such screens more energy efficient.

Hitachi will also buy Matsushita-made glass panels and use them in the production of its plasma TVs from April 2009 onwards. That will costs its own production operation ¥40bn ($382.6m) in lost sales, but the company claimed that won’t impact its current earnings forecast.

The two said they would also work more closely on LCD TV development and production – something they already do through their jointly owned IPS Alpha Technology venture. But they did not go into details.

Both plasma and LCD plans are about increasing the ability of both firms to stay competitive in a world where plasma and LCD TV screens are falling in price and so many suppliers are punting products to consumers. Plasma makers are finding it particularly hard to keep up with the runaway success of LCD.

That’s why Fujitsu, the first company to introduce plasma screens, ditched the TV technology back in December 2007.

In March 2008, Pioneer said it was getting out of plasma production and would instead buy in panels from another supplier. The following month, it named Matsushita as that partner.

Reader tip-offs have alerted blog Engadget to the existence of mysterious 4GB Apple iPod nanos appearing on retailer’s shelves and sites.

The new nano is only available in 8GB and 16GB models so the appearance of the smaller capacity model is being reported as a mystery.

With pricing said to be around 119 euros, at least from one Dutch shop, Apple’s UK and US sites don’t list the smaller models – but we have been able to get to the bottom of why this is.

An Apple spokesperson has told Pocket-lint: “We made a limited number of 4GB iPod nanos for some international markets, but this is not one of our main configurations.”

Logitech Z-5 Omnidirectional stereo speakers

Logitech Z-5 Omnidirectional stereo speakers – for PC and Mac computers delivers great sound throughout your room. Unlike standard PC speakers that focus sound in one direction, the Logitech Z-5 speakers use omnidirectional acoustics that create a substantially wider sweet spot – an especially helpful feature if you often move your laptop around your home or office. The omnidirectional acoustics on the Logitech Z-5 speakers use forward- and backward-firing drivers to transmit sound evenly in all directions. Whether you’re listening to your favorite song or watching a video on YouTube, you’ll enjoy rich, articulate sound and minimal distortion – from every corner of your room.

The Logitech Z-5 omnidirectional stereo speakers are expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning this month for a suggested retail price of $99.99. [source: Fareastgizmos]

JVC DLA HD750

JVC made its debut of four new projector at CEDIA, the DLA-HD750, DLA-HD350,DLA-RS20 and DLA-RS10. Lots of companies are pulling in to a full HD projectors like Panasonic that in turn giving way to a much tougher competition.

Highlights of these released projectors comes with its own D-ILA (Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) Technology implementing the Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) technology and two of which is a THX Certified, for assurance and quality picture. Contrast ratios comes with 30,000:1 for DLA-HD750 and DLA-RS20, 17,000:1 for DLA-RS10 and 15,000:1 for DLA-HD350. Continue Reading…

Sony DR-BT160Q, Sony DR-BT160AS

Recently, Sony Europe has introduced three new wireless Bluetooth stereo headset geared for the sporty and active users – the DR-BT160AS, DR-BT160IK and DR-BT14Q. All three headsets boasts of individual features that make each one of them unique in their own rights.

The DR-BT160AS for instance, features a splashproof, street-smart design with soft elastomer hanger the fits comfortably and securely on users’ ears. Its earpiece shaft can be easily adjusted for users with larger ear sizes. It also features and easy to control menu functions for skipping tracks, adjusting volume and other music player functions.

While the DR-BT160IK boasts of its ability to stream music wirelessly from an iPod when paired with the TMR BT8iP Bluetooth dongle. While the DR-BT140Q features an ear-clip and fingertip control.

Sony-Style Europe will start accepting pre-orders for the three Bluetooth wireless headsets sometime in October. Pricing information has yet to be announced. [source: Sony]