Ed Sutherland - page 82

Iomega has released the StorCenter ix2-200, a squat-looking NAS that includes built-in remote torrent transfers and support for Apple’s Time Machine. The $270 (1T) product also lets you download data to any Bluetooth phone – along with a number of “green” features.

“Based on EMC’s world class enterprise storage and security technologies and featuring a completely new sleek, sexy industrial design, the new network device will be the easiest-to-use NAS appliance on the marketplace today,” according to Iomega.

The ix2-200’s features “appeal to the movie-downloading, home-server-building, tofu-eating, lazy ass in you,” according to Gizmodo.

What struck us most is the built-in support for torrents. No computer is needed – download the files on the road with your Bluetooth mobile. The NAS also includes support for up to five security cameras that can be monitored from your iPhone.

[Via Gizmodo and Iomega]

We close the week with a familiar trio: MacBook Pros (2.66GHz 17-inch screen), more MacBooks (13.3-inch 2.4GHz) from the Apple Store, and the iPod touch ($149 for an 8GB). Along the way, we also offer a laptop case for your MacBook, plus the MyPlaylists app for your iPod touch or iPhone.

For details on these and other bargains (such as 40GB Apple TVs), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Microsoft’s “Pink” phones, a Zune-like response to Apple’s iPhone, is on the verge of collapse, as the company ignores advice coming from the increasingly disgruntled team of Danger employees. The key mistake, according to leaks is the software giant’s demanding a firewall between the Pink program (also known as the Zune Phone) and Windows Mobile and Zune projects.

According to AppleInsider, Microsoft’s isolation of the Danger team prevented the engineers and others to pass along lessons learned while developing Danger’s Sidekick. Since acquiring the smartphone maker in 2008, Microsoft has seen most of the Danger team either be fired or walk.

It seems everywhere you look – on the street, on television and online – another iPod or iPhone is being produced or sold. Supply of flash memory has hit a 1.3 percent shortfall and is expected to drop to 3.3 percent below demand during the important Christmas period. Once again the blame is being laid at Apple’s doorstep.

“NAND flash supply has reportedly become tighter as major chip producers Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, Micron and Hynix Semiconductor favor demand for Apple devices,” DigiTimes writes on a report from DRAMeXchange.

This isn’t the first time Apple has been blamed for a shortage in NAND memory. In September a “serious shortage” of flash memory was reported, causing makers to curtail production to everyone but Apple. At the same time, Apple unveiled new flash-based iPods, including a 64GB iPod touch and an updated iPod nano with video ability.

If you’re still not convinced about the need for regular backups, maybe talking with some Snow Leopard users will. The Apple support boards are buzzing with reports of Leopard users finding data zapped.

“Users start their Macs up as normal only to find they’ve logged in as ‘Guests’ on their machine – with all the files and data held on their Mac in their own user account seemingly deleted,” according to 9to5.

About 18 percent of Mac users have upgraded to Snow Leopard since its release August 28, we reported earlier this month.

A negative review of the Archos 5 Internet tablet by gadget blog T3 may provide an opening for Apple’s rumored tablet. Unlike the Apple tablet, expected to launch in January using the iPhone operating system, the Archos 5 tablet is powered by Google’s Android – a concept that “just doesn’t add up.”

“This is essentially the Archos 5 media tablet with an OS reskin. Think the Toshiba TG01 and its reskin of Windows Mobile,” T3 wrote.

We start off with a trio of Mac-related deals: 80 percent off on iPod touch cases (along with another discount on MP3 accessories) and a bargain on a universal windshield mount for your iPhone or iPod. (While it is not as slick as a Kensington model we profiled earlier or the DIY “Cop Dash Cam”, it is just $4) Our trio of top picks is rounded out by a USB adapter allowing Mac owners to use SATA hard drives.

For details on these and other items (such as the Netgear 5-port Ethernet switch), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the break.

If you were around when Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda made American cultural history in 1969 with “Easy Rider,” you may have noticed the announcement about the iBike Rider, an iPhone case and more for motorcycle riders. While quite a stir was made about helmet-mounted GPS, or the handlebar iPhone case and even the iPod bike charger, the iBike Rider is for hog-owners.

The iBike is a weather-proof case for $42 but also offers the option of piping iPhone conversations directly into your helmet for an added $85. The one drawback: the iBike currently ships from France.

[Via Gizmodo and iBike Rider]

Remember when E-Ink was introduced in the late 1990s? Speculation on its uses mostly centered on how the technology would change publishing. Although e-book readers from Sony and Amazon employ e-ink for their displays, we haven’t seen applications for everyday electronics such as hard drives – until now. Western Digital announced its My Book Elite and My Book Studio USB will offer e-ink displays.

The displays – part of a 12-character screen – help label the hard drives’ contents. What is intriguing and turns a ho-hum story of hard drives into a gadget phenom is that the e-ink displays can be read even when the HD’s power is off. This makes the Western Digital hard drives different than the boatload of other storage devices using LEDs that go blank when no juice is flowing.

With all the warnings about your TV’s “ready” light and other so-called ‘electricity vampires,’ E-Ink may have stumbled into a profitable area. But you may want to hurry if you want one of the hard drives. “Everyone is going to want this,” according to CrunchGear.

The E-Ink Western Digital drives come in two flavors: a Firewire and USB My Book Studio ($300 for up to 2T) for Mac users and a $280 USB My Book Elite.

[Via CrunchGear, Gadget Lab and Western Digital]

Mid-week Mac deals come from the Apple Store, that is offering refurbished Mac Pro Xeon 2.93 GHz and 3.2 GHz workstations. Also on tap: more 8GB iPod nanos (the previous version), plus continued sales on iPod and iPhone case, including the ChiTek Metallic Slim Fit Case.

For details on these and more items (such as new App Store freebies), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

We have two new deals on 13-inch MacBooks, including from the Apple Store. Also on tap today is a 1.33GHz Dual Xserve, plus a number of items from the iTunes App Store.

For details on these and other Apple-related products (such as Sony’s S-AIRPLAY iPod Dock), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

We’ve written about a number of incidents where a waterproof iPhone would come in handy, including accidental pool dunking and a few protective devices. But do you really need a USB hard drive that’ll pass military water-proof and shock-proof tests? That’s seems to be the selling point of A-Data’s SH93.

The SH93 (no price yet) claims to withstand water for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter. Additionally, the hard drive, which is available in 250GB, 320 GB, 500GB and 640GB capacity, has passed the military’s drop test. Although the unit has passed the military’s tests, A-Data notes there is no guarantee that the hard drive or data won’t be lost – and urges consumers not to splash water on the drive, just to verify that waterproof claim.

The claims of shock and water protection for hard drives is akin to the car commercials illustrating automobiles climbing mountains, running rings of fire and other hazards unlikely to be encountered while driving to the corner grocer.

As for useful features, the hard drive is equipped with rugged rubber outer protection, a USB cord that can be wrapped around the case and a cold blue LED.

[Via Gadget Lab]

From the start, the Mac mini was seen as the perfect way to serve up video and audio to your home television. Trouble was, with the advent of high-definition pictures, your mini and HD sets had a bit of a failure to communicate. When Apple created the mini, it would interface with the world using the Mini DisplayPort standard – which was great if you had an Apple monitor, but for the rest of the planet, it was a bit like speaking only Klingon.

Kanex has introduced a bridge of sorts, an adapter which sits between your Mini DisplayPort output and your high-def television’s HDMI video and audio input. The upshot? The adapter will “turn a DisplayPort video signal into a 1080p signal over HDMI, and will even integrate either digital or analog audio into the mix,” Engadget writes.

The $70 unit grabs power from the USB port, eliminating the need for yet another power brick and associated cables for your HD entertainment setup.

Earlier this year Monoprice.com announced it would offer MacBook owners a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for $14.25.

Kanex said its adapter works with Unibody MacBooks, MacBook Pros, the MacBook Air and iMac, along with the Mac Mini.

[Via iClarified, Engadget and Kanex]

We start the week with more discounted MacBook Pro laptops, plus a $15 deal on the business-oriented Automaton for Mac software, completing our top trio with a new round of App Store freebies.

For details on these and other bargains (such as a memory foam notebook sleeve for MacBook Pro laptops), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page coming up right after this jump.

Almost everyone has a love-hate relationship with their bathroom scales. We worry about that extra slice of cake adding on the pounds, but dread the confirmation coming from the hulking scales with the dial which spins like some one-arm bandit. If only there was a kinder way to keep tabs on our weight; a more iPhone-like method. Well, Withings’ Wi-Fi Body scale comes pretty close.

Let’s start with the design. At just 0.9 inches high and with that brushed metal and sleek glass look, the Wi-Fi Body Scale complements your iPhone. Along with 802.11g connectivity, the scale includes a free iPhone app allowing you to track your weight and BMI.

I didn’t know until today that the iPhone had created its own branch of videography – iPhoneography. That’s the reason flexible tripod-maker Joby gives for introducing the Gorillamobile for the 3G and GS. “The proliferation of ‘iPhoneography,’ in addition to the 3GS’ video and camera upgrade, has only increased the already demonstrated need for an adaptable iPhone stand,” Joby CEO Forrest Baringer-Jones said.

Joby has adapted its line of Gorillapod tripods for the iPhone. Unlike previous versions, which attached to the iPhone via a suction cup, the Gorillamobile includes a custom soft-touch iPhone case that then connects directly to the articulated Gorillamobile tripod.

Along with the case, the Gorillamobile includes two-dozen bendable leg joints that can be positioned in endless combinations. Rubberize foot grips provide a stable contact with any surface.

Just in case you want to switch-out your iPhone for another camera, the tripod comes with two adhesive clips that leave no messy residue and a universal camera mount.

The $40 price of the tripod set is reasonable, according to Gadget Lab. “Compare that to the average $30 for an iPhone case and it looks like a pretty good value,” wrote Charlie Sorrel.

There have been previous attempts to find the ultimate iPhone tripod. Over the summer, Zgrip unveiled the Zgrip iPhone Jr. which included multiple “fingers” that grasped the iPhone. The Zgrip iPhone Jr. then attached to a standard tripod. An innovative alternative was the Monsterpod, an orange and black blob of Viscoelastic Polymer, allowing the ufo-shaped device to stick to virtually any surface.

[Via Joby and Gadget Lab]

Monster’s $250 Turbine Pro ear buds are a far cry from the $50 ‘buds we wrote about Thursday. The most noticeable difference: the iFrogz Timbre earbuds are encased in wood, while the Turbine Pro is wrapped in 24k gold.

Then there is Monster’s branding campaign, describing the Turbine Pro as “in-ear speakers” rather than your run-of-the-mill earbuds. Essentially, the company has stuffed in a full-fledged driver one would expect to find in Monster’s larger home speakers. Before the Turbine Pro began shipping, reviewers, such as Boing Boing, explained earbuds typically use armature drivers which sit “directly inside a magnet, producing a considerable amount of sound without a lot of power—the low impedance is perfect for portable music players which don’t have the luxury of power pouring limitlessly from the wall,” wrote Joel Johnson.

The promotional copy strips away the technical jargon, proclaiming the Turbine Pro is “like a subwoofer for your ears.” Unlike iFrogz’ product, which hopes to infer wood equals better-quality tones, the Turbine Pro employs a high-density metal casing to absorb unwanted vibration while providing an “inert,non-resonant acoustic chamber.” To get that perfect fit, the unit comes with five isolating ear tips.

As Griffin pointed out last month with its line of MyPhones headsets for children, the cable between your iPod and your ears is the weakest link. Monster said it is shipping the Turbine Pro with the company’s patented Magnetic FluxTube technology.

If reading technical data isn’t your cup of tea, Monster’s promotional campaign is using the latest tactic to sway consumer opinion: a YouTube video. The video includes testimonials from several recording engineers and producers.

[Via Monster and Amazon Orders]

We cap off the week by highlighting a trio of tactile Mac gadgets. Keyboards are likely the way most Mac cultists commune with their Apple devices. In the New York office, I change keyboards like a woman (sexist alert) might change shoes. The “professional” keyboard included with my iMac quickly gave way to Apple’s slim-line MacBook-like keyboard. Logitech’s diNovo Edge Bluetooth wireless keyboard also sports something the company describes as “TouchDisc navigation” that appears close to the iPod’s. Next up on the tactile parade are cases. It is ironic that Apple’s design team put so much effort into creating a sleek, slick and that I-just-gotta-touch exterior, only to have owners quickly hide it behind a forest of cases. We look at a new clip-on rubber case and a crystal clear protector. Finally, after keyboards and cases, cables probably are the most dragged, pulled or kicked component. Wouldn’t it be great if the snakes nest of cables could retract into a compact house? Well, we have just the gadget for you.

For details on these and other bargains, read CoM’s “Daily Deals” page.

When we think of wooden music devices, our memories go back to the hulking consoles that created mellow tones. You’d think that today’s release by iFrogz of their wooden EarPollution Timbre earbuds would be just as warm and fuzzy – and if you did, you would be wrong.

The $50 earbuds practically fell apart in the hands of Gadget Labs’ reviewer Charlie Sorrel, who told readers the earbuds produced harsh sounds and music akin to listening to your playlist over the telephone.

Deals on MacBook Pro laptops keep landing on our desk – and we keep passing them on to you. This week’s cage fight is between the mothership herself and ExperCom. While ExperCom’s offer has more power under the hood (2.93GHz versus Apple’s 2.66 GHz alternative), Cupertino appears to lead in variety. For discount shoppers, we have a battle between Mac Mall’s 75% off and PC Micro Store’s 50% off on iPhone accessories. Finally, we round out the top tier with a smattering of cases and assorted equipment.

For details on these and other bargains (like App Store price drops), head over to CoM’s Daily Deals page.

iHome combines the common iPhone doc and the ubiquitous iPod alarm clock into the iP88, a dual dock for both the iPhone and iPod that also serves as a customized alarm clock. The $150 simultaneous charging unit is the result of iHome’s understanding that “many households have multiple iPhones, iPods and docking stations,” the company said upon announcing the start of shipping.

There is a parallel with the cell phone. Initially, mobile phones were not that common, so one family could do with a single charging station. Eventually, multiple cell phones with accompanying chargers resembled a tangled snakes nest of cords and plugs. The result: companies created charging stations where multiple phones could reside.

But multiple docking is not all the iP88 offers. Along with convenient charging, you can customize how you awake: either with a selection from your iPod’s playlist, a tune from the AM/FM radio, or a buzzer. Along with the Reson8 stereo speakers, the unit comes with a remote control.

The alarm clock portion of the iP88 is what makes it stand out from the crowd of other dual docking station, such as the Gigaware model we featured earlier this week.

[Via iHome]

If you have a yen for MacBooks, we have two offers competing for attention. Both are 13-inch Core 2 machines. If you’re all set for hardware, Apple is pushing its Apps and iTunes wares. Finally, there are price cuts on cases – as much as 85 percent off.

For details on these and other items, check on CoM’s Daily Deals page.

Classic rockers Queen Tuesday helped boost the profile of Logitech’s Squeezebox Radio. To promote the $200 Squeezebox, the group’s “Queen Absolute Greatest” album, device owners will get exclusive access to songs, lyrics and photographs prior to the November release.

Introduced in September, the Squeezebox Radio streams music via Wi-Fi. Napster, iTunes and Sirius selections are supported.

[Via Logitech]

What do you get when you mix the old-style pedometer with the Wii and our modern obsession with health? The answer: the fitbit, a tiny wearable motion-detector providing you with a window into just how healthy (or not) are your days and nights. The $99 wireless gadget begins shipping today a year after its unveiling.

Borrowing some of the technology of the Wii, which tracks players’ body movement, the fitbit senses when you walk, run, bike – even sleep. The fitbit can either clip on your clothing or on a wristband. Data gathered by the device is then wirelessly transmitted to a base station. You can then either check the fitbit’s LED screen (which displays a flower that grows as you exercise more) or through fitbit’s “dashboard.”

After a slow start this week, the Apple deals are again flowing. We begin with Belkin’s TuneFM transmitter for the iPod. This brings up an interesting question for iPod/iPhone users: how frequently are you tuning to your tunes or phone rather than actual radio broadcasts? The results may be surprising. We continue on with more refurbished iPhones from AT&T and wind up our top trio with an intriguing aluminum iPhone case – complete with stand.

As always, details on these and other bargains (such as the latest round of App Store freebies) can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page.