Mobiblu sure loves the cubes, and the Korean company busted out its latest take on the concept today, the Nanum. The screenless unit actually unfolds to a cross shape, but still features 1GB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, Lego-esque pop-out buttons, dimensions of just 1.1 inches a side, and support for MP3, WMA, and WAV. No word on Stateside availability or pricing, but travelers to Korea can get their box on (but not the Boxon) in red, white, or light green. Check a few pics of the unit folded and unfolded in the gallery.

[Thanks, Jules]

We already know just how snazzy your office's bizhub will be in a decade or so, and we think we've even got your desk and kitchen nailed down too, but a recent brainstorming in Popular Science brushed a few less sensational, albeit quite intriguing, office mainstays for 2017. Although we've got a few years yet before we can definitively say whether or not these folks will pull a psychic-AT&T on us, but if Swingline has its way, the traditional red stapler that continually jams and collects more dust than it does anything else will be quite controversial. Sure to enrage pro-privacy employees who've already been unknowingly chipped with an RFID tag upon agreement to come on board, the staples of the future could actually contain micro-RFID tags; these chips could then be traced to find out just how long it really sits in one's "to do" stack, or if "inexplicably missing" really means "intentionally destroyed." As cruel as we know that sounds, at least you can pen all the curses you wish on even the most ink-resistant material in your manager's suite, as the future-generation Staedtler pen is being designed to "write on almost anything by optimizing molecular bonds with a surface" in order to produce the right mixtures needed to adhere to a given medium. Of course, the transparent monitors that will come with your 2015 upgrade kit will effectively kill your ability to surf Engadget while being guarded by the plastic backing of your current LCD, but the face recognizing desk locks should at least keep Gary from snagging your chocolate when you're out on break. Click on through for a few more mockups of tomorrow's office gizmos.

Here's one from the same folks who brought you the USB Sound Flash Drive, and while eNECESSITIES' Desktop Digital Photo Cube may not adorn your wall as fashionably as a digiframe might, this piece is made for conversation. Ready to perch atop your living room table or office desk, the cube sports a squint-inducing 1- x 1-inch color LCD display, power / brightness / skip buttons, USB 2.0 connectivity, and the ability to internally store "up to 30 digital photos" for cycling through on the built-in screen. Additionally, the "mood light" should set the tone for the upcoming photo, and those looking for the ultimate party favor can toss their own logo on here for an additional charge. Unfortunately, we're not quite sure just how this snapshot showin' block gets its juice, but those looking to snag 25 or more (sorry, non-bulk customers) can find out for themselves at $51.34 a pop.

[Via Everything USB]

We never really figured out the appeal behind a cube-shaped pendant DAP, mainly due to the fact that it would hurt like crazy if we took a flying kick to chest, and with some of these aggressive PR types at tradeshows these days, us Engadget editors can never be too careful. Still, the form factor seems to be doing plenty well for mobiBLU, which just released the Cubisto that swaps out the Cube2's color screen for a monochrome one while shaving a few bucks off the pricetag. The player supports the usual codec suspects like WMA and PlaysForSure, and comes in 1GB ($89.99) and 2GB (109.99) flavors. Unfortunately, the battery life has been shaved to 8 hours from the Cube2's 10, and the prices are only $10 less than that of their color-screened equivalents. No word yet on launch date in the US or Europe.

[Via dapreview]

DIY Mac projects are always a iffy proposition. Not only does Apple make its products more difficult to rip apart than most, the sight of a dissected MacBook or iPod is often enough to make some of the more faint of heart readers break out the smelling salts. Not so for 123Macmini member Anthony, who looked at a mini and a G4 Cube and decided that they must be made one. The goal being, apart from the deserved bragging rights, to add a TV tuner and an expansive 3.5-inch 500GB SATA hard drive more suitable for a media PC than the mini's comparatively puny 2.5-inch drive. The TV tuner turned out to be the easiest part, with Anthony simply opting for Elgato's external EyeTV Hybrid unit, but the rest of the project is definitely a don't-try-this-at-home deal, with modifications aplenty right down to the power supply cables. Still, for specs like these in a genuine Apple box, it's about your only option at the moment -- at least until Apple maybe, possibly fills in the gap itself. Check out a couple more pics of the action after the break, then click through to the source for the complete blow-by-blow account.

[Via Digg]

It's been nearly two months since we've heard from our friends over at AOpen, the company last heard 'round these parts for its rather well-executed Mac mini knock. Well, AOpen's announced its new XC Cube EZ945, another cubical device that supports Core 2 Duo and the Core 2 Extreme chips -- but beyond that, it will "fully burst out all 64bit processing ability!" It's also got gigabit Ethernet, four SATA2 slots, eight USB 2.0 ports, three FireWire ports, one PCI-E x16 slot and one PCI slot, and supports 7.1 audio. Unfortunately, we've got zero pricing nor a release date for this little guy, but we'll be sure to "fully burst out all" when we do get it.

[Via TG Daily]

With its compact form factor and eye-catching design, the original Cube MP3 player has developed something of a following in the US, so it's no surprise that Korean manufacturer MobiBlu has decided to bring its successor stateside as well. Even though the Cube2 definitely has its share of drawbacks -- weak battery life, cumbersome navigation, and more-gimmicky-than-useful video / photo functionality -- there's still a small amount of cachet in sporting the "world's smallest multimedia player," which should probably be enough to help this device convert a few potential Shuffle purchasers. Amazon claims that the Cube2 will be "in stock soon," but if you just can't wait to shell out your $100 / $120 (for 1GB or 2GB of storage, respectively), MobiBlu's Yahoo-powered online store apparently has the C2 available immediately.

[Via Anything But iPod]

One of the biggest bugbears that power users have had with the iMac range is the fact that the graphics card has always been impossible to upgrade, making each and every iMac tied to the graphics card that it comes with. Yeah, yeah, so what, it's an all-in-one computer for general consumers, right? Maybe so, but until Apple releases a fully upgradable mid-range Mac, there will always be a community of not quite pro, not quite consumer Mac users that dream of buying an affordable and tweakable machine from their computer manufacturer of choice. That's why the news that the 24-inch iMac's graphics card is potentially upgradable is causing such a stir. Apparently Apple decided to opt for a Mobile PCI Express Module (MXM for short) as the connection method for the 24-inch iMac's graphics card. This standard was originally designed by NVIDIA for use in high-end gaming laptops -- indeed, the MXM's official page exclusively mentions "upgradeable notebook graphics". Unfortunately for the aforementioned mid-range Mac dreamers, this is far from a viable upgradeable graphics card solution. For a start, Apple has said that users won't have access to the graphics card and even if hackers succeed in gaining access to the slot, there are currently no stand-alone MXM compatible graphics cards on the market: that makes this the modern day equivalent of the infamous mezzanine slot from the original, supposedly expansion slot-free CRT iMacs. So, if you're a budget-minded Mac user comfortable with tinkering around in your machine, you better get back to praying for that Cube resurrection.

[Via TUAW]

Every Apple fan knows that his Steveness is into cubes, even more than Picasso was. The original NeXTcube (1988-1993) was, you guessed it, a cube -- as were the G4 Cube (2000-2001), and the new Apple cubealicious store in New York City (2006-?). Earlier this year we wrote about the possibility of the new Apple Media Cube, the ultimate Mac Mini meets truely awesome DVR/media center box which hasn't (yet) come to fruition. Well, here's another one to add to the flurry of rumors and speculations about what Stevie J. will unveil at next week's special event: a new Apple Cube? A US Patent filed today by our friends in Cupertino explains: "A cubical computer housing assembly comprises first and second ends and four sides, which define an interior compartment for housing the various computer components." Of course, we're still waiting on those thousands of embedded cameras in an LCD and an iPod dock in a PowerBook MacBook Pro.

[Via Unwired View, thanks Staska]

Usually when MobiBlu breaks us off with a new DAP, it's got at least one feature to set it apart from the pack -- see the super-small Cube and Cube 2 or seemingly perpetual motion-powered B153 as examples. But if you were looking for the company's new DAH-2200 to hit the scene as the "world's biggest/smallest/best something or other," then you're in for a disappointment, as this flash-based player's got nothing that we haven't seen before. Specifically, its 1GB capacity, 27.5 gram weight, and 13-hour battery life make it neither the smallest, longest-running, nor most capacious model out there, and the tiny 2-color OLED screen isn't all that impressive either. No word on pricing here, but since it's likely that the 2200 will never be sold outside of Korea -- and it's not really hot enough to import -- you're probably not all that concerned with such details anyway.

[Via DAPreview]

Just like Kensington, Logitech and countless others before them, it's TDK's turn to roll-out some NXT-based flat panel speakers. The Xa-40 cuboid brings a 3.5-mm mini-jack for connecting your portable DAP and features 2 x 5W NXT panels and a 10W sub to get your wee-man thump on. Measuring in at 165 × 180 × 175-mm (6.5 x 7.1 x 6.9-inches) and 3.3-pounds, the Xa-40 is expected to pull about ¥6,000 on the open, Japanese market or right around $52 Stateside. So if you've got a thing for cubes, you'd best start saving for the August 21 drop date.

[Via Impress]

Apple is set to take the wraps off of its New York flagship store next Friday, and is hosting an invitation-only event on Thursday to show off the shop to journos and analysts. Of course, we don't normally care a whole lot about new Apple stores, even ones with five-story, $9 million glass cubes as a centerpiece. Still, we're at least a little intrigued by this one, given that the rumors continue to fly that Apple will introduce the Core Duo-powered MacBook next week, and may even refresh some iPod models. And it certainly wouldn't be unprecedented for Steve Jobs to use the store opening to show off some of that new gear. We can be sure of one thing, though: despite the new store's shape (just what is it with Jobs and cubes, anyhow?), we're unlikely to see any new Macs that mirror its design any time soon.

Given MobiBlu's efforts to convince consumers that the company's tiny 1500i audio player can be worn as jewelry, it seems only fitting that someone has taken them literally, and produced a customized version of the player encrusted with shiny crystals. The DAH 1500i Crystal is a 2GB version of the player, and is available in the UK for £169 ($307). Of course, if you care more about music than about showing off your zirconium collection, you'd probably prefer to skip this one and wait for MobiBlu's upcoming Cube 2, which DAPreview reports will boast a 0.67-inch, 64x48 JPEG-capable OLED display (though we tend to think actually checking out pics on such a small screen probably isn't the best idea), SRS WOW HD, FM tuner and some sort of docking station. Still no word on pricing, availability and whether MobiBlu will try to convince 1500i owners to pick up a Cube 2 so they'll have a set to use as earrings.

Read - 1500i Crystal
Read - Cube 2, official page (via DAPreview)

Has it really been 30 years since two buddies named Steve sold off their prized possessions (Woz's HP calculator and Jobs'  VW van) to raise money and launch a company? Has it really been 30 years since the two Steves, tired of selling blue boxes, built the Apple I and began selling it for $666.66? Yes, it has, and if you don't believe it, just compare Jobs' hairlines from '76 and today. And while the company has become known for many things, from its groundbreaking GUI to the iTunes Music Store, we know Apple has always been a hardware company at heart. So here's to you, Apple: the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly from the past 30 years. Happy Birthday.