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TDK's Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water (video)
Although TDK mentioned its Wireless Charging Cube at IFA with the rest of its latest portable audio wares, it wasn't until today that we got a look at the speaker. The six by six by six-inch (yes, you read that right) unit features the same retro, black and gold aesthetic as TDKs other Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR speakers, but it's notably housing a Qi-compatible inductive charging base at the top (just like JBL's Lumia-styled Power Up speakers). Along with being splash-resistant enough to stay safely within range of your sink, an internal rechargeable battery will net you roughly six to eight hours of untethered play time. We had a very brief ears-on with this $400 unit, so join us past the break for more details and our initial impressions.%Gallery-166207%
XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)
There were lots of cool Apple-centric products to been seen around XtremeMac's extremely orange booth at IFA this week, proving that there's still interesting things to be done in the world of iPhone / iPad / iPod docks. At the top of the list is the Soma Stand, a pyramid-shaped dock that folds up for portability. The accessory is mostly speaker, which faces outward, so sound isn't blocked when you've got an iPad on the thing. The Soma Stand should be hitting shelves around October, running around €100 here in Europe. The Soma Travel, meanwhile, works without the need batteries or wires, running directly off the power from your docked Apple device. XtremeMac claims that a docked iPhone 4 playing through the speakers will get about 34 hours of audio playback on a charge. As expected, the thing doesn't get too loud, but it should do the trick for solo listening. The peripheral will run around €50 on its release. The Tango Bar is a style-conscious sound bar with a silver grill that fits in quite nicely with the current generation iMac. The speaker pulls both audio and power from a single USB cable and outputs audio at ten watts. Like the Soma Stand, the Tango Bar will run around €100. Check out video of the Soma Stand after the break.%Gallery-132528%
Memorex intros Nintendo DS game-changing case, other not-so-game-changing accessories
The Nintendo DS line has had many redesigns up to the present 3DS, but one thing that hasn't changed are the tiny, easily lost cartridges. Enter Memorex's $20 Universal Game Selector Case, announced as part of its gaming accessory lineup for E3. The UGSC stores up to three games and hooks up to the cartridge port on any DS, letting you swap between them using a signal routing switch. We've seen cases similar to this in the past, but Memorex's take is the first to support 3DS titles as well. Based on the renders, the unit looks to make for a weird fit and some noticeable extra thickness (10.5mm to be exact), especially on the DSi XL, but hopefully we'll get a better idea of how it feels in hand at E3. From a functionality perspective, the case does seem rather useful for those with forgetful tendencies, if a bit underwhelming for anybody else. Memorex will also be displaying its new third-party PS3 and Wii motion controllers at the E3, which are viewable in the gallery below, and there's a press release with details after the break. %Gallery-124348%
Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220
Decisions, decisions. The $200 price range tends to be reserved for happy shiny smartphones in our minds nowadays, but spare a thought for the demure hard drive as well. Imation's just announced an overhaul of its Apollo line of external plate spinners, with the headliner being the Expert D300 unit you see above. Accompanied by its very own detachable stand and backup software, this $220 USB 3.0 drive promises oodles of room and a decent turn of speed as well. Set for an October launch, it'll find lower price points for archivists with needs closer to 500GB or 1TB in size, and there's also a selection of classically minded USB 2.0 HDDs for the more frugal among you -- learn more about them in the full press release after the break.
With Imation Link 5112 WUSB A/V streamer, KerliGirl13 can finally have her own TV show
Unlike lots of other media streaming devices we've seen, this one is pretty straightforward: the USB dongle plugs into your PC or Mac, the receiver plugs into your TV's HDMI input, and what you sees and hears (on your computer) is what you gets (on the TV). The Wireless USB connection will stream video up to 720p and still images up to 1080p, as well as stereo sound. Available now from Amazon and whatnot for $150. PR after the break.
Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive review
Imation was set to announce its first-ever Wireless USB hard drive a year ago, but it lost a dear friend shortly before it materialized and we'd heard nothing since then. Today Imation has returned -- holding hands with its new partner, Staccato -- to release the Pro WX 1.5 terabyte Wireless USB hard drive for both Windows and Mac. At $449.99, though, we thought to ourselves: does the Pro WX offer something extraordinary for the premium price? Or are you better off with a NAS device like Apple's infamous Time Capsule? We ran some quick tests to find out -- do read on for some juicy results.
Imation ships new SSDs, upgrade kits
The gang at Imation have just announced two new lines of SSDs for your computing pleasure (though, sadly, we have yet to see an iCarly-branded model). Both the S-Class and the M-Class drives are available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, and both are available in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors. For the budget-minded consumer, the M-Class boasts a 150MB/s read speed and 90MB/s write speed, and sports a black oxide finish -- starting at $189.99. For those of you with a little more cash to throw around, the S-Class reads at 130MB/s and writes 120MB/s speeds and sports a stainless steel finish. This bad boy starts at $659.99. Also available as part of a laptop upgrade kit (2.5-inch SSD drive, Acronis True Image HD imaging software, USB-to-SATA or SATA-to-SATA connector cable, power cable or power adapter) or desktop kit (3.5-inch SSD drive, Acronis True Image HD, a SATA connector and power cable or adapter), with M-Class kits starting at $299.99 and S-Class kits at $1299.99. Peep the M-Class drive after the break.[Via iTech News]
Memorex introduces TouchMP portable media player
Memorex's portable media players aren't exactly always attention-grabbers, but it looks like the company's new TouchMP model could be a slight exception, if only for the fact that it's a full-on touchscreen PMP for $99 (and no doubt less after retailers start their usual discounting). For that price, you'll get a 2.8-inch QVGA display, along with 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot for additional expansion, an FM radio, and all the usual media playback options, including podcast support. Somewhat notably, the device is also "adaptable" to both portrait or landscape modes, although it's not clear if it actually makes use of an accelerometer or not. Look for this one to hit all the usual sources sometime in March.
Imation's wireless USB Apollo Pro WX external HDD does backups sans wires
We knew wireless USB would eventually rise up and become more than a pitiful excuse for not plugging in your digicam to transfer photos, and lo and behold, it has done just that. Imation's latest Apollo drive packs a lot of promise, thanks in huge part to the integrated WiQuest WUSB solution tucked within. Put simply, the Apollo Pro WX can begin to backup user data as soon as the machine in question comes "into range." Without any wires (save for that pesky AC adapter), this one no-touch backup system can ensure that your most precious 1s and 0s aren't lost for eternity when unforeseen disaster strikes. There's no word on price just yet, but expect these to sell like hotcakes when they ship in Q4.[Via EverythingUSB]
Imation brings first 6x Blu-ray recordable discs to US
We had a dream back in June that America would one day be able to buy 6x BD-Rs for these 6x Blu-ray burners without relying on a Japanese importer, and today, that dream has been realized. Imation is bringing TDK Life on Record media to US soil, marking the first time 6x Blu-ray recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray recordable double layer (BD-R DL) media has been available here. Unfortunately, this stuff is still absurdly expensive -- expect to hand over $13.99 for a single BD-R in October, while a BD-R DL 1-pack will ring up at a staggering $32.99.
Nickelodeon and friends unveil more Npower gizmos
We've never been big fans of giving your tween some Nickelodeon-ized gizmo when you can simply hand down your current gear and use it for an excuse to upgrade, but apparently not everyone sees it that way. Nickelodeon, Viacom and Imation have jointly announced the latest line of kid-friendly Npower gizmos, which includes a digital voice recorder, a digicam and a webcam based on the "breakout hit" iCarly. Additionally, the outfit is churning out SpongeBob SquarePants-themed speakers, boomboxes, MP3 players and digiframes, and there's even a few Dora the Explorer toys thrown in for good measure. All the (inflated) prices and shipping details are down there in the read link -- we won't bore the uninterested any longer by fleshing it out here.[Via Electronista]
Imation's Atom Flash Drive is remarkably easy to mislay
Imation's Atom Flash Drive may not be the most capacious USB key you've ever seen -- heck, it's probably not even the smallest -- but it is this company's most diminutive of all time, and that just has to count for something. Available in 1/2/4/8GB sizes, these units feature Vista ReadyBoost compatibility and support for passwords while measuring less than 1.5-inches long and .5-inches wide. Slip one of these sub-1-ounce drives into your pocket today for $17.99 to $99.99, depending on capacity.
Imation wants you to lose its Atom flash drives too
Another day, another ridiculously tiny USB flash drive. This one comes to us from the folks at Imation, and while it's a few millimeters shy of Super Talent's supposed record-holder, the company's Atom drive is still plenty easy to lose (despite the best efforts of the attached keychain). If you aren't swayed away by that prospect, you can look for the drive to be available in capacities from 1GB to 8GB, with it boasting the usual Windows Ready Boost feature and some basic security measures -- no word on pricing just yet though.
Imation intros redesigned Pivot, new Pivot Plus flash drives
As if you didn't have enough options when scouting a totally locked down flash drive, Imation is cranking out a revamped Pivot and an all new Pivot Plus to quell your paranoia. As for the former, it provides "software encryption software," ReadyBoost compatibility and capacities up to 8GB, while the all new Pivot Plus ups the ante with 256-bit AES hardware encryption. And just in case you're still worried, the drive also features "one password-protected partition that only allows storage of encrypted data and a tamper-resistant housing." As for the refreshed Pivot, it's slated to land later this quarter in the US for $29.99 to $199.99, while the ultra-secure Pivot Plus is available as we speak in 1/2/4/8GB sizes for $69.99 to $249.99.
Imation partners with Mtron, tosses its own hat into the SSD ring
SSD is really going mainstream this year, and while Mtron has been showing up with the goods -- and powering our favorite RAID array ever -- it looks like it took a brand like Imation to take it to the next level. The two companies are teaming up for two new SSD product lines: Imation SSD MOBI 3000 for laptop and mobile use, and Imation SSD PRO 7000 for enterprise purposes. The MOBI 3000 sports 100MBps read times and 80MBps write, with 0.1ms random access times, which supposedly makes it the fastest SSD product on the consumer market -- the drive purportedly cuts boot times in half. The SSD PRO 7000 does 120MBps read and 90MBps write, and has a mean time between failure greater than one million hours. Price and availability will be announced in the "coming months." It can't come soon enough, believe you us.
Nickelodeon's three new DMPs
It's not all just questionably-useful tween gear for Nickelodeon today -- the company is also releasing a line of DMPs that would be pretty tempting if they weren't festooned with giant pictures of The Naked Brothers Band and SpongeBob. The $40 SpongeBob player holds 500 MP3s and goes for 10 hours on the built-in rechargeable battery, while the $50 Fission Digital Music Player comes in SpongeBob and Naked Brothers varieties and features a motion-sensitive remix feature that allows you to tweak your tunes by shaking the player. The cream of the crop, though, is the $100 Fusion Digital Media Player (yeah, no hurried parents are ever going to confuse those names), which rocks a pretty nice QVGA screen with what appears to be fairly smooth video playback, 1GB of internal storage with SD expansion, and a selection of preloaded and downloadable games. Not bad -- except for the terrible, terrible shame. Check 'em all out -- including some hands-on shots -- in the gallery.%Gallery-7834%
Nickelodeon unveils an array of tween-centric devices
DigitalLife is all about the tweens today, and Nickelodeon isn't about to be left out in the cold -- the venerable network has paired up with Imation to release an array of brightly-colored gear for the budding young geek. In addition to a line of pretty-decent DAPs, it's a pretty broad array of stuff you'd be mortified to own if you're not 7, including Dora / Diego and SpongeBob-branded cameras in resolutions from VGA to 3.0 megapixels, a Dora the Explorer portable CD player, a SpongeBob 15-inch LCD TV and progressive-scan DVD player, and a whack-SpongeBob-to-snooze alarm clock. The best of the bunch appears to be the $100 7-inch picture frame, however, which has a pretty decent-looking screen. Check it all out -- along with some hands-on shots -- in the gallery.%Gallery-7833%
Nickelodeon and Imation unleash a slew of kid-centric technology
Want to get the kiddies indoctrinated into the fast-paced, high-pressure world of early-adopterism, but you're not quite sure how to do it? Let Nickelodeon (and partner Imation) help you out. The kids' network has just announced a line of new electro-toys aimed at your tots and tweeners, sure to elicit cries of excitement accompanied by the sound of money sliding out of your wallet. Here's a rundown of the extensive list of digital products the two companies will be bringing your way: Flash Jr. digital camera (available in both Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! models), $59.99 SpongeBob Squarepants Flash Micro Digital Camera, with USB connectivity, $21.99 SpongeBob Squarepants VGA digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 8MB, $31.99 SpongeBob Squarepants 1.3-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 32MB, $49.99 SpongeBob Squarepants Flash Mega 3.0-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.5-inch color LCD, 32MB, $79.99 Invision 7-inch Digital Photo Frame (Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! models available), $99.99 SpongeBob SquarePants Digital Music Player, stores up to 500 MP3s and WMAs, 10 hours of playback on a charge, $39.99 Fission Digital Music Player, $49.99 Fission Digital Media Player, does video, audio, and photos, plus has on-board games, $99.99 SpongeBob Squarepants 15-inch, LCD TV, remote, $299.99 SpongeBob Squarepants progressive scan DVD player, MP3 decoder, remote, $59.99 There you have it folks, the next pile of money you'll be blowing on junky electronics your children will outgrow or break in a few weeks. Life is good, ain't it?
Memorex's M-Flyer Pilot USB drive gets its wings
Granted, we're not exactly grasping the full connection between aircrafts and Memorex's TravelDrive M-Flyer Pilot, but the sleek, "aerodynamic" design and cutesy wing logo probably make this the USB flash drive of choice for the average commercial pilot. Regardless, this minuscule device touts a retractable, capless design, ReadyBoost compatibility, and comes with Portable Vault USB security software from Migo Software. Available in 2GB and 4GB sizes, the latest M-Flyer should be available in the US and Canada next month for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.
Memorex launches new TravelCards and TravelDrives
Step aside TravelDrive, Memorex just busted out a new line of TravelCard memory cards to round-out their line-up of USB drives. The new line-up announced today by Imation's sub-brand features a dual-interface card (like we've seen before) supporting both SD and USB connectivity. They say it's patented technology... only they don't say who holds said patent. The cards will be offered in 1GB and 2GB capacities and eliminate the need for an SD card reader when moving images from say, your camera to your laptop. The dual-interface cards should ship before Q2 2007. The rest of the family is available today in SD, "high speed" SD, SDHC, MiniSD, MicroSD and MMC Micro formats. Also announced is the Ultra TravelDrive (pictured) line-up of USB hard disk drives. These 2.5-inch, USB 2.0 drives deliver up to 160GB of storage capacity and ship this quarter for up to $200.Update: We dredged a picture of theTravelCard from the show floor. For whatever reason, we couldn't convince the staff to extract it from the impermeable plastic packaging to check that patented sliding action. Whatevs, click-on for a peep.read -- Ultra TravelDriveread -- TravelCard
