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EverGreen kit cleans your flash memory card reader
Well, it only makes sense given that over the last quarter century our cleansing techniques have gone from blowing into Nintendo cartridges to CD cleaning kits, and finally now to the most modern equivalent: a set of cleaning cards for your memory card reader from EverGreen. We don't exactly know how this works, other than you're supposed to insert these dummy cards into your reader and presto-chango, some cleansing happens. We've never exactly had a situation where we'd need to use a device like this, but then again, we never expected to need floor-cleaning robots either -- but such is the price we pay to have the future here, now.
Sandisk selling "special edition" SD cards for Wii at a premium
Everyone's heard about PS3s getting resold on eBay for ridiculous amounts, but there's more than just black market markups these days. Sandisk is openly executing some "smart business" with its Wii-branded SD cards, too. The flash memory company is selling "special edition" cards in capacities ranging from half a gig all the way up to 2GB, with prices that go from $35 to $90, respectively. By comparison, PriceGrabber.com says that the lowest you can get an ordinary 512MB SD card is $10, while the cheapo 2GB SD cards come in at $27. From what we can tell, the only difference between these SD cards and any plain-vanilla SD card is that this one says "For Wii" on it and comes in the exact same shade of white as your new console. If that's not worth triple the price, we're not sure what is.[Via TG Daily]
Becker burns out with Ferrari-themed Traffic Assist Pro GPS
If you'll be hitting the streets this winter, and want to feel like you're on the autobahn no matter what roadway you embrace, Becker has unveiled a Ferrari-branded Traffic Assist Pro that takes navigation to an entirely different level. Originally crafted to fit in the exquisite F430 automobile, this luxurious GPS sports a 4-inch touchscreen, SiRF Star III receiver, 400MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, 64MB of flash memory, SD / MMC slots, USB 1.1 connectivity, 3.5-millimeter audio output, 2-watt integrated speaker, and a connector for an external antenna. Moreover, it boasts MP3 / WMA playback, doubles as a JPEG viewer, and houses NAVTEQ maps of 37 European countries. As expected, a list of speed radars will always be on tap thanks to its connection to the SCDB database, so you can put those massive vented brakes to use just in time; also, you'll have access to a basic flow of traffic information with the purchase, while a "premium" (read: more expansive road selection) service will be available for €50 ($64) per year. So if you need yet another exotic gadget to tide you over until you can afford the real deal, Becker's Ferrari-styled GPS will be available later this month for €699 ($898).[Via NaviGadget]
What if I want to take my saves somewhere?
When we were having our way with the Wii all weekend, Joystiq's Kyle Orland poured over the Wii's manuals to locate their hidden secrets. In pouring over all of the pages in the manual, he stumbled upon something very interesting on page 39. There, the manual talks about the ability to "copy and delete data found on the Wii System Memory and SD cards." Problem is, he couldn't find any way to actually perform the task through the Wii. The options just weren't there in the Wii memory management screen.Kyle has contacted Nintendo and as soon as he receives a response, we'll be sure to let you know what they say.
TA 454 Digital Video Player brings video on a 1.5-inch screen
We're not exactly sure why anyone would want to watch anything on a 1.5-inch screen, but apparently the unwashed masses do; as such, enter the TA 454 Digital Video Player. About the size of two quarters, this $80 256MB media player takes SD cards and will playback WMV, MP3, SMV, JPG and eBook files. We're still mystified how the TA 454's engineers managed to get an FM tuner into that tiny case, too, but that's why they have advanced degrees and laboratories and we don't. Still, we'd like to see it go head-to-head against the iRiver N20, the other tiny DAP with a screen du jour.[Via The Raw Feed]
Ubistar unveils video-playing, Linux-based Scencio GPS
With Sanyo busting out a TV tuner-equipped navigation unit, Ubistar apparently felt the need to come out swinging, and its Scencio 4-inch unit certainly packs a punch. Sporting a car-friendly design, 4-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen display, 200MHz Intel Xscale PXA-255 processor, SiRF Star III receiver, and Linux 2.6X running the show, this Korean GPS pulls double-duty as a video viewer when not navigatin' your routes. Touting a very useful video input, you can connect any external video source to the unit, essentially providing a mobile LCD for whenever you bring that trusty gaming console along for the ride. Moreover, the device can playback MP3 files stored on your SD card, but the 0.5-watt speaker isn't likely to retain much fidelity. Oddly enough, Ubistar neglected to add a battery-powered option, requiring you to stay close to a power source to enjoy the multi-function goodness. Although pricing and availability details are unsurprisingly absent, we suspect the Linux-powered Scencio 4-inch will hit the streets of Seoul real soon.[Via NaviGadget]
Some more on the Wiicessories line -- cables and adapters, oh my!
You guys all know by now how obsessed with the minutiae we are -- peep the first pics we've yet seen of the Wii accessories line. Clockwise from upper left, we have pictured the Wii power adapter (RVL-A-AD - ¥3,000), Wii Ethernet adapter (RVL-A-UE - ¥2,800), Wii 512MB SD card (RVL-A-SD1 - ¥3,800), yet-unidentified video-out cables (RVL-A-KD - ¥2,500), component video cables (RVL-A-KC - ¥2,500), S-Video cables (RVL-A-KS - ¥2,500), and classic composite video cables (RVL-A-KT - ¥1,000). Ok, carry on everybody.[Thanks, MED]
Eye-Fi heads to beta this month
It looks like those jonesing for some WiFi action on their digital camera (without, you know, actually buying a new one) won't have to wait much longer, as the much-buzzed-about Eye-Fi SD WiFi card is set to go into beta testing later this month. The card doesn't require specialized drivers and will supposedly work with any camera that's been "qualified by Eye-Fi," letting you wirelessly transfer photos directly from your camera to your PC or to select websites. Exactly which cameras have "qualified" we're not sure, with the company only saying that they've tested "numerous camera brands and models" and that they're aiming for "broad camera interoperability." The card will also come with a Compact Flash (Type-II) adapter so you can use it with your precious D-SLRs. As of this writing, there's still no mention of the beta program on Eye-Fi's website, but the company says additional details and a sign-up procedure will be available in the coming days. It will also cost you, of course, though Eye-Fi's promising a full money-back guarantee. Let's just hope the beta testing doesn't take too long, cause we're guessing the available slots are gonna fill up pretty quickly.[Thanks, Caleb]
Ainex AKB-88 keyboard packs a 10-in-1 card reader
Given that we've already seen some rather strange memory card readers, it's high time that a company came out with one that's actually convenient to use. We've always thought that a card reader directly built-in to a keyboard would do the job nicely, no? Fortunately Ainex has used its engineering powers to read our minds, and has released the AKB-88, a new compact keyboard with four, count 'em four, card slots on the far side of the keyboard, featuring all your favorite types, including CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SD and the oft-neglected SmartMedia. Sadly, this flashy little keyboard is Windows-only, even though we think it would compliment the MacBook nicely, given that it comes in both white and black. The AKB-88 was just made available on the company's website for the ever elusive "open price," but if these 'boards ever surf across the Pacific, we'll let you know.[Via Akihabara News]
SanDisk's 4GB Ultra II SDHC for performance photogs
So you've put down an order for a new still or video camera with SDHC slot, eh, now what? Do you pick up a regular ol' 4GB SDHC card from Toshiba, Panasonic, or SanDisk or maybe splurge on a fat Pretec for 8GB or 16GB of storage? Well SanDisk is here to tell ya (and we'll agree) that their new Ultra II SDHC Card is the ideal choice to record smooth video or capture multiple still photographs in rapid succession from that new cam with write speeds of 9 megabytes (MB) per second and read speeds of 10MB/sec. Yeah, it'll cost you $220 for those speeds, but hey, you get a "free" MicroMate SDHC/SD card reader in the kit when these drop next month. So what's it gonna be boy -- performance, capacity or the el-cheapo? Decisions, decisions.
Panasonic's Words Gear color e-book reader
Looks like Panasonic have taken a few steps closer to rejoining the ebook posse with the introduction of their 5.6-inch Words Gear reader. The touch-sensitive display brings a 1024x600 resolution and appears to be the same 5.6-inch full-color panel they were working on last year. The 105 × 18.5~28.4 × 152-mm / 325-gram Words Gear is capable of playing back a variety of SD-ePublish protected content off SD cards loaded with e-books, music, photographs, and video with a continuous e-book playback battery life of about 6 hours. No real details yet or pricing / ship date, but they'll certainly be limited to Japan whenever launched.Update: This just in from Engadget Japan: Words Gear has touch-sensitive navigation on the grip, not the display itself, and will cost ¥40,000 or about $340 when they hit the streets "later this year."
SDHC-enabling firmware updates for Pentax, Casio cameras
If you're still rocking a digital camera older than the recently unveiled Nikon D80 or lineup of Canons, for instance, the lack of SDHC support may have you a bit down on your luck. Apparently Casio and Pentax aren't wasting any time in making sure their customers are kept happy, as both companies have released firmware updates for a few popular shooters that sport SD slots. Pentax Japan is hooking up the *ist DL, *ist DL2, *ist DS, *ist DS2, and K100D (K110D to soon follow) with SDHC support, while Casio is upping the ante on its EX-S500, EX-Z600, and EX-Z850. So if you happen to own one of these select models, and you can't resist the urge to drop some coin on those pricey (albeit spacious and speedy) SDHC cards, be sure to do your duty and treat that digicam to its respective upgrade first. While these may be the first few cameras in which SD 2.0 support is granted retroactively, we don't imagine the list will stop here -- so, dear camera manufacturers, what's the holdup anyway? Read - Pentax Firmware Updates Read - Casio EX-S500 Firmware Update Read - Casio EX-Z600 Firmware Update Read - Casio EX-Z850 Firmware Update
Pontus EN-3700 in-car sat nav also rocks the tunes
We're no strangers to the Pontus line of consumer electronics devices from Japanese manufacturer Edia, and now the company has announced yet another in-car nav unit that's heavy on the multimedia features but light on the internal storage -- and by light, we mean that it has none. Therefore, the EN-3700 gets all its maptastic goodness from the included 1GB card (its predecessor, the EN-3500, only shipped with 512MB), though you also have to pack your MP3, WMA, JPEG, and BMP files in with whatever maps you need to store. As for the screen, it's a 3.5-inch little touchscreen number with a QVGA display -- not bad, but since they're cutting corners in the storage department, we'd expect a little more for our 74,800 yen ($642). If you're looking for a way to navigate your way around Japan (or just locate one of the seemingly abundant McDonalds locations) and this sounds like the right GPS system for you, you should be able to snatch one up sometime this month.
Wiimote, sensor bar, and Spore info oh my!
Supposedly, this N Gamer magazine had much more info than we previously reported on. A large supply of information from the magazine apart from what we've reported has apparently been confirmed to be true over at Go Nintendo. This information deals with the Wiimote, sensor bar, and Will Wright's Spore respectively.The Wiimote is to take 2 AA batteries and turn them into 60 hours of gameplay. Should the player be using the sensor bar, however, then the time is cut in half to 30 hours. Either way, that's incredible. Also, the 6kb of internal memory confirmed to be included in the Wiimote is going to be used to "personalize your remote," which we assume is code for "store profile settings." As for the sensor bar, the magazine states that the previous version that was seen at E3 has been made smaller. The magazine compares the size to that of a "couple of pencils glued together." The magazine also confirms that Will Wright's foray into playing God through his game Spore is going to be possible on the Wii. Apparently, the Wii version will interact with the DS version by allowing the player to transmit data from one to the other seamlessly. This will allow players to "deform species on the fly." They also speak some on the use of SD cards, reiterating that they will be used to house Virtual Console titles. The problem is that you may not play them on another Wii. They refer to this as "Digital Rights Management."
Wii accessories list, courtesy of Gamestop [Update 1]
EB Games/Gamestop/EB Gamestop or whatever they're called these days occasionally gets some inside information before the press. (I say occasionally; please hold off on the "my local EB Games employee told you the Wii was coming out December 17th" tips.) A quick search of Gamestop's online store in the accessories section yields some interesting results, shows as follows:Wii Controller Glove 9.99 Wii G-Pak Travel Case 29.99 Wii Game Wallet 9.99 Wii HD Premium Component Cable 59.99 Wii Memory SD 1.0GB 59.99 Wii Memory SD 512MB 39.99 Wii S-Video Premium AV Cable 39.99 Wii Sling Bag 29.99 Wii Storage & Protection 1.0GB Kit 69.99We knew about the Power Glove, but the SD cards just seem like a convenient excuse for Gamestop to take people's money; the prices are quite high. The premium component cable is insanely expensive, but hey, it's premium. Other than that, your classic game-toting sling-bag take-it-anywhere-but-not-really-because-no-one-ever-does-that accessories are on the list. With the immediate need for extra controllers, memory, and games at launch, is anyone going to pick up any of these other things?[Thanks, Randy!][Update 1: Clarified that the SD cards are not officially from Nintendo, and realized that you can in fact get SD cards for far cheaper.]
Commodore announces Gravel In Pocket device
Tomorrow at IFA in Berlin, Commodore will show off its new personal media player, called the Gravel In Pocket (yeah, great name). The new personal media player sports a 2.8-inch screen, WiFi support, and plays DivX, Xvid, WMV, MP3, WAV files. It's got 1GB (or optionally 2GB) of internal flash storage, but also has an SD card slot. Commodore also announced its new site, CommodoreWorld, to provide content for the little Gravel, which will be available no later than November. We may have to erm, grovel, to get our hands on a Gravel sooner than that. [Warning: PDF link!]
Pretec releases first 8GB SDHC card
If you're someone who really needs the ability to take several hundred photos (or extremely high res photos) while you're in the field, then you may want to drop the three bills for Pretec's 8GB SD card, the first like it that we've seen so far. Pretec says that its card is the largest SD card in the world and is fully compliant with the SD 2.0 (SDHC) specification, and has access speeds up to 20MB per second. While Pretec says you can order one "for sampling," they won't be mass produced until later this year. Unfortunately, SDHC cards aren't backwards compatible, so it looks like we'll have to stick with classic SD cards for our Treos and cameras. We also noticed while checking out Pretec's site that it'll be releasing a 16GB flash drive tomorrow at the IFA show in Berlin, which the company claims is the biggest in the world (and we know that's obviously not the case). No mention of the price yet, but again, like its little cousin, will be available later this year. Man, just a few months ago that we saw the first 4GB SD cards; anyone figured out the Moore's Law for flash memory yet? [Via Geekzone]
Aiptek's MyNote, for Tablet PC-lovers on a budget
In today's modern world of super technology, you can't really show up to a meeting anymore sporting just a plain old pen and notepad (unless you want Peter and Ryan to giggle and mock you behind your back, that is), but not everyone can afford a fancy Tablet PC on their blogger's meager incomes. Enter German manufacturer Aiptek with its MyNote digital "clipboard," a standalone A4-size device that can capture your notes and inevitable doodles on its 1,000-dpi touchscreen, saving your priceless chicken-scratch onto 32MB of internal memory for later uploading onto a real, Windows-powered machine. The MyNote, which costs only 113 euros ($144) -- plus the price of five AAA batteries required to power tablet and pen -- can store up to 135 pages of your brilliant musings, and even more if you slip an SD card into the expansion slot. Sure, you're not getting a full-fledged computer here, but with its 20-hour battery life, you and your MyNote will still be semi-productive long after your colleagues' laptops have crapped out and their Minesweeper jonesing renders them completely useless.[Via MobileWhack and MobileMag]
Acer's upcoming 20GB PMP, the MP-340
So Acer's upcoming MP-340 PMP doesn't really hold a candle to the last media player we saw from the company -- it's pretty sparse in the video codec department and has a smaller, lower-resolution screen -- but on the plus side, it's infinitely more pocketable and probably a whole lot cheaper. Unlike the MP-500 which preceded it, this model's got just a 1.8-inch, 160 x 128 TFT display (a little too small for extended viewing sessions, in our opinion) and only supports H.264-formatted video; however, you're still getting a 20GB hard drive, MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM compatibility, along with voice recording and the obligatory JPEG photo playback. Also on board are an SD slot for a little expansion action, two headphone jacks for sharing that tiny screen with a friend, a 10-hour rechargeable battery (with the screen off, of course) and a number of preloaded games, including everyone's new favorite, Sudoku. Since this model is officially debuting at IFA in Germany next month, pricing and availability are still a closely guarded secret, but if you happen to be in Berlin from the 1st through the 6th, try to stop by the Acer booth and smooth talk that info out of the booth babes company reps for us.[Via MobileWhack]
Newman's do-it-all, swivel-screen M790 DAP
You'd think that we would have heard of a company that's made (or perhaps rebadged) literally hundreds of DAPs and PMPs since 2004, but until we came across the swivel-screen M790, we'd never caught wind of a Chinese manufacturer called Newman. Most of its products are simply cookie-cutter devices that resemble so many of the other products we've featured on these pages, but the M790's unique design and large-ish 2.5-inch screen convinced us to give it another look. As with many foreign products of its ilk, this DAP's exact specs are a little hard to come by, but we do know that it sports a QVGA resolution, built-in speakers, a camera of some undetermined pixel count (machine translation pegs it as a 20 megapixel shooter, but frankly we're a bit suspect), and support for MP3, WMA, JPEG, and unspecified video files. Storage on this one is a paltry 512MB (expandable through the SD / MMC slot), but that's just as well, as it'll take a pretty long time to load up even that amount of data over the sluggish USB 1.1 connection. Also along for the ride are your typical assortment of dictionaries, games, voice recording, audio line-in, and the all important timekeeping functionality. It seems like you can pick up the M790 sometime this month (maybe even right now!), but it's obviously not available in the US, so factor in the cost of a plane ticket to China along with however many yuan this happens to be retailing for.[Via Anything But iPod]
