More and more articles keep popping up about USB making it’s way into automobiles. Off the top of my head we have Fiat, Audi, Hyundai, and Ford – I’m sure there are many more.
What I didn’t know is such a large percentage of car owners who already have USB. At nearly 15% I was surprised to say the least, I thought the number would be down near 3-5%. It’s also promising (and impressive) to see that over 75% of our visitors would love to have some USB sync ability.
Not that GetUSB poll results matter all that much, I’m still going to hunt down some car manufacturer consultants and let them know our findings. I guess you could say – one for the team.
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I wouldn’t suggest throwing away those classic cassette tapes just yet. Put aside the fact you wont listen to them, might as well convert them to MP3 before the final dump. It will at least relieve some guilt.
The PlusDeckEX cassette archiver allows direct connection via USB to the PC. Rip those cassettes to MP3 or better yet send your Grandmother an audio tape and record to the PlusDeckEX. You can still get cassettes at Amazon.
The PlusDeckEX this time offers (compared to previous model – PlusDeck2C) RCA I/O, 7.1 Support, a USB port, an LCD control panel, an AM/FM radio tuner and remotes. That for sure will breathe a little life into your old cassette tapes.
But, before you jump over to PlusDeck, might want to check out Ion Audio’s Cassette Archiver version.
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Vastech is a small Silicon Valley firm who’s been selling USB hubs with a $3.50 rebate. Well, those rebates where found in the trash.
I’ve heard of getting denied from incorrect rebate paperwork – but to find rebates in the trash – WOW – talk about negligent behavior towards the consumer.
Although the rebate amount is small, for Vastech to disregard personal information placed on rebate forms such as; name, address, phone number, credit card receipts is not acceptable.
To correct this unbelievable act, Vastech is offering the rebate directly to the consumer – simply contact support@vastechinc.com and demand your money back. Although I’d expect a long, drawn out process if throwing away the original rebates are any indication of how they do business.
Fortunately, I didn’t buy a Vastech USB hub and never been burned by a rebate program – lets hope it stays that way.
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This week Apple announced new iPods and lowered the iPhone price by $200. But what if you were one of the millions of people who bought an iPhone 2 months ago? You’d probably be a little pissed off right? Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, got so many emails from angry customers that he wrote an open letter on the Apple website today. The letter says that every customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T will receive a $100 Apple store credit.
It’s a brilliant move by Apple. This rebate will placate the angry early iPhone adopters who are feeling cheated, still keep the money in Apple’s pocket and generate lots of press (like this article).Here’s the open letter from Jobs:
To all iPhone customers:
I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset about Apple dropping the price of iPhone by $200 two months after it went on sale. After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and conclusions.
First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to ‘go for it’ this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone ‘tent’. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.
Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.
Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.
Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Stay tuned.
We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.
Steve Jobs
Apple CEO
Once again Apple has proven why they are so loved by their fan base. But, hey Steve, shouldn’t it be a $200 store credit?
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I’m not going to bury the punch line – it’s just a concept…and what a shame. I think the iRing would be a hot hot seller.
The iRing is a powerful symbol on how Apple enthusiasts have become married to their gadgets. The iRing is a stylish Bluetooth ring that allows complete control over your iPod, iPhone or other Apple media device (AppleTV).
The iRing features an OLED display with a touch sensitive strip that with a simple glide of the finger you control the volume, crimp your finger to unlock or lock the Apple device or tap the Apple icon to toggle play and pause or finally tap the left or right of the Apple icon to skip tracks.
Using the included cradle power up the iRing with the USB power docking station.
The designer Victor Soto is definitely in touch with the needs of the iPod / iPhone enthusiast and I would fully expect this to hit the market in the next 6-9 months (although pure speculation). If not, what a damn shame.
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Apple unveiled its new line of iPods yesterday including a model with an iPhone-like touchscreen interface and Zune-like WiFi access. The “iPod Touch” sports a 3.5-inch widescreen and a Safari browser, creating a mobile YouTube delivery device that essentially replicates the iPhone browsing experience for non-AT&T subscribers. It’s going to run $299 for an 8 GB model and $399 for a 16 GB version, scheduled to ship later this month. You can pre-order the new iPods from Apple.com.
The former Video iPod has been renamed the “iPod Classic” with a slimmer design and a bigger hard drive.
Although the new iPod Touch is very impressive with its Wi-Fi and touch-screen, the fact that it only has a 16GBs sucks big time. I like to keep my current iPod Video full of movies and TV shows that I ripped from DVD for my morning commute. The new smaller hard drive is a major sticking point for me. The reason the new iPods have smaller hard drives is because they are Flash memory based (no moving parts) and are able to withstand an occasional bump or drop better than traditional hard drives.
Apple is also teaming with Starbucks to allow customers to browse a new WiFi iTunes store for free inside of its coffee shops. Go near a Starbucks and an icon pops up. Click on it and you can buy Starbucks’ current music selections.
Steve Jobs also announced he was phasing out the entry level iPhone and cutting the price of the upper-end model from $599 to $399.
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Though it is not official, those in the “know” say Apple is just hours away from announcing a new Wi-Fi enabled iPod designed to receive digital radio along with an option to buy content from the iTunes Store. It is not known whether the same functions will be included in the iPhone.
Other rumors about the new Wi-Fi iPod line suggest the inclusion of a wide-screen touch-screen interface like the iPhone, larger storage capacity, Flash based hard drive and a new version of the iPod Nano that can handle video.
On a personal note, I’m ready for a wide-screen iPod. Watching wide-screen formatted movies that I’ve ripped off of DVD on the small iPod screen has been giving me a headache.
Since the iPod’s release in 2001, the hand-held music player has gone from a fun toy to a cultural icon. But it may be time for a revamp. Last year Apple’s iPod sales dipped for the first time since 2002.
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Technology can be a love / hate relationship. A couple days ago Brando released a product which I think is just brilliant…the company badge holder that doubles as a card reader.
For those working the corporate gig and require an ID badge, I would think this card reader fits the bill perfectly. What better way to tot around your GBs of porn personal pictures without the worry of knowing those pictures will leave your person. Or maybe run your iTunes from a flash card.
Compatible with an array of cards, SDHC (nice), MMC, miniSD, RS MMC and microSD (nice) along with extendable USB cable for connectivity to those pesky USB locations. At $14 it’s a drop in the bucket for you hi-powered, highly-paid executives.
I don’t think anyone is tired of USB flash drives, but I’m sure there are a large group of flash memory enthusiasts that would appreciate a Firewire flash drive. Maybe MacFanBoy? Maybe someone who’s eaten up all their USB ports with silly USB gadgets.
Kanguru Solutions has a 6 pin Firewire flash drive ranging from 1GB to 8Gbs with prices ranges from $99 to $219 respectively. It’s plug-n-play with most operating systems (Win 98 will need drivers) and includes a USB cable for converter connectivity.
I’d really like to see the performance between the Fire Flash and an equally sized USB drive. I’d expect the same transfer rates – or close enough only an Ubergeek wouldn’t notice a difference.
Kanguru Fire Flash product page.
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BlogDay was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from around the globe. Today is that day; here are my highly recommended suggested sites:
Digital Drops – Brazils leading technology blog (in my opinion) Nick does an excellent job of keeping everyone up-to-date with topics of interest at the moment. You wont feel left out if you visit DigitalDrops – you will be left out if you don’t!
Techsfera – Is a little bit of everything with most articles about mobile phones and related technologies – if you are a gadget guy like me, it’s worth a bookmark. Easy navigation and frequent updates. Check em out!
Trendy Gadget – Al runs this nugget of a technology site. Great updates on off-beat electronics and some of the main stream too. Based in Indonesia I don’t know how he gets a days worth of work done – it’s beautiful over there.
Naqernet – Andrea is a 19 year old Italian who loves to blog. He hits the ground running each and every day with well written articles. His site, Naqernet has all sorts of fun and interesting information.
To find out more about BlogDay; jump. After that jump again.
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Is this for kids or adults – it’s a tough call. The latest hi-tech toys from Hammacher is a 500 foot flying rocket with USB digital camera. If you can’t make it into this seasons Super Bowl – it is a good alternative – albeit with some serious security issues.
The Estes rocket is designed to keep the digital camera always aimed towards the ground during flight. You can get up to 3 shots per flight or record 12 seconds of live video (640×480 res). The on board USB port and included cable make download of pictures or video quick and easy.