According to ECTACO it won’t be the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader that changes the way we read—it will be their new jetBook. Why? Well, first of all it is red and everyone knows that red is the color of learning. Second, it features a 5-inch, high-res TFT display, an MP3 player, bookmarking capability, multi-language support and an SD expansion slot. There’s no word on how much memory is built-in, but we do know that the device will set you back $349.95 and there is no e-book store. So, you’re on your own when it comes to finding content. [ECTACO via Gearlog]

Via [Gizmodo]

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Seagate holds a patent for some aspects of drive/PC communication and might just begin enforcing those selfsame patents if this whole SSD craze takes off. But the key thing, Watkins argues, is that SSDs are just too costly, and will be for a long time. Just look at the MacBook Air. There are two versions […]

Seagate holds a patent for some aspects of drive/PC communication and may just begin enforcing those selfsame patents if this whole SSD craze takes off.

But the key thing, Watkins argues, is that SSDs are just too high-priced, and will be for a long time. Just look at the MacBook Air. There are two versions of the Apple laptop, one with an 80 GB hard drive for $1,800, and one with a 64 GB SSD for $3,100. Why pay so much more for less storage? It’s not a difficult choice.

“Realistically, I just don’t see the flash notebook sell,” Watkins states. “We just don’t see the proposition.”

But in case flash prices continue to plummet and the flash drives really do catch on, Watkins has something else up his sleeve. He’s convinced, he confides, that SSD makers like Samsung and Intel (INTC) are violating Seagate’s patents. (An Intel spokeswoman says the company doesn’t comment on speculation.) Seagate and Western Digital (WDC), two of the major hard drive makers, have patents that deal with many of the ways a storage device communicates with a computer, Watkins says. It stands to reason that sooner or later, Seagate will sue – particularly if it looks like SSDs could become a real threat.

Flash vs. hard drive battle heats up [Fortune]

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Parisian trunkmaker Pinel & Pinel’s iPod case is the kind of iPod case I’d like to get my hands on—if I hadn’t dropped my iPod before Christmas, that’s. Made from leather-covered wood, its built-in speakers are Altec-Lansing, and it’s got a couple of pockets so you don’t lose your accessores (I know my USB connector is somewhere in the home, anyone with a psychic grandmother please contact her now and tell her that there’s a lost cable that needs her help.) [Sybarites]

Via [Gizmodo]

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Coming to Korea in July is the MIU HDPC, which stand for Hybrid Dual Portable Computer. The “dual” part comes from the fact that it can run Linux Qplus or Windows XP/Windows CE 5.0 — which I’m going to read as Windows XP Embedded, but don’t quote me on that. She’s a brick-like beast but […]

Coming to Korea in July is the MIU HDPC, which stand for Hybrid Dual Portable Personal. The “dual” part comes from the fact that it can run Linux Qplus or Windows XP/Windows CE 5.0 — which I’m going to read as Windows XP Embedded, but don’t quote me on that. She’s a brick-like beast but that just means there’s more to love.

The device itself does many things — many wonderful things — like make and take phone calls, surf the world wide web, play music and videos, and more. There’s a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, 802.11 wireless and Bluetooth, and the option of having a 30- or 60-gigabyte hard drive or a 4GB Flash drive. The battery time is rated at 7 hours on high-power mode or 90 hours on low-power mode, which is thoroughly unbelievable to me. I’m guessing the 90-hour spec is for phone-only mode or something. Here’s more.

It’ll be available in Korea in July starting at about 400,000 KRW ($400).

All-in-one device ‘Hybrid Dual Portable Computer’ [AVING]

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Via [crunchgear]

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I just received a review copy of DMC4 the other day and I haven’t been able to stop playing. I’m pretty new to the DMC series having only dabbled with DMC3 for a few minutes some time ago and I can already say how much better the fourth installment is over the previous release (I […]

I just received a review copy of DMC4 the other day and I haven’t been able to stop playing. I’m pretty new to the DMC series having only dabbled with DMC3 for a few minutes some time ago and I can already say how much better the fourth installment is over the previous release (I consulted DMC fans to ensure this was true). Gameplay is much smoother and the fighting mechanics are much better and less strained. The storyline is superb and has actually kept me interested for more than five minutes, as I previously stated. The inclusion of the “Devil Bringer” weapon is fantastic. I’m currently only able to snatch enemies from a distance and slam them into the ground but it’s a much more effective way to dispatch enemies rather than blasting away with the “Blue Rose.” And scantily clad Gloria came out of nowhere and made me feel funny. It was weird.

I’ll continue to trudge away and blast, slice and slam enemies until the end wherein I’ll report back with any other details worth noting.

Devil May Cry

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I went to the Grand Prix in Monaco one year and heard the entire race. That’s about it, though, as the vehicles were moving too fast and my view was obstructed by annoyances like “other people” such that I couldn’t see much of anything. A device called Kangaroo TV is looking to remedy that […]

I went to the Grand Prix in Monaco one year and heard the entire race. That’s about it, though, as the vehicles were moving too fast and my view was obstructed by annoyances like “other people” such that I couldn’t see much of anything. A device called Kangaroo TV is looking to remedy that type of problem. Here’s more…

The gadget is about the size of handheld GPS receiver, with a 3in colour screen and navigation control pad. It receives live pictures from a series of cameras around the track that beam real-time video back, meaning that no area of the circuit is ever out of sight. Users are also able to switch to in-car cameras of designated drivers, giving them a behind-the-wheel view of the race. An earpiece connects them directly to commentary.

Very nice. It’ll be available at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. Hey, you know what would be really awesome? If you could watch the race on a big Television while sitting on a couch. Maybe indoors, even.

I kid, I kid. People like to be at the event to smell the oil and hear the engines revving and this Kangaroo Television thing will actually grant them to see what’s happening on the rest of the course rather than what’s happening on the stretch of course directly in front of them. The behind the wheel thing seems pretty cool, too.

“People attend live sports events for the atmosphere, the spectacle and in the case of motor sport the smell,” says Alain Charette, Kangaroo TV’s executive vice-president of corporate development. “But the experience can be ruined because most of the action takes place miles away from where you are standing. We offer the best of both worlds.” Fans will be able to hire out the gadgets at Silverstone for a fee of about £50 for the weekend, and Kangaroo states it is in speaks with governing bodies of other sports including cricket, tennis and the International Olympic Committee.

The device underwent a trial run at last year’s F1 championship and will be more widely available this year. A similar offering by Sprint Nextel here in the says called FanView is available at NASCAR races.

Handheld TV brings action replays to live sport [Times Online]

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What isn’t there to love about T-Mobiles UMA VoIP Wi-Fi solution? Like mini-bar cashews and a nice upgrade to business class, T-Mobile knows what makes travelers happy, especially international financiers with a Spitzerian mistress in every port and a burgeoning Falstaffian gut. UMA to an international traveler is like finding a great restaurant in the […]

What isn’t there to love about T-Mobiles UMA VoIP Wi-Fi solution? Like mini-bar cashews and a nice upgrade to business class, T-Mobile knows what makes travelers happy, especially international financiers with a Spitzerian mistress in each port and a burgeoning Falstaffian gut. UMA to an international traveler is like finding a great restaurant in the hotel: you could get a new SIM card, go wander the world a bit, but why worry when you’ve everything you need in the lobby.

Add UMA — which basically lets you make and receive calls over any Wi-Fi connection anywhere in the world for local rates — to a Blackberry 8820 and you’re basically in heaven.

First, who isn’t this new Blackberry 8820 for? It’s not for the local children who rarely leave their cubicles. T-Mobile’s Hotspot@Home solution costs $9.99 a month and grants you to make free nationwide calls over Wi-Fi. This ideally means @Home but this also can mean @theCasbah or @aNiceHotelinGreece, which is the dirty tiny secret of this plan: you can call home or the office from anywhere in the world for free. If you’re in an area without strong GSM/T-Mobile coverage and you’re a die-hard T-Mo user or locked in by the IT department, Hotspot@Home is a lifesaver — but if you’re not brand sensitive already probably using a competing CDMA phone in this case, making the point moot. I’ve never had trouble with T-Mo in New York or anywhere else in the US, but I know some folks are in dead zones and, as such, should probably look elsewhere. While UMA is cool, its might not be a strong enough add-on to warrant paying $9.99 while you’re in your McMansion outside of Phoenix.

If you travel, get it. GSM is the lingua franca of the rest of the world and Verizon and Sprint pay their respects to this vaunted standard by adding SIM cards to some of their phones (see the Samsung Ace) and quivering as they wait for GSM to eventually bulldoze their infrastructure; why, friends do you think Sprint cares about them some WiMAX?

The 8820 is a standard Blackberry messaging phone with an emphasis on messaging. It is larger than the similarly Wi-Fi adept Curve and has a big, simple to tap keyboard. The keys are uniquely shaped to ensure you don’t dumbthumb your important messages.

International email costs $19.99 a month and if you’re a Blackberry hound, its well worth it. The phone includes all of the standard Blackberry fare along with MyFaves, which is displayed prominently on the front page of the phone. Web browsing is excellent over Wi-Fi and acceptable over GPRS, as was expected.

The phone does have GPS which uses Blackberry maps and Telenav for location and directions and includes a microSD slot and media playback features, for those so inclined. It also supports quad-band GSM, making it great for roaming.

Overall the 8820 is a strong entrant in the Blackberry race and the traveler’s ideal friend.

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