Mustek has announced the release of their new PVR-H160. This thing holds 60 freaking gigs of stuff and can do pretty much everything (including washing the dog). It can record and play movies, TV shows, and any other video files, play music files, display photos, be an alarm clock, sync with your calendar and even record and play audio recordings. The music files supports MP3 and WAV while the video playback supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV, DivX, XviD, and M-jpeg. This little dandy can even capture video directly from a TV, VCR, or DVD player without the need of a PC. The PVR-H160 should be available later this month for $499.

From: Gizmodo.com

In a surprise move, Sony has created a proprietary card format for their products. It’s called the Sony M2, and is smaller than the Sony MemoryStick Duo and supposedly can eventually hit up to 32 GB in storage space. The official dimensions are .6” by .5” and just over a millimeter thick. Smaller is better? Hell no, the original MemoryStick was a fine size and the Duo was even a decent physical size, but this is just asking to be easily broken, stolen, lost, misplaced and/or ingested. Please try again.

from: Gizmodo.com

What’s cooler than cool? Ice cold. What’s smaller than nano? Pico, dude (oh, and i-Ota, get it?). And if there’s any one company we can not only count on to knock off the nano and actually dodge Apple’s shiny white silver bullet at this point, it’s Luxpro, progenitors of the original iPod shuffle knockoff, the Tangent. And while the Pico may not have Apple’s locked-up-tight Samsung NAND flash supply chain, they’re still shooting for the ambitiously miniscule size the nano—if they actually get it out of vector-mockup status, that is. So does that mean Apple’s going to have to throw down with the next smaller scientific term and bust out the iPod femto? Quick, someone register that domain before it’s too late.

Source: Engadget.com

Mplat’s FlashPhone F2K isn’t the first VoIP phone on a USB flash drive, but it is the shiniest and, oddly, the wettest. Like the other devices, the FlashPhone F2K will let you make VoIP calls from any computer simply by plugging it into the USB slot and using the unit’s built-in mic. The device comes standard with Skype voicemail software but it’s also compatible with MSN, Google Talk, and other VoIP services. Prices start at about $40 for the 128MB unit and go up to $80 for the 512MB model.

Spec from: redferret.com
Compliant with USB 1.1, 2.0 full speed operations.
Embedded high performance 16 bit audio DAC with earphone phone buffer.
Compatible with Win2000 / Win XP without additional driver.
Power by USB Port without additional power.
Echo cancellation, loss noise reduction.
Include microphone and speaker.
User guide for Skype, Google Talk, MSN etc

Source: Engadget.com

My shutterbug pals are always asking me to find a gadget that will let them download photos from a digital camera and replace the laptop that they have to lug on shoots. And since these folks are stationed in places like Kabul and NOLA, they usually have to carry those weighty Toughbooks around. Picture Porter might just be the answer to their prayers.

This portable media player has a 2-inch LCD screen and controls for rotating, zooming, and panning pictures, it also displays EXIF information. It grabs photos straight from the camera and has a multi-format card reader—works with CF I/II, SD Card, MMC, memory stick, MD, etc.—and USB 2.0 for transfers to the CPU. The Porter is about 5-inches by 3-inches, and comes in 20GB and 40GB sizes. The battery life is listed at 3.5 hours for video and 7.5 hours for music—that’s right, it’s a full-on multimedia player too. Finally, it’s got TV outputs for watching the photos on screen. Price is $399. This is obviously geared to consumers, but there is probably a decent pro market for the Porter as well.

From: Gizmodo.com

Availability: Oct 4 in Japan
Price: $630

If you’ve been dying to find a place to store your digital images, look no further. The Epson P-4000 Multimedia not only gives you “80 GB hard disk drive, so it can double up as a portable storage unit for any PC or Mac files,” but also gives you the power to carry all your photos with you wherever you go. “Whether you are indoors or outdoors, you’ll be able to enjoy viewing your photos from the Epson P-4000.”
But larger capacity isn’t everything, they say. “As well as the increased storage capacity, Epson P4000 adds a slightly more powerful 2600 mAh battery and support for MPEG 4 files and MP3 / AAC files up to 320 kbps.” And along with USB 2.0, it also “can accept Type II CF and SD memory cards.”
Just like it’s predecessor the P-2000, it “provides support for digital camera and camcorder movies and music files. You can add music files to your slide shows for a fun and lively presentation of your images.” Always nice to have with you.
But one of the nicest things about this new photo viewer is it’s size. It “measures 147×31.4x84mm and weighs approximately 415 grams.” So if you’ve been dying for a portable image storage device, the P-4000 is your ticket. Just think of the fun you can have.

From: Gizmodo.com

NEW YORK (PRWEB) August 15, 2005 — Memina, a spin-off of Samsung Electronics and a leading developer of high-speed, high-performance flash memory products, today announced the launch of the fastest USB Flash Drive on the market. Memina’s new 4GB ROCKET USB Flash Drive sets new records for speed and capacity, boasting unprecedented 200x transfer speeds of 30MB/s, and enough storage to transfer and play back a full-length DVD movie on a single device.

The 4GB ROCKET is the latest release in Memina’s ultra-fast, maximum capacity ROCKET line of drives, designed to offer the highest USB Flash performance available today. Built with video professionals, IT administrators and business travelers in mind, the 4GB ROCKET meets the most demanding storage demands … fast. Two hours of uncompressed or eight hours of compressed digital video, up to 2,000 music files, and heavy-duty software applications can be quickly transferred and conveniently run directly from the drive.

Memina’s ROCKET and POCKET ROCKET series of USB flash drives are built to last. All models feature Samsung SLC memory that lasts 10 times longer than mainstream drives, a gold USB connector that provides superior signal quality and a rotating, never-lose cap that protects against damage from dust, vibration, or moisture. Weighing in at less than one ounce, these drives are small and lightweight enough to conveniently fit in a pocket. Backed by a lifetime warranty and a 30-day, money-back guarantee, a Memina ROCKET or POCKET ROCKET is likely the last USB Flash Drive consumers will ever need to buy.

All ROCKET and POCKET ROCKET series products come standard with a USB extension cable so it can easily go from the laptop and other portable devices to the desktop, without a hassle. Memina also offers an optional ROCKET DOCK-IT desktop cradle for its USB Flash Drives, keeping them within arm’s reach at all times.

Memina’s 4GB ROCKET has an MSRP of $469; purchase information is available at http://rocket.memina.com. The ROCKET line also features 1GB and 2GB models. Also available from Memina: the high-speed yet compact POCKET ROCKET line of USB Flash Drives, featuring 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB storage capacities.

About Memina
A spin-off of Samsung Electronics, Memina is a leading developer of high-speed, high-performance flash memory products. Memina designs, engineers, manufactures, and distributes its own products, with more than 3 million drives developed to date. The company’s flagship product offerings are the ROCKET and POCKET ROCKET series of USB Flash Drives, which combine the best in design and quality with top capacities and record read/write speeds for the fast, easy transfer and transport of high-volume data, video, and music files.

For more information, visit www.memina.com.
Pictures taken from: Engadget.com