The Motley Fool has a pretty harsh review of the Palm Treo 700w.

"I've had my Treo for several months now, and while I'm by no means a power user, I like my gadgets to work as advertised. But, as is typical for a Windows-powered device, it's buggy as all get out. When connected to the Internet through Verizon Wireless Broadband Access, the system will bog down or freeze; sometimes the Treo just won't start up. In both cases, you need to remove the battery to get it to reboot. That nifty touchscreen is a real boon, too -- except when you use the phone as a phone and it touches your ear. That causes it to set alarms, change time zones, and unintentionally bring up all sorts of programs."

"Having used a number of Palm devices over the years, I hoped that the Treo 700 would build upon those successes. Though Verizon has a monopoly on branding with the Treo for the time being, it seems that the fly in the ointment here is Microsoft's operating system. It's enough of a hassle that, considering the Treo's $400 price tag, I've thought of firing up my old Audiovox phone, which I got for free with my phone service. At least it didn't limit me to 160 characters in a text message, unlike my so-called "smartphone."

In my opinion it comes down to the OS running on the Treo, the Palm OS is a much better mobile OS for a phone. It uses memory more efficently(no multitasking), programs are smaller, and there have been more Palm OS Treo revisions to get it near perfect. While I think this is a harsh review, the Treo 700w is selling like hot cakes because Windows Mobile users know the Treo is the best smartphone out there. Hopefully the second revision will be better, but a lot of the short comings on this Treo are due to Microsoft's OS, not Palm. I guarantee that the upcoming Treo 700p will outshine the 700w, as the Palm OS Treo 650 does in many reviewers eyes. A Treo was made for the Palm OS.

I've been using Parralels on my iMac for a few days, and I am so impressed by it. It's great to be able to run XP right inside OS X with no need to reboot and decide between the two. Parralels has been updated again, now to version 2.1 Beta 6.

Major Beta6 Fixes Include:

• USB fixes (more devices supported: PDA, scanner, etc.)

• Shared Folders fixes (added support for guest Windows 2000)

• Network improvements: host-only networking

• Custom video resolutions support added

• Image Tool introduced

• Autoupdate introduced

• Kernel panic in virtual memory manager fixed

• Shutdown in fullscreen mode hang fixed

• Virtual disk sync problem with Linux guests fixed

Get the lastest update here .

Tekkeon Inc has just unveiled an exclusive black version of its popular myPower rechargeable battery and portable dock, the MP1140 (with FireWire power adapter). This accessory is perfect for the iPod Video and is capable of providing up to nine hours of extra video playback and up to 42 hours of extended music playback. The black color will no doubt appeal to the iPod owners especially those owe the Black colored iPod. The MP1140 is available in white too.

Another model available from the Tekkeon quarters is the MP1100 which is just like MP1140 except this one doesn’t include a FireWire power adapter. All editions include a USB 2.0 cable for downloading music, five sets of sizing pads for different iPod models, a clip for the iPod mini, and a user guide.

myPower is the only all-in-one rechargeable battery and portable dock solution available in the market and compliments the iPod completely and works seamlessly with it too. It also includes an additional 5V charging output to concurrently charge a mobile phone or any device that requires up to 5V, while powering the iPod.For more information visit the homepage via MobileWhack

Just in case you were late in trying to grab the Treo 700w 1.10 updater from Palm's website that was taken down the first time around, you'll be happy to know that the page is working again, and that the installer for the update has been improved. There's no difference to the actual firmware update itself, so if you have already performed the update successfully on your Treo 700w, there's no need to do it again. via Pocket PC Thoughts

How about a red Apple speaker for your desk? The Apple shaped speaker is foldable and has a place to put your iPod. It can run off batteries or USB. The portable speaker measures 114x71x55mm. Hong Kong based Gadget Store Brando sells this beautiful fruit for $16.00. via I4U News Cool speaker! I love Brando!!! They have some great stuff over there!

"He hinted that the company may soon introduce a comprehensive home entertainment device that would combine the features of a PC with television, audio systems and other components. And, he said, some of the products on the drawing board at Apple could be the best the company ever invented and 'among the best I've ever seen in my life.' He declined to give specifics," Keefe reports. "Later, when a shareholder suggested that Apple should introduce a more full-featured PC and software for home entertainment -- similar to what rivals have done using Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Center platform -- Jobs indicated he should stay tuned. 'We hear you loud and clear,' he said coyly. Asked for more comment, he demurred. 'I don't comment on anything we haven't announced yet,' Jobs said."

"Jobs added he was pleasantly surprised at how well Apple's highly touted switch to Intel chips is going, and predicted it could help the company gain PC market share... Jobs said he expected sales to get a boost from a major advertising campaign the company is launching next week. But he added that Apple isn't planning any big pushes into the market for business PC users, which some analysts and shareholders have suggested it should do now that it uses Intel chips and has machines that run Windows - the standards in business computing. 'We seem to have more success in other places,' he said." Via MacDailyNews.

"This is my first post here in Treocentral, but I have been a Treo addict since the Treo 600 on Sprint's network. I was with a SRR Manager today when he pulled out a Treo 700p, the phone is great it feels a little bit lighter than the 650 and the screen also looked better, played around with it for just a few minutes, with him by my side. It's not black (bummer) but the next best thing charcoal gray, I snapped a quick picture with my Sanyo 8300, and maybe if I get to see him again next week I can get another picture. He said it should be available at the beginning of May. But I still believe on the dates that have been posted here. I didn't have time to check for total RAM, EVDO was fast and blazer was a pleasure to use. Not much But at least I got to play with one." Via Mobileread .

Michael Kobrin from PC Magazine has written an interesting article about the iPod rumors.

So what's the latest scoop on Apple's next iPod offerings? If you put aside for a moment the fact that no one really knows because Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about the future, we've got plenty of dish for you. (Note that these rumors are not in chronological order.)

Rumor #1: The Touch-Screen iPodEveryone's been asking me if any of those Photoshopped images of a video iPod with a touch screen and virtual click wheel are for real. All I can say for sure is that Apple has indeed filed a patent for something like that (shown above), which is what the doctored images are based on. Hopefully Apple is listening to the clamor for just such a device, and it would certainly jive with some of the other rumors out there, like…

Go read the rest of the article over at Yahoo!News.

IXI Mobile, Inc has just added another mobile messaging device to its famous Ogofamily which promises greater functionally at affordable prices. The Ogo CT-17 promises to be a one stop solution for texting and includes almost all popular desktop and mobile applications like Instant messaging (IM), email, news, SMS, voice and Web browsing. This new version makes sure that users get a PC experience when accessing emails as it includes POP3 and IMAP email access, as well as attachment viewing.

The device is pretty trendy looking and has a very rugged and compact form factor. With dimensions like 114 mm X 25 mm and a QWERTY keypad with 8-way navigation key system, it’s pretty easy and comfortable to use. It features a RSS reader for accessing breaking news on the internet, supports WAP and HTML browsing and optimizes web pages for easy navigation. The Ogo CT-17 is now available worldwide and can be configured according to individuals needs. via Mobilewhack

I recently had the opportunity to try out a cool case from Rhinoskin!

The case I'm reviewing is the Rhinoskin Palm LifeDrive Leather Flipcase. This is a beautiful case made of top grain leather. The leather is also soft, but it's tough enough to protect my LifeDrive. The padded interior protects screen and metal surfaces from excessive wear and tear. There is a pretty Rhinoskin logo on the front of the case that looks quite nice. The case comes with a detachable belt clip in case you want to carry your device on your belt. I prefer to carry all of my devices in my purse or my gadget bag but it's so nice to have a choice.

The LifeDrive easily slides into the inner pocket of the case and the entire screen, the hard buttons, and the four way navigator button are all exposed. This makes it very convenient to access your device! And of course your device is well protected when you flip the cover back over the screen and put it away.

The top inner top flap of the case has two SD card holder slots, a couple of credit card or ID holder slots, and a pocket in which you could put money, more credit cards, etc,...

The case has a magnetic snap which is great. The snap easily closes and most of the time, it snaps closed on its own because of the magnet inside. One of the cool things about magnetic snaps is that you can flip the snap flap under and snap it between the back and front of the case, keeping it closed for easy access to your device.

There are cutouts on the left side of the case for easy access to the voice recorder button and the Landscape Mode button. The bottom of the case has cutouts for the headphone jack, hotsync port, and the reset hole. The top of the case is open for easy access to the power/hold switch, SD card slot, and stylus.

You also get the bonus of having a StuffBak sticker with this case. StuffBak is a great program in which you can register your StuffBak product and if you lose your product, the person who finds it can return it to you through StuffBak because your information is in their databank. Their website says, "StuffBak is a loss protection and recovery service. Confidential ID labels combined with StuffBak's return service make it easy (and compelling!) for Good Samaritans, lost & found personnel and police departments to return lost or stolen items."

I've been using the Rhinoskin Palm LifeDrive Leather Flipcase for several days and I absolutely love it! It's a beautiful, well made case and I know that it's protecting my precious LifeDrive! I love the magnetic closure, the inner carrying slots, and the convenient cutouts! I would highly recommend this case! I've been using Rhinoskin cases since I started buying PDAs and I actually didn't even know that they made leather cases! I was very excited when I found out that they did! I had been buying the metal cases in the past. They are great too, but it's so nice to know that we have a choice of different materials! I find the leather cases to be very stylish. You can get a Rhinoskin case at saunder-usa/rhinoskin for the great price of $19.95! Be sure to check out all their other great products too!

Sometimes codenames are better than the real thing. Longhorn was better than Vista, and Revolution was better than Wii (pronouced We). Nintendo has officially named their next generation gaming system "Wii".

" Quotes of the Day is a cool little site with some really neat quotes available daily by RSS feed. I've been whittling down my list of feeds, but this one is quick and fun, so it's staying. Today's quotes include the following practical wisdom from Terry Pratchett , "Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual."

Killer PDAs are coming your way is taken from Business Week. "Someday technological historians will debate the moment when the ubiquitous wireless phone ceased being just a phone and began taking on the trappings of other devices, thus acquiring even greater cultural significance. Opinions will no doubt differ. In two notable cases, companies known primarily for non-phone communications devices evolved to incorporate voice features. Research In Motion's BlackBerry was born as a pager-like device that provided access to e-mail, but later added the ability to make conventional voice calls. Meanwhile, Palm's Treo -- a device first launched by Palm's sibling company Handspring -- emerged from the ecosystem created by the PalmPilot, the first commercially successful personal digital assistant and corporate status symbol of the mid-1990s." Via Palm Addict.

Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta5 for Mac OS X features:

• OS Support: Use any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS in secure virtual machines running alongside Mac OS X.

• Performance: Driven by full support for dual-core processors and Intel Virtualization Technology (included in almost every new Intel-powered Mac), virtual machines created using Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta5 offer near-native performance and rock-solid stability.

• Ease of Use: Download the program and install it with a single click. Build a virtual machine in seconds using helpful wizards. Configure virtual machines using a simple web-inspired interface.

• Works on any Intel-powered Mac: Any Intel Powered Macintosh running OS X 10.4.4 or higher is compatible with Parallels Workstation 2.1.

I am VERY impressed by Parallels, I installed it on my iMac last night. It's great being able to run Windows XP without needing to reboot like you have to do with BootCampI can run OS X and Windows simultaneously on the same screen. I've used Virtual PC in the past, and felt it wasn't fast enough. Parallels is extremely fast, and easy to setup. It's great to see the developers are listening to users and releasing updates very quickly. There are already over 100,00 beta users of Parallel, so there is a need for this software. I definitely recommend this over installing BoootCamp.

Don't get me wrong, I still prefer Palm OS to Windows Mobile for the Treo because I don't feel the Treo needs multitasking and applications like Tivo and Orb. I feel this way because of the Treos small screen, and for me the Treo is a phone first. I don't want to be slowed down by multitasking on my phone.

Palm the hardware company, makers of Treo and PDA's knew it had to move to Windows Mobile because of this very reason of possible defections. It was better to keep their customers, and give them a choice in terms of OS they feel works best for their needs. So while I think most Treo users won't defect to Windows Mobile or Symbian due to the lack of Palm OS updates, I think PDA users might, and should consider looking to Windows Mobile.

"Proporta Announces Colour Change Silicone Cases for iPod nano Proporta announces the first of the new products from the new ‘Summer Collection 2006’, to help you dress your MP3 player for the summer. The first product from the collection is a Colour Change Silicone Case, designed to keep your nano protected whilst retaining its sleek and stylish looks. As the temperature rises the case changes colour (gradually getting lighter) allowing you to buy just one case but own a multitude of colours, perfect if you cannot decide which colour case to choose. The Colour Change Silicone Case offers your iPod nano the same top level protection as the standard Proporta Silicone Cases, precision moulded from impact absorbent silicone to protect your device from damage caused by scratching and impact. The case acts as a ‘second skin’ to your device, only increasing the dimensions of your device by one millimetre (0.04”) so you can still slip your iPod nano in your pocket easily. Cutouts in the case allow access to all of the ports and controls of the device, allowing you to change volume, skip tracks and charge your iPod without ever having to remove it from the case. The case is currently available in hot pink, deep blue and charcoal. When you buy the Colour Change Silicone Case you will receive special discounts on other Proporta products such as the AC Wall Power Supply which allows you to charge your iPod nano from AC wall power wherever you are in the world. Essential for holidays or when you want to leave your laptop behind. Advanced Screen Protector manufactured from ultra-high clarity plastic your iPod nano screen will be protected from annoying scratches and glare will be reduced in sunny conditions. These Advanced Screen Protectors can be washed and replaced as needed."

Check out the cool new cases here .

Back in December I saw an intriguing product by Walletex. Albeit for a USB connector, it was a genuinely credit card sized storage product and could hold a chunky 2GB. Four months is a long time in technology however and PQI has just gone several levels better.

The U510 has incredible dimensions of 85 x 54 x 3mm and yet holds a phenomenal 16GB of storage. It has a fold away USB2.0 connector and can be stored in a wallet just like any standard credit card. It is Windows and Mac compatible and – as the image shows – will be available in a range of finishes from the more sedate metallic silver and iron gray to a World Cup inspired Soccer Ball. Read more at TrustedReviews

Ian Birch,TV Guide's editor-in-chief commented "We wanted to take the lead in providing our readers -- all enthusiastic television viewers -- the information they need to maximize their viewing experience, wherever that experience may take place."

In addition to new programming, Downloads will also feature classic TV programs like Kung Fu, Wonder Woman, The Twilight Zone, and MacGyver."

"The Samsung portable XM player and recorder that debuted at CES landed in the laps of the guys at Personal Tech Pipeline for a hands on review. The distinguishing feature of this media player is its “TiVo for radio” functionality. You can record up to 50 hours of XM programming, including individual songs off any program. You can start recording a song in the middle, and the Helix will capture the entire track due to its 10 minute buffer." Via gizmodo. Very cool.

"Normally we would frown on another cheap iPod rip-off from China, but in the case of Meizu's Mini Player, it looks like they've actually managed to make an improvement on the oft-copied design. Sure, that control scheme might not have any scroll action in it, but it does make room for 2.4-inches of QVGA screen in a form factor smaller than a 5GB iPod. We can't complain about the price either, with versions ranging from a $87 512MB unit, all the way to a $200 4GB model. The unit supposedly supports video and playback, though we're not sure of the extent of codec support. We do know that the Mini Player has 20 hours of claimed battery life for music playback, which doesn't sound bad at all for the tiny 0.4-inch thick device. We don't really expect to see it in the states any time soon, but this is one iPod look-alike we actually wouldn't mind spending a bit of time with." via Engadget

"For those out there who find the 100 song cap (amongst other things) on iTunes phone a deal breaker, Engadget Mobile might have found your saving grace. A forum at MotoModders has the details and simple steps you can take to run a simple hack on any iTunes phone (except the v3i) to raise the song cap to 1000. Unfortunately, there's one catch: the little app you have to run is Windows-based, so you'll need a PC or Boot Camp to actually do this (sorry, Parallels doesn't support USB devices - yet)." Via Tuaw.

The Treocentral forums is one of the best places to find out about rumored Treos. It's the place to "leak" Treo pictures these days. Someone has released more pictures of the rumored Verizon Treo 700p. Notice the new keyguard, and ACCESS logo. Could these be the real deal? Stay tuned.

Last week Palm posted the Treo 700w updater which gave the 700w push-email capabilities, and some enhancements. It quickly vanished, Palm pulled the update off of it's website after 2 days. A message has been posted saying; "Temporarily unavailable. We anticipate that the Treo 700w updater will be available at a later date. If you have already installed the updater, please disregard this message."

The Sony PSP has once been touted as an iPod killer, but that claim along with many others failed to materialize with time as the PSP is used primarily for gaming. The weak game library does not help its cause either, but this solution from Skatter Tech could be a sign of better things, MP3-wise. This free program allows users to stream iTunes non-DRM music to the PSP, albeit having to configure the PSP properly beforehand. You will need a WiFi network in order for it to work. Check out the short and sweet procedure here for more details. via ubergizmo

Crossbow will have strong links with Office 2007 and Exchange 12, Microsoft's pending new office application suite and e-mail server, said Pieter Knook, senior vice president for the mobile devices and telecoms sector. Crossbow would be the successor to Windows Mobile 5.0, released in May 2005.

Crossbow will take aim at the Symbian and BlackBerry operating systems. The OS will contain a new mobile version of Office Communicator, an Office 2007 enterprise communications application, that includes instant messaging on public and private networks, Knook said."

"As the Office [2007] PC versions of those applications improve, we're tracking that on the Windows Mobile side," Knook said." Via PCWorld.

Apple has released a 17-inch MacBook Pro today, priced at $2799.00. Here's the official specs:

17-inch widescreen display

1680 x 1050 resolution

2.16GHz Intel Core Duo(1)

1GB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive

8x double-layer SuperDrive

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory

One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, and three USB 2.0 ports

The Treocentral forums are the best place to find out about upcoming Treos. A forum member posted these shots with a camera phone. It looks like Verizon, along with Sprint will be releasing a Treo 700p. This should make many Verizon customers wanting a Treo 700p very happy. I was told the Sprint Treo 700p would be out by the end of May, 1st week of June. I wonder who will get the Treo 700p first Verizon, or Sprint? Lets just hope these pics are the real deal, the Hollywoood pics are being debated, although I think it's just a GSM Treo 700w. I think they're real, this would be huge for Palm. Check out Treocentral for more pics and all the info.

This firmware will include: - New application: "Get Blackberry Connect" to ease installation and configuration of BBConnect clients.

- New application: "Get MobiTV" (This is a Cingular only customization).

- FAT32 support (Allows use of the new 4GB SD cards)

- Updated Bluetooth support. (New handsfree devices)

- Pockettunes will replace Realplayer

- WiFi drivers for Palm's WiFi card

- Will add Drive Mode support (Allows your device to function as a USB SD card reader.)

- Will free up usable memory by compressing the ROM image

- Blazer update to support additional fonts

- Will add Palm's file explorer

- Launcher updates. Will add new memory management features in order to increase the efficiency and improve the useability of running applications off of an expansion card

- Firmware update will also enable future "over the air" firmware updates.

- Updated AddIT client to support buying and installing third party application software over the built in wireless data link." Via yahoo finance.

I downloaded and installed Boot Camp a few days after it came out. It was very easy to install, and Windows is very fast on the Intel Core Duo processor. Windows finally felt fast enough, and seeing it on an iMac blew me away. “We're not supposed to be able to do this!” I thought to myself. I installed antivirus-- its Windows remember! Then I installed close to 50 Windows Updates. I then installed anti-spyware, Firefox, and a pop-up blocker. I wound up using both Windows and OS X, but OS X was getting used more. I thought to myself “Why am I spending so much time trying to fix and improve Windows?” The reason I "switched" to the Mac was to get away from all those problems, and "fixes". The reason I was using Windows on my Mac was because I could.

One day I rebooted my Mac and held down the option key to boot into Windows like I normally did, and I heard the normal Mac startup chime. I kept my finger on option, and then heard a shorter, fainter chime, then another, and then a blank screen. I got scared. I turned my iMac off, and back on again, same result. I then waited to see if anything would happen, almost 5 minutes later the familiar Apple logo and spinning gear appeared on the screen. I searched some forums and found out I wasn't alone. Many Boot Campers were experiencing similar problems, some even having to reinstall OS X. What have I done??

I called Apple because I didn't want to make anything worse. The tech had me use Boot Camp to get rid of Windows. I was told to reboot, and still the same problem. My iMac that used to boot up in 25 seconds was now taking close to 5 minutes. I thought of all the music, videos, pictures, emails, etc. that I would lose if I had to install OS X, and prayed that I could just get my good old OS X-running iMac back. Around 5 minutes into starting up, a folder with a question mark flashed, and then the Apple logo appeared. I had seen that scenario in the forums I had searched and knew it was due to issues with Boot Camp. We tried a few other things, and still ended up with a 5 minute start up. I thought for sure I was going to be reloading OS X. The tech said there was "one more thing" we could try (reminded me of Steve's famous line) before having to reinstall OS X. I had to reboot, press the option, apple, p, and r keys at the same time.

It worked! My iMac started up the way it used to, in less than 30 seconds. I couldn't thank the Apple Tech enough for getting me back. I was so relieved. Boot Camp is a great tool, and Apple should be commended for creating it, and making it so easy to install Windows on a Mac. It's still a beta though, so be careful. It’s a great feature to have, a dual-booting Mac. I’m sure it will be the biggest, and best feature of the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard. Remember you are not just installing a program; you are installing a whole computer operating system that sits right beside another. So be careful. I learned an important lesson, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Many people have discovered the Web site of ExperCom, which is apparently selling the low-end MacBook Pro preloaded to dual-boot with WinXP for $2,029 -- just $30 more than you'll pay to Apple for one without XP. Gotta love those OEM software prices. It's good to see a third-party filling a niche Apple won't. via Cult of Mac

"The iPod is the world's fastest selling electrical equipment ever," said early MP3 inventor Kane Kramer, "and I suppose, in a way, I am the world's biggest failure." Although he lost his patents in the '80s, Kramer is consulting lawyers to see whether he has any claim to the design and technology behind the iPod.

The man who nearly invented the iPod two decades ago let it slip through his fingers along with a fortune worth millions. British inventor Kane Kramer came up with the world's first MP3 player in 1979, a device remarkably similar in appearance to the now ubiquitous music players. A staggering 42 million iPods have been sold since it was launched in 2001, bringing its maker, Apple Computer , an estimated US$9.2 billion (Pounds 5.2 billion). Every minute another 100 are snapped up worldwide. There is no doubt that had Kramer hung on to his invention, he would now be a millionaire several times over. Instead, he runs a furniture shop in Hertfordshire, England. Read the full article at MacNewsWorld.

Don't let all that storage space go to waste on your video iPod - you could fill it with some free downloads, like the classic cartoons available to download from US website refrederator.com. The site has launched a new daily vintage cartoon video Podcast called ReFrederator. The free series features classic cartoons including characters such as Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Daffy Duck, Betty Boop, Little Lulu, Porky Pig, Donald Duck and Felix the Cat, along with fairy tales and musicals. All are free because they're now in the public domain. via Tech Digest

Here’s an offering from Hauppauge Digital for laptop owners who are looking for a low-cost solution when it comes to live, digital TV anytime, anywhere. The Hauppauge WinTV Nova-t Stick retails for £49.99 and ships with a high performance portable aerial, including the latest high gain silicon tuner technology for improved Freeview reception. Looking like an ordinary USB memory stick, just plug it in and you’re good to go with the supplied software. via ubergizmo

LG Electronics has filed a patent for a new type of slider phone wherein a motorized, protecting covering containing the microphone and antenna slides open to reveal the keypad and screen. The Drawer phone aims to fill the shortcomings of bar phones where the distance between the speaker and microphone is much shorter than the distance from the ear to the mouth, clamshell phones improve on this but they are often difficult to open with one hand. So what are the benefits of this new technology ? When in use the antenna is extended thus improving reception and when idle the antenna slides back giving a neat look. Additionally, the drawer cover includes a transparent window to allow users to view the LCD beneath when the phone is closed, also acting as a screen protector from scratches that may occur. It is a long time before we see the Drawer phone in action. via Newlaunches

Mike Kobrin of PC Magazine has done a review of the Samsung Yepp YP-D1.

The Samsung Yepp YP-D1 has been greatly overshadowed by Samsung's own Yepp YP-Z5, but it's not without its merits. With up to 2GB of on-board flash memory, this cell-phone-shaped MP3 player (price still being determined) has an integrated camera/camcorder similar to the ones found on many cell phones. The D1 can play video, but the low frame rate and small screen make for an eye-straining experience. The D1 also lacks PlaysForSure compatibility, though its audio and video format support is fairly broad. Good battery life, very good sound quality, and tons of features make this an interesting, if slightly gimmicky, player. Measuring 3.4 by 1.7 by 0.5 inches and weighing 2.3 ounces, the silver and white plastic D1 looks like a very compact cell phone with a 1.8-inch LCD—significantly thicker than the Apple iPod nano and with a slightly bigger screen. The main controller on the front is a pushable two-way rocker, flanked by track-skip buttons that double as menu navigation buttons. The A-B Repeat/record button and Hold switch are on the left side of the player, and the Play/Pause/Power and Menu buttons are on the right, just next to a small round button that puts the D1 into camera/camcorder mode and initiates still and video recording. The headphone jack is on the top, and the camera lens, flash, self-portrait mirror, and mono speaker are on the back. There's also a mic on top for voice recordings. The USB 2.0 port and 2.5mm line-in jack (as well as a reset button) are located on the bottom under a soft plastic flap. The USB port takes a proprietary plug, and it doubles as a USB On-The-Go port for direct connection of compatible cameras and storage devices. Read the full review

"The SGH-P300 features a 1.3-megapixel camera with flash, 80MB of internal memory, a 262k colour screen, WAP browser, MP3 player, Bluetooth, speakerphone function and tri-band connectivity. We're about to get one in for review and, as you can imagine, we're as excited as a karate fan at a Chuck Norris convention."

"Before we lay out the red carpet for the delivery man, however, we've been noticing comments on certain forums that indicate there might be a serious problem with the audio quality on calls. Now, we're as hooked on feature creep as the next tech blog, but if there's one thing that winds us up about fancy new mobiles, it's fancy new mobiles that don't make calls properly. It's like buying a BMW and realising there's a Morris Minor engine under the bonnet." Read more at Crave

According to Mobilewhack, the Trick Audio TA-100 Headphones are specifically designed to tackle the growing concern of ear damage which occur when listening to music via headphones.

The headphones by Trick Audio are capable of blocking the external noise to provide unrivaled sound at a lower volume. In fact Trick Audio had designed these babies initially for motor sports usage which no doubt is one of the most loudest and demanding hearing environment.

The TA-100 is capable of blocking up to 42 decibels of noise and thus was a perfect communication device between race car drivers and their crew. These are also very popular for listening to race scanners during the NASCAR. Since they have the same audio input jack as the iPod and other portable players, they are now being regarded as the perfect safe solution for digital audio players.

The headphone features an in-the-ear design and use the Comply(TM) Platinum Canal Tip which is extremely soft and fits right in comfortably. This means that the earphones won’t fall off and in fact this tip is used by helicopter crews for the United States Army. Because of all these unique features, Trick Audio decided to market the TA-100 headphones for the mass consumers who can use it for multiple devices like iPod and much more.They are now available for a special price of $39.95.

So it looks like the Treo Hollywood pictures are now making the rounds. It runs Windows Mobile 5, "slimmer, lighter and slicker’ than both the Treo 650 and Treo 700 plus it also has the benefit of ‘no antenna". "Although this particular device has no carrier logo the person who posted these pictures has apparently been testing the device on Cingular’s GSM voice network and new UMTS 1900 data network with which he claims to have achieved over 500Kbps broadband 3G speeds – about 10 times current Treo 650 speed over 2G networks."

Palm OS fans don't fret, "Palm’s CEO Ed Colligan has recently stated his company plans to have all its hardware models running both operating systems. Therefore in much the same way that the Treo 700w will be followed by a Treo 700p there is every reason to believe that the ‘Hollywood’ will similarly be released with both flavours. The only question is which OS will be released first."

"The much anticipated Windows Mobile-based Smartphone, the Motorola Q has begun to show up on the Verizon website. Motorola has been very tight-lipped about the upcoming release, and equally tight lipped about the operators that have signed up to distribute the new Smartphone.

While there doesn't seem to be an actual webpage for the Motorola Q yet, an image on the website provides confirmation that the device ship date is approaching, and that the rumored carrier Verizon is indeed the initial launch partner for the Motorola Q.

The Motorola Q is the first Windows Mobile based Smartphone to support the new landscape 320x240 display, with innovative features like a full QWERTY keyboard, RIM BlackBerry like thumb wheel, and fast broadband like EVDO data. The device has support for Bluetooth, External MiniSD cards, and will surely make a splash when it is released. The device is unfortunately lacking WiFi, but this will not be a concern with the external MiniSD slot, and the fast EVDO data service.

The release date is still unknow, however, Motorola has recently stated the release date as Q1 2006, and the Motorola website briefly displayed an April release date, we expect to see the device shipping in April or May, with a release price of $299 to $399, and rebates to lower the price even more." Via msmobiles.

"Surely one of the most visible personalities on big and small screens worldwide already, Paris Hilton is now set to invade your cellphone with a new game she is developing with being developed by Gameloft. While it's unknown whether Ms. Hilton will actually be writing the code or simply lending her name to the project, what is clear is that the title will be targeted towards the "tween/teen" audience, and is slated to launch this summer. Also unknown is the exact plot of the game, but we have a strong suspicion that it will involve taking pictures of yourself with your cameraphone and then trying to protect the sensitive data at all costs."

I saw this over @ engadget mobile. Notice the Sprint Treo 700w they posted the cartoon mockup on. I think they meant it to be a Treo 700p:)

Jason Niccum of Longmont, Colorado, said the device, which he bought on eBay for $100, helped him cut his time driving to work.

"I guess in the two years I had it, that thing paid for itself," he told the Daily Times-Call on Wednesday...

The device, called an Opticon, is similar to what firefighters use to change lights when they respond to emergencies. It emits an infrared pulse that receivers on the traffic lights pick up.

So it looks like Screech will be getting a cut of every "Saved By The Bell" download;)

"Apple today invited Apple Developer Connection members via email (see image below) to register for the Worldwide Developers Conference 2006 (WWDC 2006) and promised a "sneak peek preview" of Leopard, "Apple's next major release of Mac OS X." Apple's WWDC 2006 runs August 7-11 in San Francisco, CA."

"CNET got to roadtest the 8700g for a few days and scored it eight out of ten, pronouncing it excellent. It has a lot of technical details in common with its cousin, Cingular’s 8700c, but they say it sets itself apart with how it handles email:

The differences between the 8700g and the 8700c center mostly on the e-mail and messaging departments. The smart phone can still sync with your company’s BlackBerry, Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise server to deliver corporate e-mail in real time, and it continues to support up to 10 personal/business POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts. However, the 8700g makes it easier to set up e-mail accounts right out of the box, thanks to the BlackBerry Internet E-mail service. A utility on the device, aptly named Set Up Internet E-mail, guides you through the whole process, and it doesn’t involve much more than inputting your e-mail address and password. We used it to add our Yahoo account, and it was a snap—decidedly easier than with the 8700c. We received messages in our in-box after about 20 minutes. Also, e-mails sent and received from personal e-mail accounts are now reflected in the source account. In other words, if you use the 8700g to send a message from your Comcast account, the message will also be in your Sent folder when you log on from your PC; you also have the option to delete messages on your handheld or on your handheld and in-box. And there’s some extra good news for Yahoo users—thanks to RIM’s expanding partnership with Yahoo, you can now enjoy the joys of push technology and receive your Yahoo mail in real time." Via gizmodo.

***WARNING GOTG DISCLAIMER*** This video is extremely uncomfortable.

"Digital Lifestyle Outfitters is now shipping its HomeDock Deluxe iPod docking system. The DLO HomeDock Deluxe is an iPod dock that lets you view and select your iPod's music on your TV screen. It'll change the way you experience your iPod and your music. The HomeDock Deluxe allows you to navigate, select and play your songs using the included 18-button remote control. Browse through Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres and more from the sofa with your HD Deluxe." Via ipod-blast.

Here's the first tip:

Call on a landline

If at all possible, call customer service from your landline rather than your cell phone. That way, if the customer service rep asks you to check a feature on your phone or remove and replace the battery (a favorite catch-all remedy that the service folks pull out when all else fails), you won’t have to hang up, call back and start all over with a new representative.

Check out infosync for the other tips.

"Motorola's second revision of the ROKR phone has been approved by the FCC. Interestingly one of the documents posted on the FCC's website hints that the ROKR E2 may sport iTunes afterall. When it was announced, Motorola said the E2 had its own music player by default but that there would be support for multiple players (presumtively based on carrier wishes)."

Features of the Motorola ROKR E2 include:

* QVGA display

* SD card slot

* Runs Motorola's new Linux bases OS

* Bluetooth

* 1.3 megapixel camera

Ok, I just spoke to my contact again a few minutes ago. The Treo 700p is most likely end of May, latest first week of June. She said said it was originally supposed to be mid may, but they are finishing up testing it. I asked if she could give me a price, she said it's $399 for a new 2 year contract, 499$ with 1 year. She said Sprint will be offering specials ie. accessories when you purchase from them, (probably) bt headsets. She checked the computer and said it will be on the Power Vision Network, EV-DO speeds (we knew that already). She also said it did not list any specs, like memory. She said to call Sprint to order it instead of going to a Sprint store as they will have greater supply through telesales. So it looks like we're even closer to the 700p finally getting released.

Battery Type: User removable / rechargeable 1350mAh Li-Ion

Battery life: Up to 4.7 hours talk time, up to 200 hours standby

Measurements: 4.25' x 2.3" x 1.0"

Weight: 6.07 ounces according to the Sprint site

Processor: Intel 416 MHz

Wireless: CDMA EV-DO, Bluetooth (v1.2) and WiFi, IrDA FIR

Operating Mode: Digital dual-band; this device operates within the CDMA frequency bands of 1900 MHz digital and 800 MHz digital

Platform: Windows Mobile 5.0

Expansion Card: MiniSD

Memory: Flash ROM - 128MB / RAM 64MB SDRAM

Screen: 2.8" diagonal, 240 x 320 TFT-LCD with back-light LEDs, 65K Color touch screen

Audio: Receiver/Speaker, Hands-Free supported, microphone

Camera: 1.3 mega pixels CMOS, with video light

It also comes with a sync cable, and cradle and charger (something I wish all companies would include)

The 6700 has a unique design, at first glance it looks likes a thick brick, but once you open it, and use it the way it was intended to be used you understand why. It has a slide out keyboard which automatically puts the screen into landscape mode, very much like a sidekick. Web browsing was meant to be done in landscape mode, you get to see so much more, the 6700 rocks here.I really enjoy the room of the keyboard and bigger screen of this type of design. It feels and looks sleek, and sexy. It is actually the same size as my Treo 650. <>

It included everything you need out of the box in terms of software, but like Palm OS there is a huge 3rd party developing community programs every day ,some cool ones I might add.

I used to put Windows Mobile down for being so slow, mainly due to multitasking. Windows Mobile 5 has really improved over previous versions. Multitasking on the 6700 is a joy to use, and I now understand why people that use Windows Mobile needed a device that multitasks. It's great being able to surf the web, listen to XM radio, play games, send out email, text message, and more without closing anything, or noticing any slow downs. I love Palm OS, but after using this I can see that it's been stagnant for too many years, and needs to address multitasking quickly.

I really, really, really like this Windows Mobile device (I can't believe I just said that, but I admit it!), I think they've really tweaked their OS with each new release, and it gets better and better.I also upgraded The ROM on the 6700 to give me Microsoft's Push email and it works very well.

The best thing about this device is EV-DO and WiFi. EV-DO is extremely fast, averaging speeds of 350-400 kbps, that is blazing fast for a mobile device. There is also built in WiFi, so if you're in a hotspot you can use it which increases the speed even more.

Battery life on this device is acceptable, but I am a heavy user so I would get an extended battery so you don't always have to worry about keeping it charged. Another improvement in Windows Mobile 5 is persistent storage, kind of like Palm's NVFS. This means if your device runs out of battery all of the data on your device will still there once you recharge it. I have had a few ipaqs, and once my battery drained I lost everything on my device, so this is a great thing to have.

Another great thing is the community of 6700 owners I've been chatting with over at treocentral who have helped me tremendously. They provided such a helpful experience for me with my questions, and provided tips, software, etc. for me. A very nice group of people all helping each other out.

The Sprint PPC-6700 is one amazing device, I am glad it changed my views on Windows Mobile. I recommend anyone that is looking to get a whole lot more out of a converged device than you thought possible should definitely check out the Sprint PPC-6700 from Sprint, even if you're a Palm user. The grass is starting to look greener on the other side. Check it out here .

With the release of Boot Camp last week, and the Treo 700w in January, two of Microsoft's biggest competitors have warmed up to the software giant. Why?

It all comes down to money, and getting their hardware used by a bigger audience. That audience is Windows users. You've heard the expression "it's a Windows world", this hasn't been more true.

Palm and Apple are both the Davids in this Goliath story. Palm and Apple, once market leaders in their field have lost market share and users to Windows. If you look back at Apple and Palm's history, they almost mirror eachother. Both made, sold, and licensed their OS, and own hardware, and had great success. Both caught the attention of Microsoft, who decided they wanted in on this game by creating and licensing their own OS. This took off as more companies licensed Windows, and it was cheaper to do.

If you would have asked me a year ago if I thought either of these companies would turn to the darkside and use Windows, I would have thought you were crazy, but look where we are now. A Treo running Windows, and now Macs running Windows, what's up with Windows?

Windows is where corporate users are, and corporate is where the money is. By supporting/using Windows both companies are getting a bigger audience than they had without supporting it. It also makes Apple and Palm get noticed by IT who feel comfortable with the Windows environment.

When the iPod first debuted it only worked with Apple computers. Apple soon opened the iPod up to work on Windows PCs, and everyone knows how well that turned out.

No one knows how this gamble is going to play out for Apple and Palm, but chances are it will strengthen them more than anything. Don't you like having choices? I do.

The operator is the first in the world to offer the BlackBerry Connect solution for the Palm Powered platform.

The BlackBerry Connect for the Treo 650 smartphone enables users to benefit from many popular features of the BlackBerry “push”-based architecture via BlackBerry Enterprise Server. For corporate customers, BlackBerry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.

BlackBerry Connect for the Treo 650 smartphone supports the following features:

“Push” Corporate Email delivers messages automatically and wirelessly to the Treo 650 smartphone’s VersaMail inbox. Changes to the inbox, including read/unread status and deletion, are automatically synchronized between the user’s PC and the Treo 650.

Wireless Calendar Synchronization keeps the Treo 650 smartphone’s built-in Calendar up to date remotely, allowing users to receive, accept or decline meeting requests on the go.

Attachment Viewing lets users view Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF documents while on the road.

Remote Address Lookup (RAL) allows users to search their corporate directory wirelessly for email addresses without the need to download every name to the Treo 650.

Centralized device management; IT policies, such as over-the-air device disablement and password device lock; and Triple DES encryption, supporting end-to-end.

It's good to see BlackBerry Connect finally available on the Treo, right now this is only available in Singapore ;)

With the release of Boot Camp people are pushing the limits with intstalling Windows on Macs. The lastest is Windows Tablet PC OS on an iMac.

"Well there has been alot of talk o­n the internet of being able to run other versions of the XP operating systems o­n Apple hardware ever since their Boot Camp announcement. Barb Bowman describes here how she installed Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) o­n a Mac on her blog and Loren Heiny aka The Inkineer has installed the Tablet PC OS along with a Wacom Graphire3 Tablet o­n iMac."

"When Apple Computer introduces its new line of Intel-based consumer notebooks this spring, the company may once again offer buyers a fashionable option it phased out of its iMac product line nearly half a decade ago: colored enclosures," Kasper Jade reports for AppleInsider."

"People often familiar with the tight-lipped company's ambitions say current plans call for the Mac maker to introduce the MacBook in colors other than white. Apple has reportedly been guarding the colored models closer than the notebooks themselves, in area of its labs privy to only a select few of its elite, these people say. Therefore, it's unclear precisely what colors the company will ultimately approve for production and if it will indeed offer a black model like it does with its iPod and iPod nano digital players," Jade reports. "Still, the most reliable information appears to point to at least two colored MacBook models. Unlike the 90's when Apple jazzed up its iMacs in semi-translucent plastics, the colored MacBooks are more likely sport solid-shade, sleek enclosures similar to the company's professional MacBook Pro laptops. In fact, those people familiar with prototypes of the forthcoming notebooks say their overall design is reminiscent of the MacBook Pro, only 'comfortably smaller.'"

I've been using the Sprint ppc-6700 for a few days now, and I am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I've never really liked the mobile devices running Windows. They always had great specs, but were too slow. The 6700 changes my view. I feel that Windows Mobile 5 has been a big improvement, in terms of speed, and one handed use. I think that Windows Mobile could benefit more if it really had true one handed navigation. Parts of it I can get through with using the keyboard and joystick, but others I have to tap the screen, maybe the second edition will improve on this. The design of the 6700 is a bit strange, it looks like a big brick at first, but when you slide open the keyboard it feels and looks much slicker. This device was meant to be used in landscape with a keyboard, kind of like the sidekick. Having WiFi, and EV-DO is awesome. I love having WiFi in my handhelds, it makes browsing enjoyable. EV-DO is much faster than my Treo 650's connection, I average speeds of about 300kbit/sec which is very fast for a mobile connection. Multimedia is also very good on the 6700, streaming video, and listening to XM radio is very cool. I'll have a more detailed review in a few days, but I am really liking this Windows Mobile device (can't believe I said that).

"A Weekend with an XP iMac" is an editorial over @ tuaw that is very interesting.

"This weekend, I conducted a little experiment. I used Boot Camp to boot my 17-inch 1.83GHz iMac Core Duo with 2GBs of RAM and an external 24-inch monitor in Windows XP and then I forced myself to remain in XP. I didn't reboot into OS X. Instead, I explored the Windows performance on the machine. Overall, I have to admit, it was a positive experience. I still prefer OS X, but I can now see the advantages to booting into XP from time to time." One odd thing that I wasn't expecting was that I didn't find myself loathing Windows quite as much. Something about running it quickly on my nice iMac made it more pleasant than all of my previous experiences running XP on various PC boxes. It's still the fastest I've ever seen Windows perform. Half of this is probably that I didn't load it down with lots of crap programs, and I had it properly protected immediately after install with virus, firewall, and spyware protection. "

I agree with C.K., Windows on my iMac is the fastest Windows machine I've ever used,I'm sure the Core Duo Processor is making Windows scream. I've been using Windows to sync my ppc-6700, and install programs on it. I've also been using firefox to update my site while using Windows. I use and prefer OS X more over Windows, but it's kind of nice being able to use both operating systems on one nice looking computer, my iMac. Choices are good.

"A little info tidbit may have leaked out in an electronics market in India, where a couple of bloggers spotted a large sign calling attention to 5GB and 10GB iPod nano models.

Noticing an Apple Authorized Reseller sticker in the window, the two heard from the store’s proprietors, telling them the two larger-capacity nanos were expected by the end of May. It could happen." Via gizmodo.

Social critics are usually full of it. Most iPod listeners seem to be young people, who -- as evidenced by the speed they drive and the amount they drink -- are clearly invincible. Still, the torrent of bad PR for Apple did have an effect on me, and I decided not to buy an iPod. Consider this excerpt from a story that CNN.com ran on March 20 under the headline, "Rural colleges push iPod use for lectures":

"Here in the antebellum capital of Georgia, students listening to iPods might just as well be studying for calculus class as rocking out to Coldplay after the school's educators worked to find more strategic uses for the popular digital music and video players."

Obviously, this is a problem. In the institutions that are supposed to train future generations of Americans who will lead our nation, authorities are promoting -- and the liberal academic establishment is harboring -- the dangerous, insipid notion that Coldplay rocks.

Also, they are promoting the use of iPods, which, if you listen to a chorus of social critics, pose more of a danger to our society than communism, terrorists and the designated-hitter rule combined. Read the full article at MacNewsWorld

H Willan over at Geekzone has done a review of the Toshiba Gigabeat P5.

First impressions

The pez dispenser sized Toshiba P series MP3 player package bundles the device itself, wrist strap, earbud headphones, USB B cable, safety precautions, quick start guide, warranty card and the software CDROM ( Manual, Adobe reader and Windows Media Player 10).It comes with 512MB memory for storage, which could hold up to 125 songs (depending on compression).

Other features are: 1.1 OLED colour screen Li-ion integrated battery with up to 16 hours of playback, depending on use. Photo view and clock screensaver FM radio, Voice recording and direct recording USB2.0 Line-in recording from any source using analogue input Read the full review

Someone has now managed to get Doom II running on a 5th-generation iPod . See the video clip at ShoutWire. via TechEBlog

Like Apple's MacBook Pro professional notebooks, the new consumer MacBooks are expected to sport a built-in iSight video camera, a MagSafe power adaptor and come bundled with Apple's Front Row and Photo Booth software applications.

Apple is also likely to introduce a 17-inch MacBook Pro when the MacBooks debut.

"How about adding a touch if evil to your portable player with the these quirky cases from Podstar."

"Four styles available - choose from The Abyss, The Dark Lord, Legion or the Crimson Avenger, pictured here. Made from high grade silicone, each iPod nano case has cut outs for the click wheel and a clear vinyl screen protector, as well as a neck strap. But what makes these iPod cases really stand out is their devil's horns and tail, enough to frighten off potential thieves!" via Tech Digest

I've seen a few articles today about how people are wondering if PC gamers will switch to Macs. Here is Games Digest's take on the subject:

"With the arrival of Intel Macs that are dual-bootable, C/Net's Australian arm is predicting PC gamers may move over to Macs . We're betting that the convenience and design simplicity of Macintosh boxes won't win many PC gamers over because they'll not be able to upgrade their water-cooled graphics cards often enough."

TechEBlog says, "You may have already seen or heard about these iPod vending machines by Zoom Systems, now see one in action. Video clip in the article.

This great article from GadgetSpy covers 50 ways to get more from your mac mini, ranging from simple tweaks through to extreme customisation.

Parallels has announced Workstation 2.1 support for Intel Macs. Parallels is a virtualization software that allows you to run multiple operating system under OS X.

"Parallels is the first virtualization software to support OS X. This is not software emulation like VirtualPC. Parallels is more like hardware emulation. As far as Windows will know, it’s running on a PC, when it fact it’s running in a window on OS X. Finally you can keep your uber-slick OS X for all your Mac apps and just run the Windows apps you need in a little Window (that can go full screen)." via Gadget Review

Mobilewhack is reporting on the Logitech mm32, which is another iPod-compatible portable speaker system from Logitech. It's for iPods and other MP3 players that come with a standard headphone jack.

"Shaped like a cylinder, the Logitech mm32 features an adjustable cradle. The high-quality audio is due to the use of neodymium quad micro drivers. Available in the US now for $79.99. Images have not been made available at this time, but we will get 'em to you soon."

"Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), maker of the popular Blackberry handhelds, said it reached the 5 million subscriber mark and hit over US$2 billion in revenue for its fiscal year 2006, which ended in early March."

I get a Windows Mobile device to review on Thrusday, and the only way I can use it is with Windows. Thankfully Apple releases Boot Camp (XP on a Mac) on Wednesday, and I install it since there is no way to setup a Windows Mobile device with a Mac yet. I install Windows XP on my iMac, all is fine. Friday morning MarkSpace releases the Missing Sync for Windows Mobile (Alpha release):) It figures..

"BlogStar and Palm have announced a special application designed to take advantage of the text, picture, audio and video capabilities of Palm Treo smartphones. The new application will be used with BlogStar's new mobile blogging entertainment service, which features daily mobile entertainment content co-produced directly with celebrity artist partners.

The application will be available on Palm Treo smartphones to be used by BlogStar celebrity bloggers. BlogStar's portfolio of top international celebrities includes: Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Wesley Snipes, Caprice, Juliette Lewis, Bam Margera, Kelly Slater, David Arquette, Nick Lachey, The Game, Alicia Silverstone, Nicky Hilton, West Coast Customs (of "Pimp My Ride" fame) and Ryan Cabrera, among others.

"We are thrilled to have created a powerful tool that makes the Palm Treo smartphone a mobile content publishing station for those innovative artists who produce mobile content with us. The tool simplifies the process by which BlogStar celebrities can create, edit, and publish on a real-time basis," said Keith Yokomoto, chief executive officer of BlogStar, LLC.

Celebrities blog from Treos. Why don't you?Nick Lachey, a longtime Treo smartphone user, said "BlogStar is a cool new way to keep my fans in the know. For the first time, I can reach them in real time. I can update my blog, post photos and even answer fans' questions from anywhere in the world I have wireless access." Via palminfocenter .

Glad to see some celebs using the Treo, and Mo-Blog. I use Mo-Blog to edit my site and Palm Addict, works very well.

I took the plunge and did the unthinkable.. It was fast and painless. Boot Camp works as advertised, and makes it foolproof to get XP on a Mac.

Part of the reason I installed Windows XP on my iMac is I received a Sprint PPC-6700 to review, and it only plays well with Windows. I also did it because it's possible.

My first thoughts are:

Windows is very fast on the iMac (that sounds so weird)

More to come later. Stay tuned.

Buffalo is going to release the RSDM-2G in Japan at the end of this month, a 2GB MiniSD card that offers a reading speed of 6MB/s. via Akihabara News

Gizmowatch talks about a hand crank that a guy named Mark has invented to fuel your iPod.

"You’ll be surprised to learn how Mark dismantles a windup LED torch and innovatively provides fuel to his iPod. May be MIT scooped the idea from him for their $100 PC." Go check it out plus the full description of how to make your own with photos.

Writing the iPod Etiquette Rule Book is a very interesting article over at MacNewsWorld about how people get annoyed at some iPod users and their bad manners. Go check it out and see if you have good iPod manners!

Opera for the Nintendo DS will be released in June. It will be released on a DS cartridge, so it looks like you will have to have the cartridge inserted in order to web browse. Opera DS will retail for approximatley $32.

MobilitySite reports on some of the hacks and mods for the iPod over at Playlist.

There are eight of them over there, so go have a look!

Well, well, well, it seems like John Dvorak must have known what he was talking about after all. I remember reading an article back when he made the statement that he was beginning to think that Apple might possibly be going into the process of switching over to Windows. Well, Apple hasn't exactly switched over but they've certainly made it possible for Intel-based Macs to boot into Windows. I bet the people who said that Dvorak was crazy are rethinking their opinions about now. Here's an interesting thread over at Daily Gadget about the new Boot Camp.

Check out uneasysilence for a video tutorial showing how easy Apple has made it to get Windows XP on your Mac.

"Apple’s release of software that allows Intel-based Macs to boot into Windows XP will certainly affect Mac users. But the greatest impact of Boot Camp will most likely be felt by another segment of the computing market—windows users. And analysts say that’s exactly who Apple is targeting with this software. “I think there are many more Windows users that would want to come over than Mac users that would want to use Windows,” said Tim Bajarin, president of the high-tech consulting firm Creative Strategies. “Overnight Apple has created the most versatile computer platform and become even more attractive to switchers and people that were on the fence.” Via macworld.com

Special thanks to Alan Grassia for sending this in.

"Most of the computer industry is all about cheap hardware and software that kind of works. Apple is about quality hardward and easy to use software of equal quality. If you buy a Mac to run Windows, Apple still gets the hardware profits. We [the IT department I work in] had to ditch all of our Macintosh workstations (yes, I still have mine on my desk next to my PC - so much for following the rules) because they couldn't run "real" business software. Well, now they can. Apple's hardware has proven to be more relyable (in my experience anyway) than Dell or HP. When Mac OS X 10.5 gets here, does that mean my IT department can start buying Mac workstations again? For companies who deploy software via terminal services (Windows Terminal Server, Citrix, etc) does it make sense to use a Mac? Maybe. What about business users who simply do word processing, web access, database applications (FileMaker in our case), e-mail? Do they need the headache that is Windows? Nope. Would a Mac do the job? Probably. Dual booting a Macintosh is a very back door way to get Apple hardware and Mac OS X into corporations. A single hardware platform that can run either Unix or Windows. You decide. I think that this is the beginning of a very subtle move on Apple's part to increase marketshare. First it allows people who aren't sure if they want a Mac or more specifically, Mac OS X, or if they want Windows. Now they can have both. Secondly, it allows Apple to get in the door in more corporate/professional environments who would otherwise not even consider a Macintosh. I've been wanting to get a new Mac computer for a while now. When 10.5 gets here, personally, I think it will be a very attractive hardware purchase. I'll be able to keep using my old Windows software when I need to, and I'll be able to move back over to the Mac as my full time primary computer."

"Bringing the operating system to version 10.4.6, the heavyweight patch snuffs out several recently discovered security flaws in OpenGL and has additional fixes relating to AFP Server, AppleScript, Help Viewer, ImageIO, QuartzCore and Webkit plugins." Read more at TrustedReviews.

The T-Pod neo is the mix of iPod nano and MPio HD400, but it may be better than both of them. T-Pod neo features a 1.5-inch LCD screen, MP3/WMA Music playback and MTV/AMX Video playback and there are 1GB and 2GB models.

via iTech News Net

"We were sort of hoping against hope that Palm would officially take the wraps off their new Palm-powered Treo 700p here at CTIA this week, but a highly trusted source has confirmed for us that they won't be making an official announcement until Monday, May 15th (or thereabouts). That date could slip, of course, but it does jibe with the May 28th launch date that's been floating about the interweb. We'll keep poking around here at CTIA to see if we can find out any more details, cool?" Via engadget mobile.

T"he Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg has given the new boot manager a thumbs up. According to Mossberg (who was able to sneak a copy out of Cupertino a few days ago), after installing Boot Camp and Windows on an Intel iMac, Windows ran "blazingly fast," and all of the apps he tested ran "flawlessly." Mossberg put the install time -- including both installing Boot Camp itself and running the usual Windows installer -- at 57 minutes, 40 of which were claimed by the Windows setup program. Despite being generally pleased, Mossberg did find a few glitches, including having to reset the clock every time Windows is booted (apparently the system clock used by the iMac isn't recognized by Windows) and not being able to use Apple's iSight camera. All in all, however, Mossberg summed things up with what may soon become Apple's new tagline:

"Whether you want to run Mac or Windows programs, an Apple computer may be the only computer you'll need."

CUPERTINO, California—April 5, 2006—Apple® today introduced Boot Camp, public beta software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP. Available as a download beginning today, Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac®, and once installation is complete, users can restart their computer to run either Mac OS® X or Windows XP. Boot Camp will be a feature in “Leopard,” Apple’s next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in August.

“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.”

Boot Camp simplifies Windows installation on an Intel-based Mac by providing a simple graphical step-by-step assistant application to dynamically create a second partition on the hard drive for Windows, to burn a CD with all the necessary Windows drivers, and to install Windows from a Windows XP installation CD. After installation is complete, users can choose to run either Mac OS X or Windows when they restart their computer.

This isn't an April fools, it's a reality. No one saw this one coming..

"Access Linux Platform Overview:

The ACCESS Linux Platform is the next mobile software platform from PalmSource. It has its roots in the Palm OS for Linux project. ALP is a combination of a number of technologies including Palm OS for Linux, the NetFront mobile web browser and a number of open source projects.

Linux is the core of the new operating system and ALP is based on the version 2.6.12 of the Linux kernel. ALP contains a number of programming options for developers. There are four main options available:

MAX Applications (the native ALP interface)

Palm OS 68k Emulation layer (Great news for Palm OS users)

GTK+ (native linux like environment)

J2ME (Java Virtual Machine)"

Check out Palm Infocenter for more information on ALP here .

It's great to know that existing Palm OS applications will work on ALP, and we will get multitasking, something Palm OS hasn't been fully able to achive. It still remains to be seen whether Palm (makers of Treo and handhelds) will use this OS, or use an OS they are rumored to be working on in house. Stay tuned.

"It's almost laughable really, that there has been such a huge market created for iPod nano cases because the Apple music player is so prone to get scuffed, scratched and beat up. It seems like every accessory company out there is making silicone skins and plastic cases for the thing.J&R is taking a slightly different approach. Instead of selling you just a $20 or $30 cases, they'll soon be shipping out iPod nanos custom painted with X2 scratch resistant liquid plastic coating. The process includes an intense cleaning of the player, painting, and curing under ultraviolet light.Of course, this extra work comes at a premium. If you want scratch resistant iPod nano (which, I might add, is how the player should have left the factory in the first place), you'll need to add about an extra $65 on top of the regular MSRP of an Apple music player. On the plus side, you have your choice of six different color schemes." via MobileMag

MobileMag is reporting that the Pioneer Inno will start to ship this month.

"It's one of the smallest devices of its kind, at a mere 3.7 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches and weighing just 4.5 ounces. Not only will you be able to access the wide range of live XM content, but you'll also be able to store up to 50 hours of that stuff on there. Moreover, there's even room in there for you to plug in MP3s and WMAs from your own library.There's a full color 180 x 180 TFT display, and as promised, they've kept the price in the $400 range."

Tech Digest is reporting on the Wurlitzer One More Time CD/iPod jukebox, which they say is the Rolls Royce of jukeboxes.

"With a typically nostalgic design, the One More Time plays anything from 100 CDs through the built-in Bose Acoustimass sound system. And there's a slot for an iPod, so hook up a 60GB player and you've got up to 10,000 more tracks to choose from."

"The EyeTV DTT and USB 2.0 Digital Video Recorder allows you to watch, record, pause and rewind free-to-view air Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) on a Mac laptop. Find what's on with the integrated online TV guide (EPG), which also allows you to program and record TV shows onto your hard drive, even when you are away." via Tech Digest

"If you’re looking for an iPod charging dock and speaker system that won’t break the bank, these iDocker iPod Speakers are only $29.90 and come with a remote control." via Gizmodo

According to Gizmodo, the iBikeMount lets you attach your iPod Nano to your bike’s handlebars. It’s a little pricey for what it is at $29.99, but you can use it on exercise bikes, baby strollers and even lawnmowers if you want to.

The Sony Ericsson W700 is the latest addition to the Walkman phone family. Discreetly designed, the W700 offers classic styling cues for those in the upper echelons of society. Splashed in a subtle Titanium Gold color, the W700 offers fantastic sound quality and unprecedented ease-of-use, while the 2-megapixel camera provides an outlet to explore your artistic slant, amongst otehr fun features. Read more at ubergizmo.

This is the XZ-22, a PMP with a 2.2" 26k colour screen, 512MB/1GB/2GB of storage space and USB host. The device measures 48.6x89x14.6 and weighs 65g. via Akihabara News

Apple has just released OS X 10.4.6, so run software update to get it.It feels good that Apple keeps updating their less than a year old OS. Hint, hint ;)

"Stan Sigman, President and CEO of Cingular Wireless would introduce the new PalmOS Treo on the CTIA show, which takes place in Las Vegas (April 5-7), rumors say. This Treo will be the first of the saga announced this year. We don't know if it will be the so called 700p, but we're anxious to see it. I am pretty sure that this one won't have wifi, considering who's introducing it."

I thought the next Treo to be released was going to be the 700p on Sprint, I guess we'll know soon enough. Stay tuned.

"So here is the scoop: To enhance the battery life of a mobile device, Palm had the ingenious idea to take away the color of your screen when battery power is dwindling down. Before the technocrats among you indulge in sneers and laughter, listen to how US patent 7002569 describes it"

"This is where Palm's invention comes into play. Once the system detects that the battery runs low, it turns your device's screen from color to monochrome. This effectively reduces battery consumption by up to 75 percent as monochrome displays don't require the backlight to stay on. Once your battery is being recharged and exceeds a predetermined level again, the system automatically places the display back into color mode. One thing's for sure: the monochrome display may not only give you more power to pass the time while you're bored on the subway or waiting for the movie to start, but it will also stir a nostalgic rush of good old memories." Read more here . Via mobileread.

"We recently received a tip from Palm stating that there is a known problem in handling of Daylight Savings Time on their new Treo 700w smartphone. Daylight Savings Time starts in the US at 2am on April 2nd, and will result in most clocks in the US being turned forward an hour.

The problem is that appointments entered directly into the Palm Treo 700w appear to ignore the change into Daylight Savings Time, whereas appointments entered from a users PC (using the Palm desktop applications) will obey the 1 hour change in the time. The end result is that a Treo 700w user could end up having some of their appointments being correct and others being an hour off depending on how the appointment was initially created.

Palm says that it appears to be related to a default setting for obeying local time and that their engineers are currently working on the issue."

"I've just received an exclusive report, apparently from Palm's executive team. It appears they're poised to roll out another Treo right after the 700p (PalmOS) release, and it's something from left field, but very likely to shake up the handheld industry overnight. I'm very proud to present to you a prototype picture of the new Palm Treo 700d!

As the screenshot and the name implies, this Treo is no slouch: it's running the latest independent release of MS-DOS, v6.22. This immediately makes this new Treo compatible with more software than most of the handhelds on the market. Apparently, the 60MB flash ROM appears as a hard disk to DOS. A floppy drive can be plugged into the USB interface at the bottom of the device; flash media up to 2GB can also be mounted, as long as it uses FAT16.

The press copy in the leaked report suggests that HP's old DOS-based handhelds is the inspiration for the 700d. It reads, "The huge success of the HP LX series handhelds inspired us to bring that technology to the consumer who demands full compatibility with legacy applications such as Lotus 123 v2.2 with integrated Allways, WordPerfect 6.0, and more. Since the Treo has a full QWERTY keyboard, DOS use is intuitive and really brings home the simplicity of Palm that consumers demand."The hardware is visibly similar to the current 700w (and the rumored 700p), but features some new under-the-hood specs apart from the ones listed above."

"When you think about it, love is just another search problem. And we’ve thought about it. A lot. Google Romance™ is our solution.

Google Romance is a place where you can post all types of romantic information and, using our Soulmate Search™, get back search results that could, in theory, include the love of your life. Then we'll send you both on a Contextual DateTM, which we'll pay for while delivering to you relevant ads that we and our advertising partners think will help produce the dating results you're looking for.

With Google Romance, you can:

Upload your profile – tell the world who you are, or, more to the point, who you’d like to think you are, or, even more to the point, who you want others to think you are.

Search for love in all (or at least a statistically significant majority of) the right places with Soulmate Search, our eerily effective psychographic matchmaking software.

Endure, via our Contextual Dating option, thematically appropriate multimedia advertising throughout the entirety of your free date."

Thank you Google, it is so clear. We use you to find things in a second, when we need them right away. Only you could use the same platform for finding a soul mate by googling them, duh ;)

"Apple Computer announced Saturday a new logo in celebration of its 30th birthday, a logo that captures the essence of both the company's longstanding corporate imagery, as well as the spirit of a birthday party. "What better way to move forward into the next 30 years than by evoking the power of one of our most cherished times, birthdays," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement.

"The company's move to unveil a new corporate logo to replace one of the most successful logos in the history of corporate America therefore came as a surprise, albeit a pleasant surprise to most."

"Contacted by The Mac Observer for his opinion, former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée expressed his enthusiasm for the new look, saying, "Their new logo eclispes even the power and majesty of the old one," said Jean-Louis Gassée. "Hope, lust, and birthday cakes...what more could you want?"

I like the new logo. 2 of my favorite things Apple, and a cupcake. Can it get any better???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY APPLE!!!!

The Beatles and Apple have settled their differences and have always had a special relationship. Now they can start to redefine the music business,” said Neil Aspinall, managing director of Apple Corps. “The iPod along with iTunes is the most complete thought that we’ve seen in music in a very long time.”

Damn, I thought we'd get the pink Madonna iPod nano before this ;)

"“Too many times, we’ve passed up opportunities to make an easy buck,” said Dennis Lloyd, Publisher of iLounge, “so starting now, we’re going to change that.” In addition to starting an all-nude version of its popular iPods Around the World photo galleries, the site will begin to publish reviews written by accessory and service providers, and open its Discussion Forums to endless quantities of viral advertising and astroturfing. Lloyd also disclosed that Ask iLounge, the site’s weekly Q&A column, would be cancelled in favor of ‘iPod Buddies,’ a $65/hour consulting service where iLounge editors or high school students (as available) will offer in-person or telephone iTunes assistance and music recommendations to needy readers. “We think that these changes will ultimately benefit both us and our readers,” said Lloyd and Horwitz, “and if they don’t, at least we’ll be able to enjoy the nude photo galleries.”

Wow, I can't belive they are doing pay-per-view pages, and a service like iPod buddies. Now I can send everyone that asks me for iPod help a place to go. I wonder if you can apply to be an "iPod buddy", it's a great salary ;)

"1SRC merges with fan site to form 2SRC creating one of the largest handheld computing focused sites on the web, bringing the latest industry news, reviews and support to consumers around the world.

"It's time to change the logo anyway." says Joel, co-founder of 1src. "I was pushing for an orange colored logo but Reggie won't have any of it."

"Orange you glad it's still blue? (and square)" Reggie, the founder, quickly adds.

Expect some server changes, post count resets (to zero), and random username assignments as 2SRC.com sorts everything out.

Welcome everyone, to 2SRC.com!"

I'll be adding 2src to my links ;)