cases

OK, I have to admit I initially missed these small--but potentially serious--omissions from the Amazon Kindle 2. But I just read the fine print in the specs and the new model doesn't ship with a protective cover or the memory expansion slot found on the original Kindle.

Many Kindle owners have complained about how mediocre the cover that shipped with the original Kindle was, but I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed to learn that the device arrive completely naked this go around. And while 2GB is ample for books and other digital print matter, … Read more

While everyone else is pulling out their hair trying to make the slimmest iPhone case possible, the geniuses over at Fins 4 Fun are going in the complete opposite direction with their swim fin-shaped cell phone holster. If you just can't get enough negative attention, this holster's gonna pull you out of your rut, one earful of sand at a time.

The fin isn't quite as big as an adult swimming fin, but it's just large enough to make you look like a total loser. And just so you know they're not completely joking with the design, the "heel strap" is adjustable to fit all the latest smartphones, as well as other small items like MP3 players and digital cameras. Heck, you can even put a pack of Altoids in there, as long as the dimensions don't exceed 2 inches wide by 4.75 inches high and .75 inches deep.

Buyers will appreciate the disclaimer on the Fins 4 Fun Web site that reads: "WARNING: This product may attract a lot of attention! Celebrate good times." Understatement of the year. I don't know about you guys, but the first person I see using this little guy is going to get an ice cream cone on their head, courtesy of one Justin Yu--maybe they should add that to the warning. The Fin holster is available now for $19.99.

More images after the jump.… Read more

Nestle's Nespresso division, a Switzerland-based global leader in coffee, with more than 1,700 employees and sales into 50 countries, had the kind of problem most companies would love to have: growth. As its traditional retail channels moved online, it found it difficult to scale its systems to be able to manage its online growth.

Enter MuleSource, with its open-source Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) technology, Mule. In conjunction with a leading open-source system integrator, Optaros, the two put together a highly scalable services-oriented architecture for Nespresso that makes the coffee drip on time:

Nespresso engaged Optaros and MuleSource to … Read more

This iShelf design by Li Jianye takes the iTunes Cover Flow idea and brings it to real life. Think about it too hard and you might notice its small inadequacies (it can only hold five jewel cases and doesn't rotate), but it's the cleverly ironic idea that counts, right? Plus, you can put it on your shelf and brag to your Mac friends that you don't need the PC version of iTunes to make you happy. The iShelf is currently still in the prototype stages of design and might never see the light of day.

More pics after the jump.… Read more

'Tis the season to give, but with the current economic crunch affecting all of our pocketbooks, you may find yourself too cash-strapped to go all out on electronic gadgetry. But that doesn't mean you have to shy away from tech gifting. MP3 player accessories make great gifts and the majority of them aren't going to cost you an arm and a leg. In fact, you can find some cases on Amazon for less than two bucks!

If you have a SanDisk Sansa owner in your family, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up a … Read more

The holidays are here again, meaning it's the perfect time to shower your MP3 player with gifts--accessories, to be exact. And while we're getting specific, let's focus on one particular family of players: the Creative Zen. The iPod gets plenty of love in the portable audio accessory space, but it's not the only device that has products made specifically with it in mind.

The Creative Zen Stone, the Mozaic, the X-Fi, and the plain ol' Zen all have a gaggle of gear fine-tuned to fit. But since I know you have enough on your plate without … Read more

So you've managed to get your hands on one of the world's most sought-after MP3 players, the Apple iPod Touch. This sleek and innovative device will keep you plenty entertained for sure--especially with music applications from Pandora and AOL adding Internet radio capability--but you'll soon realize that a little extra investment can help you get the most out of your player. For one thing, those stock Apple earbuds aren't the best-sounding--or most comfortable--headphones to be had. The first step is to upgrade, and our top headphones list is an excellent place to start. Pay special attention … Read more

Who says you can't get gifts for your MP3 player? Accessories for the iPod Classic make perfect stocking stuffers, especially since you can find many of them for well under $50. First things first, though--replace the subpar earbuds that came with the player with something that has a touch more class, say a pair of CNET's top headphones?

Once you've gotten that out of the way, check out our roundup for ways to dress up and protect your iPod. Plus, see some speakers that'll let you rock out loud.

Accessories for the Apple iPod Classic

BusinessWeek talks out of both sides of its mouth on Monday, on one hand carrying an op-ed piece from Collaborative Software Initiative's Stuart Cohen arguing that the "open-source business model is broken," while on the other hand talking up how enterprises are turning to open source to save money and drive productivity in tough times.

Which is it?

It's both, of course. Cohen is referring to a bit of a straw man when he claims open source is dead, referring to support-based business models that don't add "proprietary" value beyond the base, open-source code. All successful open-source companies have always had some value-add beyond the base code itself, whether that company is Red Hat, MySQL, SugarCRM, Zimbra, or IBM. We've just become more open about calling it out.

Cohen is therefore right to declare:

Open-source code is generally great code, not requiring much support. So open-source companies that rely on support and service alone are not long for this world. The traditional open-source business model that relies solely on support and service revenue streams is failing to meet the expectations of investors.

So we need more efficient ways to monetize open source. Point taken. But customers aren't waiting. As E*Trade Financial Chief Scientist Lee Thompson tells BusinessWeek, the benefits of open source are too good to ignore, and go well beyond acquisition cost:

For some companies, the benefits of open source extend well beyond cost savings, to such areas as license management. "Your engineers spend less time on contract negotiation and more time on the technology, which is really what you want them to be doing," says E*Trade's Thompson.… Read more