MP3 and portable video players

Belkin shows off it's Podcasting solution

Belkin have introduced the TuneStudio's little brother, the PodcastStudio (apparently dropping spaces is the new dropping vowels). The two channel recorder that works buy attaching your iPod features two movable built-in microphones as well as combo XLR / 1/4" inputs for other microphones and a built in speaker. It works with all the latest iPods excluding the Touch and the iPhone. It should retail for around $100 when it ships later this year.

Music industry urged to drop download prices

The music industry needs to drastically cut the price it charges for downloads if it wants to survive the Internet revolution, according to CEO of one of the world's most successful independent labels.

Terry McBride, CEO of the Nettwerk Music Group, which manages such best-selling acts as Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies and Dido, told the CES conference today that the music industry needs to "let go it's control and let consumers own their music" in order to survive.

The industry, McBride says, has been "hitting a glass ceiling" in terms of sales. It won'… Read more

Sony rolls onto US shores

Thats right folks, Sony will be bringing its egg shaped, robotic, bluetooth entertainment device to stores all across America from spring '08. The Rolly has 2GB of flash memory to store tracks on the device and a bluetooth connection that allows you to stream music from a computer or phone. The Rolly will then move its "arms" and wheels to the beat of the music that is being played. Alternatively, you can become a choreographer and create your own routines for the Rolly to repeat endlessly for your pleasure. Apparently this device is meant to provide an alternate … Read more

Gates gets rock star treatment for final CES keynote

Bill Gates would never have guessed way back when he dropped out of Harvard to start a software company that he might wind up his career with the status of a rock star.

But that was precisely the atmosphere in Las Vegas tonight as he both opened this year's CES conference and closed a final chapter of his career.

Thousands of journalists and technologists queued for some four hours in snake-like lines that wound around several floors of the Venetian Hotel and Casino to hear him give his tenth and final CES keynote.

In just under six months, Gates … Read more

Robo-snakes not on a plane

Some of us at Crave have managed to resist our adolescent urges to collect toy robots, in a rare example of self-restraint. Our willpower met its match, however, when we saw photos of WowWee's "Roboboa."

It had been mentioned earlier along with the FlyTech Dragonfly and other bots at CES, but actually seeing a robotic snake in action is something to behold. In a video clip, it's reminiscent of Pixar's seminal "Luxo Jr." lamp.

The bionic serpent's 40 movements can be controlled by its remote, according to Slashgear, or it can just … Read more

Buy a Coby MP3 player, get 50 songs free

If you buy one of Coby's new MP3 video players when they become available this spring, you'll also get a coupon good for 50 songs from eMusic.

The flagships of Coby's new models are the 20GB MP-C951 ($249) and the 30GB MP-C961 ($279 to $289), both stylish players with red-backlit, touch-sensitive buttons arrayed on a handsome black plastic case below a bright, 2-inch LCD. Both units can handle a variety of A/V formats--MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, and Xvid--and include an FM radio with recording capabilities and a voice recorder.

Also eligible for an eMusic coupon are … Read more

Play your iPod on Philips' DVD portables

Instead of having to choose between a portable DVD player and an iPod, now you can tote both using one of two Philips portable DVD players. Both the DCP750 ($149), equipped with a 7-inch screen, and the 8.5-inch DCP850 ($199) have a well that accommodates a remote control that, when ejected, can now handle an iPod.

In addition to playing from an iPod, you can bring media in via the players' SD card slots. Both decks can translate a variety of MPEG-4 video formats including DivX, and most CD and DVD rewritable formats including SVCD. The players' most distinctive … Read more

Fold-out keyboard in pricey portable

In what seems to be the Swiss Army knife of portables, the S-XGen ultramobile personal computer (UMPC) from Seamless Internet includes an Intel PXA270 Xscale 520MHz processor running Windows CE 5.0 operating system, Microsoft Office Mobile, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, Wi-Fi (802.11b), Bluetooth and tri-band GSM/EDGE/CDMA EV-DO network access, Ethernet and USB ports, a 4-inch TFT LCD touch screen, a 280 pixel Web video camera, and a fold-out QWERTY keyboard, all of which collapse into a package measuring 6.5x3.8x1.25 inches and weighing 14 ounces.

Eight hours of battery life accommodates … Read more

Harman's auto audio gem

Harman Kardon unleashed its nifty Drive+Play 2 for gadget-loving drivers everywhere. With an impressively simple setup (you can hook it up in a couple minutes sans tools), you can have a single interface for everything from your iPod or Zune to your phone or satellite radio. The 3.5-inch color display is easily mountable on your dash with screws or adhesive, and a 2.4GHz wireless control knob lets you navigate the very iPod-like skinnable menu system for "distraction-free browsing."

The system is powered by a cigarette-lighter module that doubles as an FM transmitter, line output, and … Read more

Video grabber for iPod and PSP

Depending on where you get your video content, it can be a real pain to get movies and TV shows onto your iPod or PSP. Enter Streaming Networks' iRecord PRM-100 ($199.99), which lets you record video in real time directly to any USB mass storage device at a rate of around 3 hours of recording time per gigabyte in H.264/AVC format (with AAC audio tracks). Now you can record your gaming sessions and prove to your friends what a great Halo 2 player you are. You can even record music in MP3 format, though real-time music encoding … Read more