Street Tech

Apple has announced a redesigned and upgraded iPod for both Mac and PC. The new version comes in three sizes; 10, 15 and 30 gigs. The new design includes redesigned scroll wheel and buttons, but retains the mono screen. Best of all the 15 and 30 gig models come with a wired remote and a cradle that syncs with the computer using either USB 2.0 or FireWire, so PC users are more likely to have the required hardware for connecting ($40 extra for 10 gig model or if you want a spare). The 10 and 15 giggers are both 2.4″ x 4.0″ x .62″ at 5.6 ounces, and the 30 gigger is 2.4″ x 4.0″ x .73″ inches at 6.2 ounces. Price is $300, $400 and $500 respectively. Other improvements on the software side include PIM functionality (including text notes) and an alarm clock and sleep timer option, plus solitaire and other games. The best just keeps getting better, but not cheaper.

One of the questions we are most commonly asked here at Street Tech Labs is: “What digital camera should I buy?” ConsumerReview.com, a network of sites dedicated to reviewing personal tech, has a decent site to help answer that question. It’s called PCPhotoREVIEW.com. OK, so the name is clunky, but we won’t hold that against it. In fact, the site was just named a PC World magazine "Best Bet." Check it out.

PC-maker Mini-Box has got another very small PC. The M-100 is based on a mini-itx board, has 256 megs of RAM, a 40-gig harddrive, and the embedded GNU/Linux OS loaded on a 128 meg compact flash card. The CF card reader is built-in to the chassis, as is a small LCD display (for system info) and 14 buttons on the front for controlling system functions without need for a keyboard. The whole unit is about the same size as a CDROM drive, so it’s no surprise that there’s no optical drive in the system. Price is $650, or just $500 for a barebones system. Considering that the mini-itx board only costs about $110 on the street, and that that plus a case, power supply and HD with a dash of GNU are all you need for your own system, the price of the Mini-Box seems a little steep.

NowEvolution is reportedly prepping a new personal video playback device that uses DataPlay discs. The device will be able to playback MPEG4, WMA, MP3, AAC and maybe other formats. The discs are 500 megs, and thus capable of holding several feature-length videos or 10 hours of music, but limited because they can only be written once (no deleting and re-recording). Despite this limitation, the video playback device from NowEvolution is an interesting use for the media, though unless DataPlay comes out with a DPRW, it’s likely the format will fail. Source for the pics and info is HotMP3Gear.

Brighthand has got the first hands-on reviews of the Palm Zire 71 and Tungsten|C models. The Zire 71 runs OS 5.1, meaning that it handles MP3 and other media content as well as any other PDA. It also has an included 640×480 camera hidden on the back — the first PDA with integrated digital camera under $300. The Tungsten|C (pictured, right) is the first Palm OS machine to come with 64 megs of RAM and integrated 802.11b wireless communication. It also does away with the writing area and replaces it with a thumb keyboard that should appeal to more business users familiar with the Blackberry. transflective color screens on both new units means great color and good battery life. The Tungsten|C retails for $500.

ExtremeTech is reporting that Pocket PC Films will be a distributor for the Pocketainment Pocket Pix, which is a device that plugs into any GameBoy Advance and allows it to play movies — top-rate ones like Leprechaun starring Jennifer Aniston! Woohoo! Seriously though, the PocketPix appears to be both an adapter for SD/MMC cards and also a decoder for certain formats of MPEG, so it’s possible you’d be able to download just about any recorded video source to the GBA for playback. The PocketPix has a USB port for downloading content, and a head-phone jack (presumably because it decodes the audio on board instead of piping it through the GBA). Cost is $60 with 64 meg card included.