On Gear Live: Circuit Breaker: The Tech Newsletter that Elevates Your Gadget Game

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iRiver H300 H320 H340 Ship Date

The next big thing in the portable MP3 player world is about to hit the US. All indications point to the iRiver H300 Series of MP3 players shipping in less than two weeks in the United States. The iRiver H300 is literally stacked with a multitude of features which make it stand out ahead of just about anything else out there, including the Apple iPod. Some of these features include:

  • 260,000 color 2" TFT LCD screen
  • Supports multiple music and image formats: MP3, OGG Vorbis, WMA, ASF, JPG, BMP
  • 16 hours of battery life per charge (takes 3 hours to charge)
  • Charge via USB
  • Transfer photos directly from a digital camera to H300 via USB
  • FM Radio Tuner and Recorder

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Nokia 6670

In October, Nokia is looking to launch the all new 6670 cell phone, which includes a 1 Meg camera, tri-band, Bluetooth, and a high resolution screen sporting 65K colors. The camera also features a 4x digital zoom and photo-editing capabilities like crop, frame, and text-adding. Looks like we'll finally be able to print those phone-photos we take in a respectable 4x6 size. In a sign of growing trends towards convergence, the camera will also allow video-recording. A foldable Nokia wireless keyboard and a wireless headset is also in the works for the 6670. Oh, did we mention that it makes phone calls too? Still, with my big fingers, I'm a little worried about being able to accurately press that last row of keys.

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Sony

Looks like Sony has finally faced the hard facts of the digital music business, and is making a major shift in support for the MP3 format. The company plans to introduce new music players that support the format in Europe as early as this year. Sony's also looking to allow owners of its current models to get MP3-compatibility via software upgrades. Sony can be pretty stubborn when it comes to propietary media. Just look at their Memory Sticks and the MiniDiscs. Good to see that their coming to their senses, in a move that should help them improve their position against rivals such as Apple.

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Read More | CNN

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palmOne Universal Keyboard

Recently, palmOne unveiled three new accessories for the Fall. First up is their new cross-platform compatible Universal Wireless Keyboard which is designed to work with handhelds and smartphones from palmOne, Dell and HP. Hey, $70 isn't too much for what can essentially replace a laptop for your typing-on-the-go needs. Also new is a leather Treo 600 smartphone side-loading case; and a Bluetooth GPS bundle, which comes with a Zire 72 handheld from palmOne.

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Read More | Palm Infocenter
Smaller, Slimmer PlayStation 2 PStwo

Our previously rumored PStwo release has been all cleared up. Rather than being a brand new product launch, it is more of an alteration to the current product. As you can see by the picture, the PlayStation 2 has been redesigned to be smaller, lighter, and just more compact. It reminds me of a thin DVD player. Sony has even taken the liberty of adding an on board ethernet port for those of us wanting to jump online while gaming. The updated console is about the size of a book, or thin laptop, making it a lot more portable than the previous iteration.

Click here to discuss the Sony PStwo on the Gear Live Message Boards

Read More | ABC News

Click to continue reading Redesigned PlayStation 2 Drops November 1


coverObviously, the big release today stars Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. Oh, what? The Star Wars Trilogy came out today also? Crap. Always the last to know. Either way, whether you are hopelessly in love or getting ready to head to your next fan club convention, this week the movie industry has got you covered. Click the link for more of this weeks DVD releases.

Click to continue reading DVD Release List: 9/21/2004


Nintendo DS Launch Date and PriceNintendo has finally let the cat out of the bag, and announced the official Nintendo DS price and launch date, and as Gear Live had reported previously, you will be able to play this thing at the Thanksgiving family get-together (if it isn't sold out). Yup, the Nintendo DS will be in stores on November 21, 2004 at a price of $149.99. To avoid what will certainly be a sellout, preorder yours today. Oh, and we hate to say we told you so, but we told you so!

From Nintendo:

Consumers immediately will be able to pick up and play the new system, as it comes with a free software feature, PictoChat, embedded in the system hardware. PictoChat allows DS owners to write messages with an on-screen keyboard or the stylus and send them wirelessly to other DS users nearby. Users can text chat, draw artistic messages or share secrets, all without saying a word. And a Nintendo DS in sleep mode will spring to life if it senses another DS in transmitting range, alerting users to each other's presence and setting the stage for an impromptu conversation or game session.

More than 100 companies have signed on to create games for Nintendo DS, while Nintendo itself is already developing its first 20 titles. Electronic Arts, the world's largest independent software developer and publisher, already has announced that its powerhouse franchises of Madden NFL, The URBZ: Sims in the City, Need for Speed Underground, Tiger Woods and GoldenEye will support Nintendo DS.


The DS will also include a Metroid Prime: Hunters demo as a pack-in. Prime Hunters is a multiplayer-capable FPS, while PictoChat is a communications software that lets players send messages and drawings to each other. For Nintendo, this will mark the first time since The SNES where a fully functional game is packed in at a system's launch. Industry insiders will notice how this announcement coincides with today's PSP-extravaganza at the Sony TGS event. This will be an interesting war.

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RELATED:
Nintendo DS Design Finalized
Napster

I can remember when Napster was the only game in town. These days, thanks to Roxio's aquisition, it's relaunching itself as a subscription-based music service, in the face of some very stiff competition. Here's the deal: For $10 a month you get unlimited access to more than 750,000 songs that you can play only on your computer. This model provides a better profit margin for Napster, which doesn't have proprietary music players to support its business, ala Apple. That's looking to change soon however, with this Fall's upcoming launch of Napster To Go, which will allow users to transfer their songs to other compatible music players, for an additional $5 a month.

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Read More | Wired News
Sony PStwo Launch October 26 2004At least that is the buzz in the game world right now. I have noticed the decline of PlayStation 2 stock at my local retail outlets, and wondered if people were buying them up in anticipation of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. However, now it is a bit more clear. Apparently, Sony has been clearing the stock of the current PS2 so that they can launch the next iteration of the console - the Sony PStwo. Confused? You shouldn't be.

A few years ago, in anticipation of the PlayStation 2 launch, Sony released the PSone. It was a regular Playstation, just mini-sized. It was a great move, as it allowed Sony to continue selling the old hardware while early adopters opted to pick up the newer, sleeker PlayStation 2. So what exactly is the PStwo? Well, it is just a much smaller version of the current PlayStation 2. About 30% smaller. Despite it's size, don't expect a price drop. All signs point to the console remaining at $149.99 USD. Oh, and the GTA: San Andreas delay? That was so that the game would launch on the same day as the PStwo. Good thinking on Rockstar's part.

Now if only Microsoft could think of a way to shrink down the enormous XBOX.

Click here to discuss the Sony PStwo on the Gear Live Message Boards.
Airbus Allow Cell Phones

Looks like plane companies are doing all they can to distinguish themselves and draw in new customers. Can you imagine sending SMS messages and making phone calls with your own cell phone while in flight? Using a small onboard base station, European planemaker Airbus has been able to route calls via a satellite to the ground and its terrestrial telephone networks. We wonder if this explains those weird plane designs we've seen: Check out the Airbus Swan Maxi, and also the Super Transporter.

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Read More | CNN

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