Creating Audio DVD's

Fed up with a CD's paltry storage capacity for your next big jam? Nener want to get up from the sofa to change discs? Then check out this how to guide to fill up a DVD with your favorite tunes.

In our tests, we were able to create Audio DVDs with over 650 songs with each of these two programs. At an average of say, 3.5 minutes per song, that’s over 37 hours of music. If your parties go longer than this, now might be the time to check into rehab. The programs actually state that you can fit over 1000 high quality audio files per DVD, so you might be able to fit your whole music collection on only a few DVDs

Is 10 Megapixels Enough Already?

Do you remember the film advocates a few years ago? We'll buy a digital camera when it has the resolution of film, can use SLR lenses, and is affordably priced. While $1700 may be little too expensive for the weekend shooter, clearly this latest Nikon shows the future of photography. And with over 10 megapixels of resolution, even the naysayers can stop complaining that film is so much better.

At $1,700 for the body only, the 10.2-megapixel D200 is priced between those groups of cameras. And while it is missing some top-end features, it also has some abilities that the deluxe models do not.

The D200's viewfinder has magnification of 0.94 times, the highest ever offered on a Nikon digital S.L.R. This lets you see your intended shot at 94 percent of its normal size, overcoming the effect of peering down a dark tunnel, something particularly pronounced on the cheaper cameras.

Unlike the professional models, but like the low-cost cameras, the D200 has a built-in pop-up flash. Software in the camera and a large display screen allow owners of Nikon accessory flashes to control their functions wirelessly from the camera.

Pocket Wardriving

There was a lot of buzz when this product was 1st announced. I'm pretty sure that this is the first review of this great device.

The ZyXEL AG-225H is a robust multifeatured device. It represents the state of the art in WiFi finders. Also, the ZyXEL has great range as a wireless USB adaptor. It is the most portable wireless access point imaginable. The only downside is the price. The $99 price tag is also the most expensive WiFi detector available. Users on a tight budget, that don’t anticipate using all the features, may find it more economical to purchase dedicated devices for the functionality they need. For the power user that wants it all, pony up and pay the price- you’ll like what the ZyXEL can do. The ZyXEL WiFi Finder is definitely “LD Approved,” and is truly in a class of its own.

Chromed Out Drives

A lot of gadgets start to look alike after a while. Not these chromed out, compact USB hard drives. They have the best use of chrome since a '57 Chevy. Let's just say, I'm salivating.

The palm-sized drives from US Modular, are slim and compact, but large enough to hold all the digital stuff you could ever want, unless you’re a movie producer or attempting to collect the core of all music (you’ll need a terabyte for that much) or … okay, chromium covered Monstor and Dragon Drives stretch upwards to 120 gigabytes. With the onboard USB 2.0 port, file transfers require no external power and it works on both Mac and PC.

LiteOn To Make HP Drives

I read this over on Technudge earlier today. HP has not made their own drives for several years, even though they were one of the pioneers of the original CDR technology. LiteOn is well known for their inexpensive, and sometimes high quality drives. In this highly competitive market segment, it makes a whole lot of sense to have LiteOn making your optical drives.

HP JUST DID SOMETHING interesting, it signed up Lite-On to produce DVD burners with the HP name. The first product, the slides-off-the-tongue HPDVD840i is a LightScribe DVD +/-/RAM based DL drive with all the bells and whistles.
The interesting bit is not the drive itself, but the fact that HP looks to be pawning off their business in this area. What was once a thriving market has now become a commodity, and HP under Hurd is trying to clean up things like that. This may be a very good move for HP, and a very good brand for Lite-On. We don't see a down side here.

HP has made some drives that were simply duds through the years, in my opinion, this should improve things.

The Lost Quiz

There are many devout fans of ABC's popular television show "Lost." Ever wonder which character you are most like? Well, ponder no more. Someone, with entirely too much time on their hands, has come up with a quiz to help you decide which of the characters is most like you.

Sleek!

I definitely have a soft spot for aluminum clad electronics....

Creative is definitely the underdog compared to Apple in the music player market. They must feel like AMD, when the world was abuzz with Pentium chips dominating the marketplace. At any rate, Creative has made some fine players in the past, but this is their latest 20 GB iPod fighter. It has been available globally for a few months, but it is just making its way to the US. While it lacks the flashy video screen, and the support to play video files, it looks like a solid MP3 player for those with a mid size collection of music. Aluminum bodies are always an attention getter, and make “iPod white” look a little drab.

Creative Zen Sleek MP3 player, in durable aluminium and glossy white, is stylish and easy to use. Featuring Creative’s Touch Pad control and large blue backlit display it takes personal entertainment to a new level, fitting comfortably into the hand for fingertip management of all its powerful features. Its 20GB hard disk can store up to 10,000 songs1 in WMA or 5,000 in MP3, with quick and easy downloads from a PC at up to a song per second via USB 2.0. The Zen Sleek offers playtimes up to 18 hours from its rechargeable battery, plus direct recording from the built-in FM radio and microphone.

Used, But Not Forgotten

When you get that hot new iPod Nano, what to do with the older iPod. While some are content to toss it, other enterprising individuals are selling their used iPods. Some are even "sweetening the deal" by including their music on the device (which I think is illeagal). Anyway, this evolving market is keeping older iPods doing their thing, and out of forgotten drawers.

Piper Jaffray analysts say about 30 percent of the iPod purchasers are now repeat buyers who are either replacing an existing, earlier-generation iPod or adding to their range of styles (such as an iPod Shuffle and a video iPod).

If the average lifespan of an iPod is about 1.5 years, what happens to the older models?

Analysts say most users hand down their iPods to friends or family once they purchase a new one. Some simply throw them away.

Increasingly, however, consumers are capitalizing on the growing iPod phenomenon by selling their used iPods for cash or as a trade-in toward a new device.

And it is not just for bargain hunters, either. With the popular iPod Mini being discontinued, many fans have turned to the refurbished market to track down a favorite color in what is becoming a cult-nostalgia item.

McDonald's WiFi For Nintendo

Do you want fries with your WiFi access?

THE NEW YORK TIMES says Nintendo is expected to enable free wi-fi for its DS handheld at McDonald's outlets.
The burger chain already has wi-fi available at 6,000 restaurants but users are required to pay for the service. According to the Times, however, the Nintendo service will be free.

An NPD Group Analyst told the paper it'd be like a "kids' version of Starbucks' wireless hot spots".

Some more info here.

Harmon/Kardon Drive + Play

If you're trying to figure out how to listen to your iPod in the car, this is a new solution.

Despite the flaws in the UI, the Drive + Play is quite a marvelous tool for listening to music in the car and the best way I've found to enjoy my iPod while driving. Breaking the controls away from the screen makes using it while driving very intuitive. The display is big and readable, and the control knob feels quite good in my hand. The sound quality is superb.

Wide Body USB Flash Drive

Just in case your 1 GB USB flash drive was starting to get a little full, an 8 GB model gets released.

The saturation level of USB flash drives on the market surpassed “ludicrous” ten entries ago, and is fast approaching “incredulous” with a charmingly enthusiastic but ultimately pointless tenacity — like a 3-legged dog chasing a carrot on a stick attached to it’s forehead.

BUT, this isn’t “just another” flash drive, as storage media company Transcend have announced their “holy-crap-is-that-8GB?” flash drive as the new top end product in the Jetflash series. The product page gives very little away, but I assume we can expect a size slightly bigger than the 4GB version (88mm x 33mm x 15mm). “How much? How MUCH??”, I hear you cry with mouths afroth from the thought of being able to store a universe of pr0nz in the palm of your hand — well this bad boy has a provisional retail price of 89,800 yen (approx. US$770).

Latest SanDisk Music Player Reviewed

SanDisk, while with considerably less market share than Apple, leads the Windows side of the MP3 player market. With their affordable flash based music players, they have gained some popularity, particularly with users interested in subscription based music services. This is the 1st review I've seen if the latest Sansa m200 series from SanDisk.

SanDisk MP3 players hit the scene in a big way with the 2004 launch of the Digital Audio Player and later the Sansa e100 series. With a motto that could be "Lots of features for less!" the memory giant's flash-based MP3 players appeals to the masses of thrifty consumers looking for deals. Now, the deal gets sweeter with the arrival of the SanDisk Sansa m200 series, which is jam-packed with features such as an FM tuner, WMA subscription compatibility, and up to 4GB of flash-based storage. If you don't mind a budget build, you can't go wrong with the value-rich m200 series. If you want to test out subscription-based music, the m200 is a good budget choice.

Credit Card Size Hard Drive

Now this is giving new meaning to the term portable...

If you've been interested in "portable" harddrives, but been frustrated by their lack of portability - this USB2.0 drive from LaCie may greatly interest you (via OhGizmo!). The drive is about the size of a credit card and only 6mm thick (or thin, more appropriately). The drives will come in 4 and 8GB capacities. The 8GB capacity drive will be $149 and is now available for pre-order from Lacie's Website. The 4GB drive will sell for $99.

There is some more info on the company website here.

Mobile Office

Regular folks have been modding their computers into their cars (or is it modding their cars with computers?) for a while now. Ford is giving new meaning to the term "mobile office" with this dealer accessory. Needless to say, I want one.

"Ford, which introduced its mobile office Tuesday at this week's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, is targeting general contractors with its latest accessories. The mobile system is designed to let contractors bid on jobs, order parts and materials, and process payments from their trucks.

"F-Series is all about getting the job done, and this new mobile office technology will fit our truck owners' needs to be on the go as their business demands," Marty Collins, Ford general marketing manager, said in a statement.

The mobile office system is expected to become a dealer-installed accessory in 2006.

Ford teamed up with Stargate Mobile, Microsoft and California Custom Sport Trucks to provide the lightweight, touch-screen slate computer, which is mounted on the transmission tunnel inside the truck. The computer rests inside a cradle and is powered by the vehicle's battery. The computer also features a touch-screen that is viewable in bright sunlight and runs on Microsoft's Windows XP Professional.

The office system uses a broadband wireless cellular card to keep the computer online continuously and has the ability to connect with a digital camera to transfer images to customers."

A look at the EZDrive

This is a look at the flash drive with a swivel twist. While the speeds are not blindingly fast, the drive had a solid all around performance.

Ridata’s EZDrive is a sharp looking drive, and I especially liked the innovative swivel cap design. The read and write speeds were not the fastest we’ve ever tested, but were still acceptably fast. The included security software, while basic, was very easy to use, and quite secure. The Ridata EZDrive is an “LD Approved” product.