Insufficient memory problems? Hopefully, not for long.

Is it just me or does the constant need to delete game saves to make room for others get kind of tedious and annoying? Home consoles have adapted to include hard drives, and come close to eliminating the problem. However, portable systems, even with memory card slots, just never had the capacity. This is especially true now that handheld gaming systems are getting downloadable content and media support like their homebound brethren.

That is, until now. SanDisk, the leading developer of flash memory cards, announced cards for the three top portable systems, which rival some personal media players. The new line up includes a 16GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2)™ card for the Sony® PSP® go system; a 32GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™ and Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™ card for the Sony PSP® system; and an 8GB SDHC™ card for the Nintendo DSi™ system. For full details read the original press release here.

Each individual card practically doubles the memory capacity of their respective units, and are not limited to just gaming systems. Their compatibility extends to most electronics that use the same card size. What makes these special then? Read and write speeds that keep your data flowing fast and free, and avoid choppy video streaming and audio hiccups.

All of these SanDisk offerings are shipping now in the United States except the 32GB SanDisk Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo card, which will be shipping world wide a little later in October. Individual retailers will set final pricing.


To view Etronics.com’s full selection of current SanDisk Products, click here.
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Navigation/Phone Mind Meld

Everyone has places to go, people to see, and the need to figure out how to get there. Navigation systems have been developed to help with the last bit (people and places are up to you), but still require you to have the address written down so you can enter it when you get down to the car. At least, that was the way of things until recently.

In a press release earlier this week, Pioneer announced the creation of an iPhone® application called AVIC FEEDS App to use with the AVIC-U310BT and AVIC-Z110BT in-dash navigation systems. The app is intended to allow the phone and navigation systems to connect to each other and pass information via the Bluetooth®.

For those of you lucky enough to be an owner of both, you are in for a treat or two. AVIC FEEDS App will allow users to search for points of interest or take photos, which are automatically geotagged, to be accessed later via the in-dash systems for those spur of the moment return visits.

This use of saved photos sounds like the better of the two features. Think of all the times you have been wandering around and seen some place that you just do not have the time to stop and see. Sure, you can probably remember the name of the place and/or the cross streets, but now you do not have to. Added bonus, you have a record of what the front looked like to confirm you found the place. Sounds good to me.

Oh, best of all, AVIC FEEDS App is free.



To browse Etronics’ selection of car navigations systems, check them out here.
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Bridging the gap between cellular and landline.

Cellular phones have been a major part of people’s lives for just over a decade now, and we are now at the point where landline phones are rarely used. A large portion of the rationale behind this is that, if there is even a landline in the house, we have all of our contact numbers in the cell phone, why go through the extra step of programming it into the phone? Well, Panasonic has a solution.

In a press release last week, Panasonic announced the KX-TG9382T, a first of its kind system that can transfer contacts from your cell phone to its own phonebook quickly and easily. Just follow the instructions down through the menu options and watch the progress as each entry flashes on the phone’s screen when it transfers.

If you are still paying for landline service, which I hope you are in case of your provider’s unexpected temporary failures, this system is a convenient way to keep your contacts handy, and a great back up should the battery on your phone die suddenly. Having a back-up plan is always important.

The KX-TG9382T is also equipped with the standard Panasonic motley of features like DECT 6.0 performance, Energy Star certification, 40-minute digital answering machine, etc. For full manufacturer details click here.

The unit will be available from Amazon and general retailers in early October in one (KX-TG9381T) or two (KX-TG9382T) headset bundles with SRPs of $169.95 and $229.95 respectively.


To browse Etronics’ selection of corded and cordless phones, check them out here.
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Blu-Rays of Sunshine

Today, Pioneer announced three new entries in the HD home entertainment market; Blu-Ray players guaranteed to suit the needs of the most discerning home theater aficionado. The price tags on each will please the wallet a little too.

First up, the BDP-120 is a nice introduction to the Blu-Ray world, or an inexpensive second player for those wishing to add high definition players to other rooms of the house. While it does not boast any extra special features, it is a high quality player of Blu-ray, DVD, and CDs. This baby is available at a selected retail price of $299.

The BDP-320 is for those who want to customize their experience for optimal display and enjoyment. Between on-board circuitry to reduce video noise, and the Picture Control Suite, you are the master of what you see. This next step up in their offers has a retail price of $399.

The cream of the Pioneer crop, the Elite BDP-23FD, provides full home theater integration and functionality. Designed with connectivity with Pioneer A/V receivers and KURO flat panel displays for the ultimate in home theater experiences. This unit boasts a tag of $599.

All three of these beauties are equipped with USB ports for flash and hard drive connection to boost storage capacity of BD-Live interactive content that is often available through Blu-Ray disks. Pioneer states these units are currently for sale at many retailers.


View Etronics.com’s selection of Blu-Ray DVD players here.
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Sony vs. Amazon: Sony has numbers on their side.

Amazon’s Kindle gets a lot of press across the Blogosphere and news boards these days, with the occasional mention of iRex, Sony, and other companies who produce, or are working on digital readers for the consumer market. Well, today is a day to talk about Sony.

In a Press release today, Sony announced its partnership with Google to provide public domain titles to their e-book shop at ebookstore.sony.com. As the press release states, a button on the shops homepage would lead users to Google’s resource of over a half million public domain titles; the best part being, those books are free.

Five hundred thousand free books; the classics from your time in school, the books you loved, the books you hated, all at your beckon-call. Google’s repository of titles alone it twice that of what Amazon is presently able to offer, that alone is enough to sway favor toward the Sony reader.

This extensive library just adds to the already standard features of text size selection, music player, and multiple file format support for personal documents. I think with all that put together, Sony can actually make me forget the joy of physically turning a page.
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iBoo is coming for you!

Just some things smack me right in the nostalgia button, Speakal’s iBoo is one of them. The company creates speakers that are functional as well as cute, but their ghost came out looking like it should be trying to consume a yellow circle with a mouth. Have to wonder if it was just a random chance, or purposeful planning.

At $89.99, they are actually the cheapest of Speakal’s products, but the difference can probably be attributed to their being two speakers short and with a less powerful subwoofer than the others.

Still, this seems like an item more concerned with form than function. The sound quality needs to be good to be worth it, but there are no expectations of it sounding like the Metropolitan Opera House.

Pick it up from the Speakal shop in blue, red, or white to add a little dork couture to your abode.
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Dell Wasabi, hot or not?

Dell released a highly portable ZINKtm printer today, which they have dubbed the Wasabi. This tiny printer will interface with your digital camera or Bluetooth enabled cell phone to print 2” x 3” pictures on the spot. A fast and convenient means of getting hard copies of captured moments, but is it worth it?

Printed images are borderless, and on adhesive-backed photo paper; making them ideal for decorating surfaces, or eliminating a step in creating that book of special memories. In addition, since there is no ink, the image will not run if the photo gets wet.

The best feature about this printer is the complete portability of it. At a mere 8 oz. including the battery, you could carry the thing around all day and not really notice.

As far as battery life and paper capacity go, they are pretty much in line with each other. The unit can hold 12 sheets of paper at a time, while the battery is good for around 15 prints per charge.

Presently, the unit comes in pink, black, and blue; you would think with a name like Wasabi that green would be an option. Selling for a promotional price of $99 at Dell.com, it will be returning to the regular price of $149 in the near future. Add to this the price of the special ZINKtm paper (click here to see what is so special about it) and this product may not really pull its weight in the end.
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Condense the mess you carry with you

CES is a great place to hear about the advancements in the world of electronics, but sometimes it is the things without a single circuit that are the most useful. The Earbud Yo-Yo, invented by Julie Johnson Barkley, and licensed to Covington Creations LLC for production, provides a much-needed solution to the present problem of tangled headphones.

I can’t count the number of people I see every morning struggling to untangle the ball of audio wire that their headphones have become. Some of them have the misfortune of having to drop the tangle back into their bag to make their connection, just to start all over again later.

There are the select few who coil their headphones around the MP3 player, but this is not a perfect solution either. The headphones can come loose in your bag and end up tangled anyway. Another issue with coiling the headphones around the player is the stress those hard corners put on the wires.

The Earbud Yo-Yo is designed to avoid all of this hassle and prevent he wear and tear from the hard edges. With a simple design shape of a square yo-yo [hence the name] your headphones stay in place, and the wire is cushioned upon itself.
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Auditory gold from around the world

Tivoli Audio, a leading maker of stereo products, has yet another award winning product to their name. The NetWorks Global Audio system recently received the Consumer Electronics Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award. Full press release from Tivoli Audio can be found here.

What does this all mean? Well, I don’t know about you, but standard American radio seems a bit lacking. Sure, you can stream internet radio to your computer, but the audio quality there leaves something to be desired. Even with wires, plugging your audio out to some good speakers or an amplifier the sound could be better.

Tivoli Audio’s NetWorks audio system takes care of the fidelity issues, and then some. Listen to stations from around the world, or stream music files from your computer via a wireless or Ethernet connection.

Another feature to make note of is the SupperBuffer™ which, according to Tivoli, “virtually eliminates Internet radio station dropouts.” That is certainly music to my ears, audiophile that I am.
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High Definition streamed into your home.

With everything going High Definition lately, as innovative as Roku’s Netflix player is, its standard definition is a little behind. At least, it was. Roku, Inc. announced yesterday that they have released support for streaming HD content. Full press release can be found here.

Bearing a price tag of just $99, significantly less than the average Blu-ray player, this advance in Roku’s set-top box is a beautiful thing that will not empty your wallet. Best of all, if you already own the Roku player, the software update will be delivered to you automatically and free of charge. Can it get any better?
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‘They are 14 of 47.’

As announced yesterday, fourteen new companies joined the Open Handset Alliance, a technology and mobile group supporting Android as an open mobile platform. Complete press release, with the names of just who signed on, can be found here.

These forty-seven companies will be working together to provide us, the consumers, with stable and high quality mobile devices, advancing technology every step of the way.

What does this mean for us as consumers? For starters, less expensive handsets since the companies who produce the hardware will already be connected to the ones who make the software and applications.

Speaking of applications, since Android is open source, really any developer can produce useful or just plain fun add-ons. Developers can find out more at the Android SDK site.

Consumers benefit from the innovation by having a more entrhalling mobile experience, and developers can grab a slice of something that shows promise of being huge.
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Etronics.com- ever evolving.

This blog is typically loaded with press releases and reviews of new products that will soon be coming on the market domestically, internationally, or both. However, we would be remiss if we did not mention some of the changes that are occurring on Etronics itself.

Over the passed few months Etronics has added toys to the already extensive list of product categories they sell. These are not your average, everyday toys, but some hard to find items… that is, unless you look on Etronics.

Also, we just recently joined the massive community of Twitter users in an effort to let the populous know of deals and sales offers as soon as they become available. If you’re a Twitter member, check for updates on our profile page. Not yet a member? It’s free to join, and informative to boot!

We now return the blog to your regularly scheduled tech news!
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Zune changes its tune.

Well, more accurately, they are changing how you buy your tunes. Zune, Microsoft Corp.’s digital music and entertainment service, announced today that agreements were made with major and independent music labels, which will add value to their subscription music download model. The agreements will allow subscribers to retain 10 files per month, regardless of their subscription status afterwards. Full Press release available here.

Whether this change in service will add significant value to the program, garnering more revenue for Microsoft, is uncertain at this time. However, this development does demonstrate that the company is focusing more on function than form when it comes to their players.

Since the Zune’s release back in 2006, numerous changes were made to the software and firmware of the players, but very few modifications to the size and shape. It seems the focus is more on presenting the user with the ability to find music they enjoy, than to present the world at large with a trendy fashion accessory that happens to play music.
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Asus competes for business users.

The Asus company announced via a press release on Friday, their newest bid to gain a piece of the business technology pie, the P565.

This entry into the ever-filling market of cell phones that do everything, delivers speed and quality to the consumer. Utilizing Asus’ exclusive touch-responsive user interface, Glide, multi-tasking has never been easier. Quickly switch between applications without cumbersome click wheels, closely grouped controls, or a complex button combination; all that is needed, is to move a finger.

Boasting the fastest processor at present, 800MHz, the P565 is equipped to handle your photo and spreadsheet needs, as well as the e-mail and instant messaging, text documents, and web browsing… all at the same time without slowing down.

Now, speed is great, but means little to nothing if you are unable to see any of it. That is why this PDA has a 2.8”VGA High-resolution (480 x 640-pixel) touch screen. With such a clear and brilliant display, you will not have to worry about eyestrain and fatigue.

No release dates or pricing have been mentioned yet. View further details, and the official press release here
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Apple Rumor: Macbook Nano/Apple Netbook

New York Times 'bits' contributor, John Markoff, has done some hard-nosed reporting about an unusual occurrence within Apple Computer: Steve Jobs on a conference calls with analysts. I know that doesn't sound too groundbreaking, but considering he hasn't taken part in one in eight years, it's news worthy. What's more news worthy is what was discussed.

First off, the economic tailspin isn't worrying the hipster computing giant. One analyst noted during the call...
Apple currently has "enough money in the bank to hire all of the engineers in Silicon Valley for a lifetime."

Secondly, with $25 billion in the bank, no debt, and a growing army of loyal clientele, Apple is positioned, like no other company in the industry, to develop a netbook computer that will provide the full computing experience for under $500.

And Markoff has some interesting news about this possibility as well; "A" search engine company [contacted Markoff, stating they] "spotted Web visits from an unannounced Apple product with a display somewhere between an iPhone and a MacBook."

Furthering this storm of speculation is Snow Leopard, Apple's latest incarnation of their lauded OSX, said to be optimized for a touchscreen interface; just the kind of interface a 'Macbook Nano' or Apple Netbook machine would be sporting.

I think that battery capacity and lifespan will be a deciding factor in how quickly, if at all, this will come to market. That screen looks like a battery killer to me.
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Amazon slashes Dash Express by $100 for the day

The once $600 Dash Express has hit a very nice price point today, and most likely today only. Amazon's Gold Box deal of the dayhas these formidable networked navigators for a mere $200. The units dipped to the $300 mark in June, but this once in a blue moon, $100 off makes this a unheard of deal, definitely worth looking into. And hey, that’s pretty darn good for a 4.3-inch GPS device of any sort, even if those maps are still ugly.
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Netflix finally brings 'Watch Instantly' to Macs via Silverlight

In a move that is likely to cut into iTunes rentals, today Netflix announces they will finally offer streaming content to their Mac using subscribers.

Though, I wouldn’t boot up the old PowerPC just yet, in order to access Netflix streaming content you must be running an Intel-based Mac loaded up with Microsoft's Flash-type browser plug-in, Silverlight. On top of giving us "breakthrough navigation for fast-forward and rewind," Silverlight, will also maintain the content’s DRM via PlayReady, Microsoft’s content access and protection technology.

By now you may be thinking, “who wants all that evil Microsoft code on their Mac,” especially when you consider this feature is in limited release and is only being offered to newer subscribers, for now. Which, for those of us that have been waiting ages for this feature to be worked out for Mac, is mad disappointing.

I just subscribed to Netflix about two month ago and it definitely doesn’t work for me yet. On the other hand, I can hold off on that Netflix compatible Blu-ray deck, at least until my stock portfolio rebounds.

Press release in expanded article.

NETFLIX BEGINS ROLL-OUT OF 2ND GENERATION MEDIA PLAYER FOR INSTANT STREAMING ON WINDOWS PCs AND INTEL MACS

Based on Microsoft Silverlight, New Player Features Enhanced Dynamic Streaming, First-Time Use for Macs and

Breakthrough Navigation for Fast-Forward and Rewind

LOS GATOS, Calif., October 27, 2008 – Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX), the world's largest online movie rental service, today announced it has begun the deployment of Microsoft Silverlight to enhance the instant watching component of the Netflix service and to allow subscribers for the first time to watch movies and TV episodes instantly on their Intel-based Apple Macintosh computers. The deployment, which will initially touch a small percentage of new Netflix subscribers, is the first step in an anticipated roll-out of the new platform to all Netflix subscribers by the end of the year.

Silverlight is designed for delivery of cross-platform, cross-browser media experiences inside a Web browser. It is expected that Netflix members who watch movies and TV episodes instantly on their computers will enjoy a faster, easier connection and a more robust viewing experience with Silverlight, due to the quality built directly into the player. Among the viewing enhancements with the new player is a breakthrough in timeline navigation that vastly improves the use of fast-forwarding and rewinding. The new Netflix player takes advantage of Play Ready DRM, which is built into Silverlight, for the playback of protected content on both Windows-based PCs and on Macs. That had not been possible with previous generation technologies.

"Silverlight with Play Ready offers a powerful and secure toolkit for delivery of dynamic streaming, which offers faster start-up, and higher quality video, adapted in real time to users' connection speeds," said Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt. "Members who enjoy watching movies and TV episodes from the growing library of choices that can be instantly streamed at Netflix will be thrilled with this next generation improvement of access and quality, on a broader range of platforms, including Intel Macs and Firefox."
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Moment of ZEN: Touch Sensing Art Mirror

Vanity, taken to a whole new level...

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Yamaha's Audiogram Series Brings Powerful yet Affordable Audio Recording to any Computer

Yamaha’s AUDIOGRAM 6and AUDIOGRAM 3turns any computer into a recording studio. These intuitive tools record audio from virtually any microphone, instrument, or audio device. The included USB cable supplies the unit’s power as well as providing an interface with the computer.

Truly a complete recording solution, the AUDIOGRAM Series bundles revolutionary hardware interface with professional grade software. CUBASE AI, the included music production software, turns any computer into an easy-to-use, 48-track, music production system - capable of producing professional quality demos.

“The AUDIOGRAM 6 features 2 XLR combo inputs with preamp, two stereo inputs, and one-knob compression for dialing in the desired sound from microphones and instruments, and a USB jack for connecting to a computer.

The compact AUDIOGRAM 3 features one phantom powered combo input switchable for microphones or instrument recording, a stereo input, a stereo and headphone output and a USB jack.

The AUDIOGRAM Series are now available for $149.99 retail (AUDIOGRAM 3) and $199.99 retail (AUDIOGRAM 6)."


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Samsung Teams up with Netflix on the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550

Today, Samsung announced a firmware update for two of their existing Blu-ray decks that enables streaming media playback.

The web’s most popular streaming content providers, Netflix and Pandora, have teamed up with Korean’s colossal consumer electronics manufacturer to bring streaming net-based media to those among us who desire a full cinematic experience, but loathe digital cable’s price gouging.

The Samsung BD-P2500and BD-P2550both get to take a break from their usual disc spinning duties by connecting via Ethernet to Netflix’s vast library of movies that are available as “watch instantly” titles. These titles can only be watch on a computer if the system is running Windows. So, in addition to giving you access to a richer experience through your home entertainment system, if you own a Mac you can access Netflix streaming movies without installing Windows.

Pandora, an easy way to discover new music and stay up-to-date with our favorite artists, is supported only on the BD-P2550.

If you own one of these decks now, you can update today, free of charge. More info can be found at: www.samsung.com/bluraysupport

Press Release
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