TomTom Car Kit For iPhone Inches Closer To Reality

So the TomTom iPhone app has got your attention, huh? It should at least have that, and now TomTom's car kit is inching closer to the finish line as well - enabling you to mount, charge and use it handsfree.

If you'd like some more photos, check out this PDF from the FCC straight from the TomTom FCC Exhbits List. Pretty cool, huh?

Canon 7D Coming Soon? And, If So, How Soon?

Saw this on Canonrumors.com ...

http://www.canonrumors.com/2009/08/7d-lens-pictures/

For some, the arrival of the 7D will be the culmination of months of searching around every website and forum post they could find referencing the new model. For others, the arrival of the 7D will be far less important than the launch of the newest EF-S lenses into Canon's lineup. Consider me on the fence if those are my only choices, but leaning towards being in the latter group, as I'm more interested in upgrading my lens lineup than I am my camera(s), especially my image stabilized lenses.

Anyway... this is just another little nugget for those avid 7D hunters to chew on.

Canon Announces Six New PowerShot Digital Cameras

Hey everyone, if you're in the mood to check out the latest and greatest in the world of digital cameras, I invite you to check out the newly announced models from Canon. Six new models will be mixed into their lineup, with most of them replacing existing models.

I'll be breaking each model down on first impression shortly, but you can Ccheck 'em out, at Canon's PowerShot Website right now.

Logitech Makes Mice That Works On Glass

Still using a mouse pad? Aren't you tired of it yet? I'd have to believe you are even if you have defended your use of the accessory since the first day you saw someone successfully working a mouse without one. Well, perhaps your wait is over.

Logitech will sell mice that use a different kind of laser technology that will allow you to use the mouse and just about any kind of surface - even that crazy contemporary glass desk you've been eyeballing at OfficeMax. It's called Logitech Darkfield Laser Tracking and I invite you to read more about Darkfield Laser Tracking Technology and check out the two new Logitech mice that will boast this new feature.

I think this is pretty cool and will be looking to get my hands on the Performance Mouse MX sometime soon.

TomTom Nav For iPhone Arrives!

Via Engadget:



True, it's not the first app offering turn-by-turn driving instructions for the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS -- but it is from TomTom, an industry heavy-weight that is finally delivering on years of rumor and speculation. After starting with New Zealand a few hours ago, the iTunes App Store is now populated with region specific TomTom apps for NZ ($95), Australia ($80), US and Canada ($100), and Western Europe ($140). If that sounds expensive... it is; dedicated TomTom navigators start at $120. In other words, this isn't one of those knee-jerk 99 cent App Store purchases. Naturally, that price does not include the announced TomTom iPhone car kit (rumored to cost £113.85 (about $194) with bundled mapping software) that mounts and charges your iPhone 3G or 3GS while enhancing its GPS performance, speaker, and microphone.

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My take; this is going to impact retail sales of GPS devices... and probably significantly. I think this will finally teach guys like Garmin a lesson in "less is more", as they continue to roll out product lines featuring far too many models with very little differentiation between the available SKUs. If you've noticed, Garmin and Humminbird are the only two manufacturers still pumping out seemingly hundreds of SKUs to serve the market, where their competition is much more streamlined in their offerings. I just don't understand a company, who's product is SOFTWARE ... making hundreds of hardware devices to run it. The obvious example is, where are "Windows branded PCs?" One could argue that Xbox is one, but that's a different topic for another blog. Hopefully, Garmin and Mio and Magellan will all see this, and either make their move or finish up their own iPhone apps in the near future.

Take care guys and gals...

Burn Hazard Leads To Wii Charge Station Recall

More trouble for Wii aftermarket chargers... via Consumer Reports:

If you own a Wii™ 4-Dock Battery Recharge Station with the brand name Psyclone Essentials or React, stop using it immediately. The battery pack can overheat, posing a burn or fire hazard.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a voluntary recall of the product today, in cooperation with Griffin International, which makes the charger and other third-party video game console accessories.

There have been six reported incidents, with two reports of minor injuries involving burns to the hand.

Some 220,000 products subject to the recall were sold between January 2008 and July 2009: the Psyclone (PSE6501) Recharge Stations were sold at Target, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com, and the React model (RT530) was sold at Best Buy. The brand name and model numbers are located on the bottom of the product and/or on the packaging.

If you own one of these chargers, contact Griffin International toll free at 888-344-4702, or at productsaftey@psyclonggamer.com/Wii4Dock to acquire a redesigned replacement.

Screen shots of Google's Chrome OS leaked?

Bouncing around on the web earlier today, I came across this: http://gizmodo.com/5339157/is-this-the-first-real-screenshot-of-chrome-os ...

Now, let me be the first to say that I love competition and I feel that's the only way this country's (and the world's) economy stays strong - so a serious competitor to Windows must be present by that logic and Apple simply doesn't get enough units into consumers' or businesses' hands. So, on that note, I am excited that another OS with some solid PR and momentum behind it is on the horizon. On the other hand, I really dislike the Chrome browser that Google released a number of moons ago and so I hesitate to get behind Google's new OS full bore.

And with all that - who even knows if these peeks are real? It's entirely possible they are not. Still, something to stew about.

Hey! Double Check That Hotel Room For Chargers!

Hi everyone,

I don't know if it's because of the recent meteor shower, full moon, or something in the water, but several people in my friends and family have recently left digital camera or camcorder battery chargers behind when departing their hotel rooms on their latest trips. These little buggers are being made so compactly these days that they can hug the wall or power sockets pretty well and be hidden by furniture, bags, or simply piles of materials and itineraries on desks. Take an extra sweep through your room to prevent yourself from having to burn through $50 - $60 when having to replace your charger.

If you're one of those who have mistakenly left a charger behind and need to replace it, check out my friends at Best Price Audio Video who either have, or can get, just about any replacement camera or camcorder battery charger for your Canon, Nikon, Casio, Kodak... or really any digital camera or camcorder you own.

Just thought I'd try to help by passing that public service message along.

Cheers!

New Garmin Nuvi Portables Hit Shelves!

Good Day Everyone,

Just wanted to point out that the new Garmin Nuvi GPS devices are hitting store shelves and look great and are priced pretty well this model year! Last year I thought almost every model started about $50 too high and didn't drop in price fast enough, leading many to find good value with TomTom and other options. This year, it looks like Garmin is to be more aggressive on price from the get go. Check out the Newest Garmin GPS at my favorite source for their gear, BPAV.com

Or go to Garmin.com, and make sure to refine your search by selecting "new".

New Logitech Harmony Remote Announced!

Fremont, Calif. - Logitech's latest universal remote control debuted today, featuring a color touchscreen.

The Harmony 900

The rechargeable Harmony 900 remote has redesigned RF technology, Logitech said, that allows it to operate devices up to 100 feet away without having to tape RF emitters on each device. To operate, users place the included IR blaster and one or two of the mini blasters on the cabinet shelves near the devices they want to control, and then use the remote touchscreen to select the devices.

The Harmony 900 also features an intuitive button layout with four "zones" - numbers, traditional DVD controls, D-pad with volume and channel up/down, and onscreen menu buttons. What Logitech calls the "44 most-essential buttons" appear on the remote. When users select an onscreen item such as "Watch TV," the remote will turn on the TV, the cable box, the A/V receiver and any other necessary devices, said the company.

Scheduled to be available in September, the remote will retail for a suggested $399.

Toshiba Succumbs To Blu-Ray, To Offer Their Own BR Player

Irvine, Calif. - Toshiba America confirmed today it will enter the Blu-ray Disc market later this year with a home player.

The company confirmed its plans in a one-sentence press release:
"To meet the increasing consumer demand for high-definition content, Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. will be entering the Blu-ray market. We will share additional product information and details later this year."

Toshiba has not decided whether the player will be shown at next month's CEDIA show.

Toshiba did introduce its HD-DVD drive in its high-end Qosmio laptop line, but a call to the company's computer division has not yet been returned.

Audio-Technica Announces 11 New Microphones

Stow, Ohio - Audio-Technica announced the availability of 11 new microphones on Wednesday, part of the company's ATR series.

Audio-Technica

The ATR1500

The microphones are designed for home recording, live performance, computer and camcorder use, and other non-professional applications, Audio-Technica said.

Crystal Griffith, Audio-Technica consumer marketing manager, said about the new products: "With the increasing popularity of home and project studio recording, podcasting, and participation in YouTube and other video sites, Audio-Technica recognized the need for a line of affordable, high-quality microphones for consumers who may not be audio professionals, but who still want great sound. Our new ATR-series microphones were created to accommodate a wide variety of consumer applications, at price points that offer exceptional value."

The new models are as follows:

· The ATR1500 dynamic vocal/instrument microphone ($49.95 suggested retail) is engineered for clear, detailed vocal and instrument reproduction, said the company. Its cardioid response pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, for improved isolation of the vocalist or instrument being miked, and resistance to feedback.

· The ATR1300 ($29.95) dynamic microphone has a unidirectional pickup pattern, said to produce smooth, focused response without feedback. It features an all-metal construction and high-quality element.

· The ATR1200 cardioid ($19.95) and ATR1100 ($9.95) unidirectional dynamic microphones are said to feature a precision element for clear and natural audio reproduction, and a convenient on-off switch. They come with a cable with 3.5mm mini-plug and 1/4-inch plug adapter.

· The ATR6550 condenser shotgun microphone ($99.95) and ATR6250 stereo condenser video/recording microphone ($69.96) are designed for video enthusiasts. The ATR6550 features a highly directional "Tele" range setting that is engineered to pick up sound from a distance while rejecting ambient noise, and the ATR6250 provides stereo audio pickup from a convenient single-unit design, according to the company. Both feature high-performance condenser elements for smooth, detailed audio quality and come with a camera mount, stand clamp, cables and plug adapters.

· The ATR4697 condenser boundary microphone ($39.95) is designed for placement on a table or desktop, and has an omnidirectional pickup pattern for meetings, teleconferencing and desktop computer use. The ATR4700 ($12.95) and ATR4600 ($7.95) ultra-compact models plug into a computer's microphone input, and feature flexible goosenecks.

· The last two models include the ATR5200 head-worn microphone ($49.95), engineered for hands-free gaming, computer and other recording applications, and the ATR3350 miniature lavalier microphone ($39.95), which clips onto clothing.