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Mtron joins the ranks of companies capable of building a 128GB SSD (solid state drive). In this instance, they have a 1.8” SSD that could go into laptops. Mtron’s CEO Steve Jeon was quoted saying: “Our new product is a result of careful market analysis and research for consumer needs, and we will launch our new product in April so that we can satisfy their need for high performance SSD products”. I’m not sure how much market analysis is needed to understand that customers want better, fast and cheaper electronics, but it’s a good thing that M-tron delivers.

Specifications from Mtron

• 120MB/sec (read)
• 100MB/sec (write)

I guess if you wait around long enough, all technology shrinks. Even things that probably shouldn’t be shrunk get shrank.

Take Guitar Hero, for example. I’ve recently purchased this game for the Wii and it has quickly become my newest addiction. There is something about strumming and hitting those frets while those streaming spots go by that make me feel like a legit rock star.

A company known as Basic Fun has created a portable version of this fun with the Guitar Hero Caribiner, a Guitar Hero that fits in your pocket. It is only 3 x 7.5 inches in measurement, and the chord buttons or “frets” are not located on the neck of this contraption, but the body itself.

Beyond that, the gameplay is the same the regular version as the LCD screen displays the notes the player needs to play. There is even a miniature version of the whammy bar, and some of the more popular songs from Guitar Hero I and II are included.

Still, I’m not certain whether this tiny Guitar Hero really captures the console or PC version of the game. However, it is something that you can do while waiting on a bus or subway.

The Guitar Hero Caribiner is scheduled to be released at major retail outlets in March for a price of about $14.99.

Source

And I mean that literally.

The stainless-steel blades and built-in spatula of the pizza scissors make it possible, while the $9.95 price tag makes it affordable.

One slice of cheese please.

Via bookofjoe.

It is rumored that the LG VX9100 will be launching with Verizon during Q2 2008 with an official announcement coming in April. The VX9100 is the follow up to the VX9900 and is a clamshell style phone that features a 2-megapixel camera, microSD card slot and a QVGA display screen with stereo speakers on the inside. The handset also has a numeric keypad on top with a full QWERTY keypad on the inside.

Keep reading for some pictures of the LG VX9100…

Via [SlashPhone] Images [Phone Arena]

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With the Linux-based ultra-mobile market heating up, it seems like everyone is wanting to have an offering. The latest is coming from Elonex, except this one does not appear to be that Eee PC killer that everyone is looking for. The price, if it is actually released at what it is anticipated at will be nice, it is expected to retail for £100 (about $200). Elonex plans to introduce the One to education markets, but will also be marketed to “adult learners, business users, people who are constantly mobile, elderly people and first time internet users.”

The Elonex One will feature a 7-inch 800×480 display, a 300 MHz X86 processor, 1GB of flash memory, three hours of battery life, weighing 2.2 pounds and running Linux. There will also be a more expensive version costing £120 that will include 2GB of flash memory and also Bluetooth.

Via [Engadget] Via [jkkmobile]

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Posted Feb 18th 2008 7:04AM by Ryan Block
Filed under: GamingSo analysts at research firm iSuppli are projecting that the Wii will overtake the 360 as the dominant current-gen console this year, as projected sales would put Nintendo at over 30m units, compared to Microsoft’s expected 26m. The PS3 is also mentioned as having the greatest growth potential if it hits projections of 25.7m total units sold this year, but that seems a little optimistic if you ask us. Sony fans might have the last laugh though, as ultimately iSuppli sees the PS3 as the market leader as we enter the next decade. Hey, who knows, Sony might just catch up and recapture that crown — anything’s possible.

Sprint has announced the availability of the Samsung ACE SPH-i325 global smartphone. The ACE features EV-DO, a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, microSD storage, GPS, Sprint TV and access to the Sprint Music Store.

The Samsung ACE is set to ship with Windows Mobile 6, no mention on whether or not it will be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.1. The Samsung ACE is currently available and retails for $199.99 with a two-year agreement or $449.99 with no agreement.

Read [Sprint] Via [Phone News]

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Name a Rose
Sticking your arm out of the car window at the traffic lights, and buying a dying bunch of GM pumped roses from an old bucket is just so not a romantic gesture.

You can have this for ?19.95

Posted Feb 18th 2008 11:40AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home EntertainmentMicrosoft hit us up with a statement today regarding its Xbox 360 hd dvd player in light of the format’s current woes. The company seems to think the news won’t have “any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace.” Microsoft goes on to reiterate its line about the largest next-gen games library and its belief that “it is games that sell consoles.” For those of you hoping for some sort of Blu-ray attachment for the 360 — or a sense of purpose for that increasingly obsolete HD DVD player currently hooked up to your 360 — Microsoft does say that “we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player,” which seems to imply there’s something to announce once HD DVD finally kicks the bucket, but at this point the prospect of a Blu-ray add-on still seems rather optimistic.

Citing a lack of action on the part of eBay, both Adobe and Symantec have decided to take action against certain sellers offering pirated software on the auction site.

The lawsuits have been started by the Software & Information Industry Association Auction Litigation Program. This program represents a wide range of companies that counts well know names such as Adobe, Symantec, McAfee, Oracle, Apple, Autodesk, and Borland on its list of members. The job of the SIIA is to monitor a number of websites, and auction sites in particular, to see if their members’ products are being sold illegally.

This latest action has identified 9 individuals found to be selling pirated versions of software, including Adobe Photoshop CS3, Symantec pcAnywhere 11.0 Host & Remote, pcAnywhere 10.5 Host & Remote, and Norton Utilities 8.0 for Mac.

Usually companies try to work with eBay to remove the offending items and either ban or take action against individual sellers. SIIA said that any communication with eBay had not resulted in much action. Keith Kupferschmid, senior vice president of the SIIA’s Internet anti-piracy division, said:

We haven’t had very much success in getting [Ebay] to work with us … Our goal is to give illegal software sellers a rude awakening so that unsuspecting software buyers and legitimate sellers are protected … For too long, auction sellers have been able to sell pirated software while risking only the removal of their auction.

eBay has yet to make comment on the action being taken.

Read more at PC Pro and the SIIA press release (PDF).

Matthew’s Opinion

If there is an organization already out there monitoring auction sites for illegal software sales, then surely it is in eBay’s interest to work with it. Monitoring all auctions to ensure they are not illegal must be a mammoth undertaking, and therefore working with an organization created to find out piracy and take action against it would relieve some of the pressure.

We need to hear eBay’s comments regarding this before making a judgment, as it may not be as clear cut as the SIIA is suggesting. If it is just a case of eBay not taking the time to work with it or respond to communication, then it is a fault of eBay and the management structures and procedures the company has in place.