Panasonic DMP-B15 Portable Blu-Ray Wins CES 2010 Award

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Today Panasonic won a CES 2010 Innovations award for their DMP-B15, the world's first portable Blu-ray player. The B15 will be shown off at CES 2010 along with all of the other award honorees. It's not hard to see why the B15 won this year. There are no other portable Blu-ray players on the market. If you want to watch your Blu-ray disks while on the go, your options are either the B15, or a really expensive laptop.

The B15 displays its videos on an 8.9" WSVGA LCD screen. It has an Ethernet connection which gives it access to Viera Cast, a Panasonic service through which users can access Amazon Video-on-Demand and YouTube. There's also an SD reader, for the folks who want to transfer their Blu-ray collection to a more portable form. In addition, the B15 has an HDMI input, which allows it to also serve as a standalone Blu-ray player.

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Posted on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:44:50 CST | by Robert Evans

Chinon AVi Portable iPod Dock: Is The Boombox Back?

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Every child of the 80s and 90s remembers the iconic image of the bulky, sharp-edged brick boomboxes that once flooded our city streets with hip-hop. Like the popularity of MC Hammer and his glorious parachute pants, the boombox has largely faded from the public consciousness. Now we're able to blare our tunes from smaller devices that deliver better sound quality and weigh less than thirty pounds.

And yet, some people are still nostalgic for the old days. That's the only explanation I can find for the design of Chinon Corporation's newest product, the AVi portable entertainment system. This fancy iPod dock features a built-in 7" LCD monitor and a pair of speakers arranged in the same configuration of an old-ass ("retro") boombox. Outside of nostalgia, this dock packs AUX input, an ATSC digital TV tuner with AV out, built-in telescopic radio antenna, an external TV antenna, digital FM radio, plus an alarm clock.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:03:28 CST | by Robert Evans

Technocel Unveils PowerPack Portable and Home Charger

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Keeping your mobile phone charged up and running when you use it heavily during the day can be a challenge. Technocel has unveiled a new charger for the home that also doubles as a portable charger as well. The device is called the PowerPack and it recharges its own internal batteries as it charges your mobile device.

The PowerPack promises up to three hours of extra talk time on most mobile phones and the device is Energy Star rated. The charger ships with various tips to allow it to fit most mobile devices. Read more

Posted on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

My Book Elite & Studio: Portable Hard Drive+E-Ink Display

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It looks like Western Digital hopes to be one of the big names in efficient, portable storage. According to Engadget their new My Book series of portable hard drives will come with a front facing E-Ink display that shows their label, and the amount of free space left on the drive. This way you'll be able to see how much space your drive has at a glance, without wasting power on an inefficient display.

Both the My Book Elite and the My Book Studio offer 256-bit hardware based encryption. Both are available in sizes ranging from 500 GB to 2 TB. The Studio, which is Mac formatted and has FireWire 800, costs between $150 and $300, depending on size. The Elite costs between $170 and $280.

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Posted on Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:01:38 CDT | by Robert Evans

Sony DRX-S70U-W Portable DVD Drive Unveiled

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The new Sony DRX-S70U-W sports a slim design and supports up to 8X DVD±R recording speeds, delivering a full 4.7 GB disc of video, data, music or images on standard 8X DVD+R media.
In addition, the new Sony drive can record on 8.5GB DVD+R Double/Dual layer and 4.7GB DVD-RW discs at 6X speeds, DVD+RW at 8X, DVD-RAM at 5X and CD-R/RW at 24X.

The DRX-U70-W comes bundled with the Nero DVD/CD mastering software suite, and offers quick and easy connectivity with a high speed USB (USB 2.0) digital interface for simple setup and maximum flexibility. Read more

Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Devotec Solar Sound: Portable Solar Boombox, anyone?

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I awoke early this Monday to find an oddly shaped package lying on the ground in front of my door. Inside it was a little forearm-length black box with a strip of solar panels attached to the top. I smiled as soon as I saw it; my Devotec Solar Sound had arrived.

Devotec is a neat little company that seem to focus their efforts on creating portable solar chargers and high-capacity batteries. The Solar Sound is their first try at a media gadget, as well as the first product of theirs I tested. For the last three days I've been putting it through its paces and testing every aspect of performance. Here's what I found;

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Posted on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:25:15 CDT | by Robert Evans

Creaform UNIscan Portable 3D Scanner

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Creaform, developer and manufacturer of the Handyscan 3D line‐up of handheld, self‐positioning and portable laser scanners, unveiled the UNIscan.
Starting at $28,900, this 3D scanner is positioned as the entry‐level model of the line‐up. As you see on the price-tag scanning 3D objects is still extremely expensive. And despite's the UNIscan reminding me of a Dual Turbine Hairdryer it is not ready for home use.

The UNIscan offers equal resolution and speed of acquisition and an accuracy of up to 80 μm, self‐positioning, true portability, versatility and ease of use. Plus, the UNIscan comes with VxScan Express, a version of Creaform’s proprietary data acquisition software offering fewer functionalities. Read more

Posted on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New LaCie USB Portable DVD Burner Designed By Sam Hecht

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LaCie announced a new version of its Portable DVD±RW Drive, design by Sam Hecht. Now the LaCie drive features a sleek black finish.

Featuring two versions for easy setup and seamless compatibility, you can choose from the multimedia burning solution for Mac or PC. The Windows version comes with Creator Suite 10, while the combined Mac and Windows version comes with Toast 9 Basic, as well as Creator Suite 10.
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Posted on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:47:24 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Verbatim In Sight Portable USB Drives with LCD Debut

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Verbatim has announced its latest Insight Portable USB hard drives. The drives feature glossy and attractive housings and connect to computers via a single USB port. The LCD display on the front of the drives is always on and calculates how much storage space is left on the drive.

The display makes it easy to see when your drive is getting full without having to connect it to a computer to find out. Verbatim will offer the drives in 320GB and 500GB capacities and the display is 32 x 128 pixels. Read more

Posted on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

K-box Portable Speaker with Gel Audio Tech Unveiled

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Social networking and streaming music site Kerchoonz has announced a new portable speaker called the K-box. The speaker uses the first audio gel technology that turns any solid surface into a speaker system. The patented audio gel turns the surface into sound with bass response.

The speaker will work on any solid surface including a desk, wall, table, or window. The speaker can be plugged into any device like a laptop, portable gaming device, MP3 player, phone, TV or other device with a 3.5mm audio jack. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Best Buy Launches First Portable HD Radio

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Best Buy has announced a new portable HD radio from its in-house brand Insignia. The device is called the Insignia HD Radio Portable Player and is available now on Bestbuy.com. The HD Radio player allows users to listen to digital music broadcast for free from many of their favorite radio stations.

The device is the first ever portable HD Radio player and is sized to allow users to listen to music on the go or at the gym. The device is powered by a built-in rechargeable battery and has a full color LCD screen. Station pre-sets for your favorites are available. Read more

Posted on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:06:17 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Iomega Announces New eGo Portable HDDs

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Iomega makes a full line of storage products ranging from network-attached storage to flash drives and external hard drives. The company has announced the availability of its new generation of eGo portable hard drives with a new look and a bundled protection suite.

The new drives are USB powered requiring no external power supply and are available in four colors with capacities of up to 500GB. The protection suite features McAfee VirusScan Plus to protect PCs from virus infections that could compromise data. Read more

Posted on Tue, 19 May 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Xbox/Zune Portable Gaming Device on the Way?

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The picture above is a rendering from T3.com of what has been dubbed the xYz. This is the latest rumor out about the June Zune release, and it comes from the generally reliable Team Xbox. They claim that an anonymous-but-reliable source told them that the xYz will be a gaming device "unlike anything on the market today".

This new device is supposed to bridge the gap between the Xbox and the Zune. It will be a gaming platform that is Internet-capable and can also play and store media. The source also stated that the device's name has not been decided yet, and that the xYz will not have phone functionality. It will be a touchscreen device with a WVGA screen and "hardware features not found on any handheld on the market."

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Posted on Fri, 15 May 2009 13:25:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Crabble folding iPhone Stand is neat and highly portable

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There are many accessories for the iPhone that let you place it upright in front of you for some relaxed movie watching. The Crabble from Seskimo is interesting as it can be folded and carried around in your wallet.
ThinkGeek also finds the Crabble cool and started offering it on their shop. The Crabble for the iPhone and iPod touch sells for $4.99. The Seskimo site ships the Crabble iPhone stand world-wide.
You can see the Crabble in action in a video below. Read more

Posted on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:28:23 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

JBL and Roxy Team up for Portable Music Devices

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JBL and Roxy have announced that they will be teaming up to produce a line of portable music products aimed at the youth market. The new line of products will reportedly combine Roxy's fashion sense for young women and JBL's pro sound technology.

Among the products will be a line of co-branded headphones that come in fashion colors slated for release in Q2 2009. The companies say that the line will offer great sound and intense sports action and will be lightweight and easy to take on the go. Read more

Posted on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:07:41 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Shuttle Debuts Portable All-in-One PC

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When I hear the name Shuttle, I think of bare bones small form factor machines that you need to add your own CPU and other hardware to. Shuttle has announced a new machine that is complete and ready to run called the X50.

The X50 is an odd machine that takes an all-in-one design and makes it portable. The device has a 15.6-inch screen that can be used with a stylus or a finger. The system has an integrated 1.3MP webcam and a very slim 36mm profile. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Dell Wasabi PZ310 ultra-portable Mobile Printer unveiled

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Dell announced the Wasabi PZ310 ultra-mobile printer for instant photo printing. The stylish Wasabi PZ310 is designed to work with Bluetooth-enabled camera phones, digital cameras, and mobile PCs to print instant wallet-size photos like the Polaroid PoGo. The Dell Wasabi PZ310 outshines the Polariod PoGo in terms of design. The Wasabi design looks very fresh and cool. Read more

Posted on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:55:39 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

AVerMedia Unveils Ultra-Portable Visual Presenter

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Mobile pros who find themselves giving lots of presentations using basic documents on sheets of paper or needing to show 3D objects to a group of watchers can travel a bit lighter with the latest document camera from AVerMedia called the VP-1.

The VP-1 Portable Visual Presenter is small and lightweight with 8x digital zoom. It is designed to fulfill the need for basic document presentation or presentation of other objects. The camera system weights only 2.7 pounds. Read more

Posted on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Intel CULV Platform rumored for ultra-portable Notebooks

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Intel apparently plans to restructure the notebook and netbook markets with some new chip platforms in 2009.
Digitimes reports that Intel plans to unleash a new consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) platform into the market for ultra-portable notebooks priced between $699 and $899 in Q2 of 2009. Read more

Posted on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:18:55 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Panasonic DMP-B15 is World's first portable Blu-ray Player

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Panasonic introduced the world’s first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the CES 2009. The Panasonic DMP-B15, designed to provide the ultimate high definition Blu-ray experience for those on the go, features a 8.9-inch WSVGA LCD screen and includes the VIERA CAST internet accessibility and BD Live functionality.

The DMP-B15 provides all the technology found in its stand alone brethren, the DMP-BD60, DMP-BD80 and the VHS-Blu-ray dual player DMP-BD70V. Image quality is of the highest level, thanks to PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory. Read more

Posted on Thu, 8 Jan 2009 10:49:30 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

CES 2009: Eviant launches small portable Digital TVs

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Eviant tries to leverage the availability of terrestrial digital TV signal across the US to launch a line of small portable digital TVs at the CES 2009.
The Eviant T4 has a 4.3 inch screen and the Eviant T7 has a 7" screen. Both small TVs have a built-in antenna, built-in battery, and speakers. Read more

Posted on Wed, 7 Jan 2009 07:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr