SanDisk has taken this idea of digital music and ran with it. They have just introduced slotMusic, which plays on microSD cards. Because of the failed attempt to control or stop illegal downloading of music they decided to release a DRM free format for mp3 albums. Many big named record labels have already signed on like Sony BMG, BMI Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group.

Over forty artists are available now including Chris Brown, Coldplay, Daughtry, Katy Perry, Nickelback, and Tim McGraw. They also released some classic albums by ABBA, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and KISS. The 1GB microSD album is priced at $15, which includes high-quality (320kbps) MP3s, artwork, videos, and other digital content. Here is a Press Release from SanDisk talking more about the artists and the slotMusic microSD cards.
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Popularity: 5% [?]

Vuzix is stepping up their personal video eyewear by coming out with the first ever widescreen video goggles. The iWear AV310 will display a true 16:9 aspect ratio of a 52in screen viewed from 9 feet away. They look amazing and can run off a single AA battery for a full 5 hours. These new glasses are equipped with adjustable ear buds and hypoallergenic nosepiece that you can set to your comfort. Also will have an independent focus adjustment. Amazingly the visor only weighs less than 4 ounces.

Vuzix CEO Paul Travers said, “We are committed to providing our customers with the latest innovation in this exciting category and are delighted to provide the world’s first and only widescreen video eyewear.” Travers went on to say, “The revolutionary iWear® AV310 Widescreen is the ideal choice for the mobile consumer who’s craving a way to significantly enhance their portable viewing experience.”
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Popularity: 7% [?]

All of the new features that have been added to the Apple iPhone 3G are great but wouldn’t you rather have a battery you don’t have to charge every 5 minutes? Sources say they are not sure if the battery life is any shorter on the new iPhone, but it may have to do with the faster Internet or all the new applications built in. But whatever the cause is, I have some simple tips to make your battery last a little longer, without sacrificing any of your precious web surfing time.

1. Lower the Brightness - The iPhone 3G is brighter than the original iPhone, but do your self a favor and crank it down to 10 - 20%. Go to Settings, then Brightness.

2. Turn off your Wi-fi - If you are not using your Internet constantly, turn off your wi-fi connection. Also, you should disable the new wi-fi network scanner. This will save some of your valuable power bars. I would do the same with your Bluetooth option. Go to Settings then Wi-Fi.

3. Only use 3G when you are ready - Just use EDGE when you are checking email, the weather, and other simple tasks. Turn on 3G when you are surfing, watching videos, or downloading apps. Apple should have made this happen automatically but they didn’t so try it out. Go to Settings then General then Network.

4. Don’t use vibrate when playing games - If the game allows you to turn it off, then that is one more way you can save a little juice. Most games you will not even notice when it’s off.

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Popularity: 16% [?]

UPDATE: Seems we were informed wrongly. This is actually regarding the iPod TOUCH not the iPhone, though it is highly likely that it will actually break you into both devices. Either way it is about the version 1.1.2 firmware which HAS been hacked. You can get the direct dish over at TUAW. Our original coverage remains below for a little extra enjoyable reading.

The Brits have their release of the iPhone today and most were worried that the new iPhone firmware was going to mean they are pinned to O2 like a tail on a donkey for the foreseeable future.

Well it looks like they will for a few days, maybe less, but if you own an iPod Touch then you need not worry your noggins any longer as that crazy Erica Sadun just announced that the new version of the Firmware for the iPhone iPod Touch (version 1.1.2) has already been hacked like a Piñata.

If you want to check out the details and hack the 1.1.2 firmware on your iPhone iPod Touch then simply head over to TUAW for the juicy goodness.

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As much as Google would like to protest that they are not launching a gPhone because they wish to focus on The Open Handset Alliance and “Android“, we have found out that it’s actually because ‘gPhone’ is a terrible name for a phone product.

Everyone knows that the closer the first letter of somethings name is to the end of the alphabet, the cooler that thing will be as a result. Based on this scale the iPhone is clearly cooler than the gPhone. So all they need to do is call it the zGoogle or zPhone and they are onto a sure winner…. then again, the Zune starts with a ‘z’ and look where that is in the cool ratings!

In any case Google are sure to wow us with their upcoming tech, but lets just hope it doesn’t have as many holes in it as Open Social eh?

UPDATE: Seems that opensocial has been hacked again!

Popularity: 19% [?]