The 2011 Audi A8 is the first car to offer a factory installed wireless Internet device. While the function is optional, I’m sure that plenty of the people buying this car will opt to have it. Audi tends to stay at the forefront of technology and as more people sign up for data packages for their cellphones this is a great way to give people what they want. Once a user has connected, the device can serve wireless Internet at speeds of up to 7.2 mbps that is WAP2 encrypted. The wireless transmitter is located at the top of the car near the antenna. You think this is cool, what else is this car packing…

What else is in this car?

Its a technophile’s dream car. With its subtle exterior, the complex innards of the A8 are nonetheless out of this world. The engine is a 372-horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8 that can launch the car from 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds. Its frame is made out of some space material (high-strength aluminum) that is better than steel, yet 40% lighter. The four-wheel-drive is dictated by Audi’s Quattro technology to keep all of the wheels from spinning without traction, giving more to play with around turns and off the line. This car goes 155mph when it becomes limited by a governor.

The basic sound option is a 14-speaker Bose system that will probably melt your heart. The upgrade, however, is a Bang & Olufson system with 19 speakers that will pound out 1,460 watts – soul melting audio. This of course is controlled by the Multi-Media Interface, MMI, a touchscreen device that rises from the dashboard that allows access to not only audio, but just about everything. The MMI is the driver’s GPS, information center, and mechanic, allowing just about anything to be controlled and programmed. Need to go off-roading (we wouldn’t want to do this in a car like this)? There is a function that allows you to adjust ride height of the car, inflating and deflating the air suspension for optimal performance.

The Audi A8 really is luxurious, but it comes at a hefty price. While the 2011 model has not yet been priced, the previous year’s base price is roughly $75,000, and can go as high as nearly $100,000 for the most advanced options Audi has to offer: including a neat solar sunroof that powers a ventilation system to circulate air when the car is off… that way its always comfortable, and never too hot for the leather interior.

If you are not aware, the iPad will natively run every iPhone application that is currently in the iTunes App Store. You will not have to wait for the publishers of your favorite application to churn out a special iPad version, it will just work. Nothing could be more simple. And to that, your favorite application developers are probably already working on new, more exciting applications that will use everything the iPad has to offer to its users.

Apps at Faster Speed

The iPad has a brand new, Apple-made processor (the A4, to be exact) that is capable of 1Ghz of speed. This is about 160% faster than the iPhone 3GS. Fast enough to have great high-definition video streaming, run more intense video games, and have more complex applications. One of the coolest things about the iPhone is its ability to run neat apps, and the iPad should not fall short at all in comparison. Already there are several, big-time applications that are gaining hype for the iPad.

Game-Changing Applications

• NYTimes Reader: Like its little sister on the iPhone, the New York Times has an all-new application that will make reading up-to-date content as natural as holding a physical newspaper. Jennifer Brook, a NYTimes executive, says the application “captured the essence of reading a newspaper.” Similarly, we’d expect that other publications would follow a similar suit and develop their own applications for digital consumption. Already, the Wall Street Journal is on this path. Whats better to carry around, a stack of newspapers, or an iPad?
• iBooks: Looks like a bookshelf, acts like a bookshelf. When we buy a new book, it reads like a book – page flipping and everything. This application/built-in add-on to the Apple Apps store will allow anyone to purchase a book to be read wirelessly on the iPad. With its big screen, the iPad will be able to display as much text as any book and have the options to change the font face and size to our preference. Great! Read more on Apple.com: iBooks.
• iWork: For those of you looking for more portable, on-the-go document editing, Apple has recreated its iWork suite of productivity applications for the iPad. It is a more bite-sized, more robust version of the regular program, but exactly what we’d expect to see to be used for a portable device. More about this feature on Apple.com: Keynote, Pages, Numbers.

iBooks: The headache for Amazon Kindle?

The only problem is that iBooks will put the iPad in competition with the Amazon Kindle ($259 from Amazon.com), which, for about half the price we get half the features and a smaller screen, and the Kindle DX ($489 on Amazon.com), which for almost the same price, we get a similar-sized screen and a black & white display, still with about half the features. Which is a better alternative? I’d say the iPad is immensely more capable of pleasing even the toughest digerati.

Not to put down the Kindle device, the service is still good on its own, which Amazon has been growing slowly. Amazon now offers Kindle service through desktop applications, on your Blackberry device, and they are working on an iPhone/iPad application as well.

Never before have we seen such accurate and advanced multi-touching surface hardware, and there is a wonder to be learned about how we will use such a piece of gadgetry. Yes, there have been many touch-screen devices, but none like this. The iPad is the first to have the graphic-power and touch sensitivity to improve our perception of how a tablet computer is supposed to be used. In the past, tablets were limited to linear, unsophisticated programs. The only time I had ever seen one was when I was waiting on a line and someone asked me to fill out a survey — it was on a tablet that simply stored responses. Surely there are more useful things that a tablet can do.

While the iPad natively has basic functions, the real value comes from the applications that will use the hardware to its fullest. It is the extra zings, bangs, and clanks that will really separate it from being a mediocre device and instead turn it into a fantastic piece of human productivity enhancement. The developers, rather than Apple, are in the spotlight to create those innovative pieces of software that are not linear, and will “wow” people.

The first of such usage might be the iPad as a presentation “remote”, an idea proposed by Seth Godin, called TalkingPad. His idea is to use the iPad as a device to choose which slides are presented and when, and even suggest certain slides that might be useful. It may also keep track of statistics such as how long a slide was up and which slide was shown after, each metric helping the user perform better presentations. Check out the TalkingPad wiki if you are interested in helping this project.

Since there is no such thing as a shortage of ideas, the iPad might succeed on this idea alone. Apple has to make sure that developers are taken care of if they want the iPad to reach as many consumers as they are hoping for. The device, without these frills, will wreak of demise, just like others have done before it.

Droid is the new brand of smartphone from HTC and Motorola to be offered to Verizon customers coming today. There were a few rumors leading up to these devices, but the smoke has cleared and two new phones officially became available for purchase today, the Droid Eris by HTC, and the Droid by Motorola. These two mobile devices will be a new push by Verizon to compete against the iPhone. Offering competitively prices cellphones, Verizon may be able to finally reach out to customers who have been yearning to use their immensely under appreciated 3G network.

The two Verizon Droid phones, while being developed by two companies, are not so different from each other. Here are some juicy key features of each new phone…

Droid Eris by HTC

• Android OS by Google, version 1.5
• 528MHz processor with 288Mb RAM
• 3.2″ 320×480 HVGA resolution, 262K–color TFT LCD touchscreen display
• 5-megapixel camera with 8Gb of microSD storage (upgradable up to 16Gb)
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard
• Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 G/B capable
• $99 with 2-year contract

Droid by Motorola

• Android OS by Google, version 2.0
• 550MHz processor with 256Mb RAM
• 3.7″ 480×854 WVGA resolution LCD touchscreen display
• 5-megapixel camera with 16Gb of microSD storage (upgradable up to 32Gb)
• Real QWERTY slide-out keyboard
• Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11 G/B capable
• $199 with 2-year contract

While similar, the each phone caters to the kind of user they will be accompanying. If you are more of a power-user, your choice would be the Motorola Droid. If you want a cool phone that does a lot of cool things with a touchscreen, you’ll go for the HTC with its great price.

The areas that Verizon lacks is that its data plans are somewhat expensive. Although you get a fantastic, practically nationwide 3G area, you certainly will pay for it. Even the “unlimited” plan is capped at 5Gbs of data per billing cycle, though it is unclear what happens if you surpass that amount. Tethering for your cell-phone, which involves connecting your phone to the Internet through a laptop or other device, will cost an additional $30/month.

As for applications, Android has a nicely sized marketplace in which you can download free and paid programs that can do anything you dream of. Developer support for the operating system is still somewhat upcoming with a much smaller selection than the iPhone App Store.

So far, these phones have had a great reception and will be promising. Will they be enough to make Apple squeamish, probably not. But its possible a small dent can be made — you have to start somewhere if someone wants to dethrone the iPhone as top gadget.

As I keep saying, I love cars and rarely get to speak about them. But this week there was a particular gem that made its way to various web sites, speaking to me saying that I have to tell people. The Aston Martin One-77 is a car of grizzly, monstrous proportions.

Getting right into this supercar’s fast spirit, it has an English-made 7.3-liter V12 engine capable of over 740 horses and an unofficial estimated 553 lbs-ft of torque. The numbers get ridiculous from here. In comparison, your top-of-the-line Lamborghini Murcielago has 487 lbs-ft of torque. An engine similar to this Aston Martin’s was capable of towing a Boeing 747 commercial jet. Intense, indeed.

Furthermore, the most intense part of this car is that the One-77 is set to easily become the number 2 most expensive new car with a price tag at $1.8 million. This comes second only to the new Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport (which retails at a lovely $2.2 million), this is the convertible that can go 253mph with the top down. Competition yes, but the Aston Martin is something different. While the Bugatti clearly has the idea that it is the fastest production car on the planet, the Aston Martin says “because we want to.” The One-77 aims to be a package of luxury and speed, as well as innovation inspired from F1 racing.

Most of the car is complete with carbon fiber material to make it one of the lightest luxury supercars with a footprint of 3,308lbs. Almost everything in the car is made of lightweight materials from carbon fiber and aluminum. The parts that are not metallic are high quality, hand stitched leather and other fabrics to complete this car’s interior, which is my only gripe — it looks terrible.

Aside from the interior, this car is truly a beast of a car. And its Aston Martin styling will turn so many heads, if you’d be so lucky to even see one. Only 77 are going to be produced, which makes this car a very limited edition. Here are some pictures of the One-77 courtesy of Autoblog.com.

The slim PS3 will not only be 32% smaller, it includes all of the features of the original model as well as a nice upgrade to a 120Gb HDD (from the 80Gb). The new gadget is smaller in every way to better fit in your entertainment center and consumes 34% less energy! To top off this great deal, Sony has dropped the price of the original PS3 by $100 as well. So you can get an old model for $299 or you can wait until the slim PS3 hits shelves sometime in September and pay the same $299 for a better package. Here is a comparison of the old and new PS3s:

And here is a sweet spec-sheet, courtesy of Engadget.com:

• Product name: PlayStation 3
• Product code: CECH-2000A (Charcoal Black)
• CPU: Cell Broadband Engine™
• GPU: RSX
• Audio output: LPCM 7.1ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.
• Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
• Hard disk: 120GB 2.5″ Serial ATA
• USB 2.0 ports: 2
• Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (+EDR)
• Controller: Wireless Controller (Bluetooth) x 1
• AV outputs: HDMI x 1, AV MULTI OUT x 1, Digital out (optical) x 1
• Resolutions: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (for PAL 576p, 576i)
• BD / DVD / CD drive (read only): BD × 2 (BD-ROM), DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM), CD × 24 (CD-ROM)
• Power: AC 220 – 240, 50/60Hz
• Power consumption: Approx. 250W
• External dimensions (excluding maximum projecting part): Approx. 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)
• Mass: Approx. 3.2kg
• Included in box: PlayStation 3 system × 1, Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK 3) × 1, AC power cord × 1, AV cable × 1, USB cable × 1

We’ll keep you updated! Enjoy.

The LifeCam Cinema connects easily via USB 2.0 and minimally requires a 1.6Ghz dual core computer to work well. Microsoft recommends, however, using a 3.0Ghz dual core computer with 2Gb of RAM — these specs are probably not your typical notebook computer or is a more high-end desktop. If you’re going to want this 720p web cam, make sure your computer can handle using the device to its full potential. Otherwise, you can risk having sub-par video quality and make you wish you had upgraded your computer instead of plopping down $79.99 for to do video conferencing with the LifeCam Cinema.

Other features of the camera include an auto-focus lens with 4x digital zoom, a built-in noise-canceling microphone, a call button for one-touch access to Windows Live Messenger, and a technology called ClearFrame that was introduced a ages ago by Toshiba as an anti-motion blur feature for its televisions:

To avoid possible motion blur with fast motion video, ClearFrame doubles the  frame rate to 120 frames per second, or 120 Hz. While there are many possible methods for creating the additional 60 frames, ClearFrame utilizes superior Motion Vector Frame Interpolation (MVFI) technology. MVFI analyzes Frame A and Frame B and creates a new Frame A+B. By evaluating the speed and direction of multiple picture elements within the frames, this advanced system virtually eliminates motion blur without decreasing image brightness or adding flicker.

The package comes with a mount that can be used for both desktops and notebooks. Either you can clip it to your flat screen or it will stand on a flat surface. The mount also allows the camera to pivot around, panning and tilting as needed. As mentioned the device will retail for $79.99 in the US on September 9th, 2009.

Introducing Lame of the Month (LOTM), our first one ever, a new column where we introduce a gadget that doesn’t quite make the “Leet” standard that we try to accomplish here at WhatsLeet.com. In fact, this column is left for the biggest lamer at the end of each month to highlight exactly what we don’t like to see people buy. These are things that gets on our nerves for whatever reason (and a lot does get on our nerves). Without anymore interruption, our first Lame of the Month.

This device fried my brain thoroughly and my thoughts of such device set me right into “this is so stupid” mode. Meet the MX-5000, a touchscreen universal remote control with a nice, colorful display and haptic technology. Sounds cool, but this device simply screams “I’m lame and lazy”.

They’ve got touchscreen remotes that control household functions (blinds, music, etc, Smart House), devices that do things I only wish my house could accomplish… but under what circumstances is it okay for a universal remote to have a touchscreen? None. What on earth could you possibly need to control with a touchscreen? My car? No thank you.

On top of that, it has wireless networking, both B and G bands. Not only do we get to remote control the volume via touchscreen, we can connect to the Internet. This my friends, will take over everyone’s right hand, the iPhone should just give up once the MX-5000 rolls around. Why would a remote need to connect via WiFi? Just control my television, damn it!

We like to call it a gadget that tried too hard. A universal remote is usually cool, but c’mon, this one is just overkill and we think that its a label for people who are lazy. Plus, I think there is a certain satisfaction from having 5 remotes… only yourself probably knows how to work all of the contraptions. Save your money on this product, and go for something that is “in its place,” so to speak, because this one is just another outreaching niche product — completely out of its element.

However, we might like to add that certain business people may like this product to work projectors and lights, and it will probably work well with some expensive equipment. Though, we still don’t know how anyone would need wi-fi on a device like this… we still think there are better products out there to better suit your needs, as well as your pockets.

The Samsung HMX-H106 is the first ever portable camcorder to contain a SSD along with variations of 16, 32, and 64Gb of storage. Not only does it include a great new technology that’ll certainly become more prominent in the future (it’ll take a while, just like Blu-Ray taking its sweet time), it has capability to fulfill any videographer’s high-definition needs with 1920 x 1080/60i/30p resolution video.

On top of that, this baby has a 2.7-inch flip-out LCD touchscreen, and a 10x optical zoom with image stabilization. The camera touts very nice 35mm, wide-capture lens that will make your videos look “ace” — just like the movies. Output from the device includes basic component, composite, and HDMI.

Maybe the Samson and the Samsung should mate and become the ultimate video gadget? Wishful thinking, but we’re just excited to see the low-power, no heat, no moving parts SSD technology beginning to snake its way into consumer electronics. It will reshape the way gadgets are made, and that is something not to be ignored.

You can get the Samsung HMX-H106 from Amazon.com at the starting price of $550.

First, lets start off by saying that Samson is not a video production-focused company. They are primarily an audio company, and the Q3 shows off in its audio capture capabilities, not in its video. As a camcorder, it is good for on the go capturing of a baseball game, a party, hanging out, etc., but it lacks the capability of doing high-definition video. Some of you may want HD but we think that home movies feel better with that nostalgic “this is so old” feel anyway. Video capture size is a mere 640×480 at 30fps, compared to a similar product, the Flip Mino HD for example, which is capable of a 720p resolution.

But, the audio quality of the Samson Q3 may be superb in comparison to other video recorders. The reason is because on top of the camcorder itself reside a set of two microphones designed to capture every angle of audible noise.

You can “focus” the mics on your sound source like an “audio zoom” function. Use the onboard audio meters to set the gain to Low, High or Auto so you can record in very loud or very soft environments.

The attention to audio quality has been overlooked completely in the past generation of personal camcorders, and here we have a company that wants to make sure you can take video with top-quality audio. After all, what is the point of taking a video of your child’s birthday cake if all you can hear is the noise you make trying to focus the camera. Man do I hate listening to “Csshhhh, kaaa… Happpyyyy…. boom, ssshhhhh” on my home movies.

Samson, being an audio company, can be trusted with saying their device has great audio capture. They make industrial microphones for radio stations, and they can certainly deliver the goods for this unique video gadget.

Other specifications include capability of upgrading to a 32gb SD card (includes a measly 2gb card), a 2.4″ LCD display, a built-in USB 2.0 cable, and more you can read about on the official Samson Q3 product page.

Get the Samson Q3 from Amazon.com.

• 512MB of memory
• Android OS
• 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
• 30-days standby time (really?)
• 7-hours talk time (what?!)
• Supports Adobe Flash out of the box

This phone sounds like it will have everything and is an ambitious phone. Leaks from the Internet have spoiled some details about the phone, but all is out in the open – this phone is serious power if HTC can deliver; they have in the past. The phone looks very promising. It will be released first in Europe come July, then in Asia, and finally in North America sometime late 2009, making us wait. Check out HTC’s product page for the Hero. See the HTC Hero in action by watching the video:

The Palm Pre is set to do so again, at least if the device stands up to the throbbing amount hype it has created. Too much hype is surely to hurt the phone if it doesn’t deliver. I’ve already heard of quirkiness from the phone’s applications, despite the phone’s multitasking strength and superb touchscreen.

The cell phone market has been in steep decline, with the recession and the simple fact that everyone and their grandmothers has a cell phone, and Palm is counting on their Pre so that they can sleep better at night. Apple has been raking in the boatloads of cash for so long why would anyone want just another touchscreen that only does a few fancy things… but they chose Sprint so they didn’t have to compete directly with the iPhone. Nice, but it might bite them in the ass in the long run, anyway.

On any degree, Palm has a lot of challenges to overcome before we can start praising them for a job well done. Certainly the phone looks fantastic and I’d love to own one myself, but if I were the company I’d be a little bit nervous. Hype is only hype in that it doesn’t mean everyone is prepared to go out and buy one. My guess is that people will first think its cool and dream about playing with one instead of actually making the purchase.

The Palm Pre officially comes out as a Sprint phone on June 6th. If you don’t have Sprint, you’ll have to wait six months or more to find it on Verizon or AT&T.

Photo from Microsoft

Fantastic, it looks fabulous. Microsoft is trying to differentiate this new product against the Ipod by offering outgoing connectivity from the Zune player. This means that you will be able to carry around your media and hook it up to your television to watch shows and listen to music. The Ipod can’t do that, and I think Microsoft may finally be on to something with this offering. We may finally be able to bring out movies anywhere we want on a small device that could easily hook up to a television.

Although there are no official statements regarding the Zune HD’s capacity, it could be said that capacity should be significant in order to hold enough high-definition content.

One thing is for certain, the competition is still very, very hot. With Apple coming out with new products every so often, it will be soon before they come out with something similar, and possibly better. Sitting in the dark for so long will leave Microsoft much to be desired, particularly without a popular “App Store” or music marketplace quite like iTunes. Microsoft knows this, and have stated they are prepared for a fight against the Ipod. I am particularly excited about the HD radio tuner. As far as we are concerned, this is to be the best pocket radio yet.

It could do well if Microsoft puts a lot of effort into the Zune HD. It looks sleek and offers quite a bit in comparison to other devices. Only one question remains… do they really need the touchscreen, or is Microsoft going with the trend of things? Seriously.

Final notes: Microsoft is preparing to transform digital distribution with its Zune marketplace. It has heard the people complain long enough that we have to pay $x for a movie that only lasts 24-hours and can only be played on one device. Microsoft wants us to be able to make a purchase and take it with us like we could do with hard media (e.g. DVDs you can put in any DVD-player). It makes no sense to have an Internet where this is all capable and be so confined. Hopefully Microsoft will make use of its brains (finally) and throw us digital consumers a bone.

Official Zune HD web site: http://www.zune.net/en-us/mp3players/zunehd/default.htm

Since no one cares to comment on rumors, as they are simply speculation, rumors don’t just come flying out of nowhere. Its the absurd rumors you have to worry about. The simple reason we think a slim PS3 is highly plausible is because Sony has made their Cell processor chip smaller, and is able to make the insides more compact because of this. A redesign of the PS3 would make better use of the extra room, e.g. make it smaller. A smaller system also means… that they can make it cheaper!

However, with Sony staying firm on their price of the PS3 (its still $399.99), we could say that an updated version would definitely become an easy possibility for them to maintain value — while introducing a redesign, they can offer the older models for a cheaper price. Gamers are anxious for a cheaper PS3 and this would be the perfect time to make it happen. Sony currently seems to be enjoying being at the bottom of the barrel in this generation of gaming consoles, while both Microsoft and Nintendo reap the benefits of Sony’s expensive hardware. But, lets figure if Sony were developing a slim PS3, they could release it and offer their older model at a discount. This would be similar to what Microsoft has done with their Xbox 360s — they offer the entry-level “Arcade” that is cheaper than a Nintendo Wii, the Premium sits in the middle, and the Elite as the high-end model. It would work for Sony especially because they are the most expensive.

A slim PS3 is exactly what we could expect from Sony. They performed the same operation with the PSOne and PS2; naturally a PS3 slim is right up their alley.

Furthermore, some leaked pictures from China have been suspected to be the slim PS3 in production. However this wouldn’t make any bit of sense because Sony is a Japanese company. Another big, dead give-away is the font of the PS3 logo… well, lets just say it looks like a knockoff. Its supposed to say PlayStation 3. Sony is very good at branding, Saying “PS3″ would really not coincide with their marketing techniques.

Looks a lot different…

Sometimes we come across a new gadget that makes me wonder if the future is really here yet. The future will never come (duh), but the Scarpar looks like a step in the right direction for personal mobility gadgetry. Aiming to become a new genre of motor sport the Scarpar powerboard looks like a personalized mini-tank — versatile and capable of all-terrain trecking and potentially racing.

In an innovative way the Scarpar uses two treads powered by a single 4-stroke gasoline engine that is controlled through a tethered remote control. Capable of speeds up to 35mph (currently) with the capability to be modded for more power and speed by anyone. The company is also working on an electric version that you’d be able to charge and go. If you choose the gas engine, though, the Scarpar has a maximum range of about 20 miles which is just enough to have serious fun through the woods, or on snow.

If you’re interested, take a gander at their web site — Scarpar.com. Or if you are an investor, the company says they are struggling with finding capital to fund their project. We’re no investors, but we think this product is something we could see become a popular motor toy.

Apparently, some people love its tiny size and shuffle-only abilities. Some people apparently don’t even bother to use the buttons as Apple has removed them completely from the device. If you want to play or stop the music, either skip a song or go back to the last, you will need to use Apple’s new Shuffle headphones that places such buttons on the cord.

Why would they do such a thing? Easy, to make it even smaller, the world’s smallest portable music player, actually. The reworked iPod Shuffle is about the size of your standard house key. It is small enough to be concealed extremely easily, and small enough to be as durable as the last models (even the big ones were extremely hard to break at all), great for working out and dropping it everywhere you go because its so small.

Packed deep inside of this new gadget is a technology we haven’t seen before: VoiceOver. The technology developed by Apple gives the Shuffle the ability to read off a song that is playing and the playlist you are listening to. Yes, you can now have playlists as well as more songs — 4Gbs, or 1,000 songs worth.

The VoiceOver technology is worked in with iTunes. When you load up your songs it pre-loads the voice saying the song titles and artists. If a song has a Spanish title, the VoiceOver will know to say the title in Spanish, as opposed to English. Furthermore, the technology works for 14 languages in total.

Lets go back to the no-buttons deal. Apple brilliantly removes the buttons from the actual player, and placed them at headphone level. On the headphones there are three buttons:

Diagram from BusinessWeek.com

The buttons may take some getting used to as people are more familiar with the old way of having them on the player itself. I believe, though, that the iPod Shuffle is not something that necessarily needs buttons and most of the speculation about the product are from people afraid of the new “buttonless” design or aren’t users of this particular product. The Shuffle serves its purpose of being the smallest and most versatile, yet cheapest among the portable music players from Apple.

As an active gym member myself, having a bigger device with buttons just isn’t needed. I listen to whatever songs come up through shuffle anyway on my big iPod. I usually don’t even skip songs. A Shuffle would be nicer to lug around, I have to admit.

What do you think: was moving the buttons a good idea, or not?

Comments aside, the controller looks to be more comfortable for gamers as well as offer two more buttons to mash while playing Super Smash Bros. Moreso, the controller will give FPS gamers some more control. Sources say that the Classic Pro may have sprung due to a pending lawsuit involving the current GameCube controller design. If Nintendo is forced to ditch the GC controller this will be their backup.

Sadly to say, this controller is only available in Japan with no known information about a North American release. Is there a need for this controller? You decide.

Garmin Nuvifone

A growing trend in GPS-related devices is bringing a whole multitude of products to come into play. Starting with in-car GPS receivers the technology has grown up to become included in cell phones. Growing popular use and developer support will, in the future, allow for even more usage!

Stemming from input into cell phones the GPS is becoming a central portion of mobile devices. Garmin’s Nuvifone is one of the first GPS-central devices that allows positioning with features such as:

• Location-based applications, points of interest
• Traffic information
• Gas prices
• Flight times
• Weather

The Nuvifone has 3.5G wireless internet capabilities, a browser, everything you could ever need to get anywhere and know everything. How convenient! Just when we though having a phone with a camera-lens was the big thing, GPS-capability is the real holy grail of useful and excitingly good technology.

It won’t stop there. Epson was caught showing off their uber-tiny Infineon GPS receiver, XPOSYS, thanks to Engadget. The chip measures 2.8 by 2.9mm or about the size of a Chereo. So small, in fact, that it could have many more uses other than implanting them into gadgets such as in laptops, wallets, watches, anything that people can lose (basically everything, except your virginity). Soon you’ll be able to play Age of Empires using GPS and real people, won’t that be exciting?

This new GPS revolution could have a significant impact on devices. I can see most phones becoming GPS-enabled, much like its hard to find a cell phone without a camera attached to it. GPS will become available in every phone and should become regular in laptops. Yes!

On top of the smaller technology, Google is taking a huge part of the action by releasing several GPS-driven applications. First being the Google Maps iteration on the iPhone, then came their “social” tracking software, Google Latitude which allows users to sign up and track friends on Maps.

It won’t stop there, don’t worry — GPS is on the cusp of becoming mainstream.

Source: BoyGeniusReport.com

Amazon, the developers and brains behind the amazing Kindle eBook reader, is hoping to make new ends meet with an updated version slated to come sometime this year. We went ahead and named the Kindle as our first Leet Gadget of the Year, but can Amazon top its first product with the improved Kindle 2?

The Kindle had us drop-dead with its practically flawless functionality and completeness, it is hard to believe that it can be improved. Leaked images of the new Kindle 2 tell us that the new device will be styled differently to improve usability and to make minor fixes that many users had suggested to Amazon. There is also a rumored large-screen version in the works that will be marketed towards students (perhaps cheaper, maybe).

Overall, the Kindle 2 looks like an improvement over the first. Though only several changes have been made, we’re guessing that the new version will be much more pleasing to use for avid readers. Amazon set a very high bar for itself and others, we are hoping that they can maintain it.

There are no details about pricing or when the product will be available. Keep checking back, Amazon is expected to make an official announcement on Feb. 8th.

Source: MobileCrunch

The data doesn’t really give any indications as to what the reasons are for the decline. Are consumers buying less phones because they already have a good phone that they like — how many people do you know don’t already have a cell phone? Could the current recession be a problem? Expensive cell phone upgrades might not be getting purchased because of the credit crunch and the overall less spending money consumers have.

Or, perhaps another problem exists. Let me ask you this, whats the benefit of buying a BlackBerry over an iPhone? There’s not much to work with. A lot of cell phones today have fallen victim to a lack of differentiation and consumers might be uninterested in the stupid amount of options that all phones seem to have.

The BlackBerry today is essentially the same BlackBerry from last year. Add in some cool features such as MP3 capabilities and a touchscreen, and we have a “new product.” Maybe people are happy with their old phones. I know I am.

• Get Good Wood – In the Bike Races, whack off 69 bikers with a bat. (50 pts.)
• Easy Rider – Finish The Story (100 pts.)
• Full Chat – Your backup are riding at their best! (70 pts.)
• The Lost Boy – All hail the leader of The Lost! (25 pts.)
• One Percenter – Billy is back on his bike. (5 pts.)

Rockstar has also revealed the price point for the DLC which will run for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) on Xbox Live Marketplace.

If you still haven’t seen the trailer or want to see it again. Here it is!