GigaOM is having a giveaway a lot of invites and goodies today but most of it is gone. However, there is still the offer for a free WIFI Router from FON. They have 1500 available so hurry and sign up. Free means no shipping too - so you’ll have to pay a grand total of $0.00. This is the fastest way to get around their “invite only” promotional strategy.

All you have to do sign up and let them know where the device needs to be shipped. Usual disclaimers apply, so please read it before signing up.

Signup page [FON] Via [GigaOM]

We don’t need to tell you that Microsoft Vista launched yesterday (and is now available for download) unless you have been in seclusion the past couple of days (or should I say months).

Here are some memorable video feeds in case you missed the official worldwide launch in New York from Steve Balmer and Bill Gates. The third feed is a Bill Gates interview on the Daily Show (with Jon Stewart), the day before the release. Seems like Bill Gates always wears the same color sweater and pants. He must have thousands of those or a wash-and-wear guy. The “Wow” starts now …

It’s black, fits in your shirt pocket, offers 10-20GB storage and allows sharing of digital files via USB, Bluetooth or WiFi. It’s called DAVE, which stands for Digital Audio Video Experience.

Mobile telephony is undergoing a multimedia revolution, and the DAVE mobile content platform will provide even more fuel for the growth of new music and video services over mobile networks,” said Patrick King, senior vice president and general manager of Seagate’s consumer electronics business unit. “Products using DAVE technology will enable digital content, whether for business or entertainment use, to be stored, moved, and connected in ways never before possible. Mobile carriers can use this technology for creating value from their investments in high-bandwidth networks, and mobile handset manufacturers have another tool for turning the multimedia phone into the center of the mobile consumer’s digital life.

Battery life is up to 14 days on standby and 10 hours of continuous use. The little device comes in at 3.5 x 4.7 x .47 inches (61 x 89 x 12 mm) and weighs only 2.5 ounces (70 grams). Sorry, because it is so topsecret, there aren’t any pictures of it available yet. However, you could sit through Robert Scoble’s podcast (below) to have a glimpse of it.

Here are some ways of how DAVE could prove useful:

* Makes upgrading mobile phones easy - storing content on a DAVE-based device makes upgrading a mobile phone fast and easy. Simply pair the device to the new handset, and start enjoying digital content on the new phone in just minutes.

* Turns the mobile phone into a DVR/MP3 powerhouse - consumers can now download video from mobile phone networks; grab music from online, mobile, or PC libraries; load audiobooks or GPS data; and use all of that data as needed when on-the-go. The 10GB version will make 2,500 songs or 21 hours of video available to mobile consumers all the time, anywhere.

* Increases use of mobile entertainment networks and data services - with massive storage capacity, mobile network operators can now offer consumers the opportunity to download and enjoy large media and data files. With video files downloaded to products based on the DAVE platform instead of streamed through the mobile network, video can now be delivered without latency or coverage issues. DAVE-based products will also enable new business models for high-bandwidth networks, such as try-and-buy content, that offer real value for consumers.

* Enables mobile lifeblogging and other social networking applications - the ability to record massive video and photo files on the mobile phone, edit and annotate content, then upload to social networking sites such as YouTube or MySpace is now mobile and spontaneous. Consumers can also use the DAVE technology features to share the content with other mobile phones, PCs, wireless-enabled cameras, or even other DAVE mobile storage devices.

Seagate plans to launch DAVE devices through Telco and Cell Phone providers starting the second quarter of this year. Oh, did we tell you that DAVE technology will be Open Source ? Yes, I believe that has made all of the developers out there smile.

Via [Scobleizer] Press Release [Seagate]

With ink cartridge prices as crazy as they are, sometimes it’s just worth buying a new printer. The future is thus in inkless printing. Thankfully for Polaroid, we’re onto something.

Polaroid Research Labs has developed a technology that uses heat pressure on a certain kind of paper to produce the patterned colors we want out of printers. A company called Zink has jumped on that and has come out with inkless printers.

Not needing cartridges, heaters, ink reservoirs or even moving parts comes at a huge advantage i.e. these printers can be sized into much smaller proportions. Also in terms of printing time, these printers are reportedly 4 to 10 times faster than their ink jet counterparts.

First of all, let’s look at the paper; that’s where the secret lies. Each sheet is imprinted with three crystalline layers - yellow, magenta and blue. These colors will only become visible when a certain heat temperature is reached. As the recurring costs of printing is moved to the paper itself, this will become a much cheaper option. Zink has also claimed that they can manufacture paper at a cheaper cost then regular paper and ink. (Click on the thumbnail for a larger image)

As the printers are cut down in size, Zink has managed to fit them into digital cameras too. As of date, Zink is coming out with two products. The first is a small standalone printer retailed at $199, and the other is a camera with a built in inkless printer for 2 x 3 pictures or 4 x 6 printing capability (Price is TBD).

Product [Zink] Via [Crave]

Last month TechCrunch reported this little gem that was, still in Private Beta. Now this online video encoder is available to the public, and you should be using it.

Hey!Watch, a French product, is dead simple, very functional and takes the load completely off your own computer - as an online product should.

What they’ve done is make it possible to upload your videos and then walk away, shut down or continue with your other activities without dealing with encoding. It’s all done on their side. Plus, there is not many formats these guys aren’t covering. From iPod and iRiver devices to DVD, VCD and every other video format you can think of, it’s just a matter of deciding.

Clever use of RSS means you can upload files via a feed and also view converted files through another feed. You may never actually have to visit the site!

Not only that, Hey!Watch has also gone ahead and allowed straight online video transfers. That means you can directly encode feeds from sites like YouTube, Google Video etc. and you won’t need to download the finished file until you have the format you are going to use!

They’ve covered almost every possibility from the aforementioned video sites to DailyMotion, Revver and everything in between. With the handy Bookmarklet or Firefox extension this is a one-click process.

The Free account allows for 10 monthly encoding sessions, a maximum video length of 10 mins, and no simultaneous transfers or encoding; enough to satisfy the casual user. If you need more, paid packages start from only $4.99 a month.

Via [TechCrunch] Product [Hey!Watch]