Techzium Gadgets has created virtual video glasses for your iPod, game device, DVD players or other devices with AV outputs. Called the I-Theater, it allows you to watch videos with 2 high resolution TFT QVGA displays up to 230K pixels. In addition to that, the 2 in-built earphones feature stereo sound quality. A one of a kind mobile entertainment unit, watching it will be the equivalent of viewing a 50″ big screen.

The price of the I-Theater is $239.99… not bad, considering real 50″ televisions costs close to $2000 or more. However, it does make one look little silly wearing it. To be used in a secluded area and in your own room only.

FEATURES

Read more

For a long time the only downside I could find with the iPod Nano was the lack of recording. It’s slim, looks good and functions fantastically; but as a bit of an audiophile, the exclusion of any way to record sounds was sorely missed.

XtremeMac, a company who makes various accessories for the iPod, have come up with the right kind of solution that is affordable, slim, and compatible.

This attachable recording device [for 2nd Gen Nano, also available for iPod Video] allows high-quality audio, 16-bit audio at 44 kHz, recording on a Nano. A low quality setting, of 22.05 kHz, can also be set. Recording straight to MP3 format would have been nice.

All controls come from the iPod itself, using the iPod display, recording with any audio input device that fits the standard headphone jack size, 3.5mm-plug.

The MicroMemo comes in black and white and costs $59.95.

Product [XtremeMac]

When DirecTV announced that they would be adding 100 new HD channels to their programming line-up this year I nearly jumped out of my seat. Having just purchased my first HDTV I’m pretty psyched about any new little tidbit of programming that I can get. The Discovery Channel is nice, but I need a little more variety.

However, an explosion at the Sea Launch platform may delay these new channels coming to a DirecTV dish near you.

The explosion did not involve the launch of a DirecTV satellite and, thankfully, no one seems to have been hurt in the explosion. However, DirecTV 11, one of the new satellites slated to offer these new HD channels, is scheduled to launch from this same platform this summer.

DirecTV 10, the second satellite, is slated for a land launch and should not be affected by the explosion. It remains to be seen if there will be a delay in launching DirecTV11.

There is another incident on record at this platform in March of 2000 with a successful launch following in July 2000. Hopefully, the repairs and review of the launcher will be done in time for the scheduled launch.

Read [DBSTalk]

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]

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]