miShare enables iPod file swapping, Apple is so pleased

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Storage

There's virtually zero information on the company behind this, or about the actual workings of the device itself, but if this miShare thing could be pretty hot if its creators can get it to market -- and the word is that it's in production in China as we speak. The concept is straight forward enough, involving the little $100 miShare unit with dock connectors on each end, allowing for speedy file transfers from iPod to iPod. We've seen similar devices for traditional USB drives, but the iPod compatibility makes this a whole new ballgame. How exactly you select what gets transferred and what doesn't remains to be seen, but we know one thing for sure: Apple's not going to be happy about this, given its insistence on limiting your iPod to one library at a time. We can only hope that this spurs the company to get song sharing going on the iPhone and iPod touch sooner rather than later, but in the meantime it looks like we can have some fun swapping tracks in a physical fashion whenever this thing becomes available.

[Via Vanity Fair]

 

[via] Engadget

LG.Philips readying smudge-free computer displays

Filed under: Displays, Laptops

LG.Philips seems to never get bored with finding ways to better the displays our dear eyes scan so, so much, and we'll be straight up, it's hard not to get excited over its latest development. Apparently, the outfit has conjured up a method for ensuring that LCD panels resist smudges, and if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the technology should also enable the screen to shun dirt, dust, fingerprints and permanent ink. Essentially, the new panel "employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," but it isn't handing out any more secrets beyond that. Think you can handle even more good news? Mass production of said panels is slated for the first half of next year, so let the countdown to smudge-free mobile computing begin, eh?

[Image courtesy of Tuff-As-Nuts]

 

[via] Engadget

Leopard 10.5.1 is now available

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Leopard bugs got you down? Apple just pushed out its first update for the new OS, 10.5.1. It looks like it cures a whole laundry list of niggles with Leopard, including that nasty "potential data loss" issue with partitions in Finder. We heard about most of these fixes last week when the first build was seeded to developers, but there's a rundown of what actually made it after the break. Highlights include a fix to Time Machine drive limitations, a bunch of improvements to Finder's Shared Sidebar, and good old fashioned spanking of Mail.app's issues. Let us know if Apple didn't fix what ails you and we'll be sure to have our people talk to Steve's people.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Leopard 10.5.1 is now available

 

[via] Engadget

AT&T USBConnect 881 HSUPA card now available

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Those of you yearning to hop on AT&T's HSUPA highway with a card other than the recently unveiled AirCard 881 can finally spark up a celebration of your own, as AT&T is now deploying Sierra Wireless's USBConnect 881. As the title insinuates, this bugger connects to your Mac or PC via USB, weighs in at just 1.25-ounces and plays nice with tri-band HSPA and quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks. AT&T claims that your average download speed will range from 600kbps to 1.4Mbps, while the upload side will pretty much hover between 500kbps and 800kbps in HSUPA markets. Also of note is the included AT&T Communication Manager software, which comes pre-loaded on the card and "automatically installs" when first used on a Windows-based machine, saving you the trouble of fiddling with an install disc to get things up and running. Starting today, interested consumers can snatch the card up for $49.99 (after rebate) with a two-year DataConnect agreement of $59.99+ per month, or you can shell out $299.99 for the gizmo itself if contracts get you all hot and bothered.

 

[via] Engadget

Holiday Wii shortages expected in the UK

Filed under: Gaming

We already knew Nintendo was anticipating Wii shortages this holiday season, but it's just the beginning of November and UK retailers are already reporting dwindling supplies. While we're certain the problem is at least in part due ot what Nintendo cheerfully calls "unprecedented demand," it's a little ridiculous for there still to be supply issues a year after the Wii's launch. Come on Ninty, get crackin' -- that Vii is starting to look pretty tempting.

 

[via] Engadget

Nokia's patent-licensing case against Qualcomm dropped by Dutch court

Filed under: Cellphones

Last we heard from the seemingly endless Nokia / Qualcomm kvetch-fest, the former company was soliciting the ITC's help in barring US Qualcomm chip imports, but for those wishing on their lucky stars that this spat would simply vanish into the night, we've got marginally good news. Apparently, a trio of judges in a Dutch court ruled that it didn't have jurisdiction to rule on the phone maker's claims outside of The Netherlands, thus, the patent-licensing case against Qualcomm was dismissed. Aside from claiming that its "jurisdiction was limited," the court also stated that Nokia's gripe was "too broad to give a reasoned decision." Of note, a German court also dismissed the case just last month on "similar grounds," but if you were counting on Nokia to just take the news in stride, we doubt you'll be pleased to hear that it's already "considering if it will appeal the decision."

 

[via] Engadget

Creative sells 25 million MP3 players

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It's been a long and winding road, but Creative announced today that it's sold 25 million MP3 players since it first shipped the parallel port-only Nomad in 1999. While that's not quite as many players as a certain fruit company, it's still a pretty astonishing number, and it speaks to the giant shift that's taken place in how we all consume media here in the future. Although the competition has gotten stiffer lately, Creative's various Zen and MuVo players seem like they're still in the fight -- here's to another 25 million.

 

[via] Engadget