Pocket-lint is also reporting there won’t be a touchscreen. You can, however, upload video that you take over Wi-Fi.

Clearly the iPod Nano and iPhone video availability is making things hard for Pure Digital by essentially stealing their entire market. This will definitely even things up, at least for the folks who already love their Flips. Expect great deals on non-WiFi models in the weeks to come.

Oh, I get it. It’s called “Shack” Friday at Radio Shack instead of Black Friday. Because “shack” sounds like “black” and “shack” is part of Radio Shack’s name. So basically, they just switched the two words around. I get it.

Know what else? The damn sale starts on Thursday! What a world! “Most stores open at 10 AM Thursday,” says the circular. And then they open at 5:30 in the morning on Friday! That’s Shack-rilege! See how I worked the name of the store into that one?

UPDATE: Radio Shack’s PR team was kind enough to send over high-resolution images of the national circular. Here are the links to the images:

Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3

Anyhoo, here’s the good stuff. Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk.

Automotive

Gigaware Car Charger for iPod – $10.00

Sirius Stratus 5 Dock & Play Radio + Car Kit – $29.99

XM onyX Satellite Radio – $59.99

Blank Media

25-Pack of Gigaware 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

50-Pack Of Gigaware 52X CD-R – B1G1F

Gigaware 25 Pack of 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

Gigaware 50 Pack of 52X CD-Rs – B1G1F

Cell Phones

BlackBerry Curve 8520 (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Gigaware High Power Docking Speaker For iPod – $49.99

LG Xenon Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Motorola CLIQ w/Motoblur (w/2-Year Agreement) – $79.99

Motorola i776 Cell Phone – $69.99

Nokia 2720 No-Contract Mobile Phone – $9.99

Palm Pixi Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Palm Pre Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Plantronics E210 Bluetooth Headset – $19.99

Samsung Impression Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $29.99

Samsung Instinct S30 Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Samsung Mantra Cell Phone – $29.99

Snap-On Covers for iPhone 3G or Blackberry Curve 8300 – $9.99

Computer Accessories

Gigaware 1.3MP Webcam w/Microphone – $14.99

Gigaware 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System – $10.00

Gigaware Folding Notebook Cooling Pad – $10.00

Gigaware VoIP USB Headset – $10.00

Gigaware Wireless Optical Mouse – $12.99

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – $19.99

Netbook Accessory Bundle (USB Hub, Mouse, Earbuds, Cooling Pad) – $29.99

Pinnacle Ultra-Compact USB HDTV Tuner – $39.99

Computers

Acer 11.6″ Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor Z520, 2GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive – $249.99

Acer 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor, 4GB Memory, 320 Hard Drive – $399.99

Digital Cameras

Buy Any $89.99 Camera In This Ad, Receive a Free Polaroid Pogo Mobile Printer – $0.00

Casio Exilim 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera Gift Bundle – $89.99

Kodak MD81 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $99.99

Nikon S220 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $129.99

Olympus 12 Megapixel 7x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera – $149.99

Vivitar 8.1 Megapixel 2x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $49.99

Digital Media Cards

Sandisk 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo – $9.99

Sandisk 2GB Type-M xD-Picture Card – $9.99

Sandisk 4GB MicroSDHC Card – $9.99

Sandisk Standard SDHC Card – $9.99

DVD Players

Memorex Upconverting DVD Player – $29.99

Samsung BD-1600A Blu-ray Disc Player – $149.99

Electronics

Casio 32 Mini-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery 54-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery Kids Digital Camcorder – $39.99

Emerson Portable CD+G Karaoke Player – $29.99

Gigaware 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99

Gigaware Micro Projector – $99.99

MagicJack VoIP Kit – $29.99

Motorola 4-Pack of 2-Way FRS Radios – $29.99

Panasonic DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone System w/4 Headsets – $69.99

Pandigital 10.1″ Digital Photo Frame – $79.99

Sanyo 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $169.99

Skullcandy Headphones – $9.99

USB Turntable – $79.99

Vivitar 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $69.99

GPS Systems

Garmin Nuvi 255W 4.3″ Widescreen GPS – $119.99

Garmin Nuvi 265WT 4.3″ GPS w/Free Lifetime Traffic Updates – $169.99

Mio 4.3″ M400 GPS – $79.99

TomTom XL 330S GPS w/Free Dash Mount – $99.99

Hard Drives

Iomega 320GB Portable Hard Drive – $49.99

Miscellaneous

5×7″ Recordable Talking Picture Frame – $10.00

Duracell Color Charger w/2 AA Rechargeable Batteries – $10.00

Enercell Holiday Bettery Tin – $9.99

ESPN GameDay Universal 4-in-1 Remote – $10.00

Gigaware 1.5″ Digital Photo Keychain – $10.00

Gigaware Crystal Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Laser Etched Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Retractable Rapid Home Charger for iPod/iPhone – $10.00

RadioShack 25-Piece Mini Tool Kit – $10.00

RadioShack 4.3″ GPS Soft Case – $14.99

RadioShack GPS Home AC Charger – $14.99

RadioShack Weather Cube Radio – $10.00

Rechargeable Spotlight – $10.00

Swiss+Tech Micro-Max 19-in-1 Tool Kit – $10.00

MP3 Players

8GB iPod Touchw/$20 GC – $199.99

Gigaware 2GB MP3 Player – $19.99

Gigaware 4GB MP3 Player – $39.99

Gigaware MP3 Accessory Kit – $9.99

iHome Computer Stereo Speakers w/Dock for iPid – $29.99

iLive 2.1 Home Theater Upconverting DVD System w/Dock for iPod – $99.99

iPod 8GB Nano w/$15 GC – $149.99

iPod Accessory Kit – $30.00

Sansa 2GB Clip Plus Music Player w/1000 Song Music Card – $49.99

Sound Bar w/Dock for iPod – $69.99

Networking

Netgear WNR1000 Wireless-N 150 Router – $34.99

Portable USB Storage

Sandisk 2GB USB Flash Drive – $4.99

Sandisk 4GB USB Flash Drive – $9.99

Televisions

AOC 22″ 720P LCD HDTV – $199.99

Auvio 3.5″ Pocket Digital TV – $79.99

Auvio 7″ Portable TV – $119.99

Samsung 32″ LCD HDTV – $399.99

Video Games

DualShock 3 PS3 Wireless Controler – $29.99

Gigaware Recharging Station for Nintendo Wii – $12.99

Nyko Wand for Nintendo Wii – $24.99

V.Motion Game Console – $34.99

Xbox 360 Elite System w/$60 Cash Back & 2 Games (Lego Batman and Pure) – $299.99

Radio Shack Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

More Black Friday deals…

It’s here. Best Buy’s Black Friday ad is here. Stores open at 5AM and Best Buy will “pass out tickets for our Doorbuster Specials up to two hours before 5 a.m. store opening,” according to the circular. That means no running, probably. You can still do that thing where you walk really fast and sort of skip a little bit, but no running.

Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk.

Automotive

Alpine 50-Watt x 4-Channel Car Stereo – $99.99

Pioneer 50 Watt x 4-Channel Car Stereo & Speaker Pair – $89.99

Cell Phones

AT&T Sony Ericsson W518a – Free w/2 Year Contract *

BoostMobile Motorola Clutch i465 – $59.99

DLO Jam Jacket For iPhone – $9.99

Jabra BT-2080 Bluetooth Headset – $19.99

LG Chocolate Touch From Verizon w/Two Year Activation – $0.00 *

MiFi 2200 By Novatel Wireless w/Two Year Activation – $0.00

Mobile Broadband Card 598U By Sierra Wireless w/Two Year Activation – $0.00

Motorola H710 Noise-Canceling Bluetooth Headset – $39.99

Motorola S9 HD Stereo Bluetooth Headset – $49.99

Net10 Samsung T401G – $39.99

Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8330 Smart Phone – Free w/2 Year Contract

Sprint Samsung Instinct S30 – Free w/2 Year Contract

T-Mobile Motorola Renew Phone – $7.99

Verizon Wireless DROID – $199.99 w/2 Year Contract

Verizon Wireless Motorola Rival – Free w/2 Year Contract *

Virgin Mobile Kyocera X-tc – $49.99

Computer Accessories

Logitech C250 Webcam – $19.99

Logitech V450 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse – $24.99

Rocketfish AC Power Adapter – $39.99

Computers

Compaq Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive – $179.99

Compaq Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive – $229.99

Dell 10.1″ Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive – $379.99

eMachines Desktop w/AMD Athlon Processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB HD, Windows 7, w/18.5″ LCD Monitor and HP Deskjet Printer – $299.97

HP 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual Core Processor M500, 6GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 – $599.99

HP 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual Core Processor M500, 8GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 – $699.99

Macbook 13.3″ Notebook w/2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB Hard Drive, w/$150 Gift Card – $999.99

Sony 15″ Laptop w/Intel Dual Core Processor, 4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 – $399.99

Sony 15″ Laptop w/Intel Dual Core Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, Windows 7, Sony Headphones, Built-In Blu-ray Player, Blu-ray Movie – $479.97

Toshiba 16″ Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 3GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB Hard Drive (Model # L505-S5984) – $399.99

Toshiba 16″ Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4GB DDR3 Memory, 320GB Hard Drive (Model # L505-S5984) w/Printer and Case – $499.97

Digital Cameras

Canon EOS Rebel Tli D-SLR Camera w/18-55mm IS Lens – $699.99

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Grey) – $149.99

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Teal) – $149.99

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case (Grey) – $179.99

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case (Teal) – $179.99

Canon Rebel Tli Camera w/55-250mm IS Telephoto Lens and Lowepro D-SLR Bag – $849.97

Fujifilm Finepix Z37 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case – $149.97

Fujifilm Finepix Z37 Polka Dot 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $119.99

Insignia 720p HD Camcorder – $69.99

Insignia NS-DSC10A 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Pink) – $49.99 *

Insignia NS-DSC10B 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Blue) – $49.99 *

Kodak EasyShare C140 Digital Camera With 7″ Kodak Digital Photo Frame – $109.99

Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera – $299.99

Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case – $329.97

Nikon Coolpix S60 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Red) – $179.99

Nikon Coolpix S60 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case – $209.97

Nikon D3000DX 10.2 Megapixel D-SLR Digital Camera w/10-55mm and 55-200mm Lens and Bag – $599.97

Nikon D3000DX 10.2 Megapixel D-SLR Digital Camera w/10-55mm VR Lens – $499.99

Sony Cybershot W180 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera (Black) – $99.99

Sony Cybershot W180 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Flexpod and Camera Case – $119.97

Digital Media Cards

PNY 4GB Flash Drive – $9.99

PNY 4GB MicroSD HD Memory Card – $9.99

PNY 4GB SDHC Memory Card – $9.99

Sandisk 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo – $14.99

Sandisk 8GB MicroSDHC Memory Card – $19.99

Sandisk 8GB SD Card – $19.99

DVD Players

Insignia Blu-ray Disc Player (Model # NS-BRDVD3) – $99.99

Samsung BD-P4600 Blu-ray Disc Player – $279.99

Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Player – $149.99

Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc Player – $149.99

Electronics

2GB Pulse Smartpen w/$30 Gift Card – $169.99

Bose In-Ear Headphones – $89.99

Canon Vixia HD HF20 Camcorder – $499.99

Canon Vixia HD HF20 Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & 8″ HDMI Cable – $599.97

Dynex 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99

iHome Portable Alarm Clock Speaker iPod Dock – $39.99

Insignia 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $44.99

Logitech Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote – $39.99

Panasonic DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone System w/3 Handsets – $59.99

Pandigital 9″ Digital Photo Frame – $59.99

Sony DCR-SR47 Handycam Camcorder – $249.99

Sony DCR-SR47 Handycam Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & Bag – $299.97

Sony DCR-SX40 Handycam Camcorder – $199.99

Sony DCR-SX40 Handycam Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & 8GB Memory Stick – $259.97

Sony Reader Pocket Edition w/$30 Gift Card – $199.99

Sony Studio Monitor Headphones – $9.99

VTech DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone System w/2 Handsets – $44.99

GPS Systems

Garmin GPS Friction Mount – $14.99

Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Navigation System – $99.99 *

Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation System – $129.99

Lowepro Black Neoprene Sleeve – $7.99

Magellan SE4 GPS – $89.99

Tom Tom 540S Portable GPS Navigation System – $149.99

Tom Tom GO 730 Portable GPS Navigation System – $174.99

Hard Drives

LG External Slim Portable USB 2.0 DVD Drive – $49.99

Western Digital 1.5TB My Book Home Edition External Hard Drive – $119.99

Western Digital 500GB My Passport Elite Portable Hard Drive Titanium – $79.99

Western Digital WDTV Media Player – $74.99

Home Theater

4″ Monster Cable 700 Series HDMI Cable – $49.99

Init Cherry Wood Stand With Mount For TVs Up To 46″ – $99.99

Init Cherry Wood w/Black Glass Shelves TV Stand – $149.99

Klipsch Icon 2-Way Triple 5.25″ Floorstanding Speaker – $186.99

Klipsch Icon 2-Way Triple 6.5″ Floorstanding Speaker – $236.99

Samsung 5.1 Channel 1000W Home Theater System With Blu-ray Disc Player – $399.99

Sony 5.1 Channel 1000W Home Theater System – $279.99

Sony 7.1 Channel 770-Watt A/V Receiver – $279.99

Tilting Wall Mount For 30″-56″ Flat-Panel TVs – $99.99

Monitors

Acer 20″ HD LCD Monitor (Model # X203H) – $79.99

Dell 20″ HD LCD Monitor (Model # S2009W) – $99.99

MP3 Players

3 $10 iTunes Gift Cards – $25.00

8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano (Black) + Wall Charger & Case – $159.97

8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano (Blue) + Wall Charger & Case – $159.97

8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano (Pink) + Wall Charger & Case – $159.97

8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano (Purple) + Wall Charger & Case – $159.97

8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano (Silver) + Wall Charger & Case – $159.97

Apple 8GB iPod Touch 3rd Generation w/$30 Gift Card – $199.99

Bose Sound-dock Series II Digital Music System – $269.99

Power Pack for iPod/iPhone – $19.99

Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Black) – $44.99

Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Blue) – $44.99

Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Red) – $44.99

Networking

Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router w/4-Port Switch (Model # WRT160N) – $59.99

NetGear Wireless N Router (Model # WNR2000-100NAS) – $49.99

Portable USB Storage

Sandisk Cruzer 8GB USB Flash Drive – $19.99

Printers

$10 Gift Card With Any $40 Ink Purchase – $0.00

Epson Stylus NX110 Multifunction Printer – $24.99

HP Photosmart C4795 Wireless Multifunction Printer – $64.99

Software

Instant Immersion Spanish Software – $19.99

Microsoft Office Home And Student 2007 – $69.99

Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements – $74.99

Televisions

Dynex 19″ 720p LCD HDTV (Model # DX-L19-10A) – $149.99

Dynex 32″ 720p LCD HDTV (Model # DX-L321-10A) – $299.99 *

Dynex 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Model # DX-L40-10A) – $499.99

Insignia 42″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV (Model # NS-L42Q120-10A) – $699.99 *

LG 32″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Model # 32LH30-UA) – $439.99

Panasonic Viera 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV (Model # TC-P50U1) w/Blu-ray Disc Player (Model # DMP-BD60K) – $999.98

Samsung 32″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Model # LN32B530P7F) – $497.99

Samsung 32″ 720p LCD HDTV (Model # LN32B360C5D) – $397.99

Samsung 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Model # LN40B500P3FXZA) – $597.99

Samsung 42″ 720p Plasma HDTV (Model # PN42B400P3DXZA) – $547.99

Samsung 46″ 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV (Model # UN4686000VF) – $1599.99 *

Samsung 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV (LN46B500P3FXZA) – $847.99

Samsung 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV (Model # PN50B530S2F) – $897.99

Samsung 50″ 720p Plasma HDTV (Model # PN50B430P2D) – $697.99

Sony 32″ 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Model # KDL32L504) – $377.99

Sony 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Model # KDL40S504) – $662.99

Sony 46″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Model # KDL465504) – $852.99

Video Games

$20 Gift Card w/Any DSi Game System Purchase – $0.00

Assassins Creed (PC Game) – $19.99

Bash Party (Wii) – $14.99

Bioshock (PC Game) – $19.99

Bolt (DS Game) – $9.99

Brutal Legend (PS3) – $34.99 *

Brutal Legend (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Call of Juarex (PS3) – $19.99

Call of Juarez (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Civilization IV (PC Game) – $19.99

Cooking Mama (DS Game) – $9.99

Cooking Mama (Wii) – $14.99

Crash (DS Game) – $9.99

Dragon Age (PS3) – $34.99 *

Dragon Age (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Excite Bots Trick Racing (Wii) – $14.99

Fallout 3 (PS3) – $19.99

Fallout 3 (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Family Game Night (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Far Cry 2 (PC Game) – $4.99

FIFA Soccer 10 (PS3) – $34.99 *

FIFA Soccer 10 (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Guinness World Records (DS Game) – $9.99

Hawx (PS3) – $19.99 *

Hawx (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Left 4 Dead 2 (PS3) – $34.99 *

Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Madagascar 2 Escape From Africa (Wii) – $14.99

Madden 10 (PS3) – $34.99 *

Madden 10 (XBox 360) – $34.99 *

Marker Man (DS Game) – $9.99

Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Wii) – $14.99

My Sims Kingdom (Wii) – $9.99

My Word Coach (DS Game) – $9.99

NBA Live 09 (Wii) – $9.99

NBA Live 10 (PS3) – $34.99 *

NBA Live 10 (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Need For Speed: Shift (PS3) – $34.99 *

Need For Speed: Shift (XBox 360) – $34.99 *

NHL 10 (PS3) – $34.99 *

NHL 10 (Xbox 360) – $34.99 *

Nintendo DSi Brain Age Bundle (White) w/$20 Gift Card – $169.99

Nintendo DSi Mario Bundle (Metallic Blue) w/$20 Gift Card – $169.99

Pikmin Classic (Wii) – $14.99

Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii) – $9.99

Resident Evil 5 (PS3) – $19.99

Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Riddick (PS3) – $19.99

Riddick (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Slots (PC Game) – $19.99

Sonic Chronicles The Dark Brotherhood (DS Game) – $9.99

Sony PlayStation 3 Package w/120GB Console, Little Big Planet, and Ratchet And Clank – $299.99 *

Spyro (DS Game) – $9.99

Stalker (PC Game) – $4.99

Sudoku Ball (DS Game) – $9.99

The Bigs 2 (PS3) – $19.99

The Bigs 2 (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Wii Sports Snowboard (Wii) – $14.99

Wii Sports (Wii) – $9.99

World Of Warcraft (PC Game) – $4.99

Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Bundle w/Four Pack Game Set – $299.99

BestBuy Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

More Black Friday deals…

Short Version: As the owner of an iPod touch (2G), I was happy to give this case/stand a spin on my recent trip over to Ireland. Generally speaking, the case provided adequate protection of the touch (albeit leaving the top and bottom slightly exposed), was very handy for watching videos on the plane, and worked great for transforming the touch into a bedside alarm clock. With a MSRP of $34.95, I’d love to see the price come down a touch (zing!), but overall, the idox Traveler Series is a respectable case/stand combo choice.

Longer Version: As anyone who regularly flies the not-so-friendly-skies knows, airplanes seem to be caught in some sort of infinite “shrinking” vortex. I swear. Every time I get to my assigned seat, it’s smaller than the last flight…

Anyways, we’re here to talk about something more important than the failing flailing airline industry – a new iPod case from idox. Known as the Traveler Series, the case/stand is available for the iPhone (3G / 3GS – $34.95), iPod nano (4G – $24.95), and the iPod touch (2G / 3G – $34.95).

Construction: Think of the case as a hard plastic portfolio, of sorts, for your iThing. The construction of the case/stand is very solid, providing more than adequate protection for the screen and device in general when traveling inside a pocket/briefcase/backpack/etc. The touch sorta snaps into place and stays there thanks to the embedded rubber design. When transformed into a stand, there are some nice rubber stoppers on the bottom to prevent the whole thing from sliding off your tray table (or other flat surface).

Cons: The idox Traveler Series is definitely not perfect. For starters, the snug-fitting case is rather difficult to pry open. Yes, PRY. The lid snaps into place very securely, but is challenging to open without torquing the bottom (or top) corner. (In the grand scheme, this isn’t a deal breaker since it errs on the side of over protection.)

Another downside is the exposed top and bottom of the iPod touch. The way the case is designed (above) allows for easy access to the iPod dock connector, headphone jack, and the top power switch. However, because of the nature of the design, the exposed areas could potentially be damaged.

It is also important to note that the physical volume controls on the side of the Pod are rendered useless while in the case. Although, this is not that big a deal since there are onscreen touch volume controls, but still can be annoying in certain situations.

Finally, it would be really nice if future generations could include multiple angle options for better and more adaptable stand use. While on the plane, when the guy in front of me put his seat back, I would have loved to be able to change the angle on the stand to compensate for my new viewing situation.

Pros: With all that said, the idox Traveler Series does have some nice things going for it. For one thing, it is actually made pretty well. The case’s solid construction provides adequate protection for the screen, sides, and back of touch. Also, the touch stays securely in place once you “snap” it in.

Although I complained about “the snug-fitting” case above, there is a definite plus side to this attribute as well – the touch inside the case fits in my jeans pocket with no trouble. And finally, the fact that it is an all-in-one case/stand, which offers both protection AND more comfortable video viewing, is clearly the biggest selling point here.

Conclusion: After all is said and done, the Traveler Series case/stand definitely has its utility and some redeeming qualities. At $34.95 it’s definitely not priced very attractively, but I have to say, having any kind of stand for the iPod touch on a long flight really makes all the difference in the world. If it happens to protect the screen and still fit in my pocket as this idox case does, then that’s not such a bad thing either.

iPhone case/stand

iPod nano case/stand

Well, well, well. If it isn’t Target’s Black Friday ad? Let’s see what’s inside, shall we? Oh my, hello there 32-inch HDTV for $246. How do you do?

Stores open at 5AM on Black Friday. Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk and are good “while supplies last,” according to the circular.

Digital Cameras

Kodak ZD15 Digital Camera – $129.00

Nikon CoolPix S203 Digital Camera – $88.00

Polaroid V130 2″ Color LCD Camcorder – $39.00

Digital Media Cards

Lexar Media 4GB microSDHC Card With 50 Free Song Downloads – $10.00 *

Lexar Media 4GB SDHC Card With 50 Free Song Downloads – $10.00 *

DVD Players

Memorex Compact DVD Player With Progressive Scan – $19.99

RCA 7 Inch Dual Screen Portable DVD Player With Car Adapter – $88.00

RCA 7 Inch Portable DVD Player – $47.00

Sony Blu-Ray Player With Free $20 Gift Card – $149.99

Electronics

Casio Keyboard With Stand And Song Book – $49.99

Digital Decor Color LCD Key Chain Holds 48 Pictures – $10.00 *

First Act Electronic Drum Set – $35.00

GE 6 Foot HDMI Cable – $9.99 *

Memorex Home Audio System For iPod – $49.99

GPS Systems

Garmin Nuvi 1350T GPS System – $179.00

TomTom XL340S GPS With Case – $97.00

Hard Drives

Western Digital Elements 1TB Desktop Hard Drive – $59.98

Western Digital Elements 500GB Portable Hard Drive – $59.98

Miscellaneous

$10 Gift Card With Any $100 In Store Purchase – $0.00 *

3-Slot Charging Station – $14.99

MP3 Players

$15 Gift Card With Any Apple 8GB iPod Nano Purchase – $0.00

$30 Gift Card With Any Apple 32GB iPod Touch Purchase – $0.00

Apple 32GB iPod Touch With Free $30 Gift Card – $295.00

Apple 8GB iPod Nano With Free $15 Gift Card – $145.00

Photos

Digital Decor 7 Inch Digital Photo Frame – $29.00

Portable USB Storage

Lexar Media 4GB Twist And Turn USB Drive With 50 Free Song Downloads – $10.00 *

Televisions

Apex 40″ Full HD LCD TV – $449.00 *

Haier 7 Inch Portable Digital TV – $79.99

Westinghouse 32″ LCD HDTV – $246.00

Video Games

$10 Gift Card With Select Video Game Purchases – $0.00

$20 Gift Card With Any DSi System Purchase – $0.00 *

$50 Gift Card With Any Call Of Duty Super Elite XBOX 360 System Bundle – $0.00

$50 Gift Card With Any XBOX 360 120GB Elite Game System Bundle Purchase – $0.00

Animal Crossing Wii Video Game – $27.00

Assassins Creed II PS3 Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Assassins Creed II XBOX 360 Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Batman PS3 Video Game – $37.00

Batman XBOX 360 Video Game – $37.00

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare PS3 Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare XBOX 360 Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Call Of Duty Super Elite XBOX 360 System Bundle With $50 Gift Card – $399.99

Call Of Duty Wii Video Game – $27.00

Cooking Mama DSi Video Game – $17.00

DSi Game System With Free $20 Gift Card – $169.99 *

Guitar Hero 5 Wii Video Game – $37.00

Halo 3 ODST XBOX 360 Video Game – $37.00

Hannah Montana DSi Video Game – $17.00

iCarly DSi Video Game – $17.00

Littlest Pet Shop DSi Video Game – $17.00

Need For Speed Nitro Wii Video Game – $27.00

Personal Trainer Cooking Game For DSi Video Game – $7.00

PS3 Black DualShock Controller – $39.00 *

Rock Band PS3 Video Game – $7.00

Shaun White PS3 Video Game – $7.00

Shaun White XBOX 360 Video Game – $7.00

Shift PS3 Video Game – $37.00

Shift XBOX 360 Video Game – $37.00

Sim Animals Wii Video Game – $27.00

Star Wars Clone Wars PS3 Video Game – $37.00

Star Wars Clone Wars XBOX 360 Video Game – $37.00

Super Squad DSi Video Game – $17.00

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Wii Video Game – $27.00

Ultimate Alliance 2 PS3 Video Game – $37.00

Ultimate Alliance 2 Wii Video Game – $37.00

Ultimate Alliance 2 XBOX 360 Video Game – $37.00

Video Rocker Extreme 2 Chair – $29.98

Wii Mario And Sonic Olympics Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Wii Music Wii Video Game – $27.00

Wii Nerf Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

Wii Play Remote Bundle – $39.00 *

Wii Sports Resort Video Game With $10 Gift Card – $59.99

XBOX 360 120GB Elite Game System Bundle With $50 Gift Card – $299.99

XBOX 360 Black Controller – $39.00 *

Target Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

More Black Friday deals…

And there won’t be ANY sex in it.

From the product page.

Disney Princess USB Web Cam is not only a Mirror, but also a web camera. Now, you can always look beautiful when you are videoconferencing with your friend. The mirror contains 7 LED lights surrounding. When it gets the connection, the LED lights and sound will be turned on. It can also be used as a spy web cam since it looks like a funny gadget more than a webcam.

The processors range in speed from 1-2GHz and all feature an 800MHz frontside bus.

According to VIA’s press release:

“Based on the 64-bit superscalar ‘Isaiah’ architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.”

The new processors are currently available to system builders and are expected to show up in retail markets in the first quarter of next year, presumably to take on Intel’s upcoming line of PineTrail processors.

Here’s the full press release:

VIA Introduces New VIA Nano 3000 Series Processors

VIA’s fastest and most power efficient processors yet deliver richest mobile and all-in-one desktop computing experience

Taipei, Taiwan, 3 November 2009 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms,　today introduced its new VIA Nano 3000 Series processors, bringing enhanced digital media performance and lower power consumption to Windows 7 thin and light notebook and all-in-one desktop PC markets.

Based on the 64-bit superscalar ‘Isaiah’ architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.

With a host of advanced features including 64-bit support, advanced CPU virtualization technology, SSE4 for enhanced multimedia processing, and the industry-leading encryption and security capabilities integrated in the VIA PadLock™ Security Engine, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors also provide a secure, high-performance solution for emerging cloud-based computing environments.

“With the VIA Nano 3000 Series, we are launching our fastest and most power-efficient processors yet,” commented Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Coupled with our market-leading digital media chipsets, they enable the richest experience across a broad range of mobile and all-in-one system designs.”

VIA Nano 3000 Series
VIA Nano 3000 Series processors are built on the successful 64-bit, superscalar architecture that powers the VIA Nano 1000 Series and 2000 Series processors, which have been adopted by leading OEMs worldwide for a growing number of market-leading mini-note, small form factor desktop, and energy-efficient server designs.

Available at speeds from 1.0GHz to 2.0GHz, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver up to 20% higher performance using up to 20% less power than current VIA Nano processors and boast a number of new features including support for the SSE4 multimedia instruction set and VIA VT virtualization technology.

Fully compatible with all Microsoft operating systems, including the new Windows 7, as well as all popular Linux distributions, the VIA Nano 3000 Series processors use the NanoBGA2 package, making them pin-to-pin compatible with VIA Nano 1000 Series, VIA Nano 2000 Series, VIA C7, VIA C7-M and VIA Eden processors for easy upgrades of existing designs.

VIA Nano 3000 Series Availability
VIA Nano 3000 Series processor samples are currently available for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and will enter mass production in Q1 2010.

A while back I was at AMD’s overclocking challenge, and for shooting video I had a Kodak Zx1 and a Casio Exilim FC-100 for slow motion. Both are great cameras, but 720p on either one is a bit indistinct, and the Zx1 has a fixed focus lens, which makes up-close shots difficult. Vince from SlashGear had a pistol-grip Sanyo, which I had dismissed before as gimmicky, but having gotten a chance to handle it, I decided I liked it and would pick up the next generation when they came out. Well, they came out a while back and I’ve been using it since. And now I’m reviewing it.

There are a few cameras like this one, so let’s be clear: I’m talking about the CG10, which is sort of the lowest-end Sanyo you can get. 720p is its maximum resolution, which is more than enough for any home video or web media. They make a big deal about how “It’s a Dual Camera! Photos & Videos” but really now, camcorders have been taking pictures for years and years, and I don’t advise doing it if you don’t have to.

Build and layout

The CG10 differs from many other cheap camcorders and pocketcams in that it actually has a real lens. It’s far from a real real lens, but it’s not the fixed-focus pinhole crap you see on Flips, Kodaks, and Nanos. This means it has a 5x optical zoom and better light sensitivity than those other options, at the cost of a slightly larger size.

The CG10 is about the size of a large mouse, just to give you a general idea. It feels pleasantly weighty and is well-balanced. Remember, this isn’t a pocket camcorder, it’s merely compact; it’s certainly small enough to bring everywhere, but unlike a Flip (or an iPod Nano, I suppose) it’s not a front-pocket kind of thing. Though it does sit comfortably in your back pocket if your pants aren’t too tight. Just don’t sit down on it.

As you can see in the pictures, it’s got a nice little 3″ flip-out LCD, which is bright and reasonably sharp. Controls are all situated for your thumb to operate; your other fingers have nothing to do but grip. This works pretty well once you get the layout down. The menu layout is the normal sort of thing, though I have to say I searched for ages for a way to delete things on camera before I realized that the “menu” button was taking me to the wrong place. The usual options are there, with several choices for exposure control, stabilization, and face tracking.

Quality and features

One feature I found extremely handy was the manual focus mode. For keeping a device in focus while I or my hand move in and out of the shot, it’s invaluable. I used it (to great effect) in my Zune HD and Sleek SA-6 reviews. Its macro mode focuses down to 1cm, which is fantastic for getting close-ups of components, plus it gives a great depth of field effect. I found the autofocus to be a bit slow in general (though accurate), so I use manual whenever I can.

For a $200 camera, I found color and sharpness to be good, though the small sensor and major compression mean motion will always be kind of smeary. Of course if you whip it back and forth you’ll get that wobbly skew action, but that’s something you can avoid. Exposure was pretty decent, and you can select center-weighted or spot, but not manual. Low light performance is nothing to write home about, but again we’re talking about a $200 camera here. Make sure you have your lights on or you’ll be seeing noise.

Sound is pretty basic, and the microphones are located on the back of the LCD, which is good if you’re filming the thing creating the sound. Bad if you’re filming yourself and you have reversed the LCD so you can make sure you’re in frame. I didn’t have any issue with the sound other than the fact that it was about as medium-quality as you can expect from a budget device.

Battery life seemed normal for a small camcorder with no moving parts. The battery is removable and comes with a charger, as you might expect. No surprises here.

File sizes are manageable. I set it immediately to the highest quality and a 22-second video took up 25MB, for reference. 640×480 should be about half that, though it will also shoot 640×480 at 60FPS, which obviously will take up more space. It uses H.264 and the files are MP4. It has a tiny amount of internal space (40MB) so you’ll be shooting to SD. One annoying thing I found was that the SD slot can’t be accessed without flipping the LCD up and consequently turning on the camera. Not a big deal but vexing nonetheless.

Bottom line

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 can be found for far less than $200, and I think at $200 it was already a good deal. It’s not pocketable, but in every other respect it bests the pocket-cam army. If you’re looking for a basic around-the-house camcorder, I highly recommend the CG10.

Here’s a little heads up on Target’s upcoming Sunday circular: if you buy any two Wii games at $50 or more, each, you’ll get a third game free from “a choice of over 80 Wii titles.” The deal will start this Sunday, November 1st, and run until next Saturday.

Starting this upcoming Tuesday, November 3rd, you can also get a Target GiftCard between $5 and $100 when you buy certain electronics items. Per Target’s PR team:

“Score big savings and get a free Target GiftCard (from $5 to $100), when you pick up the holiday’s hottest tech gadgets this week: Free $20 Target GiftCard with Flip Ultra pocket camcorder ($149.99), $25 Target GiftCard with Apple 32GB iPod Touch ($295), $10 Target GiftCard with 8GB iPod Nano ($145) and $5 Target GiftCard with 2GB iPod Shuffle ($55).”

That $100 gift card comes with the purchase of a $570 Canon DSLR and $200 lens but, hey, $100 is $100. You can also get a $20 gift card if you purchase the Band Hero bundle for $200, which is set to drop on Tuesday on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

That is all.

Well how do you like that? An old Sega SC-3000H from 1983 has been given new life as a fancy keyboard PC. An enterprising modder named Cuzza over in the TechPowerUp forums laid out $4 for the old-timey computer, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

The updated internal components include a VIA Nano-ITX board with 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, and a slot loading DVD/CDRW drive from an old iBook. Cuzza got the actual keyboard on the Sega PC to work, too.

All told, the project spanned at least a couple months. This recently-uploaded YouTube video details the ins and outs rather thoroughly:

[TechPowerUp via technabob]

ViewSonic dove headfirst into the ultraportable notebook game yesterday, with the announcement of the “ViewBook” line of 12-, 13-, and 14-inch low voltage machines.

The 13.3-inch ViewBook 130 (pictured above) looks to compete directly with Acer’s 3810-model Timeline offerings, while the 12-inch ViewBook 120 (video below) bears a striking physical resemblance to the Lenovo S12 series.

The ViewBook line was announced in Taiwan but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we would eventually see these machines in the U.S., since ViewSonic products are already represented reasonably well here.

The ViewBook 130 will be available in three different configurations ranging from $24,900 to $31,900 New Taiwan dollars, which is roughly $767 to $983 U.S. dollars. That’s not to say that we’d see those actual prices stateside — I’d guess they’d be lower than that in order to stay competitive, perhaps between $650 and $900 or so.

Specs for the ViewBook 130 line include:

• Intel ULV743 CPU at 1.3GHz, SU4100 at 1.3GHz, or SU7300 at 1.3GHz
• 13.3-inch screen with 1366×768 resolution
• 2GB of RAM
• 320GB hard drive
• HDMI/VGA output
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Six-cell battery good for up to 8 hours

The ViewBook 120:

• Intel SU2300 CPU at 1.3GHz
• 2GB of RAM
• 250GB hard drive
• VGA out, three USB ports
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Six-cell battery good for up to 8 hours

Pricing for the ViewBook 120 is pegged at around $22,000 New Taiwan Dollars, which is about $678 here. Again, though, that’s not to say that it’d be priced at $678 through U.S. retailers.

Not much info on the 14-inch ViewBook 140, although my guess is that it’s likely similar to the ViewBook 130 from a features standpoint.

[via NetbookNews.de (translated)]

The two-millimeter dash: self-explanatory.

Microassembly: Inserting micro-pegs into micro-holes (this can be a team excercise).

Freestyle: let your robot show off its abilities by performing any task you like. Robo-gong show.

Sounds kind of awesome to me. It’s actually a slightly different version of the RoboCup and its fun little Nanosoccer setup. I’m looking forward to the results, although this is all just another step on the path toward a robot-dominated planet. That’s cool, I’m resigned to it.

[via PhysOrg]

You set up the dock unit wherever you like, and attach a small transmitter to your iPhone or iPod, and voila! You’re connected to those speakers like it’s nobody’s business! The big selling point behind yAired is that it uses Linear PCM encoding. So unlike Bluetooth, it doesn’t compress the audio stream before flying it through the air. So you get to hear your compressed MP3s uncompressed. Yay.

The woofer is only rated to 60 Hz, so don’t expect a booming bass response. It supports all flavors of iPod (Phone, nano, classic, etc.). It’ll charge, playback, even let you control them with the included remote. My stereo system is centered around my computer, so listening from my iPod is something I only do on the subway. But if you really want one, you can pick it up at your local consumer electronics retailer in any of four fantastic colors for $299.95. 

Scientists from Argonne’s materials science division and Center for Nanoscale Materials along with scientists from Pennsylvania State University, University of Chicago and Cornell University used piezoresponse force microscopy, optical second harmonic generation and magnetometry to show ferroelectricity at and below room temperature and weak ferromagnetism below 120 Kelvin for polycrystalline FeTiO3 synthesized at high pressure.

120 Kelvin is -243 F, so it’s not likely that this material is going to find its way into the next generation of handheld electronics. But the research does open new avenues of exploration and innovation for “memory, sensors, actuators and other multifunctional devices by acting as magnetic switches when their electric fields are reversed.”

FeTiO3 is normally called ilmenite, but there’s no common name for the high pressure phase created by the scientists in this effort. If you want to geek out even more, enjoy reading the Wikipedia entries for ferromagnetic and ferroelectric, both of which describe the term in great detail, and both of which fail, completely, to provide a friendly way to describe the terms!

And for once, we are actually gravitating towards a couple unified standards in both encoding and resolution — and then Apple butts in with this ugly stepchild of a format.

Let me drop a few background truth bombs here first, and please do read this part, because it’s important, and math is fun.

Every new TV out there supports 720p. This is because it is an evolution from related to the VGA standard 640×480, recently employed by Apple for its Nano and iPhone video. VGA is perfectly good. But it’s also 4:3, which is something we’ve been moving away from for a while. It’s getting hard to find 4:3 screens; the new standard is 16:9. So to make a VGA-related HD standard, just double the horizontal pixels (you get 1280) and extend it downwards until you have a 16:9 aspect ratio — 720p, or 1280×720, appears as if by magic. It’s a good size, a good standard, and perfectly easy to work with. Cheap camcorders can record to it, and until recently it was even used (with better equipment of course) by Hollywood. Then you’ve got 1080p, which is 720p extended by 640 pixels horizontally and 360 pixels vertically (640×360 is VGA reduced to 16:9). These formats were chosen for a reason.

So between VGA, 720p, and 1080p, you have provided for mobile/medium-quality, high-quality consumer, and prosumer video needs. Dueling legacy codecs and wrappers notwithstanding (video editor compatibility still isn’t there), it’s actually a pretty picture, so to speak. There are a few weird resolutions out there for sure, but they are for things like 8-inch netbook screens or professional digital cinema footage like that from a RED. For 99% of consumers, the three standards I’ve just mentioned are everything they’ll need for years (we’re sort of plateauing as Blu-ray and digital distribution duke it out). You can buy a computer for the price of the camcorder that will edit 720p handily.

Now perhaps you understand my consternation some time ago when I found that iMovie ‘09 didn’t like to support the HD formats used all over the world. Sure, if you’re an expert you can get around the barrier’s they’ve put in your way, but the world isn’t full of experts and the result is that the average Joe’s footage gets re-encoded and he isn’t getting the HD quality he paid for. Fortunately, they fixed that and you can now export in true HD. So imagine my shock yesterday when Apple decided to pull an about-face and institutionalize this ridiculous limitation.

iFrame, and we can talk about the name in another post, sets in stone a size of video which has no place in this world. The idea is that it keeps the format homogenous from camera to editor. Really? Because that’s what all regular video editors do already. The only reason iMovie needs a special format is because of the limitations Apple placed on it. The size and workflow differences between iFrame and 720p are really not very significant. What’s my objection, then? I’ll tell you. Apple is ignoring the galaxy of products out there that already support a perfectly good format. Can you think of a single device, display, web page, or anything that has a 960×540 resolution?

Your TV is 720p or 1080p. You’ll have to stretch the video to make up the difference, and despite what you’ve heard about upscaling (it’s nice), more resolution is always better for definition. The first cameras to support iFrame, from Sanyo, look great. They shoot to 1080p, will do 12FPS stills, super-slow-motion video, and are all-around decent camcorders. And yet they default to iFrame. Let me say that again. Thousands will buy cameras capable of (and designed for) shooting 1080p, and Apple will have them defaulting to shooting at a quarter of that resolution. Joe Consumer won’t question it, and he’s not getting his money’s worth. Besides, with all the choice currently available, and the devices already far too complicated for the average user to utilize fully, adding yet another option (and suggesting it’s better when it’s not) is just irresponsible.

And before your mouth starts frothing in anticipation of a 960×540 resolution iTablet, rest assured that’s not the case. They’d be foolish not to support 720p since they’re going to capitalize on renting out HD TV shows, which are broadcast in 720p or 1080p.

In the end, I’m forced to accuse Apple of pure egotism. While simply having a 960×540 resolution option is in no way an issue — it’s just a resolution, after all — it’s attempting to make it a standard that’s a problem. There is nothing better, or indeed much different at all, about iFrame, save that it is slightly lower in quality than 720p and takes up somewhat less space (even that is questionable, as cameras differ widely in bitrates). By emphasizing its own format, which is inferior to the existing and popular standards, Apple only solving a problem of their own creation. Instead of fixing iMovie to work with the world, they’re trying to change the world to work with iMovie. I guess that’s kind of how Apple does things, but still.

Oh, I realize this is a bit of a mountain/molehill situation here, but I couldn’t let this ridiculous move pass without comment, and video format lunacy is a pet peeve of mine (hence the disproportionate rant you just skipped over). As much as I love Apple, this is indefensible, silly even. Even if it’s only a sort of technical quibble, it indicates a serious lack of reality checking on Apple’s part.

Update: Charles points out that that 720p and 1080p are not, in fact, descended from 640×480, but were arrived at independently. Seems like a mighty big coincidence that they’re 2x and 3x 640-wide, but he has the math to back it up (literally wrote the book on this topic). Whether they are descendants or not does not figure into the rest of the rant, but I appreciate the fact checking nonetheless.

Details are scant at the moment, and Fudzilla is quoting unnamed “industry sources” so take this news with a grain of salt even though it makes sense and probably isn’t that big of a stretch anyway.

The site is also positing that the ATI chip may be of the 28-nanometer variety but being that next generation consoles are apparently not due from Microsoft and Sony until 2012, GPUs by that time could be invisible and made out of unicorn horns and fueled by Sasquatch DNA for all anybody knows. It could happen!

ATI already won next gen Xbox deal [Fudzilla]

Thanks to John for sending this in.

It seems that Apple has such of thirst for flash memory (for use in its iPods, iPhones, maybe tablets, etc.) that it’s having a profound effect on the flash suppliers. Tighter supplies, uncertainty about where to go for more flash, etc. Apple gets most of its flash memory from Samsung, but other people get flash from Samsung, too, and now they’re all, “Um, hey Samsung, do you have any flash for us?” Then Samsung shrugs its shoulders, “Yeah, man, Apple just paid us $80 zillion for the lot of it. You’ll have to go somewhere else. Sorry.”

With Samsung so busy filling Apple orders, other companies have stepped in to fill the void. The biggest one is called IM Flash, based in Utah (of all places!).

How does affect you? I’m going to guess that it won’t affect you in the least. Where Apple (or Microsoft, or Dell, or YourFavoriteCompany) buys its flash should never cross your mind. I just found it interesting that Apple needs flash oh so bad that it’s freaking out other companies, and directly impacting their behavior. Oh, Apple. I like you better when you were the underdog.

via 9 to 5 Mac

The so-called Fukitorimushi (”wipe-up bug” in Japanese), a cleaning robot of a very special kind, has been around for quite a while now. But what was showcased recently during a tech exhibition in Tokyo was the newest version. And the thing is still creepy as hell.

What you see is basically a robotic pillow that can move around in closed rooms like an inchworm and cleans the floors by making use of the world’s first nano-level superfine polyester fiber it’s mainly made of. The cloth can absorb oil and pick up ultra-fine dust particles.

When the Fukitorimushi finds a dirty spot, it lights up red, starts rubbing the dirt away and moves on. It’s able to find its way back to the charging station by itself, too.

The Fukitorimushi was designed by Panasonic, and Japan-based chemicals company Teijin provided the nano technology. The question is now who would want such a robo pillow move around in the living-room.

Have a look at the video below to see how the thing works: