TechFodder

VIZIO is keeping the CE industry on its toes, launching even more products for the budget-conscious consumer. The company will soon start selling two universal remote controls, the XRT100 and the VUR9M.

If you're looking for a nice digital touchscreen, the XRT100 is designed to work with VIA-enabled TVs, as well as any legacy A/V component. It looks like the company is taking a page out of the Harmony playbook, offering one-touch access to multiple devices on its 3.5-inch LCD.

The VUR9M isn't as touchable, but it does have backlit volume and number keys so you don't fumble in the dark. It also comes pre-loaded with tons of IR codes for different devices.

The XRT100 has no release date, but the VUR9M should be available in March. VIZIO hasn't said a peep about pricing.

Years ago, we purchased noise-cancelling headphones from a very well known manufacturer. They were (and still are) a few hundred bucks. Now, we really can't put a price on blocking out plane chatter. However, Audio-Technica sure can -- and we like the price they're quoting us.

The company just announced the new ATH-ANC25 QuietPoint noise-cancelling on-ear headphones. The company says it should block 80 percent of crying babies, as well as the sounds of planes, trains and automobiles. Each earpiece has tiny microphones to sense the sounds -- and then block 'em.

While we love the whole Fantastic Voyage thing for our headset, what we truly can't resist is the $99.95 price tag. Expect the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC25 headphones to start selling next month.

Hey Genius, need to add RF capabilities to your remote? You could try to pull it apart and tweak until you singe off a fingerprint -- or you can get the NextGen Remote Extender Genius.

The unit takes any ordinary remote and adds in RF features. Just replace one of your remote's AA or AAA batteries with the NextGen battery transmitter and you can run around the house turning components on and off like a mental patient. It works up to 100 feet away, all without the need for line of sight. Also, it can control more than one remote with additional battery transmitters.

NextGen's Remote Extender Genius is shipping now for $69.95.

Is it a clock or a dock? That might be the age-old question -- if it was an important one. According to i4U, iLuv is releasing a customizable iPhone/iPod dock, known as the App Station. The customizable part comes in the form of an app, which you'll need to download to turn your portable into your favorite clock face. It sounds like a lot of effort to do something that's probably already on your nightstand, your wall and/or your wrist.

Still, it sure is pretty. Not sure we'd want to wake up in the middle of the night and see our lack of sacktime staring us in the face this big. However, it would be nice to read the time from down the hall.

Oh -- when you get tired of looking at the time, the dock can do the flippity-flop for movies or music. Now that's something we'd be willing to blow $130 on. Expect to see it start popping up in February.

Think the iPhone could make better pictures? It could soon -- if the web rumors are true.

Electronista and others are reporting that the next iPhone could be getting a 5-megapixel camera. The current model has 3.2 megapixels. Who could get by on that?

Naturally, Apple isn't confirming anything. However, OmniVision, who currently supplies the iPhone's camera goods, supposedly has orders.

If everything is correct, a new, better iPhone could be making you look out of date by the end of 2010.

Sony just announced its latest, greatest Walkman. Remember those?

Yeah, they still make 'em. Apparently, they've come a long way from your old bulky cassette player, too. The latest is called the X-series. It also goes by the NWZ-X1000. Both of those names are lame, but it's what's on the inside (and outside) that counts.

This new model will come packing a 3-inch OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) touchscreen, as well as Wi-Fi content. They also seem to have content deals with both Slacker and YouTube, because God forbid you be without cute kitty videos for five minutes.

Sony is now accepting pre-orders for the X-series Walkman, with delivery expected around mid-June. 16GB of fun will cost you $299; you can double that capacity for $100 more. -- Rachel Cericola

So you finally got the hang of your Flip camcorder, and now Pure Digital is pumping out two new models. The company just announced two additions to its line, the Flip Ultra ($149) and the Flip UltraHD ($199).

Both products give you two hours of recording, via two rechargeable AA batteries. Each one also has a 2-inch screen. The UltraHD boasts a 1280 x 720p HD resolution and an HDMI output. Also, the UltraHD has 8GB of memory; the Ultra comes with 4GB.

Both are available now, in either black or white. The standard Ultra also comes in yellow and pink. -- Rachel Cericola

Peek just announced an update to its original email-only device. Despite adding new features, though, Peek still only offers a peek at what your normal handheld delivers.

We're not sure who the target audience is for Peek. Grandmas? Kids that you don't want yapping all day on the phone? I am the biggest email addict on the planet, but I think any service that expects a monthly fee should deliver slightly more.

The biggest update is push, which means you'll get multiple email accounts on one device in an instant. They've also added support for Microsoft Exchange, Word and PDFs. Other new features include search, a larger font size (grandma!), and apps for weather, news and maps.

Peek is selling the Pronto for $80. However, you'll have to spend another $17 per month for the Peek service. If you want to take a peek at Peek, you can blow $50 on its predecessor for a trial spin. -- Rachel Cericola

When I blow my nose, it sounds like the Tower of Power horn section. It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done and my 2-year-old thinks it's hilarious. However, there's no need to record such events.

Apparently, some feel otherwise. For those, we have the Tissue Box Hidden Camera DVR. Chip Chick says that the unit captures 720 x 480 video at 30 frames per second. Other features include a 2GB SD card (upgradable to 16GB), scheduled recording, motion detection, and a remote control.

It seems like a nifty alternative to stuffing a camera into the head of a favorite stuffed animal. However, it's also pricey at $600. -- Rachel Cericola

Just when you thought Amazon was getting fat and happy over the Kindle, Discovery has slapped a suit on them to bring them back to reality.

Reuters says that Discovery Communications, owners of the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, claims to have a patent on e-book technology. It has something to do with encryption, and a patent that Discovery founder John Hendricks received in November 2007.

Of course, that just happens to be the same month that Amazon introduced its first Kindle. So, why did they wait over a year to file suit? Did they think the e-Book thing was going to blow over?

Discovery wants damages as well as a future piece of the pie. There's no word on whether they will start sniffing around Sony next. -- Rachel Cericola

Hot on the heels of news that NiceMac was dropping its StarPlayr app, Sirius XM has decided that they will pick up the slack -- and soon offer a Sirius XM application for the iPhone. Isn't it nice how things work out?

There had been rumors that a satellite radio app was in the works, but it seemed that NiceMac was going to beat the actual service to the punch. NiceMac got tired of waiting, and decided to drop their efforts. Was the little guy muscled out of the action?

Either way, Twice says that the new Sirius XM app is expected in Q2. Of course, it will stream the satellite radio service to both iPhones and iPod touch devices. Of course, there's no word on what the app might cost. However, the company is hoping this will boost profits, since car sales are currently hovering around the rim of the toilet.

Sirius XM just closed a deal with Liberty Media for $530 million. Maybe the app fees won't be so bad. After all, an estimated $280 million of that will go to killing off the company's debt. -- Rachel Cericola

[Photo courtesy of Philip Ryan Johnson]

Gosh. I am just so happy that covert GPS was not around when I was younger. Did my parents really need to know what bridge I was partying under or where I was scarfing down pancakes at 2:00 a.m.?

For those prying eyes, Hammacher Schlemmer has launched the Driving Activity Reporter. This sneaky device clips to your car via a magnet. When the car returns, you can retrieve it, plug it into any computer's USB port, and start snooping. The device will detail places, routes and even the speeds traveled.

The unit is about the size of a pack of gum, and can be placed anywhere in or on the car. It's got a 16-channel GPS receiver, which works with 24 Department of Defense satellites -- all to find out which burger joint your kid likes best.

The Driving Activity Reporter holds 100 hours' worth of info and activity. That kind of peeping will cost you $230. -- Rachel Cericola

Apple and U2 used to be like two digital peas in a pod. Now the mega-stars have jumped ship, announcing that Research In Motion would sponsor the upcoming U2 360 Degrees tour. Apparently, RIM separates the green M&Ms much better.

During the love affair, U2 was hawking iPods, especially the special edition U2 one. "We want our audience to have a more intimate online relationship with the band, and Apple can help us do that," Bono said back then. There's no word on the move from the band or the manufacturer. However, Electronista notes that a lot of artists have soured on Apple, due to iTunes prices and profits.

The singer is also a partner in Elevation Partners, which has a 39 percent share in Palm. Those sunglasses ain't free, you know.

U2 kicks off the U2 360 Degrees tour in Barcelona on June 30. The first U.S. performance will be in Chicago on September 12. -- Rachel Cericola

It looks like Yanko is yanking us in with another interesting concept. The Gota is a compact, tabletop dishwasher. We're not sure how well this thing cleans, but it looks like it could scare the crap out of the dog -- better than Roomba!

Gizmodo says that the unit also recycles the water "for many uses." Hopefully, one of those uses is not "refreshment."

Yanko says it's for "double-income-no-children types." Apparently, it's also for those that like to scrub pots and pans by hand, because there's no way this thing is fitting any of 'em. Who knows if it works, but it does look like a nifty way to store old 45s, no?

Like all Yanko announcements, this one is just a concept/tease for now. Enjoy. -- Rachel Cericola

A few weeks back, Howard Stern was giving props to an iPhone app called StarPlayr. Howard talks about a lot of products (he has a lot of time to kill), but this one sort of caught my ear, because it put satellite radio capabilities on the popular portable.

Despite Sirius XM nickel-and-diming all of its subscribers as of late, this seemed like a good idea -- seemed being the operative word. TUAW says that idea is as dead as the resurgence of disco.

Maybe that's because NiceMac just announced they are packing up and moving on. Apparently, they weren't approved or rejected by Apple; they just got tired of waiting.

NiceMac currently has a message on its website offering refunds to Windows Mobile customers. Get it while the gettin's good. -- Rachel Cericola

You have the Kindle. Haven't you given enough money to Amazon? Barnes & Noble thinks so. That's why they are planning to launch their own e-bookstore later this year.

As part of the plan, the retailer has purchased Fictionwise, an online e-bookseller. The New York Times says that B&N paid a boatload -- $15.7 million. Fictionwise could also earn additional cash, depending on how things go.

Of course, the service would be in direct competition with Amazon. Maybe that's why B&N wants to keep Fictionwise as a separate business unit.

So does the world need another e-bookseller? That all depends on how they plan to price the titles. Currently, Fictionwise's prices are slightly lower than the ones in Amazon's e-Bookstore, with Fictionwise Buywise Club members getting even lower prices in exchange for a fee. Those costs start at $29.95 for one year; super readers can sign up for a 5-year membership for $124.95.

Fictionwise offers titles in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat, MultiFormat (which works on Kindle), and eReader, among others. -- Rachel Cericola

In case you were dreading adding another device into your bag, Amazon has just announced Kindle features for the iPhone.

Starting today, you can download Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch at Apple's App Store -- and it's a freebie. The New York Times says that the move could show that the e-tailer is more interested in pushing e-books versus electronics.

Apparently, Steve Jobs had once dismissed the Kindle, stating that "people don't read anymore." That's sort of a sad statement. I guess "if it's free, it's for me" must apply for Steve. Also, with 240,000 titles available, someone must be reading something.

Tools of Change for Publishing has a nice little roundup of various reactions to the app. - Rachel Cericola

Unless you are really bad with directions, you've probably noticed that most GPS units don't always deliver the best route. Now, Navigon wants to change that.

Today, the company announced three new GPS products: the 3300 max, the 4300T and the 7300T. Each one adds the MyRoutes feature, which provides up to three different ways to get you to your destination. Most GPS units don't necessarily create the best route, but as long as it's not 50 miles out of the way, I am just happy not to have to pull over and deal with paper maps.

How to choose between the MyRoutes options? Each one will have an estimated time of arrival to help in the decision-making process. Supposedly, the units will also remember some of your driving preferences, in an effort to create the best possible driving plan.

Aside from that, the 7300T ($400) also features Panorama View 3D and Landmark View 3D features, free real-time traffic info, voice control, Randy McNally's Best of the Road series, and Bluetooth support. It will be available in Q2.

The 3300 max ($200) and 4300T ($280) each feature a 4.3-inch touchscreen, with Reality View for Exits and Lane Assistant Pro features. The 4300T throws in the spoken traffic info, the Rand McNally maps, and Bluetooth as well. Both should be available before you start thinking about that summer road trip.

We know that super skinny TVs are the "in" thing. Now that peer pressure has trickled down to their brothers in the photo frame business.

Pandigital just announced the PanTouch Clear digital photo frame. It's a 10.4-inch frame that measures a mere 1/3-inch thick (or thin). The company says it's the thinnest one on the market, and we really have no reason to doubt that.

The thin design makes it easy to hang on the wall, or fit on a shelf crammed with crappy knickknacks. Other features include a "floating," fingerprint-resistant glass design, a 1024 x 768 resolution, Wi-Fi compatibility, and 2GB of storage. You can also sync it with your Bluetooth device, if you add in a USB dongle.

Expect this latest PanTouch Clear product to ship in May for $230.

Hearst, the company that brings you such bathroom gems as O and Good Housekeeping, could soon add a wireless e-reader to its lineup.

Fortune says that they aren't necessarily interested in taking on gadgets like the Amazon Kindle 2, but instead are looking at the device as a way to save on ink, printing and delivery. Apparently, ad revenue just isn't cutting it anymore.

Why wouldn't people just buy the Kindle? Well, this reader is supposed to be a bit larger; closer to an 8x10, which will make it seem more like your good old magazine without the rips, smudges, and need to recycle.

Once the device is reader to roll, it will be sold to other publishers, who will share a piece of the pie with Hearst.

The first model, which is expected later this year, will deliver the experience of a good, old newspaper -- meaning it's going to be black and white. That probably won't go over so well with Cosmo readers. A color version will come at some point.

It sounds like a good deal for the magazine industry; all of those costs often constitute 50 percent of publishing costs. After all, it sounds a lot better than flushing an entire magazine down the crapper. Whether or not it's good for readers (non-geeky ones) will depend on whether or not the price is right. -- Rachel Cericola