Portable Splash

INTERNET DAILY

Within the next few weeks, Torian Wireless will begin showing U.S. retailers what you might call a Wi-Fi "Walkman." The InFusion is a portable, battery-powered device which you can tune to any of thousands of Internet radio stations. It also has an FM radio, an audio recorder, and an MP3 player. It does not have a built-in speaker. The retail price could be as low as $229.

George Parthimos, Torian's founder, said inspiration for the device came to him while he was traveling in Europe in 1999. "I wasn't able to hear my football teams from back home in Melbourne," he said. "It wasn't rocket science to come home and work up a design."

A working prototype of the device has been seen publicly. In its debut, at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show, it was a finalist for the G4TechTV Best of Award. In January, at the 2006 CES, InFusion won an Innovations Honoree award.

"We went to CES with an early model," Parthimos said. "It was kind of dodgy, but we wanted to test the market. We came back, made some modifications, and then three of us went on an eight-country world tour in 21 days to show what we had."

The big holdup, of course, was widely available Internet access. That's less of an issue now. Just this week, Wayport Inc. announced its 10th anniversary and reported it's installed Wi-Fi in more than 7,200 McDonald's restaurants. Numerous other firms have aggressively expanded Wi-Fi to hotels, airports, train stations, and other retailers. Starbucks began deploying Wi-Fi in its stores in 2002.

Parthimos has an agreement with a manufacturer in Malaysia to produce the InFusion. "In a couple of weeks, we'll be getting samples for distributors and we can get into mass production in six to eight weeks."

Availability at retail may be limited to a few boutique stores and his Web site unless a retailer like Best Buy (BBY : Best Buy Co., Inc. News , chart, profile, more Last: 49.64+0.53+1.08%11:17am 08/17/2006Delayed quote data Add to portfolioAnalyst Create alert InsiderDiscussFinancials Sponsored by: BBY49.64, +0.53, +1.1%) or Circuit City (CC : Circuit City Stores, Inc.- Circuit City Group News , chart, profile, more Last: 25.35+0.07+0.28%11:17am 08/17/2006Delayed quote data Add to portfolioAnalyst Create alert InsiderDiscussFinancials Sponsored by: CC25.35, +0.07, +0.3%) places a big order. "There are a lot of niche players who'd like to take this on." Torian is privately held, has about 20 employees, but no revenues. "We can't fund a mass release ourselves," he said.

VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 15 -- iriver America announced availability of a new higher-capacity version of its T10 portable media player, which comes bundled with technology and special content offers from Audible, Inc. the leading provider of spoken entertainment and information on the Internet.

The iriver 2GB* T10 comes bundled with AudibleReady technology and is capable of storing and playing back Audible's audio titles right out of the box. The T10 is PlaysForSure verified to support subscription-based music download services, including URGE, Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music Unlimited and eMusic. Customers who purchase the new 2GB iriver T10 media player are also immediately eligible for a free book download from Audible.

"iriver is committed to providing valuable features, content and services to our device customers," said Jonathan Sasse, president of iriver America. "We are thrilled to continue offering direct access to Audible's impressive library selection of quality digital audio content including books, radio broadcasts, magazines, news and podcasts."

Customers of the 2GB iriver T10 may select the free book download from the following popular titles, available at the audible.com website:

-- 1984, George Orwell -- It's Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong
-- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
-- The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
-- The Soul of Capitalism, William Greider
-- Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss
-- The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
-- Scientific American, 12-Month Subscription

"Audible is pleased to work with iriver in delivering thousands of hours of amazing content to the T10, creating a truly rich, on demand listening experience," said Chia-Lin Simmons, Vice President of Strategic Alliances of Audible, Inc.

Pricing and Availability

The 2GB iriver T10 is priced at US $149.99 and is available now at the iriver eStore at www.iriveramerica.com/estore and at Amazon.com. Visit http://www.iriveramerica.com/ for more retail locations.

This image from the video game "Tekken Dark Resurrection," provided by publisher Bandai Namco Group, shows one of the many environments where players will have to wage battle in this gorgeous new fighting game for the Sony PlayStation Portable. (AP/Bandai Namco Group)

(AP) - If you've never played a fighting game like Tekken: Dark Resurrection, there are a few important things to know.

As with most video games, hand-eye coordination is certainly important. But above all else, you need fingers of steel.

This new title for the PlayStation Portable often comes down to how long your poor digits can endure pounding buttons in quick, endless succession.

For a portable system that doesn't have very many fighting games (or very many good games at all, for that matter), Dark Resurrection is a gorgeous, button-mashing extravaganza.
The gameplay is simple enough for novices to jump right into and enjoy, yet the many combinations and special attacks will take a long time to master.

People who struggle with the sophisticated button slaps needed to win games like this will appreciate the practice mode, where I was able to hone my skills with minimal humiliation.
You begin by choosing from an array of warriors - there are dozens of oddball characters including a kangaroo and a panda, as well as more traditional human combatants. Each has special moves and fighting characteristics.

These battle royales play out in 3-D environments such as wolf-infested forests and high-tech arenas that really come alive during the one-on-one fights.

Graphically, Dark Resurrection is one of the best-looking PSP games yet. Each fighter has a distinct look and features detailed, fluid movements as they flail around, throwing and blocking punches and kicks.

Of the several fighting modes available, the player-versus-player online mode offers the most replay value. Two PSP players within wireless range can duke it out, which is far more interesting than the built-in computer foes (who still provide plenty of challenge, however).
Though much of the game showcases the audiovisual prowess of the PSP, Dark Resurrection also points out one of the system's biggest annoyances: the button placement.

In a frantic game like this, it's painfully clear that the directional buttons are spaced too far apart from each other, if only by a millimetre or two.

But that's certainly not the game's fault, and at least I was able to tweak the button layout to make things a bit easier.

My fingers may be tired and aching, but Dark Resurrection serves notice that good fighting games are possible - and enjoyable - on PSP.

Three stars out of four.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ --

PNY Technologies(R), Inc. announced today that its Attache (R) USB 2.0 Flash Drives and SD(TM) Flash Media Cards are available in multi-packs from leading retailers. The 2-and-3-unit multi-packs offer consumers a special value on their purchases. Multi-packs are available for both devices in 512MB and 1GB capacities.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060816/CGW027 )

"PNY is pleased to introduce this innovative packaging design into the retail channel to meet consumer need for high performance, dependable storage solutions at a multi-pack value," said Tony Gomez, vice president of sales and marketing for PNY Technologies. "Our new multi-pack offerings provide consumers with the freedom and convenience of keeping one unit and sharing the other(s); using one for work and one for home; buying them in bulk for the back-to-school season, or giving them as gifts for all the people on their list; so friends and family can benefit from a single purchase."

The following portable storage devices are available in multi-packs from PNY Technologies:

-- 2 pack 512MB SD Cards -- 3 pack 1GB SD Cards -- 2 pack 512 MB Attache USB Flash Drives -- 3 pack 1GB Attache USB Flash Drives About PNY Technologies, Inc.

Established in 1985, PNY Technologies(R), Inc. is a leading supplier and marketer of NVIDIA Quadro(R) by PNY Technologies professional graphics boards and Verto-brand consumer graphics cards. The company also offers a full line of high-end memory upgrade modules, flash media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives and flash peripherals. Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., PNY maintains facilities in North America (Santa Clara and Orange County, Calif., Miami, Fla. and Parsippany, N.J.), Europe (Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom,) and Asia (Taiwan and China). For more information, please visit http://www.pny.com .

The PNY logo is a registered trademark of PNY Technologies, Inc. NVIDIA, NVIDIA QUADRO and nView are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the Unites States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Lara Chereso of Gibbs & Soell Public Relations for PNY lchereso@gibbs-soell.comTechnologies, Inc., +1-847-519-9150 ext. 116,

Web site: http://www.pny.com/

Report says Steve can't contain his excitement over iPhone; Microsoft's would-be iPod killer gets price, keyboard dock; eMusic launches in UK; AOL Music lands exclusive preview of heiress' album.

Report: Jobs ecstatic over iPhone

Steve Jobs, of all people, has been letting the cat out of the bag about the iPhone, Apple's much-rumored music phone.

So says a report on the Apple Insider Web site, claiming that Jobs has been so excited about the music phone that he can't stop babbling about it to his personal acquaintances, a rare string of utterances from the notoriously secret Apple chief.

The report said that Jobs has commissioned the release of cell phone prototypes to at least two potential manufacturing partners in recent months, with current designs conforming to Apple's integrated iPod-iTunes model. It also said the device will turn up earlier than some people may be expecting, in the form of a "big bang" introduction that will catch even some insiders off guard.

Apple still must determine if it's willing to let an iPhone cannibalize sales of its popular, flash-based Nano players. In a research note in May, PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote about such a concern.

"While we continue to believe there is a high chance that Apple will launch an iPhone in the next 12 months, the company says that the right path for Apple is to continue to pursue devices with one primary feature and not focus on multiple functions in one device," Munster said.

Jobs surprised some insiders when he gave his keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco last week without any new iPod-related product announcements.

Zune to sell for $299, keyboard maker includes dock

The buzz around Zune, Microsoft's hoped-for iPod killer, continues to grow. Tech site Twice reported that the Zune player will go on sale in the fall for $299 and will come in three colors, including black and white. Today, keyboard maker Razer touted a forthcoming keyboard that will include a Zune docking station. The Razer ProType Multimedia Keyboard, proclaimed the "the world's most intelligent keyboard" by Razer, will reportedly be released in November in both black and white, and will also be compatible with the iPod. The keyboard will have line-out plugs for audio peripherals and a couple of USB ports as well.

eMusic launches in UK

eMusic, which has quietly climbed into second place among digital download stores, launched e beta version of its service in the UK today, hoping its DRM-free downloads will appeal to music fans there despite its indie-centric catalog of 1.4 million songs. The service launched with an offer for a free two-week trial and 25 free downloads. eMusic sells songs in the MP3 format, which means that, unlike other subscription-based services like Rhapsody and Napster, users are not renting the music but actually purchasing it. Although it trails far behind iTunes, eMusic now ranks second among all digital download services in terms of market share, according to June 2006 data from NPD Group. The UK version of eMusic charges 40 song downloads per month for £8.99 ($17), £11.99 ($22.65) for 65 downloads, and £14.99 ($28.30) for 90 downloads.

AOL Music snags Paris Hilton album exclusive preview

Paris Hilton has found a digital home. AOL Music will be the exclusive preview home for Paris, the upcoming album from the hotel heiress and paparazzi magnet. The album won't hit stores until August 22, but will be available on-demand exclusively at AOL Music until then. The exclusive preview also includes an interview conducted over AOL Instant Messenger. The project is being released through Hilton's Heiress Records, a subdivision of Warner Bros. Records.

"I'm really proud of my record and the work I put into it," Hilton said in a statement. "I'm excited AOL Music is debuting Paris online, so people can finally hear my entire album for themselves."

This small yet powerful device might be your best friend if you're in the habit of toting around a monster-video-showing laptop. It's the ComboGB from WiebeTech, and it's a hard drive that is designed for taxing tasks like high-speed, hi-def, video playback. You'll know this by looking on the side and inspecting the ports: You get a USB 2.0, of course, but you also get two FireWire ports, a 400 and an 800.

Here's the number you've been waiting for, though: It's 7200 RPM, which is a number you'll appreciate as you shoot, cut, and show your video.

The cables are your power source, by the way, so your computer or other portable device supplies the juice, eliminating the need for yet another cord to run an AC adapter. The drive plays nice with both Mac and Windows machines.

You'll also appreciate the size. The ComboGB is literally small enough to fit in your pocket, measuring up at just 5.4" tall and less than an inch thick. That's even at the 160GB level, which is the top of the class for memory. That one will cost you a pretty penny: 51,195 of them, to be exact. The bargain-basement 60GB model (which is still a lot of space) will run you just US$286.95. Three other models run the steps up the storage ladder, in 20GB increments.

"No plans" to reduce cost, says spokesperson

Following the emergence of rumours that a PSP price cut is imminent, a Sony representative has told GamesIndustry.biz that there are no plans to reduce the cost of the handheld at present.

The suggestion of a PSP price cut initially came from industry analyst P.J. McNealy, who told CNN Money: "There is a price cut coming in the second half of the year."
According to McNealy, the PSP "has lost momentum. Nintendo has had a great run since it launched the DS Lite and Sony needs to regain some ground." He believes that Sony will slash the price of the handheld in the US from US$199 to US$149 - bringing it closer to the DS price point of US$129.

But a Sony UK spokesperson told GI.biz: "Currently we have no plans to cut the price of the PSP at this time."

It's more likely that Sony will cut the price of the PlayStation 2, as predicted by other industry analysts. The console currently retails with an RRP of GBP 104.99 in the UK, but many retailers are already cutting the price to below the magic GBP 100 mark - and it's thought that Sony could well follow suit with an official price reduction in time for Christmas.

Microsoft PlaysForSure
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Microsoft PlaysForSure is a marketing certification given by Microsoft to media players that have been verified to work with Microsoft Windows and with Microsoft's branded Digital Rights Management. It is intended to inform consumers about what types of video and audio formats the digital audio player or video player will be able to play. The PlaysForSure logo is applied to digital audio player and portable video player packaging as well as PlaysForSure compatible online music stores.

Overview
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The logo certifies that the device is able to play files recorded in Windows Media Audio or Windows Media Video format with the Windows Media DRM digital rights management scheme used in Windows Media Player version 10.

While various online stores sell digital media in these formats, the most popular such store, Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store (iTMS) uses a competing format (AAC+FairPlay DRM). iTunes Music Store files are encrypted with FairPlay DRM, rather than the Windows Media DRM used in PlaysForSure products. Because of this format difference, files purchased from the iTMS are not compatible with PlaysForSure equipment. Similarly, Apple's popular iPod personal music players and iTunes software do not support Windows Media files.

Devices that pass this certification use the Media Transfer Protocol or USB mass storage device class, and can play Windows Media Audio files with DRM.

Criticisms
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PlaysForSure appears to report only the audio formats Windows Media Player can play, rather than device capability. Accordingly, PlaysForSure may incorrectly inform the user that a portable device cannot play a non-Microsoft audio format (e.g. Ogg Vorbis) and will refuse to transfer audio tracks to the portable device.

A recent court case harshly criticised the wording of a recent Microsoft licensing agreement related to portable devices, see "Judge blasts MS bid to monopolize music devices". The license prohibited makers of portable devices, compatible with Windows Media Player, from using non-Microsoft audio encoding formats. Microsoft indicated that the wording of their license was poorly written due to an oversight by a junior Microsoft employee. Microsoft quickly amended their stringently worded license agreement at the judge's behest.

In a possibly related decision, iriver recently dropped support for Ogg Vorbis from their latest H10 portable music player in order to market it with PlaysForSure certification.

Due to the introduction of PlaysForSure and Media Transfer Protocol, makers of portable devices have another source for media transfer and music management software. If enough manufacturers adopt this option, both development cost and diversity will be reduced. Even if the actual development cost is not reduced, Microsoft might well offer the software at a reduced price to achieve market dominance. Reduced cost could be expected to benefit the consumer. Lack of diversity may improve some kinds of interoperability but it does reduce choice and could even lead to monopoly.

Media Transfer Protocol is not as convenient for a number of puposes as the previous dominant approach: having the device appear to the host computer as a USB mass storage device. Most systems provide support for such devices without additional software. Furthermore, such a device can be used for alternative purposes such as transferring files or even as a boot device.

Official PlaysForSure website

The deets are slim, but they come straight from a BBC News article, so we're thinking there just might be some weight to them. Apparently the UK's BBC is planning their very own DAB device to act as "clip-on" addition to current MP3 players. Such functionality extension brings the iPod and its dock connector quickly to mind, but BBC isn't naming any names as far as partners go. Right now they're mainly studying the feasibility of such a device, with the main goal being to "make sure that people can listen to digital radio on their own terms." They're also looking into versions for mobile phones and cars, and say they'd "like to get something out sooner rather than later."

8/11/2006, 11:12pm Eastern Time

Chris Morris, author of the weekly CNN Money column, Game Over, said that a PlayStation Portable price cut could be "imminent."

P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research, who was a source used in the column, said that there will be a price cut in the second half of this year and said that the price of PSP could fall up to US$50 to US$149.

Morris expects that due to the high demand for DS and DS Lite worldwide, Nintendo will not lower the price of their handheld system just to create higher sales numbers.

If and when Sony announces a PSP price cut, it would mark the first actual price slash for the handheld console. Earlier in the year Sony began selling a US$200 PSP box without many of the accessories that came in the US$249 box.