Hasta La Gadget!

While set-top fans wait for updates to the PopBox, the release of the Boxee Box, or cozy up to Western Digital’s WD TV line of set-top media players, Netgear has entered the fray with the NeoTV 550 and 350 HD media players. Each device comes with access to video on demand services like CinemaNow, and the players are designed as a bridge between media stored on other devices like USB drives or SD cards and your HDTV. Both devices also support streaming video over UPnP, DLNA, or Windows Media Player 11 networks.

The new Netgear set-top boxes don’t come with all of the features their competitors do, like on-board storage and flexible output options. You get one HDMI port on the back, 3 USB ports and an Ethernet port, along with mini AV and component ports on the rear and an S/PDIF jack for audio. Even so, the NeoTV 550 is priced at $219.99 list, and pricing for the 350 has not been announced, although it will likely be less. Netgear also didn’t announce when the two set-top boxes would be available.

[via Engadget]

If you’re a fan of iPad cases like the DodoCase and the BookBook that make your iPad look like a notebook or a leather-bound text when not in use, you can get the same effect for your iPhone or your iPad with The Little Black Book by Pad and Quill. The Little Black Book case fits the iPad, iPhone 4, and IPhone 3Gs snugly inside a hand-carved wooden frame that’s bound on the outside with black leather binding to look exactly like a notebook. The case even has an elastic strap to keep the cover closed when your phone is inside, and a red fabric “bookmark” that dangles from the bottom, completing the look.

The Little Black Book for iPhone has spaces carved at the top and bottom so you can leave it in the case while you have your headphones or headset plugged in to the stereo port on the top, or a charging cable or dock connector plugged into the bottom. The iPad version has the same spaces at the bottom, but two separate spaces at the top for the power button and audio ports. The Little Black Book for iPhone is available now for $39.99, while the iPad version is $54.99. Pad and Quill plans to make a version for the iPod Touch available next month and is accepting pre-orders now for $39.99. 

Velocity Micro, makers of custom PCs and high-end gaming computers, announced that the Cruz line of 7-inch color touch-screen Android tablets are available to pre-order now. The Cruz comes in two flavors, the Cruz Reader and the Cruz Tablet. The Cruz Reader retails for $199.99, features a 4:3 800×600 display, and comes with a 4GB SD card in addition to its 256MB of internal storage. The Tablet retails for $299.99, features a 16:9 800×480 display, and comes with an 8GB bundled SD card in addition to its 4GB of on-board storage. Both tablets are Wi-Fi enabled, although the Reader supports 802.11 b/g and the Tablet features 802.11n.

Both tablets run Google’s Android mobile OS, although the Reader runs Android 2.0 and the Tablet runs 2.1. The Reader is designed to be primarily an eBook reader, but can also display photos, lets you surf the Web and watch Web video, and has access to the Android App Market (Velocity Micro has it branded the Cruz Market) for games and other apps. The Tablet does everything the Reader does, comes with apps to display video, and is designed to be an all-around tablet computer, complete with rich multimedia apps. Velocity Micro is accepting pre-orders now, and both units will begin shipping in September.

If you’re looking for a way to get your old records onto your computer, or if you’re a DJ and you want to make the switch from vinyl to mp3 decks, Audio-Technica has an array of USB turntables that will make sure you get the best possibly audio quality when you rip those old analog records to a digital format. The Audio-Technica AT-LP60-USB belt-driven turntable is designed for DJs on a budget that need a quick way to get their music onto their computers. At $229 retail, the AL-LP60-USB gives you a simple USB audio output, included cartridge and dust cover, and the ability to switch easily between 7 and 12-inch platters at 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records.

DJ or musicians who want more professional features should look at the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB; a direct drive model that will appeal to most club DJs who are used to direct drive models over audiophiles who prefer lower-noise belt-driven turntables. The AT-LP120-USB is $429 list, has all of the features of the AT-LP60-USB, adds 78 RPM to the RPM selector, and gives you the flexibility to use the turntable both for mixing and for audio capture.

If you can wait and have $499 US to spend, Audio-Technica will release the AT-LP240-USB in September, which brings all of the same features of the LP120 to a higher-end package that’s designed for both professional and basement DJs who want to connect their turntables to their computers, their home entertainment system, and a mixer at home or at their next gig. Each turntable model comes with a dust-cover and a cartridge, and is supported as a plug-and-play audio device in Windows and Mac OS X. 

Apparently the folks at EFO decided to defy conventional wisdom when designing their external board. Instead of a standard-size keyboard, the iPazzPort Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard is the size of a credit card.

Intended for the iPad, iPhone, other smartphones and mobile devices, the iPazzPort keyboard is a full QWERTY keyboard, with all the function keys, CTRL, ALT, DEL and multimedia keys (play, pause, next, previous, mute, and volume up and down). Resembling a BlackBerry keyboard (without the trackball), the keys are angled upward, toward the sides. The keyboard has a backlight for typing in dim lighting.

Since it’s both Bluetooth and wireless, you can use the keyboard without any unsightly cables snaking from your mobile device.

For smartphones with an on-screen keyboard and the iPad, this portable keyboard could make texting and taking notes less cumbersome. On the other hand, for mobile devices and smartphones that already have their own keyboards (like the BlackBerry and a number of HTC models), I am not sure where the value is. It can serve as a wireless remote control for those devices, but I wonder how many people are going around wishing, “Man, I wish I had a remote for my phone!”

It’s normally priced at $40, but EFO is currently offering an $8 discount (for a bargain of $32) for anyone who pre-orders the mini keyboard. Shipping is expected in early September.