Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

The original announcement was that the T-Mobile G1 was only going to support up to 8GB of external memory out of the box and would require a firmware update for any greater capacities. 

Well, in a little bit of good news, it seems that the firmware update is not going to be necessary after all. A Google spokesperson has recently confirmed that the recently announced 16GB microSDHC memory cards from SanDisk are already working and that no new firmware will be required. Currently those 16GB cards are expected to be available beginning this October and will retail for around $100.

Via [Android Community]

SanDisk has recently announced some increased storage capacities in their microSD and Memory Stick Micro (M2) storage cards. Now up to 16GB in storage size users should be able to pick these cards up beginning in October. As far as pricing, the microSD cards are expected to retail for $99.99 and the Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards just a little higher at $129.99.

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Well, apparently SanDisk feels Joe Public likes their music hands on.  This thinking may well be what led to their new line of music-filled microSD cards. They managed to pull in all the big record labels like Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner.  Although, I’m not sure what the labels were thinking with this one. The songs on the 1 GB cards will be DRM-free MP3s that are encoded at 320 kbps for the record.

The first stores they have in on the deal are Wal-Mart or Best Buy.  So, you simply stroll into one of those two stores, nab your rockin’, grooving, bopping-loaded slotMusic, and pop it into your phone, and voila...you’re set.  However, if you are one of the millions who would simply rather get your music by downloading it, then this little slotMusic thing is pretty useless.

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We have recently seen the images and those gave a nice look at what appears to be a cross between a slightly more grown up Treo and a Centro. Those images did also give us a nice side shot that showed what appeared to be an on/off switch for the Wi-Fi and these recently leaked specs are indeed highlighting Wi-Fi as a feature, something that has been long lacking with the Treo lineup. Of course as with any leaked specs, these are highly unconfirmed and come courtesy of a “good friend.”

With that said, the details are set to include the previously mentioned Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g along with GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6 support, a 2-megapixel camera, assisted-GPS, a microSD card slot which sadly is located under the 1500 mAh battery, a micro-USB connector for both power and sync, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256MB NAND-Flash with about 175MB available for the user, 32MB SDRAM, a 320 x 320 touchscreen display and running Windows Mobile Professional 6.1.

The new Treo, which is the 850 is also codenamed the Skywriter. With a solid set of specs, this should make anyone looking for a new Treo happy, but aside from the addition of Wi-Fi it just may not be enough to convince current Treo users they need to upgrade. Still waiting on any information regarding pricing and availability.

Via [TamsPPC] Via [Gadgets On The Go] Image [BGR]

Brando Ultra-Smart Cable – USB charger/microSD card reader is such a huge name for such a tiny device. Unlike its name this device is very compact and is available in an array of colors which makes this a stylish way to keep data, music and photos at your fingertips. 

Orange, gray, blue, green and black make up the collection. Each one reminds me of a baby rattle – but the Smart Cable (as I will call it) appears to be a toy for big boys and girls. You can charge your cell phone or other USB device, read your microSD card and even exchange data between devices (when microSD card is onboard).

The Brando Ultra-Smart Cable is designed to hang on a key chain or as a cell phone strap. It could actually hang on any device with a wrist strap hole. Loosing pieces should not be a problem. There are only two. It is difficult to see everything in a photo but the cable – hence the name, has one end with the mini USB plug and the other with an ordinary size USB plug. From what I can tell the microSD slot is directly below that. There is a small plastic center piece that apparently snaps the two cable ends together while it’s just hanging around.

I like interesting little gadgets like this. Would I use it - absolutely.  Would I strap it to my cell phone - not. The $14.00 price is reasonable in my opinion.

Product [Brando] Via [SlashGear]

SanDisk is releasing DRM-free music of 50 new and emerging artists on microSD cards. This program is part of SanDisk’s campaign to promote its recently announced 8GB Sansa Fuze.

The microSD card will contain a collection of rock, pop, and hip hop songs, music videos and photos from more than 30 record labels. Among those featured artists in the microSD cards are All Time Low Ladytron, Magnet, Nada Surf, Of Montreal and The Coup. All 50 tracks included in Sansa microSD card were selected and licensed by LA-based entertainment and music marketing agency NonStop Riot.

U.S.-based music fans who will purchase the 8GB Sansa Fuse player will receive a promotional coupon that they can use to redeem the Sansa microSD card containing the 50 DRM-free music tracks.

Read [SanDisk]

Typically USB thumb drives don’t offer much as far as excitement, they have storage space and you can store files. The newest drive from Kingston offers a little bit more, the DataTraveler Micro Reader offers your standard onboard storage but also includes a built-in card reader. The DataTraveler Micro Reader can read microSD, microSDHC or Memory Stick Micro (M2) and is available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB storage options. The reader retails for $19, $28 and $42 respectively and are currently available.

Product [Kingston] Via [Gizmodo]

If you’re on a budget and want an MP3 that will give you the most bang for your buck, take a look at the Sansa Express MP3 player. Introduced by Sandisk at CES 2007, this player comes in a 1GB size with additional storage possible through the built-in microSD slot.

The Sansa Express MP3 player has a few features that will make it very attractive including a very compact form factor (about the size of a pack of gum), capability for direct connection to a PC’s USB 2.0 port (no cables needed for charging and data transfer), a 1.1” bright OLED screen, digital FM tuner with recording ability, as well as voice recording capability with a built-in microphone. It is capable of playing various audio formats such as MP3 and WMA, as well as storing data and documents.

It is scheduled to be released in the US and Europe March 2007 for $59.99. With a considerably low price and so many features for a portable and compact MP3 player, this could very well be a huge hit, especially among students who are too often stuck with a limited budget.

Product Page [Sansa Express] Read [Gizmodo]

Sandisk has announced the Sansa Connect Wireless Internet MP3 Player at CES 2007. Allowing users to listen to music from certain sites anywhere there’s an open wireless internet connection, this player is designed to free users from the need for a PC connection to download music and offer a community-based connection.

The MP3 player includes a microSD expansion slot for additional storage, a 2.2 in. TFT display, slick and thin design, and a universal connector for accessory upgrades, battery charging and USB 2.0 connectivity. The 4 GB Sansa Connect is expected to be released in the US late March 2007 for $249.

The biggest drawback of the Sansa Connect that I can think of is that it needs an “open” wireless connection or Wi-Fi hotspot. That means you cannot use your home wireless network without disabling the security. Of course, you could just plug this into your PC’s USB port at home but that defeats the purpose of having a Wi-Fi-based player. Another drawback is that it doesn’t support video playback, only music and photos. I hope Sandisk will provide a solution to both these issues when they release the next version of the player.

Site [Sandisk] Product Page [Sansa Connect] Read [Engadget] Read [Gizmodo] Read [Mobility Today]

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Cards for your digital still camera… cards for your digital camcorder… flash memory cards for file portability.... With the plethora of memory card formats in use today, you need a card reader that’s not only fast and portable, but versatile as well.

Griffin’s 5-in-1 works with the ExpressCard/34 or /54 slot found in Apple’s MacBook Pro and many recent Windows laptops. It’s the fastest way to transfer data from your memory cards, comparable to or better than USB 2.0 High-Speed (up to 480 Mbps). Contrast this with the 12 Mbps you get from USB 1.0 card readers, and even slower rates when transferring directly from the camera.

Griffin’s new ExpressCard/34 5-in-1 card reader handles the whole spectrum of modern memory card formats, directly supporting:

• Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO


• SD Memory Card


• MultiMediaCard


• xD-Picture Card

...and with your card adapter, the 5-in-1 also supports:

• Memory Stick Duo


• Memory Stick Micro


• miniSD


• microSD


• RS-MMC


• MMCplus


• MMCmobile

Griffin’s 5-in-1 works with both Mac OS and Windows XP right out of the box for $29.99.

Read [Griffin] Via [MacWorld]