It was almost exactly a year ago that we talked about Sony’s network-accessible storage stereo systems, and now Sony’s popped up with two new similar devices. The NAS-M700HD and D500HD are basically upgrades to the old M75HD and D55HD: the M700 has a 160GB HDD, plays minidiscs and has an S-Master digital amplifier built in, the D500 is essentially the same, but lacks MD and the S-Master. Both have Walkman ports with the WM-PORT connector and support DLNA 1.0, and both support KDDI’s LISMO service for uploading of music to mobile phones and can access the AnyMusic online store for direct access to new tunes. This means these beasts will likely remain in Japan, where they’ll be out October 18 for US$780 for the M700 and US$600 for the D500. [AVWatch]
That little logo there is Sony’s attempt to inject a little bit of adrenaline into the Walkman lineup of PMPs, because you all need to know that the accessory you’re buying is properly certified to work with Sony’s proprietary WM-PORT connector. Yes, you do. Honest. Logitech thinks it’s a good idea, anyway, and is due to spring a few things like speaker docks, FM transmitters and sound recorders bearing the compatibility logo in October. And clearly Sony thinks it’s a good idea. Whether it shakes up the MP3 player market enough to disturb that other brand with its own “Made for…” scheme is another thing altogether. [AVWatch]
Remember that announcement last week that Sony was recalling TZ series laptops sold between May 2007 and July 2008? Well, the issue could effect a few Vaio owners in Australia, not just in Japan like we thought.
Up to 4,200 Sony customers could be effected (but probably aren’t), so Sony are offering a free inspection and repair to anyone who purchased a TZ laptop between May last year and July this year.
It doesn’t effect all TZ notebooks though, so to play it safe, head here and enter the product code and serial numbers in the appropriate boxes. If you do have an eligible machine, follow the information on screen.
[Sony via AustralianIT]
Before the iPhone launched back in July, Optus made a big deal about the fact that they were offering the phone to pre-paid customers as well as on contract. But now, just two short months later, it seems that Optus have quietly decided to stop selling the iPhone outright for pre-paid customers.
Reader David was told when he went to purchase a pre-paid iPhone from Optus’ Ringwood store that “all new iPhones will be on contract”. And a quick look at the Optus website shows that any option for pre-paid iPhone pricing has disappeared.
Naturally, we’ve contacted Optus for some clarification on the issue, and we’re still waiting to hear back. While we wait, has anybody else tried to pick up an Optus pre-paid iPhone only to face the bitter taste of rejection?
UPDATE: I’ve just heard back from Optus – turns out that you can still pick up a pre-paid iPhone 3G, but only from the George street Optus Store in Sydney. Apparently it’s got something to do with stock issues, but when asked whether or not it was a permanent change, we got the old “no comment”.
We’ll keep you updated with any further developments – but if you happen to want a pre-paid iPhone from Optus and you don’t live in Sydney, looks like you’re out of luck.
Unwired, the country’s only real purveyor of WiMax has decided to restructure its download plans to try and bolster its customer ranks. They’re now offering a range of plans – at varying speeds, of course – including one that includes 10GB worth of downloads for just $40.
It sounds pretty decent, doesn’t it? When you read the fine print, however, things get slightly less appealing. Using the 10GB plan as an example, only half of that magic 10GB is available during peak times – the other 5GBs is only available at off-peak times. That’s not the end of the world though… Peak times are between 2pm and 2am, so your morning browsing actually fits into the off-peak times.
But should you actually venture over your allotted download limit, you’ll be slowed down to 32Kbps… slower than dialup. Sure, you can buy an extra gig for $15 if you’re desperate, but why would you? The maximum speed you can get is 1Mbps, which sort of makes the whole bargain pricing make sense. Throw that in with Unwired’s somewhat sketchy coverage (and it’s nonexistent if you’re outside Sydney and Melbourne), and scepticism seems to make a lot more sense. Even if you need wireless, you can get 6GB from the telcos for the same price – and you generally get much better coverage (and in some cases, speeds).
[Unwired]
You’d have to really enjoy Gran Turismo to go out and buy the Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for PS3 and PC. Not that it’s a bad product – from the specs it looks like a pretty impressive gaming wheel. The 300mm wheel has got all the bells and whistles, from adjustable force feedback to wireless pedals and two gearsticks (sequential and 6+1 speed H-pattern).
But alongside it’s leather trimmings and Porsche badges comes a Porsche-like pricetag of $500. That’s almost as much as the cost of a PS3, and double the price of other gaming wheels that do a similar job (although admittedly they lack some of the finer features.) Still, I’m sure some of you are excited by the idea of driving your virtual Porsche with a “Porsche” branded wheel, so know that you can pick this up from Dick Smith Powerhouse, The Gamesmen or Techbuy.
For a full rundown of features, follow the jump…
A cool new blue Zune was spotted at Fry’s today, complete with some new features. The first, “Device to Cloud,” allows users to access wireless hotspots to update music collections, browse Zune Marketplace, refresh Channels (another feature), exchange favourites, and buy tagged FM songs. “Channels” are custom stations that deliver “personalised playlists” to the Zune, and the cleverly named “Games” feature is, well, about games. Rumour is a few might even come preloaded on this blue Zune. Lastly, the “Buy From FM” feature lets you listen to FM radio stations and tag the songs purchase when you sync with a PC. Full specs and other details down below.
l0rdnic0, an administrator over at Acid Mods, has video of the unholy union of an Xbox 360 QWERTY with a PSP Slim. While the mod works just fine, as you can see in the video, we worry about the fanboys. Seeing something like this in action must be kind of like how Brendan Fraser’s character felt we he woke up for the first time in Encino Man. It doesn’t make sense. It can’t make sense. Because then everything you’ve based you life on—every waking moment—was a lie.
Canon’s Moonlit Teaser Advert Hints at EOS 5D Mark II in Highlights This proves nothing. Come on Canon – Announce it already!
Intel’s Atom Roadmap Revealed: Next Gen ‘Pineview’ Chips Due Fall 2009 What? More new chips? With new names? How’s a man supposed to keep up?
Rumour: New iTunes Visualiser will be the Stunning Magnetosphere Captivating. Don’t know if I’d ever use it, but nice none the less…
New Windows Ad Just an ‘Icebreaker’ I can’t believe how much negative press the ad is getting. It’s an ad people – when did you start caring about ads?
Ballpoint Pen Doubles as an Emergency Mobile Phone Charger Anything that can charge my phone on the go is a winner in my book.
Panasonic’s 65VX100U Premiere Kuro-Killing Plasma Reviewed (Verdict: Best Flat Panel to Date) …Until Pioneer’s next-gen panels are released of course. I think this war migt get interesting. The Shocking Inside Story of the Epic Defects That Killed Millions of Xbox 360s MS will need a whole new Seinfeld campaign to counter this…
There may be a virus aboard, and the crappers were once waste distributors instead of collectors, but the one criticism we can no longer level at the International Space Station is a lack of wireless. That’s because it has it now! Let astrophysics tests no longer be confined to the lab—astronauts can now complete them, blogger-style, from the comforts of their bunk.
