Scosche Passport FireWire-to-USB iPod adapter gets reviewed

Okay, so this adapter doesn't directly convert a FireWire 400 socket into a USB port, but for all intents and purposes here, it does as much. You see, Scosche's Passport was designed to channel the energy from older FireWire-based iPod charging gear into the USB prongs that the newer iPhone / iPods only accept. Macworld was able to get ahold of one for review, and in testing, it found that everything worked well when toying with new iPods, and while it was designed specifically for in-car applications, critics found that it even worked (albeit inelegantly) with dock-cradle accessories. Was it worth $30? Absolutely, so long as you'd rather burn $30 than replace that mess of wires you've got behind the dashboard (and you would).
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: adapter, firewire, ipod, ipod accessory, IpodAccessory, Passport, review, Scosche ]

SanDisk kills TakeTV dead

Here's a sure sign of unpopularity: SanDisk stopped selling its TakeTV device, and shut down TakeTV's Fanfare content portal, on May 15th... and nobody noticed. Originally inspiring fond sentiments with its sneakernet approach to getting videos from your computer to your PC, SanDisk's TakeTV just never got much traction. Faced with competition from the likes of Microsoft and Apple -- not to mention the oodles of networked devices that offer up more content and more convenience which have been cropping up recently -- we'd be surprised if TakeTV sold enough units to fill a briefcase. Anybody out there have any fond memory's of TakeTV's short stint?

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: fanfare,features,sandisk,taketv ]

Planex DigiJuke NAS snags YouTube and BitTorrent video then jams it down the Wii, Xbox 360, iPod... and throat of MPAA

Here it is copyright bandits, the single biggest reason (other than silicone) to make a Hollywood studio notice of you: the MZK-NAS02SG1T network attached server from Planex. The main selling point behind the the ¥54,799 (about $524) 1TB Gigabit Ethernet block is the claim to "universal access" for all your devices. That little trick comes courtesy of its DigiJuke browser for searching and tagging the BitTorrent and YouTube content you want downloaded in the appropriate PSP and iPod (MPEG-4), Wii (FLV), or TV (MPEG-2) format for in-home or on-the-go viewing. The NAS also streams audio and video to your iTunes laptops or desktops or DLNA TV, Xbox 360, or other compliant device in the home. A front-facing USB 2.0 jack offers one-touch dubbing of USB sticks while a second around back offers ready storage expansion. It ships with a pair of 3.5-inch 500GB drive which you can swap out for higher capacity spinners at a later date. That is if the studios don't shut you down first.


[Via: Impress ]
[Tag: bittorrent, dlna, japan, MZK-NAS02SG1T, nas, planex, youtube ]