I had to promise Microsoft’s Zune PR rep last week that we wouldn’t talk about the new Zune models. I mean, twice. I seriously had to email the guy twice and tell him “we won’t say anything until the 16th.”

Poor guy probably had an aneurysm when Fry’s just stuck them on their shelves without any fanfare. An astute shopper grabbed one and immediately posted pics and specs on the webnets.

So imagine my utter ’shock’ and ’surprise’ when the Zune PR manager emailed me today and said the embargo had been moved forward to today. “Go ahead and publish” we were told. Hahahahahaha.

The new Zune’s feature list is kinda cool. For example, “Buy from FM” allows you to tag a song you’re hearing on the radio band - you can buy it next time you have an internet connection.

The new models are available in more colors, and in two new sizes, 16gb and 120gb. If we can get our hands on a review sample, I’m interested in the audio quality; I want to see if it stacks up to the stellar quality on the Sony Walkman A818 that we reviewed last year.

The Aerocool Modern V is a fan controller and temp display that looks like it’s straight out of Knight Rider.

The New York Times has some juicy info for us; T-Mobile will be the first American provider to sell phones based on Google’s Android OS.

The phones are being designed and manufactured by HTC. T-Mobile expects to have Android-based phones available as soon as October, to make a move on the holiday shopping season.

For someone like me, who is taking a wait-n-see approach to a future smartphone purchase, this news is simultaneously disconcerting and exciting. I’ve been waffling between an iPhone and the Blackberry Bold for a couple of months now. Of course after this announcement, I’m going to have to see what Android is all about.

Choices, choices, choices!

Samsung’s solid state camcorder gives a ton of features in a tiny package.

PRNewsFoto/Netflix, Inc.

If you haven’t ditched Blockbuster yet now might be a good time because Netflix is bring out the big guns. First it was the Xbox 360 and now a set-top box with LG Electronics.

With a little help and love from Netflix, today LG Electronics announced the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Available this fall, the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player will play
high definition Blu-ray discs, up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p and allow
Netflix subscribers to instantly stream more than 12,000 choices of movies
and TV episodes from Netflix to the TV for no additional charge.

Unfortunately the press release is missing two key elements: suggested price and any mention of HD streaming.

For years Newegg.com has been the primary “go-to” site for computer and technology enthusiasts. Often they have the lowest prices on their massive selection of inventory, and their customer service and quick shipping cements their place in the hearts of consumers - as long as they’re in the USA.

Often our Canadian readers and forum members would longingly glance at the prices and selection available to their American counterparts, and let out a resigned sigh as they went to their own online retailers.

Apparently, that is about to come to an end. NewEgg has a teaser page at newegg.ca. While no launch date has been announced, the page does mention “2008″ - which leaves us with, at the worst, four months of speculation

I wonder if they’ll change their slogan. “Once you know, you Newegg, eh?”

Low-Fi Fisheye

The high price of a fisheye lens often discourages a lot of potential buyers. A quick glance online will show that even cheap Russian lenses with conversion mounts are $300 or more. For amateurs, the fisheye lens is usually nothing more than an interesting gimmick; if that’s the case, the price seems difficult to justify.

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It’s a mouse! It’s a VOIP phone! It’s both?

I’m going to start by saying this: this is a fantastic time to be a photographer, particularly in the digital realm. Prices are plummeting, choices are skyrocketing, accessories are multiplying, sensors are growing, details are sharpening, knowledge is spreading, and it’s all happening at a breakneck pace that can make keeping up with things a little difficult at times. Whether you want to go small with a pocket point and shooter, mid-range with a so-called “prosumer” P&S, entry-level DSLR (digital single lens reflex), or full-fledged full-frame monstrosities, you’ve got choices heaped upon options all vying to take your money.

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BoyGenius does a nice little comparison between the iPhone 3G and the new BlackBerry Bold.

Sumo is a bit ubiquitous in certain circles on the web nowadays. If you spend time on sites like Icrontic, you’ve probably seen the ads with the beautiful girls on the big bean bags. Perhaps you’ve wondered if they’re really that comfortable or useful. Hopefully, after this read, it’ll be a little clearer for you.

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Add some bling with the CoolJag Programmable LED Flash Fan. It’s a fan that displays messages.

I’m a sucker for tube amps. Check out the Symphonic Designs Tube Amp for iPods. It’s seckzyhawt.

Icrontic member Sonorous came up with a brilliant idea last night:

“So there was this motherboard screw that was impossible to screw back in once the motherboard was in place (you all know the one), and I have been trying to come up with a way to easily get the screw, and the screwdriver down in that area with out dropping the screw. And then it hit me:

I took an anti-static bag and cut a small X in it just big enough to fit the shaft of the screw in, seated the screwdriver on the head of the screw and then created tension with the bag so I could get the screw in the right spot. It worked perfectly.”

He took some pics to illustrate his point:

TechReport uses OCZ technology to control games with their mind, sort of.