I'm not sure how other companies will be able to compete with the video iPod, but iRiver is brave enough to try.

The U10 player lets you listen to music, view video and photos, and play Flash-based games, but the screen is 2.2-inches (smaller than the iPod video) with only 512MB or 1GB of storage (the video iPod offers 30GB and 60GB). So if you're looking to store your music collection, this device isn't it.
 
There are two advantages to the U10 though. It comes with an FM tuner and a voice recorder, something the video iPod does not have. How well both works, we'll just have to wait and see.

The iRiver U10 will be available in November, priced at $199.99 for the 512MB version and $249.99 for the 1GB version.

Read this news report for more.

PC Magazine's hands on review of the video iPod is finally done and it doesn't disappoint. Mike Kobrin, PC Mag's MP3 player guru, has been locked away in the Labs from the moment he got his hands on the unit. Now that he is done, he can show it around the office.  And it is lovely.  Nice video, but the sound is better too. His full review has all the details. Put simply, it is still the best MP3 player on the market and now it plays videos.  Although it sounds like you will need to shell out $30 for QuickTime 7 Pro if you want to load your own videos.

By any measure, it is a rave review. I asked Mike about the critics who have started to lash out against the non-stop Apple buzz machine, like Shafer and Dvorak, but Kobrin doesn't care about that stuff. He said something like "I actually tested it. I tested all of the competition. I don't care what anyone else says."

The Labs guys are kinda intense. 

Our pals over at Engadget are onto someting I've been meaning to start following: The emergence of satellite-based data services, the latest being Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network. For years, I've been meaning to invest in a just-in-case satellite telephone. But, I've been put off, not so much by the hardware prices, but the sometimes ongoing monthy service charges whether you use the phone or not. I want to start writing about those, too.

As for satellite data, like Engadget, I am concerned about coverage and reliability issues. The 500 kbps speed, while nothing to sneeze at, isn't incredibly fast. On the other hand, I've been spec-ing out a ham radio-to-Internet emergency communications tool where 9,600 bps is still considered a decent data rate.

I am very happy that PC Magazine likes, really likes, the new video iPod. I am not sure why people think watching video on a 2.5-inch color screen is such a big deal, but there you have it. And here you have several iPod-related predictions:

1. The video iPod isn't the product customers want. Not in huge numbers. This won't be the first time Apple has released a loser high-end iPod. Remember, when the Photo iPod was all the rage? It turned out that neat as it sounds, most people don't want to carry huge photo collections around in their pocket. I don't think adding video to a souped-up Photo iPod changes this, especially when very little video will be available for downloading. The video iPod sounds really neat, but won't be a huge seller.

2. The best customer for the video iPod will be someone who needs the large drive capacity, either because they want to carry around a big music collection or because they are using the iPod as a repository for images downloaded straight from a digital camera. If the alternative is carrying a laptop computer around, the iPod is a good choice.

3. The bulk of the market wants an iPod Nano. It's sleek, it's cool, it's not too expensive. And it doesn't overreach.

4. Would-be competitors must understand that Apple is selling a system and an infrastructure. That's why it took three years for the first iPods to become an overnight sensation. Customers choose the iPod for several reasons including the device itself, the iTunes software, the ability to buy music at fair prices online, the hundreds of cool (if repetitive) accessories, and the cachet that comes with the Apple brand. If you want to compete, it's not enough to have a better music player and kinda/sorta links to online services and so-so software. Customers are buying an entire experience and since nobody besides Apple as one to offer, the company is walking away with the MP3 market.

5. The only real threat, in the near-term, to the iPod ecosystem comes from Microsoft and Real getting together and creating a competitive platform that hardware companies can build products for. The hardware companies, for their part, need to create designs that out-iPod-the-iPod in terms of visual appeal and functionality. This is not something Apple's hardware competitors have thus far been capable of doing, though maybe someday. Which is what I've been saying for years.

6. There is an inevitable slowdown ahead. There is a limit to how small a useful iPod can be, mostly due to the screen size, I think. There is likewise an upper limit to the hard drives that most customers need unless video really does become important to iPod customers. These is a limit to how many music players the world needs, especially premium-priced models. Apple is being forced to work harder and harder to create less and less real innovation. Fortunately for Apple, this isn't a battle so much about hardware as it is about services. The real drivers behind the iPod's success were, first, support for Windows users and, second, the iTunes Music Store. Hardware matters, but isn't the only tool Apple has for driving profits off its iPod invention. 

In short, I remain underwhelmed by video features, but love the iPod ecosystem as a whole. It's a remarkable invention.

This week on Gearlog Radio, host David Coursey talks with industry analyst Rob Enderle about issues in the week’s news including:

 

The battle over the Blu-ray HD DVD format and Bill Gates’ comment that Blu-ray will be the last physical format as content delivery goes streaming. But how long will it be until “real” broadband arrives on the scene, with speeds capable of replacing a trip to Blockbuster.

 

Meg Whitman this week predicted that in a few years, voice telephone calls would be free, thanks to advertiser and transaction fee support. But, is this a good thing? Wat trade-offs will we make and how much will the underlying broadband connection cost?

 

Also: What’s happening with Apple’s forthcoming Intel-based hardware.

 

Rob is a smart guy, always entertaining, and the program is worth the 22-minute investment.

 

Click here to listen.

Yes, Gearlog is dedicated to all things gadgety, electric, and marvelous, but we also value usefulness and are impressed by the very small. Pen and paper aren't high tech, but when they are so darn tiny they can slip into your wallet, like the PicoPad ($3.79 direct), even geeks can be impressed. Word is, one of the crazy-smart ex-IDEO guys designed it. 

My bet is the same folks that spend $400 for a Treo 650 will drop $4 for this little wonder.

The Saitek A-200 Portable 2.1 Speaker System ($99 list) has a love it or hate it design--part spaceship, part bicycle seat. This is not a system that will blend into your bland office, it stands out and will quickly become a conversation piece. But this isn't a just for looks. The sound quality is very good and it works with any analog audio source. As you would expect the bass is a little weak, but how much can you expect for a portable system?

You can check out full review here, but the real question is. Do you like the way it looks?

Okay, so if you're into Star Wars, I mean, really into Star Wars, and are a tech-junkie who understands what case modding is, you'll be blown away by an R2-D2 case mod. Not only does this R2-D2 case mod look incredibly like the original, it's bundled with a P4 processor, Radeon GPU, and cooling system that runs R2 at a chilling -38 degrees celcius. And R2's no lightweight either, weighing in at a whopping 100 pounds. That's a computer that you have to carry with a forklift almost.

Check out some of the production and finished pics of R2. You can also read what the inventor has to say about his invention.

R2-D2 Computer