This technology is not new and I have seen similar products about 4 years ago for the Windows Mobile devices like the Total Remote from Griffin Technologies. What seems interesting about the Apple version is that the product seems to include a large database of supported devices and also comes with a learn feature that I have not seen before in the Windows Mobile versions I have tried. The product is not out yet but is slated for early 2010 release. The cost of the unit will be $49.00 USD which includes the software.

For just a universal remote, it may seem expensive to pay $49.00 but compared to current touch screen based universal remotes, the price is very competitive.  This will certainly be popular with single males out their. Not really suited for couples or families unless you have a spare iPhone around that can double as a universal remote only for long periods.

I would certainly be interested in the learn feature. I have a digital to analog converter that is made by a no name brand and is always a pain to switch betwen two remotes to watch TV. If I can program all the functions of both the TV and the converter box onto one control panel, this would make it so much easier to watch TV.

To find out more about the RedEye Mini, just head over to THINKFLOOD for more details.

As months past, I started to notice a decline in the release of new Windows Mobile games and applications. Looking into this immediately indicated that many Windows Mobile developers had started to expand into the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch arena. I would not have thought twice about this market switch if it was not for the fact that these games and applications were being made available on the iTunes store for 99 cents. Typically a similar game or application on the Windows Mobile would be anywhere from $9.95 – $19.95 with some being much higher. Initially, I took this as a introductory trend and within 4 – 6 months I felt I would start to see a large number of iPhone and iPod Touch applications appear in the $10.00 price range or higher.

By Christmas of 2008, the number of applications available in the $10.00 or higher price range on iTunes was still a very small number compared to the applications available for only 99 cents. By this time, a number of reports were released indicating how some new developers had sold over 1 million copies of their application at 99 cents in less than 1 year. This level of distribution was unheard of in the Windows Mobile category to date. Shortly thereafter, A long time reviewer and blogger on Technobrains of Windows Mobile games informs me that he has acquired an iPod Touch. This was great news for Technobrains. Now, Eric would be able to review some iPod Touch games as well.

Unfortunately, the excitement for me disappeared by March. Eric had started to review iPod Touch games and had little time or interest in reviewing Windows Mobile games by this time. Eric was hooked on his iPod Touch. Eric eventually went from doing full reviews to doing what he now calls “QUICK LOOK”. This is a great format and allows readers to quickly guage if a game is worth the download time and expense.

The “QUICK LOOK” created by Eric are excellent for those that do not have the inclination or time to scour the thousands of games available for download on iTunes. Eric has devoted his time into selecting the games which may have the mass appeal and rate them in his “QUICK LOOK”. Many games are “Recommended” but some are also “Not Recommended”.

After spending almost 12 months reading Eric’s “QUICK LOOK”, I had come to the conclusion that the low priced games and applications on iTunes is the wave of the future and Windows Mobile applications that are $9.95 and higher will eventually disappear and be part of history. This has convinced me that to maintain the readership and have Technobrains grow down the road, I would have to increase the coverage of iPhone and iPod Touch news and reviews. This lead me to my purchase of an iPod Touch.

After a week of owning and trying my new iPod Touch, I have come to the realization that this product does have many great things going for it. There are a number of down sides which I will not discuss here but overall, the iPod Touch is definately miles ahead of Windows Mobile devices. The selection of good games and applications that are available for 99 cents is a huge benefit for those looking for a new mobile device.

If you are a Windows Mobile device user and still do not feel that purchasing an Apple mobile device is a good investment, you have to at least try one at your local Apple store. You will find that the product does have a good number of features that out performs any Windows Mobile device. I would highly suggest you avoid going to a non Apple store. The sales clerks at these other stores are not as savvy with the iPod Touch as the staff at the Apple stores. It is nolonger a battle between Windows and Apple anymore. Anyone looking for a simple device that takes care of most of the mobile devices housekeeping chores for you, do not have to look beyond an Apple iPod Touch. Once you overcome some of the very minor inconveniences experienced by other Windows Mobile users moving to the iPod Touch, you will be glad you made the switch like I have.

Here is a short list of some of the great items. Click the image to go directly to the sales item.

USB Power Adapter

USB Power adapter.

Regular price $39.95 and is on sale for only $11.95.

This is a savings of 70%.

Monaco Black Aluminum Case

Monaco Black Aluminum Case.

Regular price $39.95 and is on sale for $13.95.

This is a savings of 65%.

Jawbone Bluetooth Headset

Jawbone Bluetooth Headset

Regular price $199.95 and the sale price is $124.95.

This is a savings of 38%

Amp'd Noise Cancelling Headphones

Amp’d Noise Cancelling Headphones.

Regular price $79.95 and the sale price is $29.95.

This is a savings of 63%.

 There are a number of other great products on sale for the iPhone, iPod Touch and other mobilty devices. You have to check them out before the holiday sale is over. Just head over to Wireless Ground for these deals.

I recently acquired a third generation iPod Touch and the more I try to get comfortable with iTunes, the more I dislike iTunes. I have problems transfering or syncing my music collection easily to the ipod Touch due to DRM issues or others issues which the iTune application does not clearly indicate. Transfering files over to the iPod as a generic file is not possible through iTunes. There is no way to see the iPod Touch as a physical drive letter or folder to transfer files to. Everything must be imported into iTunes for syncing and all the non Apple acceptable files cannot be imported for syncing.

For these reasons, I spent some time scouring the Internet for an alernative. I finally came across a great application called MediaMonkey. This applications allows you to sync files to the iPod Touch and any external multimedia player with very little effort. Any media file can be accessed via the internal drives or an external drive connected to the PC. The files can be accessed without importing into MediaMonkey therefore minimizing the storage requirements and making the access to the temporary files that much easier.

I was able to take over 100 music files from my CD/DVD disks and sync them to my iPod Touch in a matter of minutes. These music files where not syncable via iTunes since the applications complained about the music files for various reasons.

Since this application is designed for Windows, it is very user friendly for those still on Windows. The application is well suitable for people like me that own numerous multimedia players. I have a number of Windows Mobile PDA’s, stand alone media players, and the Apple iPod Touch. Now with MediaMonkey, I can sync files to each and every media player through one common application without a complicated setup.

You can go to MediaMonkey and download their FREE application. MediaMonkey does have a Gold version that has a substantial number of added features for only $19.95 USD. For most users, the FREE version should be sufficient. If you own an Apple iPod Touch and are still using a Windows based PC, this is a good Free syncing application that is worth the download.

The problem with the Missil line of Mp4 media players are that the devices are old. The formats supported by the hardware are those that where popular over 2 years ago. To clarify, many of the current video files available for download like Avi, WMA, MP4, MPEG, all use an internal codec that are more up to date and are not backward compatible. Unless the software or firmware on the Missil MP4 players can be updated to handle the newer codec, these current files cannot be played or even recognized as a valid video file format.

For those using a PC though there is an around about solution.

First Step:

You will need to download and install a file conversion program that can take any currently popular video file format and convert this to a format using an older style video codec. One such converter that I was able to locate for FREE and works well is the Prism Video Converter.  The nice thing with this program is it is FREE for non commercial use and integrates into Windows Explorer nicely.

Once installed, you will need to access the video file you would like to convert for use on the Missil MP4 player through Windows Explorer. Then right click on the file and select convert using Prism Video Converter. Once the program loads and indicates the file to convert, you will need to select the type of file format to convert to. The format that works is the Apple AVI format. Before converting to the AVI format, click the Encoder Options.

• Now select Video Compressor: Microsoft Video 1
• Sound Compressor: PCM Uncompressed
• Sound Format: 44100 Hz, 16 bit, stereo

Now click OK. From here, you can just verify that the output folder indicated is the one you want. Change the folder to a more suitable one if you prefer. Just remember to use a location on drive C: to maintain the conversion speed. Once you are ready to convert the file, press the convert button and wait until the conversion is complete.

At this stage, you are 1 step closer to having a viewable video. Now that you have this video in AVI format, you can convert this over to an AMV file format which is the format recognized as the native format on the Missil MP4 player.

To convert to the AMV format you will use the conversion program supplied to you on the mini CD by Missil called the AMV Converter Tool. Run the file AMVTransform.exe directly from the mini CD or copy the folder to your PC for convenience and run the same file using Windows Explorer. You can also create a shortcut icon by right clicking the same file in Windows Explorer and select create shortcut. Then drag and drop the shortcut file onto your desktop for easy access. Make sure you only create the shortcut file once you have copied the folder and contents over to drive C:\ first.

Second Step: (Make sure you have your Missil device connected to your computer via USB)

• Launch AMVTransform.exe
• Select the Input File ( In this case – New Order – Perfect Kiss.avi)
• Select Output File ( Just select the same location as the input file.
• Click the button located near the middle of the screen that has the two arrows pointing in the opposite directions. This will start the conversion process.
• Now click the box indicatiing save the file after conversion and select E:\ as the location in the right hand box. If your Missil MP4 player shows up as a different drive letter than E: then select your appropriate drive letter.
• Once the file has been converted and saved to the Missil, the file should now be playable on the device.
• Disconnect the Missil and follow the onscreen instructions in the video menu.

Now you should be watching the converted video for the first time on your Missil MP4 player.

Enjoy.

If you still experience some issues, just post a comment below with all the details and I will try to assist.

Will this technology really take off?

TwitterPeek

Just like the iPod and iPhone has really taken off for Apple, the TwitterPeek could also be a real winner if this device evokes a true emotional attactment to the individual user. I am not sure at this stage if I would invest in a TwitterPeek since the Twitter service alone could be a short term fad that will be gone in a few years to be replaced by another online service.

One thing is that the product is currently only available via www.amazon.com which could be a good thing or a limiting factor for initial sales penetration. This certainly is one device that is worth following for the next 1 – 2 years to see where it leads.

Check out TwitterPeek