Apple today stunned the tech world with the announcement of two new products to augment both the iPod and the MacBook lines.  First up is the newest entry in the iPod line, the iPod Grope.  The iPod Grope is bigger than the iPod Touch with a 5 inch screen and is almost one inch thick. 

Steve Jobs made the announcement for the Grope by offering it up to the geeks who "are too clumsy and inexperienced" to operate an iPod that is thin and light and thus requiring a feather touch.  Jobs iterated that the iPod Touch is just too small and requires a too light a touch to operate using two fingers and that geeks are not able to control it properly as they lack the finesse.  Enter the iPod Grope, a one pound brick of an iPod that requires five fingers to manipulate the screen which geeks everywhere will flock to for the ease of operation that manhandling the device brings to the table.  "Geeks need an iPod that they touch like they touch women when they get a chance, and that is what the iPod Grope provides.  It’s an iPod that lets them grab things on the screen with their whole hand since they are too clumsy for anything less." said Jobs.  He went on to say "Nerds just want to grab something with their hand, not caress anything and the Grope is tailor-made for them.  The iPod Grope can also be used in conjunction with our next product we’re happy to announce today."

Apparently Apple has been reading all the commentary about theMacBook Air, especially the sentiment that "thin" and "underpowered"doesn’t cut it when the device could actually be lighter. It’s nowclear that the MacBook Air was a first-generation experiment becausetoday Apple delivered a new model to select reviewers. Yes, you’reviewing the first picture of a light, thin MacBook that’s lighter thanthe Air. Say hello to the MacBook Helium.

There’s several amazing accomplishments to highlight here. First,Apple is saving on production costs by using the original MacBook Airchassis. The key difference is on the inside. Apple has engineered theMacBook Helium to have Intel processors that typically power desktops,so no longer will performance be considered a compromise. The newMacBook Helium also uses a unique gas-cooling system that captures heatfrom the 3.0 GHz Core 2 Duo chipset and uses it to warm up ahelium-cooling-bladder. This incredible system does two things at once:it keeps the CPU and other components cooler and also causes the heliumto expand, thus making the device get lighter the longer you use it!

"We’re really excited about the new MacBook Helium as it’s lighterthan our MacBook Air. Not only that, we’ve made it lighter on yourwallet by keeping it at just $999. One price, one model. It’s thatsimple." said Steve Jobs in a video-conference.

"The most amazing part," he continued, "is the first commercial useof our patent-pending RDF technology which warps light around theMacBook Helium. It makes the shadow of this fantastic new model appearlike a Helium balloon. How about that, isn’t that great?"

I haven’t been able to benchmark the new device just yet because Ican’t get over the RDF technology that Apple described. You can see foryourself in the picture… it’s simply brilliant! My biggest fear isthat the MacBook Helium will simply fly away during use, but Applethought of that too. That new iPod Grope they just announced can betethered to the bottom of the string. At one-inch thick, the Gropeweighs just enough to keep your MacBook Helium within reach. What willthey think of next?

SLOOF LIRPA

jk & kct

There must be a break in the clouds because Google Docs is about to get a little sunshine in the form of offline functionality. Rafe Needleman breaks news that Google Gears support starts rolling out to Google Docs accounts next week. You won’t be able to create a new doc offline initially, but you will be able to edit existing docs.Why is this important to mobile users? Well, I use Google Docs for all of my freelance writing for example. With my mobile devices, I can work anywhere these days, provided I have connectivity. My EV-DO modem offers that, but it comes at a price, and I don’t just mean the $60 monthly charge. It uses valuable battery power. Let’s imagine that I’m editing a document. [Actually, that isn't hard to imagine with my writing of late.... three to five go-arounds seems to be norm for me.] I can pull down my doc for offline use while using my EV-DO or a WiFi connection. Once I have the doc, I can shut my radios down to cut down on power use while I edit for the next hour or two. Sure, it’s not going to give me hours more run-time, but it’s smart power management and it will let me be productive longer.While folks at the Google are messing with Google Gears: any chance for Safari or Opera support? There’s more to the web than IE and Firefox. Ok, thx!

Our most recent podcast should dispel any doubts regarding the target market for Celio’s REDFLY mobile companion but if you still aren’t convinced, today’s press release should take care of that. Celio just announced a partnership with Enterprise Mobile to launch the REDFLY device. Enterprise Mobile will provide sales, marketing, deployment and customer support for enterprise customers using the REDFLY.After using the unit for nearly two weeks, I can certainly see the benefits in an enterprise situation: low total-cost-of-ownership, flexibility to be used with multiple phone models and the safety of having zero data on the device itself. Does that mean it’s not for consumers? I’d say it’s definitely geared for business folks although it will likely have a limited consumer audience as well. If you’re the type of person that enjoys the Windows Mobile experience and can be productive in that environment, you likely already have a high-powered WinMo unit and would benefit from the large VGA screen, simplicity and keyboard that the REDFLY brings. James and Matt are strongly considering the $499 purchase, but I’m going to pass. Not because the REDFLY is a bad device; on the contrary, I’m very satisfied with it for its intended use. However, as I’ve mentioned almost a year ago, my smartphone use has declined due to my UMPC usage, so the device has limited appeal for my work-style.

CTIA is here and that means plenty of phone announcements are likely this week. Verizon Wireless kicks things off with five new models for the spring. Actually, it looks like four since I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the Samsung Alias ads on my TV for a few weeks now. Here are the new kids on the cellular block for VZW:

• LG Slim enV(2): internal 2.4-inch screen and QWERTY keyboard, larger keys than the enV on the outside, V CAST capable, stereo Bluetooth support, 2.0-megapixel camera, microSD support for up to 8 GB. Available in April for $129 after $50 rebate and two-year commitment.
• XV 6900: a CDMA version of the HTC Touch that runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional, offers 256 MB ROM / 128 MB of RAM, supports up to 8 GB of microSD memory. Watch for it in April at $349.99 after $50 rebate and two-year deal. You can save another $100 if you sign up for a qualifying voice and data plan when purchasing. There’s no mention of 3G, but I expect that the XV 6900 is EV-DO Rev. 0 like the Sprint version.
• MOTO Q 9c: Arriving in May, this is another EV-DO, Windows Mobile 6 device although there’s no touchscreen. Fans of larger QWERTY keyboards might be interested in the Q 9c with 2.4-inch display. Verizon also offers their VZ Navigator service with this next-gen Q. Price is $100 less than the XV 6900 with the same terms.
• BlackBerry 8330 Curve: May also brings the 8330 with EV-DO, GPS for VZ Navigator, 320 x 240 display, 2-megapixel camera, and 3.5-inch headphone jack (woot!). $269.99 gets you the 8330 after rebates and commitment.

Nothing too earth-shattering here, mostly just VZW catching up to Sprint offerings, although Sprint doesn’t yet offer the 8830 either. That should be happening next month.(via Phone Scoop)

Firefox users rejoice! The “Send to OneNote” feature that’s native to Internet Explorer can be replicated in Firefox with the “Clip to OneNote” extension. The extension was originally written for Firefox 1.5 and OneNote 2003, but with some help from other sources, Amit shows how to enable it for Firefox 2.x / 3 and OneNote 2007. You’ll need the original extension installed and then you’ll create two new configuration keys in Firefox. Once done, you’re good to go. Amit has the simple instructions over at Digital Inspiration that provide all the details.Once installed and configured, you’ll have a right-click option in Firefox. Simply highlight any parts of a web page (text, pics and links) and then choose the Clip to OneNote selection in the right-click context menu of Firefox. Anything you’ve highlighted will be sent over to OneNote for later use.

Normally I don’t get into the whole theme/skinning thing with my phones but when I saw this post this morning I knew I had to check it out.  The theme is inspired by images of the BlackBerry 9000 that recently surfaced and it looked so good that I quickly plopped down my $7 for it.  That’s how good it looked, I was even willing to pay for it.  I downloaded it OTA to my 8830 and installed it post-haste and let me tell you it is drop-dead gorgeous.  It looks modern and sleek and also presents more information on the screen than my old theme yet everything is legible and pleasing to the eye.  So if you have a BlackBerry model that the theme supports you should at least check it out.  Well done guys!

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly.
MoTR 127 is 38 minutes long and is a 34.8 MB file in MP3 format.

INTRO: Based on “Time v2.1″ by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick.
HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matthew Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (fighting the Flu in Philadelphia)
TOPICS:
Two topics and two topics only. After in-house, hands-on use, we discuss the pros & cons of:1. The Celio REDFLY mobile companion2. The HTC ShiftSorry for the audio quality due to mic and GSM phone issues.

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HP has a new, middle-of-the-road option if you don’t want to go with a full-blown Windows Home Server solution. The new mv2150 Media Vault starts at $299 and provides 500 GB of storage space to backup Windows devices on your network. The vault houses the 7200 RPM 500 GB drive and offers an open bay to add more storage later. Connectivity is provides with 2 USB ports and a Gigabit Ethernet jack; with that, you can hang the mv2150 off a wired or wireless router.Remote access is provided via TZO Dynamic DNS, which was around $25 a year at last check. The mv2150 is Linux-based and comes with 128 MB of RAM; interesting that it competes with the higher-priced Windows-powered home server solutions from HP.

HP today has released the Elite Auto Focus Webcam, a USB cam that sports a 3 MP lens.  The Elite Webcam can achieve up to 12 MP with software interpolation and will either clip to monitors or sit on a table with the included stand.  The HP Elite Webcam is very small and will offer up HD quality video conferences which is pretty cool.  It also has a stereo microphone integrated into the cam to provide good audio quality and face tracking ability to go along with the auto focus. The Elite web cam has the following specs:

•3-Megapixel CMOS sensor with autofocus
•USB 2.0 high-speed certified
•Live video: 640 x 480 (VGA) up to 30fps, 800 x 600 up to 20fps,
1280 x 960 up to 8-9fps, 1600 x 1200 up to 5-6fps
•Still picture: up to 12 Megapixels (4096×3072 pixels) by software
interpolation
•UVC (Universal Video Class)
•Face-tracking
•Effective focal range: 4 inches to infinity
•Frame rate: Up to 30 frames per second
•Tilt and Pan: Tilt (55°, up to 20° down and 35° up) / Pan (320°, up to
160° left, up to 160° right)
•Integrated stereo microphone
•5X Digital Zoom
•3 buttons on the top: HP Instant Video, HP instant Image Capture and
HP Instant Chat button
•Privacy cover
•Front LED (on/off)
•Cable length: 3.28 feet (1 meter)
•Software: ArcSoft VideoImpression, ArcSoft Magic-i, ArcSoft WebCam
Companion and HP Photosmart Essential

Kevin recently told us about SugarSync, a unique and full-featured way to keep files synchronized across multiple devices.  I had some free time last night so I decided to check it out and found it to be pretty cool and I am going to give it a try.  While traipsing around the product web site I ran across this video which is the best product demo I have ever seen.  They show the program actually syncing files and photos in real time by putting two devices in the screen recording at the same time.  They show SugarSync doing its magic on Windows PCs, Macs and cell phones in the same window which is totally cool and very effective at showing off the power of instant synchronization.  Very good job SugarSync folks!