MobileScrobbler was possibly the most polished jailbreak app. So, it’s comes as no surprise that Last.FM’s ready with a blessed iPhone client shortly after the iTunes App Store launch. Though, like all “official” apps, this one isn’t permitted to run in the background - meaning no music playback while checking email or browsing the web. Despite that limitation, I’m still digging my suddenly-much-more-capable audio device and I highly recommend both Pandora and AOL Radio.

In fact, my hunt for two speaker docks has been reduced by one. I recently unloaded a portable XM Helix, though hadn’t yet recycled the Altec Lansing iM4… In conjunction with the iPhone cradle lineout, I’ve found a decent solution for at least one room. (I’ll ultimately find a better home for it, rather than leave it perched on the edge of my AnthroCart as pictured above.) With the expert guidance of iLounge’s Jeremy Horwitz, I’ve possibly identified my second dock - the (much sleeker and with remote) next generation Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere ($130).

The 3G iPhone wasn’t the only new release last week… The D-Link DivX media extender (DSM-300) has started shipping in the US. Though it lists for $300, online retailers are offering it for $230 minus an additional $30 rebate. $200 for this handsome wireless-capable, 720p extender is a decent deal if your digital video collection is primarily Xvid- or Divx-encoded. Plus, the community developed plugins and theme offerings continue to expand. Both Brent and I have review samples, though I suspect he’ll get something written up sooner. In fact, I may just let him cover it for the both of us while I continue my gadget purge and realignment (1, 2, 3, 4).

An interview with The Washington Post’s Rob Pegoraro aired this morning on NPR. The topic? Whether the Kindle makes for good beach and poolside reading. The verdict was mixed.

On the pro side: a few drops of water aren’t going to kill the Kindle, and the fact that the screen’s not backlit makes it easy to read even in the sun.

On the con side: the Kindle isn’t going to survive getting buried in the sand, and you’re going to be a lot more worried about it getting stolen than a dog-eared paperback.

All in all, I think even if I owned a Kindle I’d fork over ten bucks for a paperback at the beach… just for the peace of mind of being able to leave my book thoughtlessly behind for a dip in the ocean.

Apple products are the gifts that keep on giving. Right before the July 4th holiday, AppleInsider reported on how first-gen iPhone buyers can still operate their handsets as iPod Touch devices - Wi-Fi and all - if they decide to buy the new 3G iPhone. This met with some derision on the AppleInsider forum as an iPhone costs more than an iPod Touch, but the realists in the group pointed out that for year-old technology, it’s not such a bad deal.

In the meantime, the story got me thinking about the options for old iPhones and iPods. What to do when you’re ready to move on to the next-gen product?

1. Sell your old iPhone or iPod on eBay. It’s an obvious choice, but one that many may be too lazy to take advantage of. For those folks, try an iSOLD It store. Drop off your old product, let them sell it for you on eBay, and reap a portion of the profits. Dave likes this method.
2. Pass it down to a child or up to a parent. Again this is an obvious choice, but you can turn it into a true gift by loading your old gadget with personalized music for the recipient. Think mix tape without the romantic connotations.
3. Keep a travel version. Like to work out on the road? Keep an iPod or iPhone-cum-iPod-Touch topped up with workout tunes in your travel bag. You’ll have no excuse to avoid that run around the hotel grounds.
4. Raffle off for a local community group. Got a kid’s extracurricular club that’s looking for prizes to raffle? What could be better than that old iPod Mini?
5. If your old iPod or iPhone is totally trashed, there’s always the recycling option. Apple has its own recycling program, and it’s completely free, including shipping. No better way to end-of-life an Apple music player.

There’s been a lot of WiMAX chatter the last couple of months. For example, the major announcement in May of new financial backers for a US network (Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Google, Intel and Bright House). And yesterday came the much lower-profile, but still highly-important news of the first successful round of WiMAX certifications by the WiMAX Forum. Certification means interoperability, which is critical for any large-scale deployment.

Amid the flurry of recent WiMAX coverage, it’s been difficult to pin down the important facts for Joe Q. Public. After all, what normal person really is interested in spectrum frequencies? 700 MHz or 2.5 GHz - who cares as long as it means high-speed wireless Internet access?

Here are some of the important conclusions I’ve arrived at, several with the help of Paul Kapustka’s “Game On, WiMAX!” report. This is what consumers in the US should be interested in and what WiMAX has going for it.

What should matter to consumers:

• Per-use payment options - No requirement to pay a WiMAX monthly service fee if you’re only going to connect once or twice a month
• Handsets don’t have to be subsidized, meaning you’ll be able to buy anything WiMAX-certified at retail and automatically have Internet access
• The new Clearwire service will use mobile WiMAX instead of fixed WiMAX, which means you can literally stay connected while moving at high speed down a highway (Side note: Interestingly, I heard major pessimism around mobile WiMAX from one large industry analyst firm earlier this year. Premature reaction?)
• Nationwide network - before the new investors got on board, it wasn’t clear if WiMAX could scale beyond a few metro areas; now a nationwide build-out is assumed
• “[Some] observers see WiMAX silicon getting small and cheap enough to find its way into a wide range of consumer gear, such as digital cameras — which might also have their broadband connectivity built into the purchase price, like Amazon’s Kindle book reader.” -Sidecut Reports

What WiMAX has going for it: (more…)

One of Dash’s welcoming gadget gifts was the Flip Ultra (~$150). Mari’s been a fan for months, but I’ve had my doubts… The last couple years, I’ve simply shot (poor quality) video with my relatively ancient pocketable digital camera (Panasonic Lumix FX9) - as Michael Arrington suggests. Both the Flip and the Lumix shoot 30fps at 640×480, though the Flip kindly incorporates a USB connector, onboard storage, and basic video editing software.

However, if I’m upgrading my video recording capabilities I need the ability to focus up close - something the Flip proved it was incapable of when I captured the iPhone SlingPlayer. So I’ve replaced my Flip with a low-end Sony Handycam (DCR-HC52) for ~50% more money, 40x more zoom, and at least 100% more clutter - bulkier unit plus tapes and cables. The Flip seems to be a great solution for many, and despite it’s toy-like appearance I wanted it to work out since I travel light. But it wasn’t meant to be…

My latest video project, including tight focus with readable screen text at the 30 second mark:

Want the EchoStar/DISH Network DTVPal digital-to-analog converter before it’s released? Well, I’ve been cleared to give away my review unit. For more info on the DTVPal, watch as I try to set it up prior to receiving my morning caffeine or check out reviews at SatelliteGuys and CNET.

The rules:

• Leave an intelligent comment on any May, 2008 ZNF post. It could be something you’ve already written or something you write now (archives are found here).
• Leave a comment on this post linking the May post or comment you chimed in on.
• Only one entrance per person permitted.
• In a couple days, a winner will be randomly selected.
• Entrants must be located in one of the lower 48 United States only, please.

As we approach the release of D-Link’s DSM-300 DivX Connected media extender, I (and several of my blogosphere buddies) have been offered an advance look at the set-top box. Like a Windows Media Center or Sage TV extender, the DSM-300 primarily relies on Windows-based software to serve up your digital media (and I’m told a Mac equivalent is in the works). Thus far, I’ve only unboxed and configured the unit - joining my wireless network was painless (device maxes out with 802.11g) and the enclosure is attractive. I’m also pleased to see they didn’t skimp on accessories… The unit ships with an HDMI cable. While I don’t need one, many will - and it’s a consumer friendly touch. Assuming things remain on track, we can expect general availability within about a month priced similarly to the UK (99 British pounds = ~$200?). I’ll have more to say at some point, though Brent will probably beat me to a formal review.