Tech Peek Base

We’re not super familiar with the term “steamrolling along” as it applies to device launches, but apparently it’s good news for Michael Arrington’s CrunchPad tablet. Mike dropped the news on a recent episode of Steve Gillmor’s “Gillmor Gang” podcast (like “Gilmore Girls,” but with less inter-generational drama), saying that he’s not sure where the rumor of cost being too high came from, since costs continue to come down. The “$300 to $400″ price range he’s quoting is a bit higher than we’d heard previously, but it still sounds pretty good for a 12-inch touchscreen device. He also made mention of “soft revenue” and “sponsorships” on the device, akin to the revenue Firefox gets from its Google search box, and added that it won’t impact the user experience. Outside of those tidbits Mike says they’re working on making it “perfect,” and that there should be some big news about the device coming shortly. Video is after the break, CrunchPad discussion starts at the 39 minute mark.

[Via UMPCPortal]

Hey there, web surfer. What’s cracking? Us? Oh, not much, just listening to this side-splitting episode of the Engadget Podcast on our portable listening device. Yeah, it’s the episode where Josh, Nilay and Paul find a purse on the sidewalk with $500 in it and debate whether or not to take it to the police or spend the money on pizza and arcade games. Or maybe they talk about gadgets. You should check it out! Alright, later on cool dude.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller

This week Apple issued an update to the iPod nano, bringing it to version 1.0.2. Fixes and additions include:

Fixed audiobook playbook setting so Normal, Slower, Faster, works for audio podcasts

It’s been a relatively quiet week — at least compared to the past month of chaos — but there’s still an awful lot of news to talk about, and the Engadget Podcast soldiers on. We’re also planning to kick back and answer some questions from the audience — won’t you join us? We’ll be starting at 3:30PM EST, but the chat below is open now.

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 3:30PM EST!

Mobile content delivery startup Myxer has officially delivered over 10 million free ringtones to iPhone users.Myxer allows users to download ringtone in two ways. First, Myxer’s free ringtone podcasts allows any iTunes user to pull ringtones directly from the channel. And the startup has a standalone site that gives users the ability to download from a catalog of more than two million ringtones and sync them to the device from their PC.

The easier of the two options is surprisingly subscribing to the podcast. Being subscribed means that iTunes will check for new files as they become available, allowing users to get Myxer ringtones directly from iTunes and on their mobile phone every time they sync. Two new ringtones are added each week.

A couple of years ago I used the Mac version of Awaken from Embraceware to get myself out of bed in the morning. It’s a well-done app that uses your computer as an alarm clock with lots of programmable options, a tidy full-screen mode and more.

Then I had kids, and Awaken slipped off my radar; the sound of screaming is even more effective (but less customizable) than my favorite podcast. Therefore, I missed Awaken for iPhone and iPod touch. Earlier this week, Embraceware released version 1.2 with a number of improvements, including landscape mode, new “8-bit” and “Classic LCD” display mode (I’m loving the 8-bit), and three new flashlight modes, including a clever CF bulb for the eco-anxious. Shake the phone to turn the flashlight on and off. As is the case for all third-party iPhone alarm clocks, the app needs to be running to activate the alarm (you can use sleep mode to drift off to music).

A bit of a wild podcast this week, as we recorded live on DROID launch day — and not just Motorola’s handset, but also the HTC DROID Eris. That’s not all that went down, though — the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 also launched this week, the Dell Adamo XPS got official, and everyone else sued each other. Yep, it’s action packed — get downloading!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller

It’s DROID launch day and you know what that means — we’re doing the podcast live. Join Josh, Paul, Nilay, and a cast of USTREAM thousands just below the break — it’s been a wild week, don’t miss it!

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live — now!

Let’s file this under ‘really bad ideas done poorly.’ Sony would like to sell you 1,000 ringtones, sound effects, and comedy voices on a data DVD that’s just oh so ready to import into iTunes. Sony doesn’t seem to offer a comparable product for other cellphones, like maybe the Sony Ericsson brand, so I can only conclude this is a plot by Sony to make iPhone owners look dumb when a call comes in.

I listened to some of the samples on the Sony website, and the DVD seems to be a collection of bad and unmemorable production music, obnoxious sound effects, and jokey voices saying things like “Dude — everybody keep your voice down, I think it’s my Dad calling.”

Tired of all the DROID talk? Well, tough cookies, mister. Nilay, Paul and Josh have a lot to say on the subject, and you’re just going to have to sit there and take it. Or you could skip the first 40 minutes of this week’s podcast, but that’s just a recipe for regret. If you do stick it out you’ll be treated to some unusually candid discussion of Josh’s facial hair and other more pertinent questions picked from the USTREAM discussion that will almost certainly frighten you straight.

WARNING: This podcast has been known to kill people. Engadget assumes no responsibility for injury or death.