Another day, another potential name for the Apple Tablet, the device of mystery and wonder that has the tech world in a tizzy. As we get closer to the big reveal, we thought it a good time to take stock of the rumored nomenclature and find out what you fine Mashable readers think this thing should officially be named.

What should Apple name this device? Will it be one of the four i- prefixed contenders below? Will Apple surprise us all and launch something without an i at the beginning, or will a certain place with sweltering climate freeze over first?

Cast your vote in the poll below, which will be open until noon PST/3pm EST next Tuesday, January 26. Be sure to let us know why you picked your choice in the comments.

Which Apple Tablet name do you think is the best?(answers)

Tags: apple, Apple Tablet, gadgets, iguide, ipad, iSlate, iTablet, polls, tablets

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Originally posted at Web Crawler

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We thought Zillow’s 2011 IPO was a good sign for the tech and Internet market. Intel has not only just confirmed that notion, but blown everybody’s expectations right out of the water.

The world’s largest chipmaker just wowed Wall Street and the tech world with its latest earnings report. The publicly-traded company reported a net income of $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, up an amazing 875% from its $234 million earnings in the fourth quarter of 2008. This more than beat Wall Street expectations.

While we won’t go into detail over the financial numbers (you can do that here [PDF]), we do want to highlight some of the key stats:

- Revenues in Q4 2009 rose to $10.6 billion, a climb of 28% from $8.3 billion last year.

- However, if you look at the big picture, Intel had a better 2008 than 2009. 2009 revenues were $35.1 billion, while 2008 revenues reached $37.6 billion. That’s a 7% difference.

- Intel predicts revenues of approximately $9.7 billion in Q1 2010, above Wall Street estimates.

- Around a year ago, at the heart of the economic collapse, Intel decided to invest $7 billion into new chip plants. It looks to be paying off.

Intel’s Q4 report is one of the first to come out this year, but it won’t be the last. If Intel’s numbers are any indication though, we’re nearing the light at the end of the tunnel.

[img credit: Thomas Hawk via Flickr]

Tags: business, business news, finance, intel, trending

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U.S. Holds Fire in Google-China Feud: U.S. government officials and business leaders were supportive but wary of taking sides in Google’s battle with China, a sign of the delicate tensions between the growing superpower and the West.

Inside Scoop on Sony’s E-Reader: The wireless Reader Daily Edition is a much-improved model that could make it more competitive with Kindle, but its interface takes some mastering, says Walt Mossberg.

H-P, Microsoft Partner Against Rivals: H-P and Microsoft agreed to jointly invest $250 million over the next three years to develop inexpensive online computing services.

Music Price-Fixing Suit Reinstated: A U.S. federal appeals court reinstated an antitrust lawsuit against the major record labels over alleged price-fixing of Internet music downloads.

Silicon Valley Counsel Role Grows: General counsels at Silicon Valley companies are facing more regulations and pressure to boost transparency, disclosure and governance at their firms.

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Google Warns of China Exit Over Hacking: Google said it may leave China after a probe found the company had been hit with major cyber attacks it believes originated from the country — a move that would amount to a high-profile rebuke of China by a major U.S. firm.

Rambus Trial to Feature Tech CEOs: A high-stakes trial pitting Rambus against three chip makers—which could bring CEOs of some tech giants to the witness stand—is scheduled to begin opening maneuvers Wednesday.

Doubts on Pennsylvania Tax Incentives: Pennsylvania’s attempts to lure high-tech companies by offering big tax incentives have brought only marginal gains, according to a new study.

IBM Chief Cites Limits of Resources: The world economy “has stabilized somewhat” but resource constraints will linger, IBM CEO Samuel Palmisano said in a London speech.

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The technology sector around the globe is set to rebound in 2010 as businesses and governments start spending again on information technology, the report forecast. As a corollary of this the global tech upturn the U.S. IT market will grow too.

“The technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over,” said Andrew Bartels, the Forrester Research analyst who wrote the report. “All the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound. In the U.S., the tech recovery will be much stronger than the overall economic recovery, with technology spending growing at more than twice the rate of gross domestic product this year.”

U.S. IT spending will grow 6.6 percent in 2010 to $568 billion after declining 8.2 percent in 2009. Global IT spending, which dropped 8.9 percent last year, will also rise 8.1 percent in 2010 to more than $1.6 trillion. Software and computer hardware will see the greatest growth.

Forrester’s report of solid growth in the U.S. tech market in 2010 is partly based on reversals of the two factors that caused the U.S. tech downturn in late 2008 and early 2009: the economic recession and the financial crisis.

Growth will start slowly in 2010 but pick up steam later in the year, with computer equipment and software leading the way, and IT consulting services following.

Worldwide, purchases of computer equipment will be up 8.2 percent, communications equipment buying will grow by 7.6 percent, software spending will increase by 9.7 percent, purchases of IT consulting and systems integration services will grow by 6.8 percent, and IT outsourcing services will be 7.1 percent higher than the year before.

Regionally, the European IT market will see the strongest performance, thanks in part to its strong euro.

Do you think that 2010 will mark the end of the global tech downturn?

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British Sri Lankan music artist M.I.A.’s next big single will be called “Down Like Your Internet Connection,” a song about arguing with Verizon tech support to get her cable Internet and wireless up and running.

M.I.A. has been known to tech geeks for years; she jump-started her career by spreading the first singles from her debut album, Arular, online. The album wasn’t out yet, but savvy web users could track the songs down with the help of blogs and file-sharing services.

The artist is known for putting heavy words to light music, but this is a far cry from songs about child soldiers and immigration politics. When you’ve been on the phone with tech support for several hours, you might start to see it as a sort of war, though.

M.I.A. was trying to get her broadband working when she decided mid-crisis that she should ask the support people to help her out with her music. “Ten phone calls later, I have Internet that sticks and a song,” she said.
Rolling Stone reports that the song actually features Filipino Verizon tech support workers singing the hook.

The album — which was made in collaboration with producer Blaqstarr — will be released this summer. If “Down Like Your Internet Connection” is the first single, it will probably hit several weeks earlier. “I Fight the Ones That Fight Me” is another revealed song, but the album itself still doesn’t have a name.

[via Switched]

Tags: album, blaqstarr, down like your internet connection, m.i.a., mia, music, single, tech support, verizon

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eBook Readers have suddenly become very popular in the tech marketplace, with lots of new devices hitting the market – many of the similar to one another and otherwise unremarkable. Spring Design’s Alex eReader hopes to stand above the background noise with some discernible features.

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When does a smartphone go from being a smartphone to a netbook that can make calls? The BPhone, a new gadget out of China, certainly blurs these lines for us tech enthusiasts. The new “BPhone” looks a lot like a small netbook or Ultra portable PC, but instead, actually can make calls and has a god-awful looking antenna that sticks out the top.

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Originally posted at Digital Noise: Music and Tech

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Tech Firms Jockey Ahead of Recovery: In a brutal year, tech companies responded by developing products at a faster rate.

When Phone Says You’re Drunk, Call a Taxi: Colorado officials are trying new — and, they hope, hip — ways to reach out to the Twitter-iPhone-Facebook generation to prevent drinking and driving on New Year’s Eve.

Start-Up IPOs Go Elsewhere: Not many Silicon Valley companies have gone public in recent years. And as 2009 draws to a close, the past 12 months have followed the same lackluster pattern.

The Litl Has a Big Idea: The laptop melds cloud computing with a TV-like viewing experience, but it gets mixed reviews for poor battery life and some clumsy features, writes Walt Mossberg.

ICrossing Draws M&A Interest: Digital-marketing firm iCrossing has hired an investment bank, and is holding talks with possible suitors, in a sign that M&A activity is revving up on Madison Avenue.

American Tower Weighs Deal: American Tower Corp., which operates and develops wireless communications sites, is in talks to acquire a controlling stake in India’s Essar Telecom Infrastructure, a person involved in the process said.

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Fund Chief Snared by Taps, Turncoats: A single text message to Raj Rajaratnam proved to be a turning point in what would become the biggest insider-trading case in two decades.

‘Smartbooks’ Join Crowded PC Market: The 2010 CES will be a coming out party for “smartbooks,” ultra-small laptops that act like smart phones, but questions on features and pricing may leave consumers confused with existing netbooks.

Microsoft’s Dropped Call: The software giant’s diminishing profile in the mobile world is the talk of Silicon Valley.

Nokia, Apple Feud Continues: Nokia fired the latest salvo in a patent-infringement battle with Apple, filing a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging the U.S. company infringes multiple Nokia patents.

LinkedIn Wants Users to Connect More: If LinkedIn wants to avoid being swamped by social-networking giant Facebook, it must persuade users to spend more time on the site.

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3D has been in the tech news these past few weeks with things like the incredible motion picture Avatar and LG planning to release a 3D-capable LCD computer monitor. DirecTV is adding fuel to the fire as they’ll be launching America’s first 3D HDTV channel on their service.

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The Roku has been one of the more popular media streaming set-top boxes out on the tech marketplace. Not only does a Roku box let you stream media off of your home network, but users are able to enjoy a number of IPTV channels via the internet. Now, they’ll have one more to enjoy – porn.

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Visuals are an important part of advertising, so it’s not surprising that so many companies have jumped on the augmented reality bandwagon, offering tools that visualize their products in a magical and memorable way.

Here we take a look at some pretty amazing promotional uses of this new tech that work with common webcams, giving everyone a chance to experience augmented reality — a trend that will be big in 2010.

1. BMW Z4

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This BMW interpretation ties in with a TV ad that sees artist Robin Rhode using the Z4 as a giant paintbrush (think big-scale finger-painting with the car’s tyres). Downloading the software, printing out the 3D symbol and holding it up to your webcam will allow you to see your own miniature Z4 on your screen, which you can then drive around using keyboard commands, creating your own Rhode-esque car painting.

2. TOPPS 3D LIVE Trading Cards

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Taking the trading card into the 21st century, the Topps “3D LIVE” range offers baseball (and now also football) stars that leap from the special cards onto your desk, as viewed via webcam. As well as creating miniature holographic representations of the players — a neat enough trick that would impress most kids — the concept is taken a step further with the angle that you can control the player’s signature moves via your keyboard.

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

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As well as augmented reality, this example uses clever face-tracking technology to stick the original 3D CGI head of Optimus Prime atop your own visage. The campaign to promote “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” also includes a hidden holographic message from Bumblebee, again developed using the original 3D model of the robot that appeared in the movie, suggesting CGI films may be ripe for more AR apps in the future.

4. Doritos Sweet Chilli Chips

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What we like about Doritos’ take on the tech for the Brazilian market is that the webcam code is printed on the back of the chip packet, adding value to something normally disposable. Perhaps this also means less chip bags littering the streets. Holding up the code on the Sweet Chilli chips packets initiates the appearance of a little cartoon character, which can then be used in an extended online game.

5. USPS Priority Mail Virtual Box Simulator

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Erring on the functional side of promotion, the USPS Priority Mail Virtual Box Simulator is a wickedly clever use of the tech that lets users compare the size of an item they need sent to the size of boxes available from the postal service, by seeing how well their item fits inside a transparent box. Although not particularly high octane excitement, it does illustrate the practical use of AR which is yet to be fully explored.

6. Star Trek

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These kind of applications work particularly well with a techie audience, or in this instance a Trekkie one. The front cover of certain versions of the Star Trek movie on DVD and Blu-ray doubles as a webcam code to initiate the “cadet orientation” program. It offers a holographic tour around the USS Enterprise (that appears as a hovering apparition on your screen), incorporating a look at the bridge, and best of all, a trigger to fire the ship’s weapons, complete with sound effects.

7. Wrigley’s 5 Gum

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Created for the launch of Wrigley’s “5″ chewing gum in France (although the site is also available in English) this interactive example of AR sees five symbols (each representing one of the five gum flavors) becoming a different track that only plays when the webcam can “see” it. The desktop DJ experience is probably best explained by watching the demo video above, populated appropriately by masticating teens.

8. Ray-Ban

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Although many items of apparel can be bought online, sunglasses are one of those tricky products that you really need to try on to ensure you look more chic than geek. Ray-Ban’s Virtual Mirror (ably demonstrated here by YouTuber NickHearne) lets you virtually try on glasses (after a quick bit of face-mapping). The software lets you move your head around to see how the shades look from different angles. Depending on the opacity of the glass, you can even see your eyes through some of the shades. Seeing this app in action makes us think this could be where the real commercial future of AR lies.

9. Lost Valentinos

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John Mayer, Eminem and Julian Perretta are three other musicians that have dabbled with AR as a way of making their music videos more compelling, but this effort from the Lost Valentinos — with each printable code representing a member of the band to be arranged as you see fit — is a great example of how to keep it tight. In addition, the band’s site doubles as a video gallery for fans to share how they interacted with the AR by uploaded webcam video clips.

10. Always Infinity

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This time round we’ve saved the worst for last. How best to promote feminine hygiene products? With an augmented reality white bunny of course. We think the world can do without this irrelevant foray into the AR arena that assumes a female audience will be blown away by an incredibly basic application of the tech.

Tags: Augmented Reality, awesome, business, MARKETING

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‘Tis the season for all things shiny! For those who celebrate Christmas today, you’ve perhaps received a spiffy new gadget or slick new gizmo: what was it?

Are Mashable readers getting iPhones or Droids?

Was this the year for a new camera, or the biggest of big screen TVs?

What tech did you get? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, acik

Tags: Christmas, gadgets, Holidays, tech

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This is final post in the “7 Questions, 7 Designers” series, in which I throw out a different question each day and compile the answers from seven different designers. There are participants from all over the world, each offering a different and unique perspective on the realm of design.

To finish off the week’s discussions, we are going to take a look at some of wisdom that our designers have gained through their own, various experiences!

Well, here were are – the last day and the last question! Today, I’d like to ask you to share one story from your design career from which you think others can learn a valuable lesson. I’m gonna leave this one pretty open ended. It could be anything – something you learned while working on a project, an interaction (good or bad) with a client or even just something that you read somewhere that really stuck with you? Why is the experience meaningful and what do you think that others could learn from it?

Nick La
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Before you start on any project, always have a clear agreement with the client (ie. a legal agreement on the project scope, payment, etc.) because this will protect both parties in case conflicts arise.

Chris Spooner
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There’s one tip I’ve found that has resulted in more free time, which is to batch tasks such as email. It’s amazing how much extra time can be generated for working through client projects, personal projects or purely for more personal time simply by checking email once a day, spending an hour or two responding to every item, then leaving it until the next day, or even the day after before opening up that inbox again.

At first it seems crazy to ignore what might be some important messages, but in reality it makes no difference whether there’s a response within 30 minutes, or in 30 hours. I’m sure there’s stacks of other experiences more interesting to write about, but if there’s anyone out there still clicking the new email notification every time the ‘ding dong’ chime sounds – Try quitting email for a day and see the benefits!

Sneh Roy
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There are a lot of experiences that I have had, that have made me the person I am. Good or bad, they have enriched my knowledge and made me better equipped to handle a situation till the next crisis arises. One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb though is my first branding project. The client company wanted to see 3-4 concepts with appropriate taglines and a mission statement that would be used extensively. Now there were some hierarchy issues in the corporate structure and because of that the marketing director [with whom I was working] insisted that once the concepts were ready, I should explain them to the marketing manager and let them present it to the board in their upcoming meeting. I tried to tactfully steer the situation away from this direction and did manage to present it to part of the board. But I didn’t have much of a say and I had to eventually give up my thought process, my ideas and concepts to the marketing manager. I am sure they didn’t present it the way I would’ve presented it because I had lived this project for 4 weeks and had researched extensively before developing those concepts. They ended up choosing a very basic design because of “confusion” in the presentation where the concepts were cut off on the projector and couldn’t be properly viewed.

I learnt my lesson very quickly. It was my first project and I was obviously nervous and a bit intimidated by the whole corporate scene. But ever since, I and only I have presented all my branding concepts and design and in all my projects so far, the client has usually picked the first concept presented to them. The moral of the story is, If you are a chef and you cook an exclusive dish, you plate it and present it, don’t leave it to someone else who wouldn’t even know what ingredients went in it in the first place.

Mike Smith
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I can’t really touch on the specifics of the clients I have previously worked with, but if I could give a word of warning, it would be to make sure you’re not taking on clients because you’re desparate for work. Don’t let your guard down and always make sure you’re picking clients that will not burn you in the long run. If your guy tells you to move on – do it!

Jeff Finley
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I’ll go with something recently. I watched the Pixar Story and learned about how this group of artists and scientists got started and grew their business. It was truly inspiring and relatable as Go Media started in a similar way.

However, it made me realize that to truly pioneer in this industry you need smart “tech” people. I’ve realized that as art/design company we are truly experts in the art department, but we’re probably getting a B or C in the tech area. Unlike Pixar, we cannot engineer software in-house to suit our exact needs. There have been many moments the past few years where an idea we had fizzled out due to lack of technical resources and know-how. Brilliant ideas gone to waste. You need that perfect blend of artistry, science/tech, and entrepreneurism.

It made me wonder who in MY generation (born in the 80s) will be the pioneers of tomorrow? What small team of artists and tech guys are starting today? Could it be us? Could it be your team? I take the Pixar pioneering spirit as a huge inspiration for how I want to run an art/design company. I don’t know if we’ll be able to invent a new medium (3D Animation) but we hope to find a gap in the creative community and fill it. Do we stay a for-hire design company? Do we focus on filling a need for the greater creative good? These are questions that will be answered in the coming years.

Brad Colbow
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I learn best from screwing up. A couple years ago I had a fairly complicated interface project where I did everything right, or so I thought. Before designing I talked with the client, got a feel for all the features, and created wireframes of all the pages before designing, and the designs looked great. Just before launch they did some usability testing. It performed miserably. There were many reasons why, some my fault some not.

This experience changed my entire outlook on web/interface design. It’s great to know the tools and techniques of our craft but it’s all pretty worthless if you don’t understand the human side of what you’re doing. I’ve spent the last few years focusing less on the “how” and more on the “why” of design and at times it creates work that might not win awards or attention but it works.

Grace Smith
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One of the most valuable experiences I’ve had as a designer (and small business owner) happened one evening in January 2008 when i received a question on LinkedIn from Leo Babauta (one of my connections) asking if any of his contacts were available to design the cover and layout of an e-book he had written which was due to go on sale.

I didn’t have much experience designing e-books but i thought i would reply hoping my other portfolio items would show my graphic design experience as a whole. I sent a reply that evening with a brief overview of my experience along with a link to my portfolio.

In all honesty i didn’t think i would hear back (as e-book design was not my speciality) however a few weeks later i received an email from Leo. He explained although he had chosen someone else to design the e-book, he was very impressed with my portfolio and asked if i would like to design and develop a new website he was working on called Web Warrior Tools with this partner in the project – Glen Stansberry. After i had collected the necessary information i quoted for the project and once accepted we began work in mid February.

It was an amazing project to work on, Leo and Glen were an absolute pleasure to work with. We collaborated well together and the final result was both a very successful launch and website.

Shortly after finishing work on Web Warrior Tools, Glen and Leo referred me onto Muhammad Saleem, one of the top Diggers and social media mavens, along with Jay White, creator of Dumb Little Man, an amazing life and productivity blog both of whom have also sent me referrals since working together. I have recently finished a new project with Mu and have just completed the second redesign of Dumb Little Man and two other projects for Glen, which shows the connections i have made have been long-lasting.

In answering one question i have had the privledge to work with some of the top experts in their niches, this has had a hugely positive effect on my freelancing. Although i had carved out a successful freelance career before this, the contacts i have made since working with Leo and Glen have been invaluable.

The takeaway lessons for myself (and hopefully anyone else reading this) is to make the most of your opportunities and build your network before you need it because by doing this I was there to answer a question that ultimately opened up a niche of clientele that otherwise i would not have had access to.

That’s some great advice for young and aspiring designers, or even for those with a bit more experience. What do you guys think? What are some the experiences that have provided valuable lessons of knowledge to you in your design career?

I would also like to take a moment to say a huge thank you to Chris, Sneh, Jeff, Brad, Mike, Grace and Nick for all agreeing to be a part of this interview series. It’s been an absolute pleasure, and I know that many of my readers have also really enjoyed reading their answers! So thanks to out 7 great designers!

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The easiest way to create and edit email newsletters with no tech skills. Simply edit in your browser and send with Outlook. Award winning email templates.

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CherryPal has gone for the low-low-end of the tech market, with their new netbook named ‘Africa’. The Africa has a very limited set of specs, and can’t even run a full version of Windows, and instead offers a Linux OS, or Windows CE.

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Originally posted at The Digital Home

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Deviant art has a lot of great design talent showcasing their work and I was lucky enough to stumble across the beautiful designs of Rockfield last week. Now I’ll let you get to know his style. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Amphritite

And Die..In Peace

Blue Fish

Car Love

Colourful Candy

Digital Tree

Eclipse

Freedom Days

Gloria 79

God Have Eyes

Me And My Frozen Heart

MTV

Nuclear Atom

PINK Peace

Sky Soldier

Take Your Illusion

Tech-Matrix

The Future Is Tech

Time Machine

Type

If you like this post you may also want to look at:

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Tech wholesaler Ownta is now importing the Chinese PMP RAmos T11TE to the Western world. Where the original RAmos T11 only sported 720p playback, the T11TE goes to 11 and supports 1080p playback. Other features include 16GB of onboard flash memory.

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The existence of the HTC Legend was revealed in a leak of HTC’s 2010 product roadmap earlier this month, but now, tech blog Ar.is has revealed more information on the upcoming HTC smartphone, including detailed tech specs for the device.

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In the past few years, clever commercials have become content in and of themselves, thanks in no small part to the rise of YouTube and embeddable multimedia.

For example, Verizon and AT&T recent war over coverage maps has made for plenty of tech and media blog fodder, with each new ad drawing lots of eyeballs both in TV and in online media.

But the campaign that perhaps personifies this more than any other is Apple’s iconic “Get a Mac” ads, a staple of both TV and Internet advertising since 2006. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that AdWeek has just named the series “campaign of the decade” in its best of the 2000’s roundup.

Here’s what the publication has to say about “Get a Mac”:

“Apple always diverged from the “speeds and feeds” ads associated with the computer category, but the brand really defined itself with the 2006 launch of TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s “Get a Mac” campaign. That series of 60-plus ads brought some humanity into the equation by turning the machines into live-action cartoons. In so doing, the comic spots offer transparent understanding of the aspirations of its audience and how people identify—and connect emotionally—with technology.

The genius is in the casting. The Mac guy, Justin Long, is a younger version of Steve Jobs who is casual and comfortable in his skin. PC, personified by John Hodgman, as a rounder, paler Bill Gates, is a well-meaning geek with all kinds of operating problems. For Apple, the campaign managed the neat trick of making the brand look laid back and cool while it mercilessly skewered its rival.”

AdWeek actually went tech and Apple happy for its entire end of decade special – Google was named both media and technology company of the decade, YouTube top website, Steve Jobs top marketer, Apple top brand, and iPod top product. Conventional picks, perhaps, but difficult to make a strong argument against as we wind down the 00s and consider the performance and impact of these companies over the past ten years.

Tags: advertising, apple, commercials

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Have an old iPhone lying around that you’re not using anymore? (Yeah, right — in this economy…) Or, maybe you just switched to a Droid and you’re ready to dispose of the sleek Apple product that was once welded to your palm?

Well, never fear: CNET UK’s Chris Stevens has made like Martha Stewart and come up with a step-by-step video teaching you how to turn your tired tech into the most expensive Christmas card in the world.

There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to sharing the holiday spirit with the tech geeks in your life. Stevens’s gift, however, is the only one that involves paste and glitter. Check out the video after the jump.

You can pick up the Bauble application at your local app store [iTunes link].

As for the construction paper and whatnot, you’re on your own. How many of you festive folk will actually give this card a go? Let us know how it goes in the comments.

Tags: App, bauble, chris stevens, droid, iphone, Martha Stewart

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The Nook has been one of the hottest tech gadgets this holiday season, either because it’s an eBook Reader or because it carries the Barnes & Noble name (one of the three major booksellers in the United States). Whatever the reason, after being delayed, the Nook sold out extremely quickly, and now, won’t be back in stock until January 15th of next year.

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Read the rest of Barnes & Noble Nook Is Really Delayed [B&N Nook Delayed Until Past Christmas]

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Chinese tech company Shenzhen has let loose more details on the upcoming HT560 MID, which likely won’t be available in the West anytime soon but should be a big hit in China. The MID/UMPC comes equipped with a wide 5.6-inch screen but unfortunately comes running Windows XP.

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Read the rest of Shenzhen HT560 Revealed [Pictures, Details on HT560 UMPC Leaked, Runs XP, 5-inch screen]

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Are you in the market for a new car? Might I suggest the all new 2011 Audi A8 full-size sedan, that will come load, absolutely loaded, with tech toys (I’m sure thats what Audi calls them) for the German automotive connoisseur. These tech features include, a Google Earth navigation system, a 19-speaker sound system, and an internet connection and WiFi network. That’s right, your car can be connected to the internet.

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Read the rest of 2011 Audi A8 Is Stacked With Gadgets [New Audi Sedan Comes With Google Earth, WLAN, More Tech Toys]

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The Zune has almost been an irrelevant laughing stock in the eyes of the internet tech blog-reading crowd ever since it was announced in 2006. The truth is that the Zune isn’t that bad, the recent models aren’t bad looking, and the Zune HD is packed with a ton of features, like a nice big touchscreen and web browsing capabilities. Well, now, that Zune HD is getting some new colors for this holiday season.

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Read the rest of Zune HD Getting More Colors [Zune HD Different Colored Models Being Added, Internet Tech Crowd Doesn't Care]

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The show is engaging and constantly interactive due in part to the very active chatroom that often pushes the envelope and challenges the hosts. It’s definitely worth checking out, even @KevinRose has been known to stop by to see what’s going on.

The reason for this article though is to let you in on this great contest they have been running. The contest ends on November 30, 2009, but it’s so easy to enter you have to give it a shot. The prize is a cool IOGEAR Portable Media Server Player. The player stores up to 34,000 photos, 30,000 MP3s or 50 hours of DVD quality video for easy playback on a standard definition TV, HDTV or display.

To enter all you have to do is follow @Iogear and @TheDrillDown on Twitter and then post a tweet which includes: @Iogear, @TheDrillDown and what you will do with the player if you win it! Full contest details available here. (See I told you it was easy!)

Remember you only have until November 30, 2009, so enter today before you miss out and don’t forget to stop by on Sunday to watch The Drill Down on Ustream. Be sure to say hi to me in the chatroom if you stop by!

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Most of the tech related products have managed to lose weight in the last few years, confirming that size does matter. Keeping to the trends, the folks from Active Media Wink have decided to design what they claim to be the world’s smallest flash drive.

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See: Wink Debuts Worlds Smallest 16GB Flash Drive [Waterproof & Shockproof Active Media Wink Flash Drives Are only 0.1" Thick]

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