RedEye Mini Dongle - Now on Sale for $49

You've heard about it for months, and now the universal remote that looks nothing like a universal remote is finally on sale in 52 nations. Thinkflood's RedEye Mini -- which simply plugs into the headphone jack of your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch -- can now be procured for $49, and when used with the gratis app in the App Store, can control anything in your home entertainment setup that accepts IR commands. ZDNet was fortunate enough to get a little hands-on time with the device, and their early impressions are quite positive. In fact, they recommend skipping the Harmony hoopla and heading right for this if you're already an iDevice owner (who doesn't use an imposing case or Bumper), and at a buck under a Grant, we certainly aren't in a position to argue. See More Pictures Below

Microsoft's Zune Pass due in the UK?

Zune Pass launched in the US alongside the Zune MP3 players and offered an alternative to the more common ‘pay-per-download’ services like iTunes. For a flat monthly fee, users get to download unlimited amounts of music from the entire Zune back-catalogue. These songs are DRM-restricted, but can be used on up to three computers and three Zune devices. As long as the subscription remains paid-up and active, the music can be listened to an unlimited number of times. On top of this, each subscriber gets to choose 10 songs each month to keep as DRM-free MP3s for no extra fee.

However, the service was never launched in the UK. With the release of the Windows Phone 7 platform just around the corner, though, Microsoft is taking the opportunity to extend the reach of its media service. The mobile OS uses the Zune branding and interface for its media capabilities, so having the Zune Pass service to complement it makes sense.

The screen-grab points to £8.99 for a one-month subscription and £26.97 for three months (hardly a discount - Ed), as well as the option of a 14-day free trial of the service.

Adobe FlashTime to Bring Peer to Peer Video calls to Android

With tongue wedged firmly in cheek, Adobe has named its latest little bit of demo software FlashTime and given it a quick spin to whet our appetites. Built using the forthcoming Air 2.5, this peer-to-peer video chat client harnesses your smartphone's camera to get some direct visual communication going with your fellow Android lovers. Okay, so Android users already have other options for doing just this very thing, but the point being made here is that you can do just about anything with Flash, and since it's Flash it'll be easy to port around to other platforms. Skip past the break to see the demo, which has a multipeer chat session with a desktop Mac thrown in for good measure.

New Gaming Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199

Amazon Germany just couldn't keep a secret. Microsoft's just announced that a shiny new Xbox 360 Arcade replacement -- with 4GB internal flash memory, a matte finish, and built-in 802.11n WiFi -- will be shipping August 3rd for $199.99. A stark difference in capacity to the current 250GB model, but at least it's cheaper. Looking ahead to November, the standalone Kinect, it's coming for it $149.99 with Kinect Adventures. Act surprised, Microsoft would really like you to. As for the pièce de résistance -- that'd be the 4GB console, Kinect sensor, and game - that's due out "this holiday" for $299.99. Press release after the break, pretty pictures just below.

Amazon Kindle E-Reader Sales Rise After Price Drop

A lot has been reported about the Kindle e-reader and this tidbit gives an insight into its increasing popularity. Amazon has noted a huge growth in sales of the Kindle e-reader each month in Q2 of the current year on a sequential month-over-month and a year-over-year basis. This exponential rise seems to have been noticed after the price of the device was reduced to $189 (approx. Rs. 8,950).

Amazon boasts of having sold 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books over the past three months. Over the past one month, the company claims to have sold about 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books snapped up. Amazon has also revealed that it has sold three times more Kindle books in the first half of this year as compared to the first half of 2009.

“We’ve reached a tipping point with the new price of Kindle-the growth rate of Kindle device unit sales has tripled since we lowered the price from $259 to $189,” affirmed Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon. “In addition, even while our hardcover sales continue to grow, the Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format. Amazon.com customers now purchase more Kindle books than hardcover books astonishing when you consider that we’ve been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months.”

The 6” e-ink display of the Android based Kindle e-reader allows comfortable visibility even in brightly lit areas. The battery life of the device is cited to last for up to two weeks. Users can also avail of 3G wireless capabilities at no additional cost though books downloaded at the Kindle Store must be paid for. Packed into a sleek tablet-like form factor, the e-reader weighs approximately 10.2 ounces which makes for easy portability.

The U.S. Kindle stores offer users over 630,000 e-books that include latest releases as well as 106 of 110 New York Times best sellers. Readers can avail of more than 5,10,000 of these books at $9.99 (approx. Rs. 470) or less.

Google Receives the Last Shipment of Nexus One

Earlier this year, Google revealed that it will be closing the Nexus One web store. Now, according to the official Google Nexus One blog, the company has received the last shipment of the Nexus One phones this week.

Once these devices are planked onto shelves, Google will not make the handsets available. However, present users will continue receiving customer support from the company. Nexus One will continue to be sold through Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea, and possibly others depending on local market conditions.

Google will offer the Nexus One through a partner for sale to registered developers to ensure they have access to a phone with the latest Android OS.

Registered users can visit the Android Market Publisher website or log on to their developer account to purchase Google’s Nexus One.

Verizon Announces Droid X Launch date July 15th

Verizon Wireless has announced that the Droid X will be coming to its network on July 15th for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The Droid X is a slab-style touch phone. It has a 4.3-inch screen with WVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels), HD video capture and playback, HMDI out, streaming DLNA support and streaming video content. It can use its internet connection to create Wi-Fi hotspots for up to 5 other devices (additional $20 per month). It also has a 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP processor and an 8 megapixel camera with mechanical shutter, autofocus and dual LED flash. It will come with a lot of video content, such as V CAST Video, NFL Mobile App, BlockBuster, Skype Mobile and Back-Up Assistant. It as 8GB of internal storage and supports up to 32GB in the microSD slot.

Some specs and details:

• 4.3-inch, 854×480 display
• 8 megapixel camera
• 720p video recording
• 1GHz TI OMAP processor (successor to the chip in the original Droid)
• 8GB internal storage (plus microSD)
• HDMI out
• 720p video
• true multitouch keyboard, with pre-loaded Swype
• Wi-Fi hotspot powers for up to 5 devices.
• “High performance diversity antennas” for call quality
• Battery life comparable to the original Droid
• 3, yes three mics: for video and noise suppression
• It’s not getting Android 2.2 until “late summer”
• It’s $200 after $100 mail-in rebate when it comes out July 15—the bonus is that they’re pulling an AT&T, so anybody eligible for an upgrade anytime in 2010 can upgrade immediately.
• Standard unlimited $30 data plan; $20 extra for mobile hotspot powers which comes with 2GB. Another $20 nets you an extra 2GB of data a month.