By-By Zach Honig

With only two buttons, intuitive indicator lights, and familiar connectivity options, the iRecord Pro from Streaming Networks is easy enough for literally anyone to use without even reading an instruction manual.

Simply connect a video source using the included cables, attach any of a number of compatible devices using a USB cable, and hit Record. The iRecord Pro transfers video in a compatible format from sources such as a cable box or CD player directly to your iPod, Microsoft Zune, Nokia N95 cell phone, PlayStation 3, or even USB flash drive or external hard drive–you get the idea.

The list of compatible devices goes on, with even more added on a regular basis through firmware updates.

Connect the iRecord Pro to your Windows or Mac computer to update the firmware, to enable advanced functionality such as scheduled recording, and to adjust recording settings such as resolution and encoding. But the Pro works just fine without ever being connected to a computer– it automatically adjusts output settings based on the connected device. With an iPhone connected, for example, the iRecord Pro uploads recorded video to your device at 480-by-320 resolution by default. The device also syncs with the iPhone, so clips are immediately available for playback.

At 1 by 5.5 by 3.75 inches (HWD), the iRecord Pro is roughly the size of a stack of index cards. The device can be warm to the touch after an hour or so of use, but a small fan prevents overheating.

Video sent from the Pro looked great on the iPhone, especially when played from a widescreen source. In addition to RCA audio and video inputs, the Pro has an S-Video connection (and includes an S-Video cable), which I used to upload video from a DVR. The iRecord Pro does not support HD video, but my HD source video looked fine when down converted.

I loved the Streaming Networks iRecord Pro–until I saw the price. The Pro is very capable, but $259.99 is a lot to spend on a device you may not end up using all that much. It’s great at what it does–downloading video to a portable device–but unless you make a habit of pulling content off your DVR to bring on the go, the iRecord Pro may end up gathering dust.

That said, if you have the money and the need, definitely go for the Pro model. A less-capable standard model is available for $199.99, but it limits resolution to QVGA (320 by 240) and is missing some key features, such as the ability to set recording length.

By Charlie Sorrel

These neat 7″ USB monitors from Mimo look to be both cheap enough and handsome enough to be worthy of a place on my desk.

There are two models, both with the same 800×480 pixel resolution — the $200 740 which has a touchscreen, a webcam, a mic and audio in/out connections and the 710, cheaper at $130 but lacking all those extra features. Both can swivel into portrait or lanscape mode (good luck using portrait format with a Mac, though — OS X does some fancy pixel shading to make on-screen text look great but it fails when you flip things 90º).

So, why would you want a little 7″ screen instead of a big extra monitor? Because you can have both. The Minos are hooked up via USB so you don’t lose a monitor port. They’re also ideal for all the crufty little notification windows you have on your standard desktop. Third, the $200 model has a touch screen and is therefore great as an application launcher.

I’m pretty tempted, although lord knows I don’t need any more junk on my tiny desk, cluttered as it is with three hard drives, an iPod dock, Wacom tablet, 20″ monitor and sundry other detritus, in addition to my MacBook.

One more thing: See that monitor in the middle of the picture up there? That’s yet another mini-USB monitor, this time from D-Link. Same size, same resolution and uncannily similar. From the same factory, perhaps? And finally, yes, the headline was ripped directly from a piece of spam I received today.

By Amy-Mae Elliott

Medion has launched the Medion Akoya E3300 D that it says is “aimed at the cost-conscious consumer”.

The multimedia PC is based on an AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 dual core processor, gets 4GB DDR2 SDRAM, a 640GB hard drive and a multi-format DVD/CD burner.

In addition, the E3300 D offers an ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics card with 512MB graphic memory and digital HDMI audio/video output.

The PC will be bundled with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, MEDION Home Cinema Suite, MS Works 9.0, nero 8 Essentials, Corel Draw Essentials 3 and a BullGuard Internet Security Pack 90-day free trial.

Connections-wise, there’s an eSATA port a multi-format memory card reader, one Firewire and two USB 2.0 ports on the front with four further USB connections as well as DVI-I, VGA and HDMI ports on the back.

Complete with keyboard and an optical USB mouse, the E3300 D is available from 5 February in Aldi stores nationwide and will be priced at £389 including VAT.

by Brian Heater 
LAS VEGAS—The E-Filliate USB cable was one of the surprise hits at this week’s CES Unveiled event at the Sands Expo. Conceptually, E-Filliate’s Flexicord Cables are pretty basic. Still, it’s easy to imagine more than a few instances in which they could come in handy.

The cords can be flexed into various configurations and will hold their shape—sort of the cable equivalent of a pipe cleaner. E-Filliate calls them “always the right length,” because they can be straightened to 10 feet or wrapped around themselves to measure a far shorter lengths than that.

The Flexicord Cables are available in USB, phono jack, S-Video, and HDMI versions.

Speaking of basic, the cords ship with a “coiling tube,” a transparent plastic tube that “allows the consumer to return the cable to its original coiled shape.