FlyCast soars to BlackBerrys

FlyCast, the popular streaming music app for the iPhone and iPod touch, just debuted on the BlackBerry smartphone. In case you haven’t tried out the service (available for free at Apple’s App Store on iTunes), FlyCast streams more than 1,000 online radio stations from around the world, divided into various genres, such as hip-hop, rock, alternative, dance, R&B, country, reggae, classical, and so forth. Many of the stations offer commercial- and DJ-free broadcasts.

What’s more, a handful of these terrestrial- and Web-based stations also let you skip back to the beginning of the track or forward to the next one. You can also view album art, song title and artist name for each track. Talk radio is available as well, including news, weather, podcasts, “old time radio” drama, and comedy episodes.

Last week, FlyCast announced that its app will be available for the BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Storm, offering the same lineup of music and talk stations as found in the iPhone and iPod touch versions. The company, based in Lancaster, Pa., says its mobile broadcast network is the first of its kind to be available for BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry users can download the app for free by visiting the FlyCast Web site.

A satellite radio you can wear

Sirius XM Radio and Pioneer Electronics are hoping to make some noise with a new XMp3 wearable satellite radio with MP3 playback functionality. Billed as the smallest and lightest portable satellite radio, the 3.1-ounce XMp3 is the first with multichannel recording capability, allowing users to schedule up to five channels of simultaneous recording. The 2GB of internal memory can hold up to 100 hours of commercial-free music, talk, and sports programming.

Selecting what upcoming broadcasts to flag for recording is as easy as navigating through the new program guide -- a first for a portable satellite radio, says Pioneer -- whereby each channel shows its programming schedule up to two weeks in advance. Similar to Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), the XMp3 automatically records the most recent 30 minutes of live programming, so at any time listeners can replay what they just heard, as well as pause, fast-forward, or rewind through this buffered audio.

If you also want to carry around your own MP3 or WMA collection, this satellite radio includes a microSD card slot for optional memory cards.

Is the future Blu?

Earlier this year, Blu-ray Disc edged out HD DVD as the high-definition successor to the DVD, but how fast will this format be adopted by consumers? A new report from Park Associates, a Dallas-based research firm, predicts unit sales of Blu-ray players -- excluding Sony’s PlayStation 3 video game console, which can also play Blu-ray Discs -- will top 40 million worldwide by 2012.

Despite the ailing economy, Park Associates projects sales of standalone Blu-ray players will reach five million units in 2008, compared to 800,000 units last year. Much of this has to do with player prices dropping below the $300 mark and a lot more movies becoming available for rent and purchase.

Guess which product wins "Gadget of the Year"?

Gadget lovers are likely aware of T3 magazine, a glossy UK publication that celebrates consumer electronics. Every year, the editors ask its readers to vote on the best gadgets of the past 12 months in various categories, and the winners have just been announced.

“Gadget of the Year” goes to the 32 GB Apple iPod Touch. The judges write, “Fresh from a No. 1 showing in our Hot 100, the Touch beats off all comers to be crowned 2008’s Gadget of the Year, thanks to sterling music features, plus Web and email gubbins.”

“Why, with much finer audio quality and twice the storage, not to mention no camera of dubious merit or inflated monthly fee, you could even say it’s better than the iPhone. In fact…you have” continues the rave for the iPod Touch. The Apple iPod touch also won for “Best Music Gadget,” while the Apple iPhone won “Commuter Gadget of the Year.”

One note: I’ve included a Brit-centric gadget, the BBC iPlayer, among the list of winners. While you can’t access the TV programming if you live in the United States, you can listen to award-winning radio programming. You can access 14 unique stations on demand from your browser.

Here are the other prestigious winners:

Best Imaging Gadget: Nikon D60
Drop Dead Gorgeous Award: Audi R8
Best Gaming Gadget: Wii Fit
Best New Media Innovation: BBC iPlayer
Toy of the Year: Guitar Hero 3
The Gadget Candy Award: MacBook Air
Gadget You Can't Live Without: TomTom Go 930 GPS
Innovation of the Year: Sony XEL-1 OLED TV
Green Gadget of the Year: Honda Civic Hybrid
The Hi-Def Award: Sony PlayStation 3