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Tag: mp3

  • Roccat Launches Lightweight VoIP Headset For PC & Mobile


    Roccat has launched the first headset to provide a microphone and earphones that can be used with PCs as well as mobile phones.

    The Vire Mobile Communication Gaming Headset is designed for use with VoIP solutions and more general communications.

    The lightweight device offers an in-line microphone and earphones, which can be used for online gaming, mobile communication or as an attachment on MP3 players.

    With a microphone that filters out background noise and enhances the clarity of speech, the headset is well-suited to VoIP solutions.

    The rubberised earplugs have also been designed in an open style – rather than encasing the whole ear, making them comfortable to wear for long periods.

    Roccat, based in Hamburg, Germany, says the headset was designed to unite gaming, communications and music in one headset.

    Roccat’s Erik J. Dale said the microphone shields out unnecessary background noises and ensures a user’s voice is transmitted clearly when chatting over VoIP or on the move while making calls.

    "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said," he said.

    The headset has an RRP of EURO €39.99 (USD $55) and is due for official release in July.

  • SSDs and Video Capture Are Fastest Growing NAND Flash Applications


    NAND flash revenue in two key applications – Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Video Capture from Digital Video Cameras (DVCs) – will see compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of over 100 per cent through 2012, according to In-Stat.

    The analysts said this will overcome some of the weaknesses in other segments of the NAND flash market and drive overall growth to 30 per cent CAGR.

    Jim McGregor, In-Stat analyst, said the top four applications for NAND flash will remain MP3 players and PMPs, mobile handsets, after-market cards, and USB Flash Drives.

    He said they will command a combined market share of over 80 per cent over the next couple of years.

    "This percentage will drop to about 70 per cent by 2012, as solid state drives (SSDs) and video capture from digital video cameras (DVCs), grow in mportance," he said.

    Among the NAND Flash market share leaders, including Samsung, Toshiba and Hynix, all lost market share in 2007.

    Smaller share competitors, Micron and Intel, each gained share.

    The In-Stat report forecasts that worldwide NAND flash revenues are likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.7 per cent from 2007-2012 to reach USD $61 billion.

    Worldwide NOR flash revenues will increase at a 6 per cent CAGR from 2007 through 2012.

  • Price biggest factor in deterring purchase of iPhone


    Nearly a quarter of US consumers questioned in a survey highlighted price as the main reason why they were not considering buying an Apple iPhone 3G.
    Another impediment to purchase was people’s preference for a network carrier other than AT&T, Apple’s exclusive provider of the handsets in the US.
    Only 4 per cent of those surveyed by PriceGrabber.com, a part of Experian, currently own an iPhone, but 42 per cent said they are considering buying one.
    The study investigated purchasing trends and smartphone pricing history based on a survey of 3,066 online consumers conducted from May 20 to June 5, 2008.
    Of the remaining 54 per cent who do not intend to purchase the iPhone, 41 per cent – or 22 per cent of the total – said that the mobile device costs too much.
    The researchers pointed to the recent announcement of the lower-priced iPhone 3G, which they concluded could persuade more online consumers to buy one of the new smartphones.
    That could hinge on how potential buyers view the expensive data plans and contract agreements that come with the iPhone – some of which are required for at least two years.
    Apple has announced that it plans to sell at least 8 million new iPhones worldwide by the end of 2008.
    In the UK, where the first-generation iPhone was not exactly the success that Apple had hoped for, interest in the latest version is high.
    More than 130,000 people have expressed their desire to buy an iPhone 3G since O2, the UK’s largest mobile operator and exclusive iPhone carrier, has announced the upcoming availability of iPhone 3G.
    This represents a huge increase over the interest shown by the British consumers for the first handset.
    On the corporate side, Apple appears to be appealing to more US business users.
    Of the 4 per cent of respondents surveyed by PriceGrabber who currently own an iPhone, 40 per cent own two smartphone devices — one device for work and the iPhone for personal use.
    More than half of those respondents plan to get rid of their second device because of the Apple’s new synching capabilities.
    Survey respondents also indicated that the MP3 player within the iPhone is one of their least favorite features.
    The majority of online consumers say that the fingertip navigation feature is the best feature of the iPhone, while 17 per cent chose the Web browsing connection and 16 per cent enjoy the integrated applications.