OCZ to triple SSD production with new plant.

Another nail is being pound into the traditional platter-based, spinning hard drive’s dominance. OCZ, popular computer hardware manufacturer, is planning to open a new plant dedicated solely to pumping out high quality solid state hard drives. In doing this, OCZ will effectively triple their SSD output from the current ~50,000 units per month to more than 140,000.

That’s good for a two main reasons. (1) We the consumer will have more options when it comes to SSD and (2) it will help drive down the cost of SSDs. The latter point is the big win for me. I simply have too much media, which would make a transition to SSD an extremely costly one. Once SSD’s hit the ~$250 range for 500GB or more, then I’ll bite. Until then, it’s old school for me.

Playstation Phone in the flesh. Android says hello.

One of the most sought after gadgets in recent years is none other than the PSP/Playstation phone. As powerful as the latest iPhone 4 is, the games just aren’t in the same league of PSP titles. But carrying around a stand-alone device simply for games is becoming less and less kosher.

So…carry around a Playstation phone around instead. That’s right. The image above is legit. Straight from Engadget, this leaked shot of the upcoming Playstation Phone shows us that it’ll be pretty pocketable — ~4″ screen size. And I’m sorry, but it will decimate in gaming for the simple fact that is features real buttons. Touchscreen-only UI’s may be honing in on perfection for “normal” smartphone tasks, but gaming still needs some feedback.

The rest of the Playstation Phone goes like this: 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM/1GB ROM, and complete lack of proprietary, bag of hurt Memory Stick. Wo0t! I’d take this over some gimmicky 3DS anyday…

Limewire does the Napster, begrudgingly buddying up with the the recording industry…

Back in my younger years, Limewire was my Napster. For by the time I was old enough to understand how it all worked, Napster had already walked the walk. Well, Limewire put up a much longer fight, but they too are succumbing to the same organizations as Napster — the recording industry — in response to a court ruling late last year.

Limewire:

While this is not our ideal path, we hope to work with the music industry in moving forward. We look forward to embracing necessary changes and collaborating with the entire music industry in the future.

I doubt the people behind Limewire are “looking forward to working with the recording industry”. Because they know just as much as you and I that once Limewire flips the switch on download/upload/searches, their traffic is going to tank. The final blow to Limewire will take place after the recording industry relaunches a few months to years down the road with some copycat, no-one-is-going-to-remember music store front with crappy prices and poor selection. Aw well. It was great while it lasted. Then again, Limewire and similar services are for kids. Torrents are where the adults play, right?

On the flipside, Limewire’s parent company, “Lime Group” has stated that they have a new music service in the works, and that we can expect to see it within the next month. Optimistic? Limewire CEO official statement after the jump…

Apple + Spotify = Closed doors?

The interwebs are a scurryin’ tonight over rumors that Apple is eying a potential Spotify take over/acquisition. One one hand, it makes me giddy — Spotify could finally make it stateside. But then the cold, harsh reality sets in. The last streaming-based company Apple bough (Lala) was closed down. And even many months after the fact, we have yet to see anything new from Apple using Lala services. So an acquisition is almost a death sentence.

Further hampering the party spirit is the whole thing with major record labels. Put simply — They’re greed bastards who are destroying their own business from the inside out. But that doesn’t matter. They’ll continue strangling innovative start ups and other music services people actually care about just to turn a small dime. So, another nail in Spotify’s future if Apple picks them up.

It also doesn’t help that the rumored Google buyout from earlier in the year was botched because — you guessed it — greed from major music labels and their unwillingness to grandfather current Spotify pricing schemes into a new buyout deal. In the end, we the consumer lose.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. This whole Apple + Spotify love fest is nothing more than a rumor from an anonymous TechCrunch source. Dream away…

Android 2.3 gets screen’d

Ah, *official* Android 2.3 news. Of course, by news at this point I mean a simple screenshot. With that — a screenshot that is easily faked. So far, the jury’s still out as to what version number Gingerbread is actually going to assume. Some say 2.3, others say 2.5. While a third group is holding out for a nice, fat, round 3.0.

Numbering schemes aside, the source behind the image says that 2.3 has better battery management and improved battery life, and freshened up browser and phone icons. Woohoo.

Review: V-Moda Remote Remix In-Ear Headphones.

The world of headphones is a crowded one. Over the last few years, we’ve seen plenty of companies spring up to produce these little cans of music. At the same time, several companies have expanded into the world of personal audio, adding to their current lineup of products. One such company who has in fact been in the audio realm for several years is V-Moda. The last few years have seen some truly stylish headphones design-wise. But as you all know, headphones that are pretty but sound like crap are pretty much useless as well as a letdown. Form over function at work.

In the V-Moda Remix Remote’s case, which power overcomes and ultimately walks away with the crown? Continue on…

The end of an era: Google closing down Nexus One Forums.

The Nexus One was supposed to usher in a new era in the cellular world. Gone were the carrier’s archaic controls levied upon their consumers. Instead, choice would reign supreme. And then Google decided the whole BYOP (bring your own phone) wasn’t right for them and pulled out. HTC announced a couple of months back that they were done producing Nexus One units. And now, the final nail in the coffin is here — Google is closing down the Nexus One Forums.

The self-hosted forums were no doubt a huge benefit to the hundreds of thousands of geeky N1 users. But on November 1st, all of that information becomes read-only (read: no new posts). Looks like N1 users will have to rely on 3rd party Android forums for their Nexus One news/troubleshooting techniques.

Did any of you still use Google’s own N1 forums?