Belkin is aiming to please a few podcasters with its brand new Podcast Studio. This neat device records audio directory to your iPod from a microphone and also allow you to fine tune your recording. It features dual XLR so you can plugin your own microphones. Otherwise, you can just use the built-in mic. It even comes with a built-in speaker so you can playback your recording.

For about $99, the Podcast Studio could prove invaluable for interviewing people for your podcast show. Just plug in a professional microphone and dock your iPod and you are ready to go. It is very compact and is compatible with all kinds of iPods (not iPod Touch or iPhone). The Podcast Studio will be available in June of this year. Can't wait.

See more photos here.

I know you guys have been waiting for some cool pictures of the N3 from Cowon. I just met with the representatives at the Cowon booth and, unfortunately, they didn't bring it. They said that the N3 was only for the Korean market.

I did get some information on their existing product though. For the A3, I asked why they used the same form factor as the A2. Basically, they said that there were many delays from 3rd parties and they just wanted to reduce the release time. As for the Q5W, I didn't say much about why they went with Windows CE or why they let the user deal with the Windows CE interface.

Anyhow, just a little disappointed that I didn't get to take any N3 pictures or any new products from Cowon.

Sony, at its CES press conference on Sunday January 6th, has announced a slew new products and technologies. From razor-thin TV to dancing MP3 player, Sony has got it all. Here are some of the products announced at the press conference:

• XEL-1 OLED TV - At 11" with a price tag of $2500, the XEL-1 is no bargain. However, this TV is the first flat screen TV in the US to use OLED (Organic LED) for its display technology. What else? An unprecedented 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (yep, that's 1 million), 3 mm thick, lower power consumption, wider viewing angles than LCD and low reponse time.
• VAIO TP25/20 Home Theater PC - Equipped with Blu-ray Disc drives, these VAIO PC can play back video content up to 1080p through HDMI-connected HDTV. These new VAIOs also feature built-in DVR functionality and BRAVIA Sync technology (for quick resume).
• new Mylo COM-2 - Mylo has returned. Just like the original, the cutesey non-phone mobile device still has the slide-out keyboard, web browser and all the good stuff. It's just sleeker and flashier than its predecessor. If only Sony would just turn this thing into an actual phone...
• Rolly Music Player - You've probably seen this little device on Youtube a couple of months back. At that time, no one actually figured out what it was. According to Sony, it's an DAP that not only plays music but also dances to the beat. Utilizing A2DP technology, you can stream music to the Rolly via Bluetooth. You can even program it to "dance" the way you want it to with included software.
• Sony Ericsson Z555 - Not impressed by the Z-series phones lately? Maybe this one will. The Z555 is not only pretty with its diamond-themed skin but it also features Gesture Control that mutes/snoozes the alarm with a wave of your hand.

I finally made it to Las Vegas for CES 2008, which will open to the industry insiders from January 7th to 11th. As usual, I'll be bringing you the latest and greatest for from the show floor. It's such a big show so there's a lot to see. Can't wait to touch all those shiny things.

My flight was delayed for serveral hours so I missed all the press conferences for the day. Oh well, I guess I'll just make it up on the show floor tomorrow.

According to Mike Elgan of Earthweb's Datamation column, there is no other company more hated than Taiwan's Asustek. No, it is not because the company makes more motherboards than any other company out there. It is rather because of its latest media sensation, the Eee PC. The tiny flash-based laptop gives big-name companies a lot to worry about.

Among the list of Asustek's haters are Microsoft, Apple, Dell and Palm. Why? According to Elgan, Microsoft hates the Eee PC because it is so cheap ($299 starting) but yet very functional without even running Microsoft Windows. It is hated by Apple and Dell because the two companies have been planning flash-based mini laptops for quite a while now; the Eee PC is now a reality while Apple and Dell are still working on vaporware. And, lastly, it is hated by Palm because it has made a fool out of them by making a more capable device than the Foleo for half the price.

Finally, someone wins one for the Blu-ray camp. After Paramount exclusively picked HD-DVD as its format of choice, we thought the format war was finally coming to an end. Lo and behold, we now have Warner Brothers who picked Blu-ray and gave HD-DVD a kick in the rear.

The change will not be immediate, however. The studio will still be releasing movies in HD-DVD format but will finally go Blu-ray exclusively in May this year.

I have no idea when this format war will be over. But this news has just given me even more reasons to buy that LG BH200 multi-platform hi-def player.

Hackers, rejoice! OpenMoko will finally be unveiling the Neo FreeRunner at next week's CES. The open-sourced phone will have the same look and feel as the Neo 1973, which has been available since last July; the phone features a 2.8" VGA touchscreen, "push" email application and a host of other Linux-based mini applications. However, on the inside, it will feature 2D/3D graphics and a faster processor (500MHz) to better handle audio and video processing.

For those uninitiated, OpenMoko is an open-source initiative to create a shared software platform for smartphones. Neo 1973 was the first mobile phone to run on this platform. Its goal is to allow users/developers to customize their cell phones according to their needs rather than having features be dictated by the wireless operators.

Looking for improve your fragging count? Maybe what you need is one of these babies, a Warrior Xxtreme gaming keyboard. Pair this up with your Razer gaming mouse and you are on your way to gaming nirvana.

ExtremeTech took the wildly-looking keyboard in for a few rounds of fragging mayhem and gave it a 6 out of 10. Why such a low score? While the keyboard is excellent as a gaming keyboard, it functions poorly for every-day use. This is due largely to the keyboard layout. The left side of the device is where the action is, all the keys are laid out to maximize your fragging activity. It is the right side of the keyboard that spells trouble. The keys are arranged in a non-intuitive manner for touch typists, making it near useless for non-gaming use.

Cowon is really on a roll lately. First it was the Q5W, then the A3 just a few weeks later. Now, the company is poised to release yet another PMP, the N3. There is just no stopping this Korean company.

If you think you might have seen the N3 before somewhere, you are not alone. It is a direct successor to the N2, with higher resolution screen (800x480), more media support and, of course, a more powerful processor (AMD Alchemy AU1250). The soon-to-be-available PMP has a huge 7" LCD touchscreen, built-in GPS, a DMB (digital TV) receiver, PIP (picture-in-picture), NIP (navigation-in-picture) and a host of media support (just like its peers). Like the Q5W, it runs on Windows CE 5.0 and even running on the same chip, the AU1250.

We'll get more details for you when we visit Cowon's boot at CES (#30162 - South Hall 3). Hopefully, we can even get some video footage of the little sucker.