The GearDiary team checks out the 2009 Cadillac XLR hardtop convertible during the recent GM Collection media event.

(No Cadillacs were harmed in the making of this video)

This week we look at the 2008 Audi S8 luxury sport sedan in the backyard.

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I may be alone on this one, but I like to be able to play my videos with the screen off. If I’m at work and want to listen to a video on my iPod, normally you’d have to have the screen on, wasting battery. Sure I could drop the screen brightness (and I do), but I found a way to turn the screen off and keep the video audio playing. You don’t need to hack anything, just your regular, unhacked iPod Touch will do.

If this isn’t new and has been mentioned somewhere before, please tell me, but I didn’t find this anywhere.

Note: Sorry about the quality, was captured with an N95 is not the best lighting. Get’s the point across though.

There it was.  At last!  Writ large upon the outer wrapping of the new Sony NWZ-A828K Digital Media Player (which most of you will know as a Walkman).  There were the words I have longed to hear from a media player for so many years.  The box read:

WIRELESS.

Enjoy music wirelessly with the supplied Bluetooth stereo headset.

Yes, that is right folks.  This will be my first media player review without the patented Bluetooth rant.  And really, having found a media player with Bluetooth, I might as well end the review right here.  Nice job, Sony!  But no, as long as I have the media player, I suppose we should take a closer look and see what else this thing can do…besides transmitting music, “wirelessly with the supplied Bluetooth stereo headset,” that is.

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One of the problems I have always found with gadgets and technology is that the more useful they get, the less useable they become.  What does that mean, exactly?  Well, the best way to explain this is by looking at an example, such as digital video.  I know an awful lot of people (many of whom read Gear Diary) who like to watch videos on the media players or iPods.  The problem here is that digital video is not a particularly useable medium.  In fact, it can be downright difficult, with dozens of different formats available.  It always seems like the video I want to play has been recorded in the wrong format for my device.  This is incredibly frustrating, particularly when you actually paid money for the video.  So, what are you supposed to do?  Well, M2 offers one solution with their media converter, which can convert virtually any video to be played on an iPod, iPhone, Create Zen, Zune, Smartphone and more.  Stay with me and we will take a look at whether the M2 Media Converter worked as advertised.

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Have you ever been sitting at brink of buying a new device and been totally perplexed as to what device to buy?  I am sitting at this point.

The ultra low cost machines are the ones that really excite me at this point.  You can buy so much power for less than what I paid for many Pocket PC’s and Palms.  Never have there been so many choices.

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