One of the first observations I made when I started using the Zune HD was how easy it is to nick and scratch that shiny body on my new media player.  This one was really in need of a case, or it was going to lose that new device shine all too quickly.  Sadly, the Zune HD did not include any kind of a case, pouch, or other protection.  So, I set out looking for a case to protect my new Zune HD, and it was not long before I found my way to Waterfield, which is an old favorite around these parts.  Waterfield wasted no time after the release of the Zune HD introducing a Suede Jacket for the Zune HD, and they were nice enough to send me two different models to use (and keep) with my Zune.  Let’s check it out.

This is an extremely simply case, but it worked great.  It is obviously made from a fine suede, which is soft enough to protect the screen on your device.  It is a sleeve style case, which means the Zune will slide right in.  It fits snugly, wrapped inside the suede like a blanket, but the case is stretchy enough that it is easy to slide in and out (it even has a stretch memory so it will always snap back to the correct size).  The suede material also allows the case to maintain a very skinny profile.  The Zune HD is almost as skinny in the case as it is without the case. 

The only thing I did not like is that, as a pouch style case, you cannot access the screen and controls without sliding it out of the case.  This is a problem for me since I am often walking while listening, which means every time I remove it from the case to adjust the volume or change the song, I risk dropping it on the ground.  That being said, this is not so much a complaint about the Waterfield case specifically, as it is a comment on pouch style cases in general.

The case comes in two styles, with or without a pocket.  Waterfield sent me one of each so I could compare them, and I have to say that I really liked the pocket.  It is not made from suede, but from a stretchy spandex.  This allows it to lie flat when empty, but expand to fit whatever you want to store there.  I chose to keep my headphones in there and it worked quite well.

I really loved the simplicity of this case.  It does exactly what you needed it to do, which is add just a little extra protection for the screen and body on your Zune HD.  As an extra bonus, it even looks great while doing it.  The Zune HD Suede Jacket is available from Waterfield for $13 with the pocket or $9 without.

Related posts:

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2. Review: Waterfield Cases for the Amazon Kindle 2
3. Press Release: WaterField Designs Brings Luxury to MacBooks

No, this is not the Photoshop you may know, but a stripped down application that will come handy when you need a basic processing software. Once downloaded and installed the software, you will be able to change saturation, exposure and to perform cropping.

The product will be a free download from the Android Market.

From the press release:

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Nov. 6, 2009

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Photoshop.com Mobile for Android software, extending Adobe industry-leading digital imaging technology to users of the Google Mobile operating system. The release comes less than a month after the launch of Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, which quickly established itself as one of the "Top Free" applications on the Apple mobile platform. The Android application equips consumers with quick and easy image-editing tools, color adjustments and instant photo-sharing capabilities. Photoshop.com Mobile optimizes the camera-phone experience by allowing users to browse for their photos online and on their phone, directly from the application. The application is free and available today at the Android Market.
"Adobe is excited to extend its digital imaging capabilities to Android phone users so they can take control of their growing collections of mobile photos," said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. "Photoshop.com Mobile is a great resource to edit, upload and share photos in a few short moments. It’s the perfect complement to the mobile phone cameras found on Android devices."

Mobile Photo Sharing and Editing Features

Photoshop.com Mobile for Android offers essential, user-friendly photo-editing tools like crop, rotate and flip. The Soft Focus filter can be used to create a subtle blur effect, and for performing color adjustments such as exposure, saturation, tint changes and classic black-and-white. Since all edits and changes can be undone, users can be confident that their original photo will be safe. After making edits on their Android device, users can upload photos from their phone to their Photoshop.com account to view and retrieve their images at a later time from any Internet-connected computer.
In addition, Photoshop.com Mobile for Android offers features only available on Android phones. Users can automatically upload pictures to Photoshop.com albums in the background, even when the Photshop.com Mobile application is not running. Photoshop.com accounts provide 2GB of free online photo storage, which equates to over 1,500 photos. Made possible by the Android API, the new tab-based user interface enables users to view local and online content. Also, the Android Photo Browser makes maneuvering through photos fast and convenient, bringing users’ complete photo collections right to their pockets.

[...]

Pricing and Availability

The Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for Android application is available as a free download from the Android Market. More information on Photoshop.com Mobile for Android can be found at http://mobile.photoshop.com/android.

Unfortunately, the application is currently available in the U.S. and Canada only.

More details can be found in the video available here.

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What do you get when you roll up fruit?  A Fruit Rollup.  What about a computer?  Well, now that’s a something definitely different yet exquisite.  Even though it appears to be just a concept model through 3D animation, Germany’s Orkin Design seems to have plans for a computer using an OLED.  The screen is able to rollup around a core which doubles as not only a method of storage but also as an A/C adapter as well as a USB hub.  I for one am thrilled at the thoughts and wonder about the design.  Packing by rolling shirts and pants around a core appear quite effective…and it makes me wonder if this bundling technique will help prevent sharp creases that could potentially damage the organic LCD. 

From what it appears, the keyboard is onscreen and the whole unit can be converted into a giant tablet PC as well. I have been dreaming of such devices. Granted without the springs of a keyboard it would have a very different touch which makes me wonder what kind of algorithm will be used to determine when keys are actually pressed.  There is certainly much potential.  The first time I have seen a similar device that made me think “Wow” was in Star Trek the Next Generation where Captain Picard played a piano that was totally rollup-able.  If that’s an electronic instrument, why not a computer?  And with the latest coolest technologies, a whole LCD screen can be rolled up just like that.  Simply amazing!  It’s good to live in the broadband / MediaNet age!  For more information go check out Orkin Design’s video over the Rolltop (video also available directly on Orkin Design’s website).

Source: MobilitySite

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Verizon has its second member in its new Android family, the Droid Eris by HTC.  I consider the Eris to be the little brother of the Droid, and both are being released tomorrow!!!  Before I get to the juicy details, I need to leak the exciting price of $99 after a $100 rebate and 2 year agreement with Verizon.  That is the lowest price you will find for an Android smartphone.  The phone is basically the Verizon version of the HTC Hero that is available from AT&T and Sprint.  One drawback I see is that the Eris will run Android 1.5, and the Droid runs 2.0.  So, I’m wondering if there will be a way to update the 1.5 to 2.0 in the near future.  No one will want a phone with an outdated OS.  As for the other features:

- 3.2 inch capacitive touch screen and trackball interface
- 5.0 megapixel auto focus camera
- Expandable memory with pre-installed 8 GB microSD™ card (up to 16 GB supported)
- Supports USB mass storage
- Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi and 3.5 mm headset connectivity
- Integrated GPS and a digital compass with a sensor that enables the phone to know what direction it is facing
- Smart dialer for simplified dialing by name, number or initials
- Full HTML browser with Flash Lite capabilities
- Seamless compatibility with Google™ services like Google Maps™, Gmail™, Google Search™ and more

Definitely a nice compliment of features, so if you are looking for a great smartphone but at a low price, I would put this at the top of your list.

Here is the full Press Release:

Bring an Android Device home for the holidays with
DROID ERIS by HTC, exclusively from Verizon Wireless
 
DROID ERIS by HTC Debuts with Verizon Wireless with HTC Sense Experience and an Ultra-Attractive $99.99 Price
 
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and BELLEVUE, Wash. – Beginning Nov. 6, DROID ERIS™ by HTC will invade Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the United States, bringing the power of the Android™ platform and the Verizon Wireless network together.   DROID ERIS by HTC combines the popular Android platform with HTC Sense™, a user experience from HTC that makes it easy for customers to stay close to one another and create an individualized mobile experience tailored specifically to their needs.
        DROID ERIS by HTC offers customers the opportunity to customize a seven-panel wide home screen with a wide variety of widgets designed to bring the most important information to the surface.  DROID ERIS by HTC also includes the innovative “Scenes” feature, which allows customers to create multiple home screens, each with different widgets and shortcuts, to transform  DROID ERIS by HTC from a “work” phone to a “play” phone with just a touch of a finger. 
        DROID ERIS by HTC also organizes interactions by person, which makes it possible to access text messages, e-mails, phone calls and even Flickr streams and Facebook updates from a single contact card.
        The unique HTC Sense experience found on DROID ERIS by HTC is supported by an array of the latest mobile features, including:
3.2 inch capacitive touch screen and trackball interface
5.0 megapixel auto focus camera
Expandable memory with pre-installed 8 GB microSD™ card (up to 16 GB supported)
Supports USB mass storage
Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi and 3.5 mm headset connectivity
Integrated GPS and a digital compass with a sensor that enables the phone to know what direction it is facing
Smart dialer for simplified dialing by name, number or initials
Full HTML browser with Flash Lite capabilities
Seamless compatibility with Google™ services like Google Maps™, Gmail™, Google Search™ and more
 
        DROID ERIS by HTC will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com on Friday, Nov. 6, for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an e-mail feature or e-mail plan. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
        For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

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Is there a book out there you have just been dyin’ to read?  If you are like me, your ‘To Read’ list is just huge.  However, I always find that I don’t have time to go to the bookstore, and I hate paying for shipping for just a book or two.  The best solution is ebooks, because its instant gratification.  You have time to read, and you can read right now.  Fictionwise.com, a member of the Barnes & Noble family, has a great selection of fiction, non-fiction, audio books, and magazines ready for download.  Starting today through November 20, Fictionwise has given JAMM a special 25% off discount code.  All you need to do is enter the coupon code “jamm25” when you are checking out.

Fictionwise is also having a sale on their own eReader, eBookwise-1150.  Its a basic reader with 64MB of internal storage, which should allow you store about 100 ebooks at a time.  For a smaller reader, it has some nice features:

• Screen Size:  5″ x 7.5″ x 1.5″, about as much viewable screen area as a paperback book.
• Large memory: Carry dozens of training manuals, books and personal documents in one compact unit.
• Long battery life:Read for up to 15 hours without recharging; can be read while charging. (15 hour battery life assumes minimal backlight usage. With backlight fully enabled reading time is approximately cut in half.)
• Built-in modem and USB ports: Use a phone line or USB to instantly receive desired content. No linkage with a PC is required for phone connection. USB drivers are available for Windows 98/2000/ME/XP and Mac OS X. (click here for more information on USB drivers.)
• Personal Online Bookshelf:Copies of all your eBook editions are maintained on the device’s server-based Online Bookshelf. Download them quickly and easily to your eBook device whenever desired; many thousands of pages can be locally stored on the eBook’s eBookshelf.
• Grayscale display: See your electronic books, training documents and personal content complete with images.
• Backlit screen: Adjustable brightness and contrast controls allow reading anywhere, even in the dark.
• Variable text size: Increase the text size for easy reading.
• Shortcut:A frequently used feature (e.g. auto-update, zoom font, search, sleep, settings) may be dynamically associated with the “shortcut” button on the eBook device to provide one-touch access to a user-selected feature.
• Bookmark, highlight and make notes: Use the touch screen to mark pages and passages and take notes.
• Search:Tap on a word in the text to find other occurrences of that word or enter text to search using the dropdown onscreen keyboard.