The iPod Wars are over, and if anybody should know, it’s SanDisk CEO Eli Harari.
The founder and CEO of SanDisk admits what just about everyone else has known for a long time: the iPod wars are over, and Apple won.
“You can’t out-iPod the iPod,” says Harari.
Harari’s facing the facts. In April, Piper Jaffrey reported that [...]

We may have been unimpressed by the Zune HD, calling it “two years behind Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch platform” - but Gizmodo says that they would take one in a heartbeat:
The device is tighter and more physically beautiful than the iPod Touch and it’s got a better UI, the main menu’s scrolling so natural through the [...]

Engadget has posted a set of pictures that it says are of a new Microsoft Zune HD.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, interest in the Zune is at an all-time low. It’s hard to imagine new hardware changing that, unless Microsoft can make a truly bold move with it’s concept for the Zune.
Do you think that an updated [...]

Piper Jaffray reports a rather surprising fact: there’s zero interest among teens for portable media players other than the iPod.
“Apple’s dominance in the PMP market remains largely unchecked, and it is clear to us that Apple has captured the ‘cool factor’ among high school students across America,” said Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster.
Credit has to go [...]

This is a video demo of the Mikiphone Pocket Phonograph, a sort of steampunk precursor to the Walkman and iPod from the 1920’s.
Can you imagine trying to carry your media collection around like this?
via bb

Last year, we called the Kindle “this year’s Zunetanic, an over-hyped iPod-wannabee.”
A little harsh, maybe, but the prediction is panning out to be true. 
Since then, Amazon has dropped the price for the Kindle, announced a lot more books for the device and sold in modest numbers, leading Amazon to admit that the device was not the [...]

The New York Times has a great look at the state of the Zune today, that suggests that the Microsoft’s portable media player has found a niche:
Microsoft hasn’t made much effort to match the iPod’s universe of functions. The Zune store still lacks movies, downloadable programs, gift certificates, monthly allowances or any way to rate podcasts [...]

On May 6, the Zune Spring 2008 update will be made available to all Zune owners.
Here’s what’s in store:
Television On The Zune
More than 800 episodes of television series to download and watch (on the desktop and to sync to the Zune) including “South Park,” “Afro Samurai,” “Witchblade,” “The Hills,” “The Office,” “Heroes,” “30 Rock,” “Battlestar [...]

Looks like a normal alarm clock, right?
Look closer, though - it’s an MP3 retro-style alarm clock.
Open up the back and it’s got a USB cable to hook into your computer:

The Thanko USB Retro MP3 Alarm Clock is officially compatible with Windows 2000/XP. No Mac support is mentioned.
Compatible Sound Source: WAV/MP3 (up to 50 seconds)
Power Source: [...]

CES: Taser may get the prize this year for introducing the most stupidtactular product at the Consumer Electronics Show - a leopard-print “fashion Taser,” with an MP3 player holster.
While everybody else was putting iPod docks onto televisions and refrigerators and speakerphones, Taser had the audacity to something truly unique and, well, possibly insane!
The $379.99 TASER [...]