VUDU has been around for years. However, it was always one of those companies that we were expecting to go out of business.

We have nothing against VUDU. In fact, they are quite awesome. In case you aren’t familiar, they stream up a storm of media, all without monthly fees. Of course, you have to rent and buy content and the boxes are kind of pricey. So with so many other set-tops swirling around, VUDU’s demise seemed inevitable.

However, VUDU not only remained, but they seemed to always have something going on. For instance, many companies wanted VUDU inside their hardware products. Cut the expensive hardware out of the equation and you’d have something pretty cool.

Apparently, Walmart thinks so too. VUDU just announced that Walmart plans to purchase the streaming media company.

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I recently admitted my favoritism toward Corsair’s ultra-rugged and admittedly unattractive Survivor flash drive. And while the Survivor is secure in many obvious ways (such as against water and shock), its electronic security is software-based, and therefore susceptible to the prying keystrokes of the technologically-savvy. Corsair’s latest release adds a bit of top-level security to keep those less-savory folks from ever even getting a shot at cracking your internal code.

The Padlock 2 flash drive incorporates an external keypad that allows you to enter your own 4-to-10-digit PIN for hardware-level 256-bit security encryption. Without entering the PIN on the external device, your data is secure and unobtainable. If someone does get ahold of your drive, the device will lock for two minutes after repeated failed entries. And if you forget your PIN? The data on the device can be permanently cleared and the PIN reset.

An 8 GB storage capacity is nothing extraordinary these days, but leaves plenty of room for music, videos, or bits of naughtiness (if you’re so inclined). But make sure to keep a back-up elsewhere, because if someone does get ahold of it, they won’t be able to access your data, but should they clear it with a reset, your dirty secrets will be lost forever.

And that would just be a shame.

Now your phone can match your shoes — maybe.

Puma just announced plans to become a cell phone maker. The Puma Phone isn’t made from recycled shoes and doesn’t have different funky designs. Instead, it’s a joint effort with Sagem Wireless, who will be making the devices branded with the Puma name.

“Just as Puma is unlike any other sportlifestyle company out there, the Puma Phone is unlike any mobile phone on the market,” said Jochen Zeitz, CEO of Puma.

Well, that’s definitely true. We don’t think any other phone companies have a footwear empire to fall back on, do they?

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Well that didn’t take long. The protective plastic hasn’t even come off the iPad’s touchscreen, and Samsung says it’s ready to rumble in the tablet market.

According to Bloomberg, the company is already planning to build its own tablet computer. “We will respond,” said J.K. Shin, president of Samsung’s mobile-communication division in the interview on February 14.

It should be pretty easy for them to do that, too. Samsung actually builds the processor that powers Apple’s iPad. If all goes well, the manufacturer should be able to clean up from both sides, as supplier and competitor. Analysts Needham & Co. are predicting that the iPad will sell about 2 million units this year, with another 6 million shipping out in 2011.

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There’s a virtually limitless world of iPhone apps out there today, ranging from the extremely useful to the outlandishly inane.

The world’s greatest beverage hasn’t escaped the iPhone’s pull, either. While some of the gadget’s beery apps are worthless for anything but a laugh and even downright demeaning—come on, I don’t want to pretend I’m drinking a beer!—others are decidedly more useful. One such example is GreatBrewers.com’s BeerCloud.

Great Brewers describes BeerCloud for the iPhone thusly:

“BeerCloud is a revolutionary mobile app that helps you pair beer with food, track down your favorite beers in your neighborhood, discover the world of beer styles, and pull up a full description of nearly any beer in seconds. Whether you’re a beer consumer who could use some guidance in making a well-educated purchase, a food lover looking to discover new ways to enhance a meal with a complementary beer pairing, or a traveling beer enthusiast who wants to instantly map the closest stores, bars, and restaurants carrying your favorite beers, BeerCloud is an essential iPhone app.”

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Scanners can be painfully bulky. Much larger then the printers that they are so often attached to… not a good thing if you happen to be light on space, which many of us are both at the office and at home. Not to mention that they are heavy to carry around. If you want to stay away from the back strain, and clear up some space for your other needs then you may want to consider getting your hands onto the Fujitsu ScanSnap S3100 Portable Scanner. It can give you what you need without all of the waste. This thing is small enough to fit into a briefcase.

Think that a smaller scanner can’t give you what you want? Well this one comes with a robust set of features. It has the ability to scan to standard images as well as a variety of other formats. It can scan directly to a PDF, which is perfect for sending business documents. It can also scan directly into Microsoft Excel , which allows you to input data into your spreadsheet on the fly. No stress and no mess.

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If that iPad thing isn’t working out for you, there’s still the nook. Remember that little guy? He’s the Barnes & Noble e-reader, which the company says is now available in stores.

The retailer had been teasing patrons last fall with a sneak peek, but finally made the nook available in stores starting Wednesday, February 10. It’s also available at nook.com.

B&N seems to think that the eReader will be a hot item for Valentine’s Day. In fact, they plan to offer exclusive holiday-themed online content, such as Kevin Zraly’s column “Read Between the Wines” (get it?) and a tasty red velvet cupcake recipe from Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor.

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Super Talent has taken the USB flash drive to new dimensions – literally. The company’s Pico_C flash drive is tiny, measuring just 1.5″ x 0.5″ and weighing in at under six grams. What makes this flash drive truly amazing is its capacity in relation to its size: it is available in capacities of 2GB up to 32GB, which may not seem that high considering flash drives now reach out to over 100GB, but 32GB stuffed into a device smaller than your thumb is pretty remarkable.

Resembling the USB receiver module for a portable mouse, the drive itself is capless, but Super Talent claims that it’s “rugged” as well as water-resistant. And in addition to the standard plastic version, the device is also available with nickel plating and–get this–24k gold plating.

Of course, ruggedness and beauty don’t necessarily do any good if you lose the drive, which seems like a certainty. Still, if choosing from the 32GB models, going for gold isn’t going to break the bank and is likely the best choice, seeing as the price range for plastic, nickel, and gold versions comes in at between $80 and $90, regardless of casing choice.

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If a normal camera adds 10 pounds, imagine the damage that high-def can do. Still, if you want relive family moments like they were yesterday, nothing looks better than an HD camera/camcorder.

JVC just announced the GZ-HM340 camera, which is the latest and greatest in the company’s Everio line. Aside from being able to take better pictures even when less light is available, the unit offers time-lapse recording, auto record features and a 20X optical zoom. Also, new Everio MediaBrowser software allows for file conversion so you can burn DVDs or stuff all of those special moments into an iPod or iPhone. It also provides instant embarrassment, with one-touch sharing via YouTube.

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Christmas came a little early for me this year in the form of a 23 inch widescreen monitor I bought for myself a couple of weeks ago and I just wouldn’t have felt right if I didn’t take the time to share it with you. Like most of you, I have been using what I thought was a great little flat screen LCD for the past few years and was totally happy with it… that was until I unboxed this widescreeny goodness.

The HP w2338h full HD monitor truly is one of those things that you don’t know how much you need until you actually have it. From the casual everyday computer user to the full time online worker like myself this sleek and stylish monitor really makes everyday online use a joy and much more productive.

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