Fortunately, I've a nice diner near my house. For those of you interested in these Buffalo wooden speakers, however, you should know that they work without batteries. That's convenient, although you shouldn't expect boombox thump. [Buffalo via Akihabar]

There's no price yet on the USB 3.0 PCI Express card (IFC-PCIE2U3), but it's expected to be about $60. The drive itself will be $200 (1TB), $250 (1.5TB), and $400 (2TB), and ships with Memeo AutoBackup software for the Mac or PC. [Buffalo]

The drives will be available this month—although it appears to be a Japan-only release for the moment. The drives will run around $250 and $284 for 1TB and 1.5TB models respectively (a 2TB model is also in the works.), and the controller will run an additional $60. It's probably a bit early to jump on 3.0, but chances are we won't have to wait long before the technology goes mainstream. [Buffalo Japan via Engadget]

The airplane was a Q400 Bombardier aircraft that was flying from Newark to Buffalo Niagra. It crashed into a suburban home at around 10pm, just ten miles from the airport in Buffalo. The reason for the crash is not yet known.

Update: A reader tipped us off that the Q400 had been previously banned in Scandinavia, after two crashes involving the plane - one in Lithuania and one in Denmark. In those cases, the landing gear had allegedly corroded. [AP]

For now it looks like the FTD-W71 is Japan-only, but hopefully it won't stay that way. For everyone else, there's the rebranded Nanovision Mimo, which we reviewed a few weeks ago. D-Link's CES-launched mini-monitor is a rebranded version of the same.

Like the rest of 'em, Buffalo's has an 800x480 widescreen resolution, sucks video entirely from USB, and appears to only work with Windows. [Akihabara News via CG]

At 33mm by 16mm, this dongle really couldn't be much smaller—the brains of the unit are almost the same size as the plug itself. Nor could it be much more affordable. Though it's only available in Japan for now, the price translates to about $25.

It doesn't appear to be crippled in any serious way either, claiming official B/G certification for assured backwards compatibility, base station operation for bridging connection between peripherals or other PCs, and the automated WPS security system, along with Buffalo's own AirStation One-Touch Secure System. The main selling point here, obviously, is size—the WLI would make a great company for a netbook that needs to make the Draft N jump. [Buffalo via Akihabara]

The new Mini packs dual 120GB, 2.5-inch SSDs that allow the drive to run at a ridiculously quiet 2.3db. This setup also allows for either 240GB of data storage or a RAID1 mirroring configuration to protect your data should your new, fancy storage fail on you. The system is also DLNA-compliant to share media while supporting both USB and ethernet connectivity.

So now that we've sold you the Buffalo LinkStation Mini, we should probably mention...it's Japan-exclusive for the time being and will cost $1,200. No hard feelings though, right? Who want's a crummy, monster external SSD anyway? [Buffalo via Engadget]

BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY UNVEILS THE WORLD’S THINNEST EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

The Super-Flat MiniStation Shinobi is Designed for High Performance Data Storage while Fitting into Your Shirt Pocket

AUSTIN, TX – September 22, 2008 – Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today unveiled the super-slim MiniStation Shinobi. At a mere 5mm (.2 inches) thick and weighing in at just 2oz, the robust MiniStation Shinobi is a lightweight in size but a heavyweight when it comes to features. Designed for the active professional, Buffalo’s new ultra-portable drive includes easy-to-use backup and sync software, mobile applications such as Firefox and Thunderbird for on-the-go email and web browsing as well as Buffalo’s SecureLockMobile software to prevent unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

Featuring a unique, self-contained cable management system, the sleek, new MiniStation Shinobi offers users the ability to backup and take their favorite music, videos, photos or mission critical files in an ultra-slim drive that can withstand the trials and tribulations of the road.

“Innovative, easy-to-use products with quality features is what Buffalo is known for,” said Ken Higgins, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. “With the new MiniStation Shinobi, we are continuing to push the envelope with more compact, design conscious storage solutions that will not only meet, but exceed the ever evolving needs of our customers.”

The MiniStation Shinobi is Mac and PC compatible and is the perfect grab-and-go storage solution, whether it’s for doing a presentation overseas or a casual lunch meeting down the street. Buffalo’s unique TurboUSB technology enhances data transfer rates of up to 20% faster than other standard drives and ships with Memeo’s AutoBackup and Auto Sync software allowing consumers to securely and automatically manage and backup their digital assets in real-time.

Pricing and Availability

The MiniStation Shinobi is backed by a limited one-year warranty that includes toll-free 24/7 technical support and will be available in October at estimated street prices of $119.99 for the 30GB (HD-PT30U2) and $169.99 for the 60GB (HD-PT60U2).

[Buffalo

[PC Watch]

PlayStation 3 owners who want to shove a bunch of DivX/XviD movies onto a server to stream to their consoles for HD movie action will be thrilled. Less thrilling is the price: $699 in May. Those features aren't cheap, nor are the smaller laptop drives they use to power it. Then again, for about $699 you could also get a Windows Home Server, which is quite full-featured but isn't nearly as compact. On the third hand, we're not sure why you would need a NAS to be all that compact unless you were living in a tiny apartment or wanted to sneak it through customs. [Buffalo]

Available in four designs (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Doraemon and — aargh! — Tamagotchi, the sticks contain a secure internet browser (Yahoo! Kids), a couple of games, and you can even limit the amount of time your little darlings spend attached to their computer. My suggestion? Buy them an OLPC and keep them well away from your notebook. [Buffalo via Akihabara News]

Fujitsu alone has been spared the lawsuit hammer because it caved and struck a deal over the summer to license Wi-LAN's whole patent portfolio—such transactions are why "patent holding" companies like Wi-LAN exist, not for anything productive. Be brave! Let loose the fury of your legal team to crush patent trolls into oblivion, since the patent office isn't doing much about it. The court system will ultimately thank you. [Reuters, Flickr]