Designed by Ewald Neuhofer, the Infinite Book really does look more like a brochure or a newspaper than a book, but it's a neat concept for those of us who enjoy physically turning pages. Mind you, the device would allow for a touchscreen and plain ol' scrolling for one-handed reading or those who prefer to skip the page flipping. [creativeDNAaustria via The Design Blog]

The E020 can be found in 1GB and 2GB flavors, for $69 and $79 respectively, and comes bundled with premium earphones and a handful of faceplates to get you started. Additional faceplates will be sold separately for $12 each. [Crave Asia]

A few weeks back, I wrote up a piece on Vudu's high-definition video falling short of my expectations. Today I bring you a more thorough report of the three most compelling set-top boxes and their video-download capabilities. Apple TV, Vudu and Xbox 360 all have a lot going for them, but by looking at them side-by-side, you can see how their makers are all taking different paths to get to the ultimate desired end. Dive into the chart, then have a look at the screengrabs from three movies, to really get a feel for the progress, or lack of progress, in the world of HD downloads.

Just so you know, in addition to skipping everything that requires an actual PC (including HP's MediaSmart receivers), I omitted TiVo from the running for now, for two reasons: 1) the Amazon Unbox on TiVo doesn't yet offer HD movie downloads; and 2) TiVo itself is a subscription service, whereas these systems don't charge a monthly fee for the privilege of renting movies.You can see how frustrating it is to pick a winner when you look at the three systems on paper. Fortunately, things clear up a bit when you compare stills I shot at the same time, on the same Panasonic 1080p plasma TV.

Screens from Ratatouille—note that the Vudu shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from 3:10 to Yuma—note that the Apple TV shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from Transformers—here the three devices are all running high-def versions, and I've mixed in a screen from the HD DVD of it as well, for surprising comparison.
Keep in mind that the key here is to compare the shots with each other, as they were all shot the same way. (Note that the same perceived down-rezzing issue I noted before on Vudu's high-def is still obvious.)

Now that you've seen all the evidence I could gather. It's a toss-up to me, though I think for content I have to lean towards Vudu and for pure video quality (and most HD content) the Xbox 360 is hard to beat. Meanwhile, Apple TV is cheapest and lives up to its name with the best access to actual TV programming—though NBC is still painfully absent. How about helping me make the call here?

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A lot of people (including Steve Jobs) like to talk about the imminent arrival of HD downloads, a magic talisman that will help peace-loving technophiles avoid the atrocities of the last shiny-silver-disc format war. But as we've discussed and others have researched, bandwidth, and not resolution, determine final quality.

It's a no-brainer, and one that Vudu is well aware of, especially as it enters its newest round of content offerings. To its credit, the company decided that it's more important to offer high-quality downloads instantly, rather than make people wait for the 8+ hour download that might look more like video from a Blu-ray or HD DVD disc. But can we still call them HD?

In the frames above, you see snapshots I took all at the same time depicting Vudu paused in standard-def and high-def playback, as well as more or less the same frame paused on the HD DVD as well. One could argue that the frames look funny because of the way Vudu pauses, so let me be clear: the difference in playback between the HD DVD and the HD download was huge. My wife laughed, saying "Even I can see the difference." The difference between the SD and HD Vudu downloads was not significant at all. In fact, it was not especially noticeable. Again, to Vudu's credit, the standard def version looks really nice, and both videos started playing the instant I rented them.

The bottom line is that HD downloads are a novelty item now, and they'll probably stay that way until:

• Higher bandwidth permits the rapid download of huge files
• A quality-assurance system is agreed upon where "HD" refers to specific attributes that go beyond frame resolution
• Hollywood deems it fit to start releasing mainstream videos in great quantities in HD—remember, those dudes hold the keys, now and forever, whether we like it or not.

When pressed about the high cost of sporting rights, content strategy and acquisition EVP Yvette Alberdingkthijm told paidContent:

"I don't have to play in that league. I do know that, within my own universe of free online viewing, I can do live really, really well, and I'll be starting with that in the US in Q1 next year."

Slated to debut with the August 7 release of an album by the undoubtedly wholesome teen punk band The Jonas Brothers, CDVU+ will include "digital magazine extras, song lyrics, band photos and other extras" says Reuters. (They said "extras" twice; they must like "extras.") Oh, and as a shoutout to the greenest teens, CDVU+ "replaces the traditional CD booklet and plastic jewel case with recyclable packaging." To access the content you don't need some fancy new CDVU+ player. No sir, you just need a computer.

You know what I hate? When marketing innovations are disguised as new technologies. I for one won't be buying any CDVU+ discs, thanks much. And unlike many people I respect, I actually buy music. [Reuters]

Coming Zune [Microsoft]

For those needing an executive summary, the K-PEX features a 2-inch LCD, FM radio and support for most popular digital media formats, such as MP3, WMA, MPEG, AVI and JPEG. There's even OGG support for all you OSS fans out there. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Kingston via Digital World Tokyo]

The iFlip has a pair of integrated speakers, which can be used even without turning on the screen. The on-screen navigation is used to control iFlip-specific settings, like screen brightness and and contrast; the iPod is still used to traverse the iPod's innards.

Memorex should start selling the iFlip in September for $200. – Nicholas Deleon

UPDATE: Memorex sent us a few more pictures of the iFlip for your viewing pleasure. Check them out after the jump.

Memorex reveals iFlip portable video player for iPod [iLounge]

Memorex Home Page [Memorex]

The big music companies sure must hate the Fraunhofer Institute for creating the MP3 codec. As we all know, MP3s, burning CDs and, more recently, legal downloads have turned the industry on its head and caused executives to starve inside of their ivory towers. Over in the UK, Universal is trying to right this wretched wrong by doing something a little different: they're going to be offering simple, stripped down CDs at a price that's competitive with the iTunes Music Store. The catch? (Come on, it's the record companies—there has to be a catch.) You'll end up paying about the same, or even more, than what you would pay now for regular CDs. That's right: Universal's grand strategy to winning back your hearts is to offer stripped down CDs for the price of regular CDs, defined as CDs that come in jewel cases and have a full booklet. Great thinking, guys!

Universal's new CDs will retail for £7, or about $12.85. These CDs will come in a slip cover and come with no booklet. Right now, most retailers in the UK offer regular CDs for less than £7. So yes, you're paying more for less. Even better, these CDs are only going to be (initially, at least) offered for Universal's older, back-catalogue acts. So they're competing against iTunes by offering old acts on stripped down CDs and ignoring their current acts, more than likely the ones being downloaded most heavily. Makes sense.

These stripped down CDs will be rolled across the UK and Europe beginning in September. Along with the stripped down CDs, Universal will also offer CDs in two other packages: the aforementioned regular CD as well as a CD bundled with a DVD. Will it be enough to stem the tide of iTunes downloading, as Universal hopes? Time will tell, but you can probably hazard a guess as to the house's opinion. – Nicholas Deleon

Universal prices CDs to match downloads [Guardian Unlimited via The Register]

The media player plays back a number of popular formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-4, WMA, MP3 and JPEG slideshows. With its 4:3 aspect ratio and standard definition output, playing back on a widescreen HDTV may be a little sketchy, however. At least there's an on-screen menu to navigate all the files. For those of you not under the yoke of NTSC, be happy that it supports PAL. It's being introduced at a special price of $149, which later shoots up $50 afterwards. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [22Moo via Everything USB]

On the audio front, the usual Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital make an appearance as well as DTS Neo:6, which tries to turn vanilla two-channel sound into a five-channel fiesta.

The MC-12 HD is sort of like the Cadilac of audio/video processors, so much that it costs nearly as much as one. Available in three models, the MC-12 HD ranges in price from $9,999 to $13,999. Better start saving those pennies. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Lexicon via Digital Trends]