I was happy to see Apple announce today that they’re boosting the iPhone’s capacity from 8GB to 16GB, and the iPod Touch from 16GB to 32GB. I’m not really much of an Apple fanboy, in fact, the only Apple product I really use is my iPod and iTunes. I do think OS X is a great operating system, and if they’d sell it for use on generic hardware I’d probably use it, but I haven’t been willing to pay the Apple Tax on their laptops. (Yes, I know about Darwin.)

But I really do like the iPod, and, having tried a number of alternative portable digital music players, it is still the only one I really recommend. However, I’m still using a 60GB iPod with color, initially known as the iPod Photo. The first generation of video iPods just wasn’t enough to make me jump – the screen is too small. And I have almost no interest in the iPhone. I’ve played with them, I know people who own them – and I still prefer my Treo 680 to the iPhone for my needs. I really use my ‘phone’ more for email and such – text applications – and I just didn’t like typing on the iPhone. It is shiny and sexy, but that’s not enough for a serious relationship.

But I do love the screen and the interface for other things, including the browser. So when the iPhone was announced I was excited, not because of the iPhone, but because I knew it was only a matter of time until an iPod popped up with the same design. And it did, the iPod Touch. But when it was announced I was very disappointed. What I wanted was a high-capacity unit with the UI of the iPhone. I was thinking 80GB, or even 160GB, with the same screen and UI, not 8GB or 16GB! I’m getting close to filling my 60GB iPod, and I like having all my music on tap. I started with a 20GB iPod and quickly dumped it for the 60GB model because I couldn’t stand picking and choosing which songs to load, invariably not having the song I wanted to listen to on there, of course. So there was no way I was going back to even 16GB.

So I’m happy to see the 32GB model announced, not so much for what it is, but because the next logical step is 64GB. I just have to wait and the price/performance curve will bring Flash memory prices down far enough for Apple to kick up the capacity again. And when they finally launch the 64GB model, I expect to finally upgrade. I think it’ll happen in the second half of this year.

I can wait.

Sling Media continues their conquest of the globe with the Slingbox, this time Finland is the lucky winner. The Slingbox SOLO and Slingbox PRO are both now available from Verkkokauppa.com, which SlingCommunity reports is one of the largest electronics stores in Finland and the oldest web store in the country. The Slingbox SOLO is selling for €189.90 while the Slingbox PRO goes for €298.90, but that does include the HD Connect cable sold separately in the US. Those prices are inclusive of VAT.

“The tremendous success of the Slingbox Classic in Europe demonstrates that consumers have embraced the idea of placeshifting,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sling Media. “Sling Media is focused on designing products that will provide customers with top value and the best possible overall, out of the box experience. I feel great about the products we are bringing to the market here in Finland with today’s announcement.”

It’s great to see the Slingbox available in ever more countries.

Kaleidescape, makers of very-high end home media systems, recently emailed their dealers to let them know that they are working on a ‘Blue-Laser Player’ for their systems. The Kaleidescape systems work by importing your CDs or DVDs onto hard drives, making entire libraries of content from multiple clients in the home. Many of the details have yet to be announced, but they will be updating the systems with general support for MPEG-4/H.264 and VC-1 video codecs and will be able to support video from other sources as well, such as the Internet. However, at this time they have no plans to support HD DVD. As it is a high-end, distributed system, and adding Blu-ray support impacts a number of elements, they won’t have the product ready for consumers until 2009. EngadgetHD has a copy of the email with all of the details, at least those released so far.

Starting Match 1, 2008 German distributor Highlight Video will drop HD DVD and begin releasing titles exclusively on Blu-ray. They cite the shift in the market toward Blu-ray and, like Warner, the desire to back a single format. Their first BD exclusive title will be Lissi, und der wilder Kaiser (Lissi, and the Wild Emperor). From Cinefacts, via Blu-ray.com.