Audio

• iPod Shuffle price dropped

  February 19th, 2008 at 1:39:38 PM

   

  Apple announced today that they are dropping the price on their Shuffle, the one gigabyte model, to $49. They also announced that they are rolling out a new 2GB model later this month for $69. As a reminder, the shuffle is the small, interface-less MP3 players that Apple produces. They are so small they clip onto your clothing and very, very easily can be concealed within your palm. I don’t know if I’d be able to use an MP3 player that didn’t have an interface, let alone one that had such low storage space. It would be nice if I was in a situation where I needed music but the size and/or weight of my Touch was too much, but I don’t see that happening, however, if you want to get a friend an MP3 player, or a kid who is likely to break it, at $50 its about as disposable as a decent MP3 player gets.

   

  

   

   

• Creative Zen Stone Plus giving Apple even more troubles

  November 24th, 2007 at 7:25:07 PM

   

  So first, the Zen Stone came out from Creative, and the fact that it wasn’t an Apple product, combined with the fact that it was the same size, with similar functionality as the Shuffle, and it was slightly cheaper, well that was enough to help the original model sell a good number of units. Well now it appears Creative is besting Apple’s Shuffle in more areas than price. In fact they are fixing one of the few flaws of the shuffle, the lack of a screen for navigational purposes. Then they are upping the storage to iPod Nano levels with 4GB for the Zen Stone Plus. They are also adding FM radio functionality. The best part, its all going to fit in the same package as the regular model, and the screen is an OLED screen, which means the battery life won’t suffer a drastic loss. No word on price or availability, but it was kind of a leak anyways.

   

  

   

   

• iPod Boynq WakeUp clock radio

  October 27th, 2007 at 4:02:54 PM

   

   

  It looks weird, but in a good way, like it could transform into iPodimus Prime at any point. Anyways, the thing perched on its edge are the speaker portions of the device, the front section is the clock and the media selector/controller. A grand total of 20 watts of output isn’t bad for a clock radio, my Altec Lansing 2.1 system only puts out 12 watts, and I wouldn’t have traded it for a thing, until one of the satellites blew. So there are four quarters if you will to the front of this device, the top right is the iPod dock, top left is the media selector/controller and the bottom two is the clock. There is a remote that can control just about everything that is included with the system. There are buttons on the side of each of the squares that control each respective square’s functions. The iPods can be synced and charged at the same time, meanwhile other audio sources can be connected via an auxiliary line in. No price or availability right now, so that’s that.

   

  

   

   

• SwimP3VT MP3 player Designed for Taking to the Pool and fully Waterproof

  October 27th, 2007 at 3:50:24 PM

   

  The Finis SwimP3VT has been designed to handle a harsh underwater environment - someplace that most other MP3 players wouldn’t dare go near. “The SwiMP3 uses bone conduction - the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the inner ear.” The DAP is also designed to wear with goggles and and snorkeling masks. Unfortunately the SwimP3VT only sports 256MB, which is pretty pathetic by today’s standards. But if you’re looking for something you can splish and splash with, than this is one of the only options out there. The Finis SwimP3VT retail for $179.99.

   

  

   

   

• XtremeMac Releases New TuffWrap Case for iPod Touch

  October 13th, 2007 at 4:26:56 PM

   

  XtremeMac has just launched a new affordable case for the iPod Touch. The TuffShield is made of high-grade silicone to protect your ipod from scratches. It also comes with a screen protector, and it has ridges on its sides to ensure a secure grip. What we like about the case is that it doesn’t look too bulky, yet it still manages to cover the iPod touch thoroughly. Of course, the affordable $19.99 price and the fact that it’s available in pink, is also selling us.

   

  

   

   

• Janky V688 PMP

  October 8th, 2007 at 8:51:23 PM

  Yeah, we've seen a Skype phone and a PMP awkwardly merged into one before, but this unit adds its own layer of sketchiness for good measure. The V688, supposedly offered up by Shenzhen Went Wide Shine Electron Company, claims to boast a 1.8-inch display, MP3 / video playback, USB connectivity, an FM radio, rechargeable Li-ion and an integrated Skype phone. Per usual, we wouldn't expect this piece to posses any signs of expert craftsmanship, but you can toss over an inquiry if you're really curious as to what it will run you. 

   

  

   

   

• JL Audio Gotham home theater subwoofer

  October 1st, 2007 at 8:18:55 PM

   Two 13.5-inch subs powered by a 3800 watt switching amp, made by JL Audio. That should be the end of the article, it describes the components that make up this amazing subwoofer and the JL Audio stamp at the end means it will be great. But its not the end of the article, there is more to learn, so much more, like the 4” peak to peak range of movement for the subs. Furthermore there are several signal processing features, including a master level knob, variable slope, variable frequency low-pass filter, variable phase control, a polarity switch, an E.L.F. trim control, and A.R.O. The E.L.F. stands for extreme low-frequency and the A.R.O. is a room equalizer system that uses a microphone to help you set up your new subwoofer. Each powered Gotham subwoofer measures 34.13×21.5×24 inches and takes an entire month to make. It weighs 360 pounds when all is said and done, so you probably won’t want to move it too terribly often, especially since if you drop this 360lb. sub and break it your wait time is at least a month for another, and you can effectively kiss eleven grand good bye, that’s right, this thing will run you $11,000 to own, but they are shipping and selling now.

   

  

   

   

• Xexoo's Pure Gold iPod and iPod Nano

  September 25th, 2007 at 12:05:55 PM

   

  We already knew that Xexoo was producing a pure gold 2g ipod shuffle. But when we first read about it, we kind of thought it to be an oxymoron. Afterall isn’t the shuffle the cheapie of the ipod line, so why invest in covering it in gold? Anyway, it turns out that Xexoo also produces gold Nano’s and regular ipods. They even make matching gold docking stations, earphones and remote controls. And our conclusion about all of this? Only the Donald himself would bother with these.

   

  

   

   

• Speakers is a Lego iPod stand? Yeah right!

  September 25th, 2007 at 12:00:41 PM

   

  They call it a dock, I would argue that it doesn’t dock with anything. It just connects to the speakers inside the Lego case. I wonder if you can add real Legos to it? Probably not, but that would be kind of cool, then you could build it into an actual dock, oh well though. Anyways, there are speakers inside the Lego that run of your iPod’s power. It costs about $16 and can be bought from some Asian sight that I cannot readily translate.

   

   

  

   

   

• ASUS R300 and R700 GPS media player combo

  September 15th, 2007 at 7:51:49 PM

   

  The R700 is pictured, the R300 looks the same, but has a .8” smaller screen. The R700 has a 4.3-inch screen, which puts the R300 at 3.5 inches. Both obviously have built in GPS and media player functions. They both should be able to support AAC, MP3, WMA, and MPEG-4. For storage there is 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM, and a microSD card slot for further storage. There is also a 400MHz Samsung CPU inside. The R700 also has a RDS-TMC receiver that displays traffic data in GPS mode, allowing you to select the path of least resistance. So other than the R300’s screen being smaller, it looses the RDS-TMC receiver as well. Both units should be available in Europe in November, no price yet.

   

  

   

   

• TGE's Colorful and Affordable MP3 Players

  September 13th, 2007 at 5:14:09 PM

   

  Don’t get us wrong, we’re not going to even begin to compare this to a Nano or even a Shuffle. Reguardless, this $39 TGE MP3 player has a decent amount to offer for the price. First of all, it comes in pink, green, blue, white or red. It also is compatible with a nice variety of audio files, including WMA and DRMed WMA files. The 14 hour battery life is decent and the ability to view JPEG and BMP files is a nice touch. Supposedly it can also play video files, though the product description doesn’t mention which formats are supported, and we doubt that you’ll even want to try on such a small screen. Overall, would we recommend this if it was a penny over $39.99, no. But for just under $40, the price is right.

   

   

   

   

• IXOS XMI308 - Small iPod dock delivers

  September 13th, 2007 at 5:05:08 PM

   

  Have an iPod? Like tubes? Today’s your lucky day. IXOS has released a new dock for your iPod that is fairly minimalistic in its looks. Despite its small size, it still reportedly packs a punch. I guess punch might be a strong word, but XMI308 supposedly outputs clear and strong sound. That’s pretty good since it only has a pair of 1-inch drivers. You can power it by four AAA batteries, an AC adapter, or a USB cable. Bear in mind that the USB cable only transfers power, no data. If you like the minimalistic look, you can pick one of these up for around $50. It does work with all current iPod models and has an input for other MP3 players.

   

  

   

   

• Engraved iPod Shuffles Would Make the Best Party Favors Ever

  September 3rd, 2007 at 8:52:03 PM

   

  If you watch MTV then you probably have watched “My Super Sweet 16″ that features over the top parties for some very spoiled teenagers. Often these kids treat their guests like celebrates and they hand out all sorts of goodies as party favors. Here is one idea that they could use that would certainly impress their guests - laser engraved ipod shuffles. But a party favor like this wouldn’t just impress kids, it would be great for corporate functions as well. Epilog Laser does a beautiful job of engraving your custom artwork to the 2G ipod shuffle, and they also do custom laser engravings for the back of the iPhone. But if you plan on giving out iPhones at your party, please don’t forget to invite us.

   

  

   

   

• Philips In-Ear Headphones Match Your Nano

  September 3rd, 2007 at 8:46:32 PM

   

  Philips has a set of in-ear headphones that have no doubt been designed to match your 2G ipod Nano. Available in a metallic cyan, green, pink, silver or black, you can choose from which one to match or mismatch your ipod with. As for specs, the headphones sport a flexi-grip, ear cushions and a 15mm speaker driver. Nothing here for audiophiles but they’re a prettier alternative to Apple’s little bud-dies.

   

  

   

   

• Sansa Express Shuffle Killer

  April 28th, 2007 at 6:20:00 PM

   

  We mentioned the super cool and affordable Sansa Express Shuffle Killer a while back. The 1.1 ounce 1Gb mp3 player with an OLED screen, a translucent surface and an FM radio is not only sleek, it apparently sounds great as well. $59.99 for all of those features make the screen-less $79.99 iPod shuffle look pathetic in comparison. PC Magazine has reviewed the Sansa Express and has made it an Editor’s Choice. Now excuse me, while I go and list my Shuffle on eBay.

   

  

   

   

• Coby's MP-C83 Shuffle Killer to Compete with Sandisk's Sansa Xpress

  March 16th, 2007 at 12:09:31 AM

   
  I already can’t wait for Sandisk’s Sansa Xpress to come out because it looks like it will make an awesome Shuffle alternative. It seems like Coby has some very similar plans for flash player domination. Their MP-C896 looks strikingly similar to the Sansa Xpress. It has a neat LCD display, a built-in USB connector, an FM radio and recorder, an integrated mic for voice recording, and it supports WMA files. Unlike the Sansa Xpress though, it is available in several capacities including a very desirable 2GB version. No word on pricing or availability yet, but Coby is known for having affordable prices. They also have another similarly striking pendant MP3 player coming out, the MP-C83 with built-in flash memory and room for expansion via SD cards.

   

   

   

   

• New Colors iPod Shuffle

  January 30th, 2007 at 11:28:13 AM

   

  Take a look at the new colors for the iPod Shuffle.  They even look Gap-Like ( Fancy Style'n Colors )...  Hopefully Apple will help boast the sales of Gap since their stock has been hurting lately with these nice little accessories.   I am still waiting for my puffy winter jacket coat for my iPod! Apple is now releasing the Shuffle in a rainbow of colors as green, blue, pink, and orange. Of course, the original silver will still be available, but all will be priced the same at $79. And at that price, you might be able to afford getting all the colors so you can match whatever your wearing accordingly, at least that’s what Apple hopes you do.

   

   

   

   

• MicroMemo Microphone for iPod Nano

  January 25th, 2007 at 10:19:49 AM

   

  New from Marubeni Infotech Japan is this MicroMemo microphone for your iPod Nano.  This new slim and sleek design microphone has excellent adjusting features that will allow you to record up to 51 hrs of talking plus it has both high and low modes for recording quality with the ability to save as a .WAV file.

   

  It comes with it's own built-in speaker and draws it's power directly from your iPod.  Great little addon for your iPod!

   

  

   

   

   

  
  

• JBL Goes Back to the Old School with ES Series Speakers

  January 24th, 2007 at 6:50:14 PM

   

  JBL debuts it's new ES series of speakers. The speakers are slated to debut in late spring and come in multiple wood finishes to match any home entertainment system. The ES series will include the ES10 - a bookshelf speaker, the ES20 and ES30 are both compact bookshelf speakers, the ES80 and ES90 are the floorstanding pair, the center channel speaker is the ES25C, and two subwoofers will be available as the ES150P and ES250P.

   

  

   

   

• ANYCOM FIPO to Bridge Bluetooth Technology with Apple iPod

  January 24th, 2007 at 1:01:01 PM

   

  FIPO enables the use of a mobile phone to listen to music from within your car. The device uses Bluetooth technology and streams audio to the car stereo system. Simply plug FIPO into the connector designated for an Apple iPod, and it will begin its search for paired devices. After auto-pairing, the devices will have exchanged control commands, like play, pause and next. This allows the user to control the mobile phone in the same way they would control the iPod while in the car through buttons on the steering wheel or car stereo.