ipod

CNET users expect cars to be connected

The connected car is the next big thing in technology on the road. The latest survey of CNET users makes that clear: when asked which car tech features interest them most when buying a new car, 71 percent chose iPod connectivity, followed closely by in-car Wi-Fi (67 percent) and trailed substantially by satellite radio (49 percent). And there was little difference of opinion between rear-seat video entertainment (33 percent) and AM radio (28 percent).

Fifty-eight percent said having an in-car Wi-Fi hot spot would influence their decision on which car to buy. Users mentioned BMW (14 percent), Mercedes (11 percent), … Read more

Boy swaps third-gen iPod Touch battery for $8.59

A couple of months ago, I noticed that my third-generation iPod Touch (32GB) was having trouble holding a charge. After using it for a few hours, the battery was at about 30 percent, and if I left it sitting on my desk overnight, it was invariably dead in the morning, even after I turned Wi-Fi off.

I looked into getting a replacement battery and found out that Apple charges $79 (see complete chart of iPod repair pricing). Now I like my iPod Touch, which serves both as a Sonos remote and a remote for an old Roku player that I … Read more

SoundFreaq SFQ-02 Sound Step, hands-on

LAS VEGAS--One of my happy surprises of 2010 was a Bluetooth speaker dock called Sound Platform from an upstart company called SoundFreaq. Stylish yet unique, with a premium sound, generous extras, and a down-to-earth price, the Sound Platform came out of nowhere to deliver a product few others can match.

So this year, in spite of being torn in a dozen different directions to cover tablets at CES, I made time to visit SoundFreaq to see what it's cooking.

For the company's sophomore product, SoundFreaq is going smaller, more portable, and more affordable. The SFQ-02 Sound Step is … Read more

CES: iHome iA63 iPhone speaker dock puts a spin on the traditional alarm clock

LAS VEGAS--The new iHome iA63 speaker dock and alarm clock makes it easy to switch your iPhone or iPod from vertical to landscape mode. With the touch of a button, the dock rotates your device with a snazzy spin so you can watch your movies and view images in wide-screen video mode.

The iA63 is iHome's newest addition to its line of alarm clocks, so it's compatible with the iHome+Sleep and Home+Radio apps with additional access to six customizable FM radio presets.

The iHome iA63 motorized alarm clock will be available soon for $99.

Walking the line at CES

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

It's tablet time at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. We are expecting to see tablets from Verizon, Toshiba, Lenovo, and Vizio

Toshiba will also show off a glasses-free 3D laptop

Netflix announces a one-click button coming to TV remotes

A new iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app helps you read your blood pressure

The newest version of Rock Band will feature the music of Johnny Cash

Be sure to keep up with all things CES this week here on CNET

Play nearly any video file

As you probably know, the iPhone and iPod Touch make terrific video players--but they're limited in terms of the video formats they support. If you've got, say, Divx or MKV files you want to watch, you're out of luck unless you run them through a converter first--a time-consuming hassle, to say the least. If you're lucky enough to own an iPad, the VLC Media Player app enables you to work around this limitation by playing virtually all video formats, no conversion required. Even better news: it's now available for iPhone and iPod Touch as well. (… Read more

Inner space

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook suffered a brief outage yesterday but came back up with new photo features

Apple announces that the Mac Store with apps for Macs will launch on January 6

Yahoo layoffs will apparently result in the shutting down of several Yahoo services

The European Union is deepening its investigation into anti-competitive practices by Google

New Google Maps for Mobile on Android comes with 3D and allows for offline directions

An update to Hotmail lets you surf certain Web sites right inside your e-mail

An official PlayStation app is coming soon for Android and … Read more

Make your own tree-branch iPod dock

Chris over at Manmadediy.com says he noticed one item pop up on lots of lists of his fellow design and DIY bloggers: the Enchanted Woods iPhone Dock from Anthropologie. He describes it as "a fun nature-meets-technology way to stand and display your iPod or iPhone."

While he thought it was "awesome," at nearly $100, it seemed like a lot to pay for something that didn't have "speakers, a clock, or even a way to plug it into the wall." But more importantly, because it was 100 percent wood and didn't "… Read more

How Apple whiffed on the new iPod Nano

Back in September, when Steve Jobs unveiled the sixth-generation iPod Nano with its multitouch display, my first thought was, "Wow, that thing's small. Maybe too small." As Jobs himself pointed out, it was tiny, even suggesting in his keynote that it could be worn as a wristwatch.

At the time, I can't say I foresaw an impending Nano wristwatch fad. And though I've only seen a couple out in the wild, Nano wristband cases are proliferating and making their way into the market. It's also worth noting that Scott Wilson has raised close to $900,000 … Read more