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(Credit:
Sirius XM)
Like satellite radio, but don't want to deal with the kludge-y "dock and play" satellite radios that clutter up your car's dashboard? The XM SkyDock could be for you. It looks little different than your average iPod car charger, but the SkyDock has a satellite tuner built in. Pop in any iPhone or iPod Touch, run the free SkyDock control app, and the Apple handheld is transformed into a touch-screen control for the satellite radio service.
The app automatically adjusts to landscape (shown) or portrait mode, and the audio stream can be sent either via line-out or the company's "PowerConnect" system, which transmits the audio to most standard car radios via the car's electrical system. Because the SkyDock is plugged into the car's 12-volt power adapter, it also charges the iPhone/iPod Touch while it's in use. We got a brief hands-on demo of the SkyDock earlier today at a Sirius XM event, and it looked to be working smoothly, even with beta software.
Why invest in the SkyDock rather than just firing up the Sirius XM app on your iPhone? The app, as has been widely observed, omits much of "the good stuff." Rights issues preclude many of the service's keystone channels, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, Nascar Radio, and Howard Stern. By contrast, because it's a full-fledged over-the-air satellite radio, the SkyDock offers the entire Sirius XM catalog, including those stations.
The SkyDock app also enables iTunes tagging: hear a song you like on one of the music stations, and a touch of the screen will tag it for later download on iTunes. Naturally, the SkyDock will also play music stored on your iPhone/iPod. (Whether that includes audio from other iPhone apps--such as Pandora, Last.fm, and the like--wasn't specified.) (Note: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)
The XM SkyDock will be available this fall for $120. In addition to a compatible iPod Touch or iPhone (any model that runs iPhone OS 3.0 will work), you'll need a valid Sirius XM subscription.
Maybe you should stop breeding now.
(Credit: Parasync)Ever wanted to sync up to 20 iPods and iPhones at the same time? Me neither, but that hasn't stopped the ambitious crew over at Parasync from putting together a 20-slot dock that will get the job done.
But don't expect to find the Parasync Charging and Synchronization Dock at your local big box store. Although I can totally imagine buying one of these at Costco bundled with twenty iPods and a bag of jerky, you'll need to contact the company directly to order one at an undisclosed price.
(Via TechFresh)
(Credit:
iLuv)
I've always been reluctant to buy accessories for my iPhone 3G. This is because most of them are designed for a specific model of the phone (or the iPod) and would be useless when I move on to another. However, now there's something that will fit almost all Apple's handheld products.
The iMM9400 has support for thumb drive and flash storage cards, too.
(Credit: iLuv)On Wednesday, iPhone and iPod accessories maker iLuv unveiled its newest audio solution, the iMM9400. This product belongs to the company's next generation of Vertical CD/MP3 accessories for the home environment.
The iMM9400 is sleek and modern. What I like the most about it, however, is the fact that it supports a long list of Apple audio products (for both playback and charging), including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod Nano first-through-fourth generations, iPod Touch, iPod Touch second generation, iPod Classic, iPod fourth generation, iPod with video, and the iPod Mini.
Other than that, it can also play back CD and compressed audio files (MP3 and WMA) and offers built-in support for SD/MMC cards and USB flash memory sticks. You can also listen to FM/AM radio with it.
This is a very versatile accessory, and one that can still be useful even if you don't have any Apple products. There's one catch, though: the hefty price tag of $250.
Updated at 4:50 PDT: You can read the full review of the product here.
No matter how long your iPhone or iPod's battery life is, it's never long enough. (In the case of the iPhone 3G, it's not even long to begin with). So, it's natural that you'd want to get a juice pack, which will provide extended battery power that can double or even triple the amount of time you can use your device between charges.
Most juice packs work with only a particular model of a device. The Juice Pack Air from Mophie, for example, works only with the iPhone 3G.
This doesn't present a problem if you only have the iPhone 3G. But if you also have an iPod Nano, you may get frustrated with its inflexibility. This is when you want something like the iPWR SuperPack from Wireless Input, the first juice pack I've seen that works with most of Apple's handheld devices, including the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, the iPod Touch (first and second generations), the iPod Video, the iPod Nano (third and fourth generations), and the iPod Classic. It's also one of the most affordable devices for extended battery life, costing less than $60.
Other than that, the iPWR SuperPack is equipped with an 1,800mAh battery to double the iPhone 3G's battery life. As the iPhone 3G is the biggest battery drainer on the list of supported devices, the SuperPack will likely increase use time even more for others, such as the iPod Nano.
The iPWR SuperPack does have a few easily noticeable shortcomings, however. For example, when connected to a device, it can't be charged, and you can't sync the device with a computer at the same time. It also doesn't have a battery gauge to show how much juice it has left.
Check back at CNET soon for a full review of the product. In the meantime, enjoy a quick slide show.
The new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G.
(Credit: Mophie)If you've been waiting for the Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 3G, it's still not out yet. However, you can now get Mophie's latest Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G that the company announced on March 19.
The new Juice Pack gives iPod Touch owners twice as much time to use their player for music, video, or surfing the Internet. According to Mophie, the pack will give the iPod Touch 2G up to an additional 42 hours of music playback and up to 7 hours of video playback.
The Juice Pack is certified by Apple to work as a battery extender and as a protective case. It sports an ergonomic design with a soft-touch, nonslip rubberized finish, and it comes fully charged and ready to go out of the box.
Similar to the original Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G, the new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G has a pass-through design. This lets you simultaneously charge and sync with iTunes via a USB cable (included) without having to remove it from the Juice Pack.
The pack features advanced battery technology that intelligently instructs the iPod Touch to drain the Juice Pack first before tapping its own battery. It uses a highly condensed lithium polymer battery with built-in overcharge, short circuit, and temperature protection.
The back of the Juice Pack has four LED lights that let you know how much juice is left, and it also displays how much time remains during the charging process.
The new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G is available now for $99.95.
The showTIME cable works fine, but your videos deserve better.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)If you're looking for the cheapest way to get video off your iPhone or iPod and onto your TV, the Scosche showTIME cable could be just the thing.
It's a nice-looking cable with a heavy-gauge feel, high-end tapered connectors, and a generous 6-foot length. The cable uses a composite-video connection, however, so keep your video quality expectations low. Also, don't get any funny ideas about running iPhone games and Apps to your TV, because this is only going to output videos (cue sad trombone).
To learn more, read the full review of the Scoshe showTIME over at CNET Reviews.
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Blue Microphone's Mikey iPod accessory was a surprise find at Macworld 2009.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)The Macworld show floor can induce deja vu for habitual attendees. From a hardware perspective, often it's the same vendors offering the same products, with slight variations from year to year. Despite the gloomy economic outlook, however, I found a surprising amount of new products on the show floor (or, at least new to me). Here are the highlights.
'Tis the season to give, but with the current economic crunch affecting all of our pocketbooks, you may find yourself too cash-strapped to go all out on electronic gadgetry. But that doesn't mean you have to shy away from tech gifting. MP3 player accessories make great gifts and the majority of them aren't going to cost you an arm and a leg. In fact, you can find some cases on Amazon for less than two bucks!
If you have a SanDisk Sansa owner in your family, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up a slew of accouterments that are perfect for stuffing stockings and loading up under trees.
The holidays are here again, meaning it's the perfect time to shower your MP3 player with gifts--accessories, to be exact. And while we're getting specific, let's focus on one particular family of players: the Creative Zen. The iPod gets plenty of love in the portable audio accessory space, but it's not the only device that has products made specifically with it in mind.
The Creative Zen Stone, the Mozaic, the X-Fi, and the plain ol' Zen all have a gaggle of gear fine-tuned to fit. But since I know you have enough on your plate without scouring the Web for the perfect accoutrements, I've done all the busy work for you and rounded up a handful of worthy accessories for every budget. Whether you're spoiling yourself or stuffing the stocking of a loved one, you should find a great gift herein.
The battery built into the Apple iPod Touch can last up to 23 hours if you're just listening to music--but who uses a Touch just for music? Watching movies, playing games, streaming radio, and browsing the Web can quickly zap your iPod's battery. Anyone who's been stuck in the middle of nowhere with a useless, dead iPod has had to learn this lesson the hard way.
If you need enough power to make it over the long haul, the Mophie Juice Pack is an external rechargeable battery that doubles the battery life of the iPod Touch. Unfortunately, it also doubles the thickness of the Touch and it doesn't come cheap. If you want to know if the Juice Pack is right for you, read our full review over on CNET Reviews.
