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The Rihanna kitchen scale from ADE Germany includes an iPod dock and integrated speaker.
(Credit: ADE Germany)Do you love listening to music as much as you love to precisely measure cooking ingredients? Of course you don't. But that's not going to stop ADE Germany from slapping an iPod dock onto a kitchen scale early next year, with an expected asking price of $103.
The scale, which is curiously dubbed "Rihanna," includes an LCD that measures 1.7 inches by less than an inch and an integrated iPod speaker that plays beneath the glass measuring area.
The scale itself handles loads of up to 11 pounds, graduated in .04-ounce steps. It cannot, however, distinguish between kush or schwagg.
(Via Gizmag)
One of many cases for the iPod Touch.
(Credit: Speck)So you've managed to get your hands on one of the world's most sought-after MP3 players, the Apple iPod Touch. This sleek and innovative device will keep you plenty entertained for sure--especially with new music apps from Pandora and AOL adding Internet radio capability--but you'll soon realize that a little extra investment can help you get the most out of your player.
For one thing, those stock Apple earbuds aren't the best-sounding--or most comfortable--headphones to be had. The first step is to upgrade, and our top headphones list is an excellent place to start. Pay special attention to models with built-in mics, such as the Klipsch Image S4i, which not only allow you to take advantage of the player's voice apps but also include an inline remote with playback controls.
Once you get your music piping through some decent headphones, check out some other add-ons that can help you protect and enhance your player. Also, don't overlook the player's value in terms of home audio and be sure to check out our top iPod speakers.
The iPhone gets HD radio.
(Credit: RadioShack)Staying competitive in an iPod-ruled marketplace is a challenge, and not just because of the player's built-in virtues (or Apple's massive marketing budget). The reigning king of the MP3 players has an advantage simply because it resides at the top of the heap, and that advantage comes in the form of feature-adding third-party accessories. Case in point: the Gigaware In-Line Remote with HD Radio, an $80 add-on for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
That's right, kids...that would be the iPod addressing a major selling point and advantage of the Zune HD. Please don't act surprised. You knew this day was coming. And yes, the Gigaware remote does allow display of track information on the iPod screen as well as song tagging, which let's you find songs easily for later purchase.
So let's recap: 32GB Zune HD costs $289; 32GB iPod Touch with HD radio addition costs $379. Not exactly apples to apples, but which one do you find more attractive? Does HD radio even matter? Discuss.
The Philips SBD7500 iPod speaker.
(Credit: CNET/Josh Miller)If you're looking for a small, tasteful, portable iPod speaker for less than $100, you could do a lot worse than the unfortunately named Philips SBD7500. Its sound quality is middle-of-the-road, yet still sounds pleasant, and its operation is about as simple as it gets--with a power switch, volume control, and a bass boost switch.
There's nothing fancy about the specs or features--no radio, no Bluetooth, no clock, and no remote. It is iPhone-compatible, though, and there's something to be said for keeping things simple. That said, if you have an extra $50 to throw at a portable speaker, the recently released Altec Lansing inMotion Classic is a better choice in every imaginable way.
Check out CNET for the full review of the Philips SBD7500.
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(Credit:
Sonos)
We've long been fans of the Sonos Digital Music System, which lets you stream all manner of digital audio throughout your home. The latest BU250 bundle is an enthusiastic CNET Editors' Choice, in part because it can be controlled either via the included touch-screen controller or with any iPhone or iPod Touch (running a free Sonos Controller app). Unfortunately, it costs $1,000--not bad for a two-room system, but still out of reach for many consumers--and it needs to be connected to external speakers or audio components to hear the music.
The new Sonos ZonePlayer S5 aims to address both of those issues. It boasts an all-in-one design with built-in stereo speakers, so it's plug and play. And it costs $400--not cheap, but well within the price range of refined iPod speaker systems we've seen from Bose, B&W, and other luxury brands.
Indeed, the latest Sonos combines the features of a ZonePlayer ZP90 with the sort of integrated speaker you'd find on a Bose SoundDock. ... Read more
Before all of September's iPod and Zune hoopla devoured my attention, I was in the middle of telling you folks about the Altec Lansing inMotion Classic speaker dock. Now that the dust has settled, we've posted a full CNET review of the Classic, along with the customary First Look video and photo gallery.
If the thought of clicking over to the full review just seems like way too much trouble, then let's just cut to the chase. For the $130-ish dollars you'll spend on this iPod- and iPhone-compatible portable speaker, the inMotion Classic packs a surprisingly big sound into a striking, compact design. Sound-wise, it's not going to stand up to the inMotion Mix or the $600 Bose SoundDock 10, but as an affordable, portable, rechargeable iPod speaker, it rules.
Read the full review of the Altec Lansing inMotion Classic.
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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.
The Logitech S125i isn't going to knock you out of your seat, but at around $69, it's a nice, light, and portable speaker to keep in a kitchen or bedroom.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Need a new little iPod speaker to take around the house, but don't want to spend a ton of money? Logitech is looking out for you with two new portable iPod speaker systems that are light on features but strike a nice balance of design and price.
Of the two speakers, the biggest and baddest is the S315i, an iPhone- and iPod-compatible system with a built-in rechargeable battery capable of 20 hours of continuous playback. The speaker measures around 11 inches wide, 5 inches tall, and 2 inches deep, and includes an integrated kickstand on the back that folds down flat for easy storage. The S315i should be hitting store shelves later this month with a retail price of $129.
The baby of the bunch is the S125i, a little mouse of a speaker that measures 8 inches wide, 3.2 inches deep, and 3.5 inches high. The speaker isn't iPhone-certified, but it will work with your iPod or any audio source you feel like routing in over the 3.5mm aux input. The S125i is powered by 4 AA batteries (rated for 10 hours of use) or an included adapter. You can pick one up in September for $69 list.
Hit up the photo gallery for a closer look.
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.
