Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Given my earlier post I guess I should declare this ‘retro audio cassette day‘ here on OhGizmo! And in keeping with that theme here’s a new way to enjoy audio cassettes, without having to deal with their craptastic sound quality.

The MIXA is basically a 1GB flash drive that’s been integrated into an audio cassette shell. The real appeal though comes with the MIXA website which allows you to interactively design a custom label for the tape. You can choose from a collection of pre-existing designs, which still offer a bit of customization, or upload your own images and graphics. Once the design is completed and the finished USB cassette arrives you can then load it up with your own ‘mix tape’ of MP3s.

The MIXA costs about $40 but includes worldwide shipping as well as a unique sleeve (also designed by you), a set of MIXA stickers and a USB extension cable.

[ Make A Mixa ] VIA [ Retro To Go ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I can understand why analog audio fans still embrace vinyl records since they can last a remarkably long time with a little TLC. Consumer-grade audio cassettes however, I just don’t get. The tape is easy to damage and since it’s a magnetic medium it will degrade over time, there’s no stopping it. So if for some reason you want to preserve that crappy mix tape you recorded off the radio I suggest getting it converted to a digital format as soon as possible.

The plusdeckEX is designed to do just that. It connects to a PC via USB and includes a 7.1 channel built-in sound card for converting the analog signal from a cassette tape into a digital file format like MP3. The downside of course is that the process can only be done in real-time (unlike ripping an audio CD) but it ensures your analog tunes will be preserved for an eternity. (As long as you properly backup the files.)

And for those who are still living with just a cassette player in their cars the plusdeckEX works the other way as well, allowing you to transfer your MP3s to an audio cassette and enjoy them on the road. There doesn’t appear to be any pricing info on the plusdeckEX as of yet, but it’s expected to go on sale sometime in 2008.

[ plusdeckEX ] VIA [ Freshpilot ]

By Shane McGlaun

Blaupunkt has been making car stereos for a long time now and recently it announced its newest stereo head unit called the Melbourne SD27. The Melbourne SD27 ditches that oh so 90’s CD player in favor of getting its recorded music from SD and MMC cards. Now you don’t need that FM transmitter or a cable to play your digital music files in your car, all you need is a SD card or miniSD card with an adapter and you can play your tunes directly through the radio.

The cards have to be formatted in FAT 16 of FAT 32 and it can playback MP3 or WMA files. The SD27 also can display up to 127 directories of file names and ID3 tags of up to 30 characters. There is also an optional Bluetooth module and iPod control module available that allows connectivity to music phones wirelessly and control of your iPod from the radio.

VIA [ Blaupunkt ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Unless you’ve bought a new car or upgraded your stereo in the past few years you probably don’t have an easy way to enjoy your MP3s while driving. One of the more popular (and affordable) solutions to the problem has been to use an FM transmitter to broadcast the songs to your car’s radio and this is the first MP3 player I’ve seen to actually have that functionality built-in.

A small antenna supposedly improves the transmission signal and the FM frequency can be set between 88.1 and 106.1 FM depending on which stations are not already being used in your particular area. The player comes in 1Gb or 2Gb versions, is compatible with both MP3 and WMA files and supports simple drag and drop file transfers. A ‘multi-color’ OLED display provides basic navigation functionality and even though it’s about the size of a postage stamp also allows you to read e-books. As for battery life when just listening to MP3s you’re looking at around 10 hours of playback but with the FM transmitter working that gets reduced to about 5 hours.

The player is currently available from Maplin at about $60 for the 1Gb version and about $80 for the 2Gb.

[ MP3 Player with Built-in FM Transmitter ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m probably one of only a handful of people on the planet who actually misses having a trackball on a laptop, so I immediately have a soft spot for this Trackball MP3 Player concept created by Dae-Ki Hong. Instead of pushing buttons or using a touch-sensitive scroll wheel you simply roll a small trackball in the direction of whichever control you wish to execute. It even works the same way when placed upside down on a flat surface which reminds me of another device I just can’t put my finger on…

While I like the translucent plastic design of the player I have to wonder about the lack of screen, the ease at which a trackball can be accidentally rolled and not to mention the trackball’s notorious history of collecting dirt and grime.

[ Trackball Player ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I have no idea how to pronounce the name Blaupunkt (blow-punked? blop-unk’d? chicken-necks?) but thankfully the company takes a more traditional approach when it comes to naming their hardware. When hooked up to your car the Velocity 2Go serves as a powerful 160W subwoofer and is a convenient way to add a bit of kick to a stock sound system.

But the Velocity 2Go can also be easily removed from the vehicle and serve as a standalone stereo speaker when connected to an audio source like an MP3 player. There’s a cradle on top that I can only assume will accommodate various iPods but it also includes a 3.5mm cable for those who refuse to conform. And while the speaker is limited to 60W when running on 8AA rechargeable batteries it probably still sounds far better than most of the other portable speakers available on the market.

The Blaupunkt Velocity 2Go 6 will set you back about $620 while the slightly smaller Velocity 2Go 5 model is about $515.

[ Blaupunkt Velocity 2Go 6 ] VIA [ Popular Science ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When the MP3 file format was created it came at just the right time to be small enough for PC users to amass large collections while still providing audio quality comparable to a CD. And since computer storage has grown by leaps and bounds over the years there hasn’t really been the need to improve upon the way MP3s are compressed.

However US software company Beatnik, which was founded by Thomas Dolby has developed a new audio file format that can reduce the size of a song up to ten times more than the MP3 format can. The new format finds parts of the song that occur more than once and only stores a single copy of that part in the file. Then when the song is being played back those parts are loaded on the fly and seamlessly integrated back into the music.

The new format was specifically created for the mobile phone market where over-the-air track delivery is becoming more and more popular. The smaller file sizes allow for a quicker delivery and of course less bandwidth charges. Just don’t expect iTunes to be switching over to the new format anytime soon and I guarantee there are ‘audiophiles’ already turning their noses up at it.

[ Beatnik announces New Digital Music Format for Faster Downloads ] VIA [ Phone Scoop ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Sony makes some great gear when it comes to car stereos but did you know they also make stereo equipment for boats too? The CDX-HS70MW is a Marine-ready ‘in-dash’ CD player that also includes MP3 and ATRAC3 functionality as well as support for satellite radio. The front panel uses large, easy to press buttons and not surprisingly is not only splash-proof but is also finished with UV and salt-resistant paint. And like with some of the automotive stereos in Sony’s ‘Xplod’ line it can be used to access and control an attached iPod.

Of course the dashboard on a boat is not exactly like those found in a car and often times the mounting surface can be angled. So the CDX-HS70MW is specially designed to allow for optimal performance even when installed up to a 45 degree angle.

The Sony CDX-HS70MW has an ESRP of $299.95 and should be available now.

[ Sony CDX-HS70MW ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Cellphones have become so feature-packed that they make even the most advanced home phones look like they belong in a caveman painting. In an attempt to bridge the gap this device allows you to use any MP3 as your home phone’s ringer.

The relatively small Magic Ringtone MP3 Ringer connects to your PC via USB and is capable of storing a single MP3 file. Once it’s been uploaded you connect your phone line and phone to the device and whenever there’s an incoming call the MP3 file will play. It’s as simple as that.

It’s currently available from Evertek Wholesale for $12.

[ Magic Ringtone MP3 Ringer ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A Japanese company called KFE will soon be releasing the EXEMODE CDR-300 mini stereo system. At first glance it’s pretty run-of-the-mill with support for CDs and an AM/FM radio but what really sets it apart is the ability to copy those CDs in either MP3 or WMA formats to an SD card or a USB Key.

I assume it’s also able to playback MP3s or WMAs otherwise the whole setup would seem a bit useless. One downside is that it only supports SD cards up to 1Gb in size which is kind of lame so hopefully you can adjust the bit rate settings for the conversion process in order to squeeze as many files on the card as possible.

When released the EXEMODE CDR-300 should be available for about $60.

[ KFE EXEMODE CDR-300 ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]