Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Now that Apple has recently “upgraded” the iPod Shuffle in their traditional way of just re-releasing something in different colors (what innovation!) the diminutive MP3 player has been pushed back into the spotlight for at least a few more days.

So if you’ve just ran out and bought yourself one of their multi-color wonders you’re probably aware that since it’s so small it doesn’t have room for any extra ports besides the headphone jack which it has to use for charging. The provided cradle works well enough for charging off a computer’s USB port but for those times when you need to travel light you’re not going to find a smaller AC adapter than the PowerBug from DLO. It’s dead simple to use with a single green LED indicating the charging status and a convenient fold flat design. It also includes a USB to stereo mini cable for those times when you don’t want to carry the Shuffle’s cradle.

The PowerBug is compatible with both the 1st and 2nd generation Shuffles and is available on the DLO website for $22.99.

[ DLO PowerBug ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The iPod’s touchwheel is a great way to navigate your music collection but this time of year (depending on where you live) it becomes unusable while wearing gloves, mittens or with your hands crammed in your pockets. But why let the cold stop you from enjoying all those torrented legally purchased songs? Nike has just released the Hatphone which is a microfiber fleece toque that can hold an iPod Nano with the Nike sports adapter and allows the controls to be accessed via a “power mesh window” on the back of the cap.

I’m not 100% certain on how this power mesh window works but I will say for a marketing and advertising powerhouse like Nike I think they could have come up with a far better name than ‘Hatphones’ for this one.

So if you’re interested in staving off hypothermia while enjoying your tunes you can find the Hatphones on Nike’s website in black, grey, blue or red for $60.

[ Nike Hatphones ] VIA [ iLounge ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Well here’s an iPod accessory I’ve definitely never seen at my local Apple store. Thinklabs makes this stethoscope recording package that uses a 2Gb iPod Nano in conjunction with the XtremeMac MicroMemo iPod recording unit and of course a ds32a Digital Stethoscope. All together the package allows a physician to record and playback heart sounds even in noisy environments or when the sounds are faint thanks to built-in audio amplification and noise reduction. Without the stethoscope attached it can also be used for general dictation or recording lectures.

The ds32a is a diagnostic stethoscope with unsurpassed natural sound quality. User-friendly design and 50X Amplification provides the power to adjust for faint heart sounds, obese patients, or noisy environments. Outstanding performance and ease-of-use for every clinician, with uncompromised features for advanced users. From BP to ED to ICU, from heart and lung exams to iPod recording, the ds32a does it all.

As for the price since the unit is designed for hospital use which I can only assume means it has to be of a certain level of quality and reliability the whole kit will set you back $495.

[ Stethoscope Recording Package ] VIA [ MAKE: Blog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While it’s easy to complain about those hipsters blabbing away with their bluetooth earpieces at least you only have to hear one side of the conversation. Imagine what it would be like if they were wearing this cellphone-compatible backpack with built-in amplified speakers the next time you passed them on the street.

That’s right, the Skullcandy LINK backpack has 60mm speakers embedded into the upper straps that can be connected to any MP3 player or audio device with a headphone jack. It’s kind of like a boombox for the 21st century. What’s even worse is that the LINK can also be connected to a cellphone (via included adapters) allowing the person wearing it to carry on a hands-free conversation without the need for an earpiece or being polite. Hooray! The backpack also includes buttons on the strap for controlling the music, volume and answering your phone and is powered by 4 AA batteries.

The Skullcandy LINK is available from Smarthome for $129.95.

[ Skullcandy LINK Backpack ]

By David Ponce

Either the digital music player market is getting really saturated, or a mob of angry toddlers went berserk in front of Creative’s offices, demanding they be included in their marketing efforts. Whatever the case, Creative partnered with Playskool and is attempting to service a questionable niche: MP3 players for infants. The players are part of a new line called “Made For Me”

Creative and Playskool will sell a 2-in-1 Infant Gym, which resembles a typical mobile above cribs. A separately sold “Digital Music Player” will be docked into Gym and play either preloaded songs or songs downloaded from a computer. Parents can also record their own voice and have it played back.

It seems the dockable music player will sell for $80, while other elements of the line will go between $30 and $40.

[ Read More ]

By David Ponce

The MyBlu from Mavizen is a product that actually sounds like a good idea; technically it pretty much defeats the purpose of owning an iPhone altogether. What you do is plug the device between the iPod and the headphones (never mind that it already looks like an iPod Shuffle; that, apparently, has nothing to do with anything) and just like that, your iPod becomes Bluetooth capable. When you get a call, the caller information is displayed on the iPod’s screen, and the device itself acts as a handsfree kit; you can then just leave your mobile in your pocket/purse/murse/whatever.

It’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the iPhone too, at $77, and is just the kind of gadget we like to get our hands on: simple but useful as hell. Oh, and did we mention that it also confers FM radio functionality upon your radio-less iPod?

[ MyBlu ] VIA [ Crunchgear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There are portable iPod speakers available in every shape, color and material you can think of and they all share the common trait of sounding pretty terrible. Well maybe terrible is a bit strong but when compared to listening to an iPod connected to a home stereo setup the difference in sound quality is pretty noticeable.

But it seems a portable speaker called the iMainGo is breaking the mold. Not only is it just slightly larger than the current iPod video but it also sounds pretty amazing. In fact the good folks at gearfuse recently wrote a review of the iMainGo and were pretty surprised by its sound quality. They were able to crank their iPods volume up to about 95% before the sound started losing quality and that was because the track they were testing was particularly bass heavy. In theory some tracks could probably be pushed all the way to 100%.

As for specs the iMainGo connects to the iPod via the headphone jack (which means it can connect to any device with a headphone jack) and has an iPod pocket with a clear vinyl face allowing you to access the control wheel while it’s inside. It even includes several adapters to allow older iPod models to fit inside. The iMainGo even has impressive battery life and will run for about 30 hours on 4 AAA batteries.

The iMainGo speakers are available now for $69.95 so in this case it seems you get more than what you pay for.

[ iMainGo iPod Speakers ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I won’t go into much detail about the newly announced Apple iPhone because quite frankly it’s already been covered by nearly every single website and news agency on the planet. Needless to say it’s another slick looking piece of tech but since we all have to wait until June to get our hands on one we’re stuck with our current iPods and Nanos for the time being. Thankfully though there are still plenty of new accessories being released for the current models to help tide us over.

A company called Kleer has just announced a wireless iPod adapter that is the first to use 2.4Ghz radio frequencies to deliver full CD quality audio without any loss in sound quality. Anyone who regularly uses one of the FM transmitters currently on the market will definitely appreciate that. In the photo here you can see the adapter mounted to an iPod Nano along with a pair of wireless earbuds but Kleer plans to license their technology to other manufacturers as well. RCA will be one of the first companies to do so and plans to incorporate the Kleer wireless hardware into their new Jet Stream MP3 Player.

[ Kleer Wireless iPod Nano Adapter ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m a big fan of Sony’s ‘in-ear’ earbuds when it comes to listening to music on the go. Not only do they keep most other sounds out but they also ensure whatever I’m listening to isn’t being broadcasted to people standing around me. But I always keep a pair of the standard iPod white earbuds on hand in case something happens to my Sonys.

While I’m not really crazy about how the included iPod ones sound the main reason I don’t regularly use them is that they’ve never really fit well in my ears, even the latest versions that started shipping with the new Nano. Thankfully it seems I’m not the only person unhappy with their fit since a company called Comply makes these Whoomp! earbud enhancers that basically snap onto the iPod’s headphones and provide a soft extension that allows them to fit inside the ear canal. It’s also claimed that the Whoomp! makes the iPod headphones sound like more expensive models by increasing the bass response but I have my doubts.

The Whoomp! enhancers are available on the Comply website in a set of 4 for $19.95.

[ Comply Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers ] VIA [ Krunker ]