Tivoli introduces new iPAL - now available in yellow

Posted by Finnian Durkan Categories: Design, Home Entertainment, Music

I love listening to my iPod. Everywhere I go, I have it plugged in - on the road, in my car, on the bus, at work; everywhere.  But no matter how much I love having all of my audio/visual media right at my fingertips, there has always been one thing that has bothered me about iPods and all of their associated paraphernalia - they all look the same. 

They all resemble something that Eero Saarinen carved out of a block of plastic, polished to a shine, and made available to the public.  This is all well and good if you have a condo chock-full of Jetsons furniture, eschewing any and all hard lines in favor of the Apple standard of soft eggshell curved products.  I, on the other hand, am a pretty typical guy and have a living space peppered with very angular, semi-broken furniture and accoutrements that make a proto-futuristic iPod docking station look a tad out of place.

Enter Tivoli’s iPAL docking station.  Resembling something that would be right at home on a WWII submarine or knocking around in the jungle on a National Geographic expedition; it is the perfect addition to my jumbled, yet spartan living situation.  Stacked next to my hotplate and the Zenith TV that I use as the base for my coffee table, it looks perfectly natural - like it was meant to be there.  Despite its rugged and retro appearance, it offers amazing sound quality, and also comes with an AM/FM auto-tuner and a NiMH battery pack that recharges in three hours and offers 16 hours of continuous play.

While its price, at $274.04 (192.40 Euro) makes it far more expensive than any of the rest of my furniture, it still looks mighty fine sitting atop my bookshelf made of cinder-blocks and 2x4’s.

Read More | Questo Design

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Zune HD 16/32GB from $249 to include HD movie downloads?

Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Microsoft, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors

Zune is no stranger to rumors and leaks from the Microsoft camp. The latest from the rumor mill is of course regarding the newly announced Zune—Zune HD. According to the tipsters, the Zune HD will be available in 16GB and 32GB and to be priced anywhere from $249 to $279. It is also said that Microsoft is considering a 64GB model later in the year. (Editor’s Note: We are also hearing about a 64GB iPod touch.) The source claims that movies will finally be coming to the Zune Marketplace—a believable statement, as Zune will offer HD videos on the Xbox 360 starting this fall.

Read More | Slash Gear

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iRiver B30 PMP Supports DMB

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Movies, Music, Portable Audio / Video

Iriver has released their new B30, a successor to the B20. The PMP has an accelerometer, supports UCI and comes with SRS CS headphones. Other features of the 109.5 x 56.9 x 11.15mm player include a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a battery life of 40 hrs. music, 6 hrs. video and 5.5 hrs. DMB. Compatible with MP3/WMA/OGG/ASF/FLAC/APE audio and AVI/WMV/MP4 video, select white, black or silver in 4/8/16GB (with microSD) at prices starting at $155.00.

Read More | DAP Review

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Steering Wheel Mount MP3 Player

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi

This hands-free device works as a caller ID, MP3 player and FM transmitter. The Steering Wheel Mount has a 1.6-inch display, supports Bluetooth and accepts SD/MMC cards containing MP3 files (up to 4GB) and USB flash/jump drives containing MP3 files. With a built-in rechargeable lithium battery, it comes with a car charger and price of $46.99. While this is a definite improvement over something that is located on your dash, we suggest you don’t decide to change channels while running on the highway.

Read More | Deal Extreme

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Denon DP-200USB Turntable

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video, USB

Here is a possible solution to turning your vinyl into MP3 files. With the Denon DP-200USB Turntable, you place a thumb drive into the front USB port, press “record,” and it operates automatically with no PC. There is also an option to transfer directly to MP3 player. Afterwords, the Trans Music Manager software allows split tracking and Gracenote access to retrieve album information. Manual operation is an option and of course the device can be used as a turntable. The DP-200USB is priced at $249.99 with free shipping.

Read More | Crutchfield

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Creative Zen MX PMP

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video

Creative Japan has announced their latest Zen player. The MX 100/200 is available in either 8 or 16GB. It combines a DAP and MP3 player with a 2.5-inch LCD display screen. At a size of 83.2 x 55 x 11.9mm and a weight of 66g, it is compatible with WMV and DivX video files, and MP3, WMA and AAC audio files. Look for the debut of the Zen MX in May.

Read More | Creative Zen MX PMP

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Denon USB Turntable

Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Household, Music, PC / Laptop, Peripherals, USB

Still rocking the vinyls? Is your iPod lacking in content because of it? Denon has the hookup for you. The DP-200USB turntable doesn’t just spin your records, but also rips them to the integrated USB drive. The accompanying software (this one is XP/Vista only for now, unfortunately) features Auto Track Divide, which recognizes silence between songs and will insert a new track tab for each track, and Audio Waveform Recognition, which will analyze a track’s first 15 seconds and search Gracenote for you. Stylistically, this unit looks like something straight out of my own rec room at my parents’ house. It’s available for $250.

Read More | Unplggd

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MSI MP4 Players

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Portable Audio / Video

Now anyone can afford an MP4 player. The MSI MV622 is a mere 2.4-inches with 2GB storage and comes in black, white and pink. It supports RM, RMVB, FLV, MPG, DAT, AVI, MP4, WMV, 3GP, MPEG, MOV, VOB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, OGG , RA, M4A,  APE and FLAC files for a mere $29.00. The MV882A is HD and has S-video out at a price of $58.00 for the 4GB abd $73.00 for 8GB.

Read More | PMP Today

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NPD Survey Places Amazon Second to iTunes

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Internet, Music

The NPD Group has a new report that states that in 2008, 87% of all digital music buyers in the U.S. used iTunes while 16% were purchased through Amazon MP3. Analyst Russ Crupnick says that being in second place is encouraging considering that it has only been around for 18 months.

“It used to be that iTunes was first, and second was practically nobody,” Crupnick said. The survey also reported that many of the consumers are older and still purchase CDs.

Read More | cnet

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QTV Digital Photo Frame

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video, USB

Photo frames aren’t so dull-looking anymore. The QTV is not only a frame that can produce a slide show with music, it is also an FM tuner, and MP3 and 4 player. With a 3.5-inch TFT LCD, it has a 320x234p resolution, a built-in speaker, an alarm clock and calendar. The device has a built-in Li-ion rechargeable battery, an SD slot that supports SD/SDHC and MMC and USB 2.0 thumb drive. The QTV has an energy saving auto-shut off, comes in yellow or pukey pink with adapter and mini USB cable at a price of $89.00.

Read More | Brando

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