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Latest Gear Live Videos
The Special Edition Pink iPod shuffle for Breast Cancer
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Most people associate October with Halloween, but did you know it’s also National Breast Cancer Awareness month? That’s why Target is selling a Special Edition pink iPod shuffle—packaged with an iTunes gift card worth $15. Considering you’re getting this for the same $79 USD that a regular shuffle costs (sans card), this is a great deal, plus a portion of the proceeds go toward the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, totaling $25,000. Interested? You’d better hurry, as this deal is only available at Target “brick-and-mortar” stores, and we suspect it will sell out fast…
Gallery: The Special Edition Pink iPod shuffle for Breast Cancer
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The definitive iTunes WiFi Music Store review
Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Internet, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews, Software, Wireless / WiFi,
After a couple of frustrating days fighting with a flaw in password entry fields in the newly released iPhone software version 1.1.1, Gear Live has finally gotten the chance to probe the inner depths of the iTunes WiFi Music Store. The new WiFi Music Store brings mobile media impulse buys to the millions of iPhone users all packaged up in the typical Apple fashion: sexy, easy to use, and slick as glass. While my experiences with the WiFi Music Store were not 100% positive it’s definitely off to a stunning start and has great potential. Click through the jump to continue reading the review to learn more about the plusses and minuses of our adventuresome journey through Apple‘s mobile media e-commerce wonder.
Click to continue reading The definitive iTunes WiFi Music Store review
Gallery: The definitive iTunes WiFi Music Store review
The Spider-Man Boombox: ‘Nuff Said
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video, Toys,
There are two types of people in this world: those who are drooling over the accompanying photo, and those who just aren’t. And the photo says it all….a CD boom box with AM/FM radio in the shape of Spider-Man‘s head. Just remember that if you want to show Spidey off outdoors (and you know you do), he requires a whopping eight C batteries. Don’t worry, an AC adapter is included. Available for $50 USD.
Read More 
| Etoys via Gizmodiva
Gallery: The Spider-Man Boombox: ‘Nuff Said
V-Moda Vibe Duos updated with call answer/hang-up button
Posted by Sparky Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
We recently reviewed the V-Moda Vibe Duo headset for the Apple’s iPhone and were quite impressed. Aside from a faulty pair of earbuds our biggest complaint was the lack of a button on the microphone to enable answering of calls and pausing of music. It sounds like V-Moda has listened and they just announced the 2nd generation Vibe Duo which will feature the same button as Apple’s stock iPhone earbuds. The 2nd generation Vibe Duos promise the same spectacular sound quality, luxurious cloth wrapped cables, and comfortable design.
It looks like the new version will drop at the same $99 price tag. If you have been considering a pair of these fabulous earbuds it might be worth it to wait a few weeks for the new ones to show up in stores.
Read More | V-Moda press release
Gallery: V-Moda Vibe Duos updated with call answer/hang-up button
iPhone password entry in software version 1.1.1: seriously flawed
Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews, Software, Wireless / WiFi,
In a previous post, Gear Live discovered that the new iTunes WiFi Music Store has a few bugs here and there. The bug I encountered prevents some users from authenticating easily to purchase tracks. With a little sleuth work I managed to track down the problem: the password fields in the new iPhone software version 1.1.1 don’t work well with capitol letters in passwords. Click through for a full run down of the problem, and how to fix it if it affects you.
Click to continue reading iPhone password entry in software version 1.1.1: seriously flawed
Gallery: iPhone password entry in software version 1.1.1: seriously flawed
Apples iTunes WiFi Music Store: trouble in paradise?
Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Music, Software,
Yesterday morning brought Apple‘s iPhone Update version 1.1.1 which included a bevy of new features including the slick new WiFi music store for the iPod Touch and the iPhone. The WiFi music store lets users purchase songs on-the-go using any WiFi hotspot which essentially puts the entire multi-million track library of iTunes in your pocket - perfect for a quick impulse buy from time to time.
Unfortunately not all users are able to get the shiny new storefront to work. Several of the iPhone owning editors at Gear Live were able to update their iPhone and use the WiFi music store successfully - I was not. Worse yet I don’t appear to be alone as other users have reported similar problems on the internet. Click through the jump for full details on why the iTunes WiFi music store isn’t working for us.
Click to continue reading Apples iTunes WiFi Music Store: trouble in paradise?
Gallery: Apples iTunes WiFi Music Store: trouble in paradise?
Meet the iBird - the penguin MP3 player
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Decisions, decisions…the new iPod Touch or the iBird? Granted, this may not be such a dilemma for most, but if you’re a penguin fanatic like myself (or a fanatical Linux user), this is serious business. Why? Because the iBird-1000 is actually a pretty cool MP3 player, with features slightly reminiscent of the iPenguin: its beak moves (chirps?) along with your music, and its eyeballs light up and blink. Cute! Plus, the headphone-wearing bird has a built-in speaker, voice recorder, FM tuner and an LED tummy with track info. Take that iPod Touch! But there is a downside: the bow-tied cutie only holds 1GB of music. But when you’re that adorable, who needs a touchscreen, wi-fi capability, and tons of megabytes? Right? Available for $33 USD at China Grabber, but unfortunately you must purchase a minimum of ten players. Why, China Grabber, why?
Read More | China Grabber via Technabob
Gallery: Meet the iBird - the penguin MP3 player
This cell phone by M8cool was created for those who love to disco, want to stand out in a crowd, or have stock in Duracell. The entire front panel is covered with flashing lights as is the keypad and the camera in the back. We wonder if that affects the outcome of the image. For that matter, will it bop in time to its ringtones? Nonetheless, it makes you want to sing one more chorus of “Stayin’ Alive,” doesn’t it?
Read More | M8cool (Chinese) via JAMP
Gallery: M8cool Releases Disco Phone
Internet Home Entertainment System Unveiled
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies, Music,
Denmark’s BlueTinum has released its ultimate Internet Home Entertainment System. It features an FM tuner, DAB Radio, MP3 and DVD playability, iPod cradle, and PC streaming. It also comes with a remote, an SD/MMC cardreader, and USB connectivity. There are optional speakers available for those who want their music beyond the 2 x 15W level. The company offers differing models depending on features desired. Look for the BT-H1505 and the in the upcoming months with an MSRP starting at €69,00 (~$97.00.)
Read More | BlueTinum
Gallery: Internet Home Entertainment System Unveiled
The e-commerce giant Amazon.com has launched their own music service: AmazonMP3. AmazonMP3 now offers DRM-free tracks in the MP3 format from a variety of artists on their website. Amazon has chosen the widely supported MP3 file format which ensures comparability with iPods, Zunes, most modern cell phones, and virtually any computer or digital audio player users wish to use.
The MP3 files weigh in at 256kbit so they won’t sound quite as good as iTunes 256kbit AAC files, but certainly will sound good enough for anyone but the most golden-eared audiophile. The fact that the MP3 files are DRM-free ensures not only broad compatibility, but also that users won’t ever have to worry about authentication or license revocation. It is currently unknown if Amazon will be adding audio fingerprints or other watermarks to the music to tie an individual file to the downloader to help cut into piracy.
Click to continue reading Amazon launches DRM-free MP3 download service
Read More | AmazonMP3
