mp3

MP3 player does the backstroke

Call us old-fashioned, but we still cringe at the idea of taking anything electric into the water. But then again, we won't swim until an hour after eating either.

So we might be willing to take a chance on the Hydra, a water-resistant MP3 player scheduled to go on sale next month (pictured at top). The USB player, which includes a multicolored LCD display and FM radio tuner, is designed to work with both Windows and Mac operating systems and comes in 1GB and 2GB sizes for $40 and $60. No matter what your opinion on the necessity or … Read more

Archos 504: 160 raw gigs in your pocket

On Wednesday, Archos makes official the availability of its 504 series of PVPs, which actually have been available for days.

The 504, which sports the same gorgeous 4.3-inch wide-screen display as the sleek 604, blends excellent video playback performance with gigantic drive capacities--including the monster 160GB version (enough for, say, about 50 Amazon Unbox movies and room for a few thousand songs).

The 504's 2.5-inch laptop drive explains the unit's thickness (the similarly designed 604 is waifish in comparison but maxes out at 30GB); like the 604 it has a removable battery but lacks a built-in … Read more

An iPod Nano for the tech illiterate

So you really want to get that iPod Nano for a special someone, but you know he or she will be absolutely hopeless when presented with the task of transferring music to the thing? Or maybe you're just really lazy and can't be bothered with ripping your favorite CDs. Either way, Riptopia could have the solution for you: the $259 ShugaNano, a blue, pink, or green 4GB iPod Nano preloaded with the recipient's 50 favorite CDs and accompanied by a pair of Swarovski crystal-encrusted earbuds. (Hmm, why do I get the feeling these things are aimed at … Read more

iPod shunners of the world, unite!

OK, so perhaps that's a tad melodramatic. It's almost like a call to war, and I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for any bloodshed...especially not my own. But on this, the birthday of the iPod, I've been reminiscing about a previous blog I wrote on why I chose not to use an iPod. More than a year later, I'm still called out for my iPod status--most recently in last week's MP3 Insider podcast--so I've decided it's high time I readdress the issue. No, I still don't use an … Read more

The loudest lamp. Ever.

If you're too cheap to buy actual speakers for your MP3 player (or other portable music device), why not just combine it with a common household furnishing?

That's what the folks at Adesso were thinking too. The result? A desk lamp. That plays music.

If you guessed its moniker would be "iLamp," you are (unfortunately) correct. Each iLamp is essentially a speaker system with six lamp variations sprouting out of the base, which it better be when asking people to shell out $89 for one. The models have cutesy names like Tempo, Boogie, and Rock On!, … Read more

Inside details about Zune's battery life

Fresh from the informative-but-take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt Zune Insider blog comes some juicy details about Zune battery life. According to the insider (Microsoft employee Cesar Menendez), the Zune will get about 14 hours of audio battery life -- not amazing but not bad either. Parameters of the drain: unprotected 128kbps WMA tracks on repeat with default volume, no EQ, and backlight on for 1 second, which is pretty standard (you should be able to play standard MP3s for a while longer).

Cesar later comments that because of DRM processing "Playing music you got from Zune Marketplace will knock down the above battery … Read more

Zune fondled by gaming blogger

The Zune won't be available until November 14, but that's not stopping certain lucky individuals from getting some one-on-one action with the highly anticipated Wi-Fi-enabled MP3 player from Microsoft.

Given a demo of the unit on Microsoft's campus, 2old2play's sunburned_Goose was impressed by its form factor, stating, "It is not as light as the latest video iPod, but compared to my fourth-generation iPod, the Zune was lighter." He goes on to say that he was so intrigued by the rubberized exterior that he found himself "unable to stop stroking the device." Whatever … Read more

An iPod Nano? For me? You shouldn't have, Apple

Look what we got in the mail today from Apple! What could it be?

Hmmm, let's open it. Wow. What a pretty linen box! And look--a blank tag. Is this a present for someone? For us? Something to give to our moms this holiday season?

Glory be, it's a blue iPod Nano. The new one, 4GB. But wait, there's more...the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, an armband, and a power adapter. Oh, and a $25 iTunes gift card. That's, like, cash!

Lemme get the calculator. This adds up to approximately $314 worth of iPod goodies, not … Read more

A crib-worthy sound system

Attention, babies: Forget about that played-out wind-up lullaby music. Instead, demand a veritable sound system for your crib.

Tell Mommy and Daddy about the iCrib Sound System. Brought to us by the good folks at Munchkin Inc., the award-winning battery-powered stereo system mounts on the railing of most cribs and works with most MP3 players, including the iPod shown here. In addition to the built-in volume limiter, the $30 iCrib features a soothing night-light that changes colors and a 15-, 30-, or 60- minute timer. Oh, to be a baby once again!

Source: Babygadget