Click to see a slide show of my favorite portable audio gadgets of 2008.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)
As a music technology nerd who makes a living criticizing gadgets, I’m not an easy guy to shop for. You do this work long enough and you get pretty jaded …
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
The ultimate ultracompact MP3 player.
(Credit: SanDisk)
Awhile back, SanDisk released some fairly major firmware for both the Sansa Clip and the Sansa Fuze. Well, technically, the update for each is a different piece of software, but most of the fixes and enhancements are similar, so I’m treating the …
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
Enter our MP3 Insider contest to win a new 120GB Zune (Gears of War 2 Edition), courtesy of Microsoft.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)
Donald and Jasmine discuss Zune price drops and a Zune Pass deal that may put some pressure on other subscription services.
Also on the agenda is the latest iPod Touch firmware, some products that failed to impress, iTunes alternatives, and a reader question about stripping audio from DVDs.
Plus, we’re giving away a 120GB Zune MP3 player from Microsoft (see contest details below). Not just any Zune, in fact, but the thoroughly badass Gears of War 2 Edition, which features an etched logo and comes loaded with Gears of War videos, photos and music.
Listen now:
…
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
This MacBook Air was sold by the Californian iTech Systems on Ebay for $730. As it that wasn’t bargain enough, the notebook appears to be an Apple prototype with a temporary plastic botton casing and a misplaced power button. The full listing reads more like a typical Chinglish Ebay description:
The deficiencies known at the time of testing are described here, but this does not preclude the item from additional deficiencies not know to us at the time of inspection.
The Hinge of the LCD is Losing, the Bezzel of the LCD is a litle open on the top corner (see picture more clear)
Unit test and boot fine working perfect. The only problem is Hinges are losing both hinge (something losing inside, we don’t see any broken out side). The picture Belown here is actual unit. So please ask any question before bidding. The Screen LCD look perfect (no dead pixel, no scratches, no blemmis). The outer Case is migh have a little scratches or migh be a little dent from a normal used.
This is Great Unit if you know how to fix both hinge or great parts if using for parts. And also this laptop current run 10.4 Tiger.
Yes, Tiger, an OS that never shipped on the Air. It actually turns out that the Air was running a pre-release build of OS X 10.5 Leopard, rather than Tiger, but for someone who writes “The Hinge of the LCD is Losing”, we can forgive the slip.
How did this mystery Mac make it out of the Cupertino campus? We don’t know for sure, but MacRumors forum member brett33 is the buyer, and he’s as mystified as everyone else. He’s also aware that Apple may want it back:
The black vans haven’t shown up yet, but I have heard helicopters circling.
Fake / Prototype Macbook Air [MacRumors Forums via Apple Insider]
I can’t begin to tell you how many MP3 players I’ve yanked off my desk and onto to floor because the cable of the test headphones was too short to allow me to enjoy the full range of motion around my capacious cubicle. Suffice it to say that it’s a lot. (And it has taught me that MP3 players are surprisingly resistant to damage when hurled onto a carpeted surface.) But that and related issues are easily remedied by employing a cord extender. What about the opposite problem? You can’t very well take a pair of scissors to your earphone wiring. What you can do is purchase a pair of earbuds with a short initial cable. Also this week: find out how to get stereo audio into a single ear.
Q: I was wondering if you know any earbuds that have a short cable. The headphones I normally use for my iPod has a cable that is too long. I’ve looked at the Sony MDR-AS50G, but am a little hesitant to buy it as I have a big head. Are there any other options that are on par with those headphones, or will I be stuck using my primary headphone? Also, I was thinking of buying the 4th generation iPod Nano and I wanted to know if any of the lanyard-style headphones for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Nano will work with the 4th generation. Thanks for the help.–Oscar, via e-mail
The Shure SE Line offers several earphone models with short cables.
(Credit: Shure)
A: What you want to look for is a set of headphones with a modular cable. These sets have a shorter initial cable directly attached to the earbuds, and then often come with an extender for times when you need a longer cord. Some examples: the Sony Active Line, the Shure SE Series, and the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM50A.
As for the second part of the question, I doubt the lanyard-style headphones for previous iPod Nanos will work for the newest Nano, because they generally snap onto the bottom somehow, and so they must conform to the exact shape of the player and the distance between the dock connection and the headphone jack. These factors have been different for each generation of the Nano.
Q: I only have hearing in one ear. I seem to remember seeing people wearing a high tech “single piece” headphone in order to hear local conversation as well. Do these exist and what are they called? Do they output “stereo” in that one channel?–Chris, via e-mail
…
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
(Credit: Etre)Like the Freehands that came before them, the Etre Touchy gloves lack a thumb and index finger so gadget owners can keep their hands warm while more easily touching, tapping, and pinching their devices’ controls and touch screens. Are we seeing a style trend? To quote the inimitable …
Chances are, this jacket will look cooler on you than it does on me.
Jasmine and Donald are giving away a $300 iPod jacket along with some other audio goodies, but first you have to hear them rant about the only MP3 player you can buy with a built-in AM radio.
Plus, “rad” headphones from Japan, MP3 players with decent video capabilities, players with line-in recording, and holiday price drops. And Donald offers some advice on keeping the peace in an iTunes home.
Listen now:
…
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
pimg src=”http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/10/macpsystar.jpg” width=”494″ height=”414″ style=”display:block;float:none;” /Calling Psystar’s planned Mac notebook ugly is teeeechnically speculation, but I don’t see how the Mac-cloner extraordinaire could produce a “very competitively priced” MacBook knockoff that isn’t a total brick. (Besides, have you a href=”http://gizmodo.com/384854/exclusive-photos-psystars-case-shipping-contents”seen their desktop/a?) Maybe it will shock and astound us all by being an well-designed, lustworthy piece of hardware at a cut-rate price. But last time I checked, bio-engineered birdpigs created with the DNA of David Hasselhoff still couldn’t fly. [a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/29/macbook_airs_ship_psystar_plans_mac_notebook_blu_ray_desktop.html"Apple Insider/a]/p br style=”clear: both;”/
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pimg src=”http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/valleywag/2008/10/kafka.jpg” width=”250″ height=”128″ /Peter Kafka is Kara Swisher’s latest star hire at AllThingsD. She a href=”http://valleywag.com/5051488/murdoch+owned-tech-site-steals-henry-blodgets-top-blogger”stole him/a from Silicon Alley Insider, where he worked with Henry Blodget. At SAI, Kafka always seemed to do fine without invoking the wisdom of the crowd. Why is Kara pushing him to go on and on about nothing? His a href=”http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081027/my-favorite-subject-you/”first post/a was the standard Web 2.0 “Hello, world.” His a href=”http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081027/give-crispygamer-an-a-for-honesty-but-about-those-ad-rates/”second/a takes 400 words to restate its own headline. Peter, here’s my first and last free rewrite. Give me credit for not saying “Kafka-esque.”/p blockquotepCrispyGamer Must Be Running Out of Money/p p- If you’re not paying attention, it may seem as if the cratering economy …br / - CrispyGamer, a newish videogame site, has raised $8.25 million from J.P. Morgan’s Constellation Ventures.br / - But CrispyGamer also says it has a staff of 20 people, including five full-time writers (what does everyone else do there?). That’s an awfully big staff to keep afloat on $2 CPMs–and it’s hard to imagine that CripsyGamers’s backers imagined that’s what they were getting into earlier this year./p/blockquote br style=”clear: both;”/
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pimg src=”http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/valleywag/2008/10/bits_tesla.533_01.jpg” width=”232″ height=”195″ align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ /To anyone familiar with Elon Musk’s brief, troubled career as CEO of PayPal, the troubles at Tesla Motors, his electric-car startup, a href=”http://valleywag.com/5063557/zeev-drori-out-elon-musk-in-as-tesla-ceo”seem all too predictable/a. As does a href=”http://valleywag.com/tech/paypal/an-alternate-history-according-to-elon-musk-230076.php”his spin/a on his decision to lay off dozens of employees, close Tesla’s Detroit office, postpone a new model, and replace Ze’ev Drori as CEO. Musk blames past CEOs mdash; chiefly cofounder Martin Eberhard mdash; for the company’s current troubles./p p“It’s taken us about a year to correct major errors,” Mr. Musk a href=”http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/musk-unplugged-tesla-ceo-discusses-car-troubles/”told the emNew York Times/em/a. Eberhard has a snappy response: “Look at the constant factor at the company through all the years: Elon.” A history lesson from PayPal: Not until Peter Thiel replaced Musk as CEO, and he ceased day-to-day involvement with the company, did it thrive. em(Photo by a href=”http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/musk-unplugged-tesla-ceo-discusses-car-troubles/”Peter DaSilva/New York Times/a)/em/p br style=”clear: both;”/
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Motorola has come out with a phone, the Cliq, targeted at a specific market and utilizing the power of Google’s Android platform. It is the first of a family of new Motorola phones, where the Cliq stands at the patronymic fore. As far as features go, Cliq is doing all right. The phone is complete [...]
For Microsoft Outlook users unfamiliar with Xobni, pay attention. The venture-backed company’s first piece of software, not even two years old, is a powerful advancement for e-mail organization, Outlook style. Wednesday, the new version of the tool is available, Xobni1.8 which provides additional power. In addition, the previously free plugin is offering an advanced version, [...]
Ever since June of last year there has been talks of Verizon and Alltel merging, but now it is official. Verizon wireless has now become the largest mobile carrier with over 83 million subscribers. Alltel will continue to run under the Alltel name until a complete merger of the two brands later this year. Now [...]
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One of the biggest reasons most Windows users are sticking with Firefox over Google Chrome is its extensibility—and the most popular Firefox extension by far among Lifehacker readers is Adblock Plus.
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