MP3 Player

How the heck does it do that? Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo has used the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to demo a very cool new handsfree interface you can use to control an MP3 player using gestures you make with your eyeballs. Sensors in the earbuds themselves measure changes in electrical potential to convert your eye movements to iPod commands. Fascinating stuff... and while using it on an MP3 player might seem a bit naff, there's probably a range of other situations where handsfree, voice-free control options like this could be really useful.  Read More

Speedo's offering in the waterproof MP3 player arena - the Aquabeat - is submersible to three meters, weighs in at only 35g and is easily attached to your sports gear so you can have beats as you zig-zag at high-speed down the mountain or cut laps at the pool.  Read More

The Gesture Cube concept is the first example to demonstrate the possibilities offered by a new touch-free sensing technology developed by Ident Technology AG. The design proposes using the company's GestIC 3D spatial hand movement tracking innovation to allow users to browse photos, play music, read messages, check the weather and so on - all with the wave of a hand or the flick of a wrist.  Read More

Love your music but can’t understand why it sends your cat or dog flying out of the room? Well, apparently it’s because your furry friend hears the high and low frequencies in sounds that the human ear can’t detect – so playing your favorite tunes can really irritate, disturb or even scare your pet. Here’s a clever solution that could soon have you both in auditory heaven - the My Pet Speaker. It reduces the unsettling frequencies of music - so it’s gentle on your pet’s ears - and lets you still enjoy the music you love.  Read More

The degraded state of a worksite radio used to be a point of pride amongst tradespeople. The grungier, basically, the better. But one of the exhibits at CES that caught our eye might change all that. The Sangean Fatbox FB-100 has the look of a portable generator but, in fact, is a ridiculously rugged AM/FM radio and MP3 player that also safely protects an iPod against water, dust and the most brutal of treatment.  Read More

Just a few weeks ago Swimman announced that it had waterproofed the in-line controller on Apple's proprietary earphones for the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Now the company has turned its attention to the device itself, protecting it from water damage to a depth of 25 feet without adding weight or bulk.  Read More

For cycling enthusiasts, this MP3 player from Korean manufacturers, Soap, is one of the most versatile we’ve seen. It weighs just 30g, has 2GB of memory, clips into a Soap beanie (with built-in headphones) for personal listening or via ear-buds under a helmet. It even attaches to a Soap bike headlight/speaker box for sharing your tunes (even though it’s directed at the rider). At only 1cm wide and 5cm in diameter, it doesn’t take up much space either.  Read More

Apple kept the announcements coming at its Rock and Roll event with an updated iPod touch lineup. The entry-level 8GB touch has received a price drop, while the previous 16GB and 32GB models have been replaced with 32GB and 64GB versions that are selling for the same prices as their predecessors. The two larger capacity models have also received a bump in performance that Apple says will be up to 50 percent faster than the previous touch and support for OpenGL ES 2.0, which suggests the new models are sporting the same CPU as the iPhone 3GS.  Read More

Apple added a number of updates to various iPod models at its Rock and Roll event. The iPod that sported the most obvious changes was undoubtedly the nano, which now includes a built-in video camera, a much anticipated FM radio, and built-in pedometer. The new 5G nano also features a slightly (0.2-inches) larger 2.2-inch display, and built-in microphone and speaker, which means watching those newly recorded videos need not be a solitary affair.  Read More