MP3

Look no PC: Akai USB turntable digitizes vinyl direct to hard drive

By Darren Quick

03:49 May 19, 2009 PDT

USB turntables provide an easy way to digitize your collection of vinyl. Usually, it requires a PC. However, a new range of USB turntables from Akai includes a model that lets you record from vinyl, directly to a USB hard drive – without the need of a PC. Read More

Philips GoGear portable media player adds spark to range

By David Greig

00:03 May 17, 2009 PDT

Philips has launched a portable media player (PMP) that glows while your songs are playing. Powered by Philips' patented FullSound technology, the GoGear Spark also features voice recording and PC download capability via USB 2.0. Read More

Sony X-Series Walkman packs OLED display and noise canceling technology

By Darren Quick

06:00 May 14, 2009 PDT

Sony has set its PMP sights firmly on the iPod Touch with the new X-Series Walkman. Sporting a similar form factor and much of the functionality of its Apple competitor, the X-Series manages to hold its own with the inclusion of an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) touch screen and integrated digital noise canceling technology. Read More

Archos 2 gives iPod Shuffle a run for its money

By Mick Webb

19:21 May 11, 2009 PDT

When it comes to ultra-compact portable music players, for many the choice

"du jour" has been the ubiquitous iPod Shuffle. Apple’s minute MP3 players have consistently offered an attractive price point and ever diminishing size with each generation of Shuffle, which has allowed the pocket player to claim the lion’s share of the market. Here to give them a run for their money is the Archos 2 portable music player, which packs a punch with size, specs and price. Read More

Podio – for playing out loud

By Jude Garvey

23:48 May 2, 2009 PDT

Taiwanese-based Agios Technology Company has spent two years developing the Podio - a portable digital Hi-Fi player made specially for bikes, but not exclusively. The cylindrical, pocket-sized music machine has been designed to produce a clear, natural sound, which is intended to be listened to without the need for earbuds. Read More

Lego set to launch a line of portable electronic gear for kids

By Jude Garvey

17:53 April 15, 2009 PDT

Lego Systems has joined with Digital Blue to produce a range of colorful Lego-inspired electronic gear for kids. The range of portable electronics includes an alarm clock (pictured), boom box, MP3 player and later in the year, a stop animation video camera. Designed to appeal to little and big kids, the first products will be released mid-year. Read More

Crayola goes digital

By Darren Quick

21:04 March 30, 2009 PDT

Crayola is a name that conjures up happy childhood memories for generations of kids – or former kids. Although the Crayola brand is synonymous with crayons and other assorted ‘coloring implements’, that hasn’t stopped them embracing the digital age with a range of colorful electronic toys designed to combine learning with fun. Gizmag got the low down on the latest from the company at the recent Australian Toy Hobby and Nursery Fair. Read More

Are iPods killing music perception?

By Tim LeFevre

21:23 March 18, 2009 PDT

It seems that most people are content with the performance they get from their white iPod earbuds – subpar audio in a convenient package. Has the performance of a humble set of headphones been forgotten in favor of something more compact, and to some more fashionable? Yes is the answer according to an informal study by Stanford Professor of Music, Jonathan Berger, and apparently it doesn't end there - young people actually prefer the “sizzle” sound of MP3’s. Read More

Eco Media Player lets you wind it up for a free charge

By Jamilah Le

20:42 March 12, 2009 PDT

Wind-up devices have seen a boom in the last decade and this new example, the Baylis Eco Media Player revolution, builds on the success of its predecessor the EP-MX71 with a sleeker design and larger screen size backed by the same human-powered wind-up power system. Read More

Gizmag road test: Sonoma Wireworks 4-track recorder for iPhone

By Loz Blain

19:58 February 12, 2009 PST

The song you're about to hear will probably never win a Grammy, but it was recorded entirely on an iPhone using only the equipment that came with the phone - and one very nifty application. FourTrack, from Sonoma Wireworks, is a US$10 iPhone app that brings 4-track audio recording capabilities to the iPhone, including the ability to adjust the volume and pan of each track. Each track is recorded to WAV at CD quality and auto-compressed - and once you're done you can WiFi the results straight to your computer. Apart from a couple of niggles, it's a pretty amazing little songwriting tool that lets you flesh out a tune with harmonies or instrumental tracks when you don't have GarageBand handy. Read More

Pacemaker portable digital DJ system gets an update, lower price

By Tim Hanlon

23:59 January 6, 2009 PST

We first covered the Pacemaker portable digital DJ system back in June 2007, and it has since won a number of awards including a CES Innovations and Engineering Award for 2009. A new model targeted at consumers has arrived with a smaller 60GB hard drive, a lower price point (US$550) to match, and one key new feature designed to aid beginner DJs - the ability to beatmatch and synchronize two songs with a single button press, and get straight to the fun stuff like EQ, filters, effects and crossfading. Read More

Roberts digital kitchen radio

By Emily Clark

03:27 December 8, 2008 PST

This digital Kitchen Radio from ROBERTS fits neatly under the kitchen cupboards and offers a range of features, including - yes - an egg-timer, making it a nifty cooking companion. The space-saving design means the radio won’t encroach on your much needed counter space when cooking up a storm. Read More

Pico projector features built-in media player

By Noel McKeegan

21:53 November 23, 2008 PST

Aiptek's PocketCinema V10 is both a stand alone media player and a highly-compact projector capable of throwing a 42-inch image at a distance of up to 6 feet. As a projector device can be used in conjunction with iPods, cameras, mobile phones, game consoles or other portable media devices and as a media player it supports SD cards up to 8GB in addition to its 1GB of internal memory. Read More

UK retailers create logo for promoting DRM free MP3s

By Emily Clark

19:26 November 6, 2008 PST

Ten years after the release of the first MP3 player, seven UK-based music download retailers are giving the universally compatible format a promotional boost by adopting an “MP3 compatible” logo to indicate they are able to be played on every PC, Mac and on virtually every digital music player. Read More

Onkyo upgrades THX Certified Home Theater Package

By Darren Quick

21:48 October 30, 2008 PDT

The new Onkyo HT-S9100THX combines a home theater receiver with a 7.1-channel home theater speaker system, all of which were designed to conform to THX's Integrated System Plus certification protocols. It also boasts1080p capable HDMI v.1.3 connectivity, Faroudja DCDi video upscaling, Audyssey 2EQ and Dynamic EQ, and complete decoding for the latest high resolution audio formats. The system also includes the new THX Loudness Plus technology which compensates for the tonal and spatial shifts that occur when the volume level is reduced below the reference levels. Read More

Nextar adds to SNAP GPS line

By Darren Quick

01:56 October 30, 2008 PDT

Nextar has added two new models to its SNAP line of GPS systems. Joining the 3.5" SNAP3, the 5” SNAP5 and 7” SNAP7 both feature touch-screen displays, built-in stereo speakers, Nextar’s magnetic docking station, text-to-speech (English) technology and both are only 0.7” thick. All models come with a 2GB SD card offering maps of the entire US and all of Canada. Read More

Sony's latest iPod dock range

By Darren Quick

20:02 October 22, 2008 PDT

Sony's new range of iPod compatible products makes good on the company's stated promise to “continue to develop products that are compatible with popular hardware formats and audio codecs.” Not surprisingly, this includes Apple’s ubiquitous portable player. The five-strong range includes a mini hi-fi system with docks for two iPods and DJ functions, two designs of iPod speaker system and two clock radios, one having CD playback in addition to its iPod compatibility. Read More

Sandisk releases Sansa slotMusic Player

By Darren Quick

21:34 October 15, 2008 PDT

SanDisk is looking to expand its market with the introduction of the Sansa slotMusic Player. The plug & play, portable music player was specially designed for use with the new slotMusic cards available today in the US. SanDisk are pushing slotMusic as a new format of high-fidelity, DRM-free MP3 music on a microSD card, which gives consumers the ability to listen to and quickly swap music between a mobile phone, personal computer, and any MP3 player with a microSD slot. Read More

Portable party: the BoomCooler

By Emily Clark

21:02 October 9, 2008 PDT

Take a 36" x 18" x 17 cool-box, add 2 x 240 speakers, a 10” Subwoofer, a 4-Channel Amplifier, then throw in wheels and a towing handle and you have yourself an ideal summer entertainment solution with which to terrorize the neighborhood. Read More

Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker

By Noel McKeegan

00:25 September 11, 2008 PDT

There's nothing like strapping on the earphones and cranking up your favorite tunes to help you through a serious bout of exercise, but in many outdoor scenarios, especially cycling, this can become a major safety risk by preventing you from hearing traffic noise and other potential hazards that might not be visible. This is the thinking that inspired Los Angeles entrepreneur Jeff Lotman to invent the Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker, a palm-sized unit that attaches to a bike or backpack and wirelessly transmits music and phone calls from Bluetooth enabled devices. Read More

Ego Cup FM in-car FM transmitter

By Darren Quick

23:27 September 8, 2008 PDT

Drivers just might have to find somewhere else to stow their tasty beverages with the Ego Cup FM from German wireless in-car communications company Funkwerk Dabendorf. The Ego Cup FM is a plug and play FM transmitter designed to slot into car cup holders that connects to a mobile phone via Bluetooth and, as well as transmitting MP3s stored on the phone to the radio, also allows calls to be taken over the integrated speaker or through the car speakers. Read More

Sony updates Walkman range with thinnest Walkman ever

By Darren Quick

03:54 September 2, 2008 PDT

Thin is definitely in for the new S series Walkman Video MP3 players from Sony. At just 7.5mm thick the S series are the slimmest Walkmans, (or should that be Walkmen), ever. Read More

Sony joins the in-car iPod wagon

By Darren Quick

11:06 August 28, 2008 PDT

August 28, 2008 If you’re sick of fumbling with your iPod while hurtling down the freeway Sony have just the thing with the announcement of four new Xplod in-dash head units that are able to connect directly to compatible iPods and allow users to charge and control their iPod devices on the road. Each new unit supports HPF/LPF sound quality, feature 52 watts X 4 peak output enhancements and, if you’re one of the few holding out from joining the iPod brigade, there’s an auxiliary input on the faceplates, facilitating the use of other portable music players with a standard 1/8-inch mini jack cord, which is available separately. Read More

Griffin iTrip Universal streams anything with a headphone jack to an FM radio

By Emily Clark

21:23 August 13, 2008 PDT

August 14, 2008 The downside to prior FM transmitters for the iPod is that they only work with an iPod. The new iTrip Universal from Griffin adds an FM transmitter to any audio player with a headphone jack. Read More

A.M.P. – the dancing, mobile, robot boombox

By Darren Quick

16:41 July 1, 2008 PDT

The semi-autonomous robotic boombox the Miuro has a new big brother. Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro Inc. has teamed up with Japanese distributor SEGA Toys to introduce the Automated Music Personality (A.M.P), a 2.4 feet (73 cm) tall black robot that can be hooked up to an MP3 player or iPod and bobs its head and dances while red LED lights on its head flash. The A.M.P. pumps out 12 watts of stereo sound through a 5" mid-range speaker and two high output tweeters while more boom can be added to any song with the dedicated bass boost button. The A.M.P. also features two turntable shaped hands that allow users to be the DJ and use A.M.P. as a virtual mixing deck. The touch pad hands serve as a way to layer different sound effects and scratches over the music with the left touch pad used to add music effects and the right touch pad controlling the audio. Read More