MP3

A common problem with most MP3 players, portable game systems, and Bluetooth headsets is earbuds that don’t stay in your ear. Many earpieces, like the ubiquitous white iPod earbuds, are designed to be “one-size-fits-all” but simply do not stay put when you’re exercising, gaming, or walking through the airport. Yurtopia aims to fix that problem with their Yurbuds custom-sized earbud enhancers. 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 the last 18 months or so, the collection of design concepts featured on the website of Korean portable media player maker Mintpass has been steadily growing in number. The company says it will continue to push the idea envelope until a "concept is developed into a hot product that sweeps the market." With its retro styling, analog displays and tactile control interface - will the Mintcube concept be the next big thing? Read More

JVC and Kenwood has produced its first in-car navigation system since last years merger and it certainly offers more than directions for getting from A to B. As well as boasting virtual 3D maps and fast response times, the AVENUE MDV-313 features a 6.1” touchscreen LED backlit display, integrated DVD player and TV tuner, as well as USB and SD card slots and optional iPod connectivity. 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

When did running get so complicated? Remember the good old days when going for a run was as easy as changing shoes and heading out the front door? Now, there’s a plethora of running gear and gadgets - ranging from heart rate monitors to state-of-the-art running shoes. It seems that not many runners leave home without their MP3 players either, but would they be prepared to work hard for their music? The Dancepants kinetic music player is a new design concept that would see runners harnessing their kinetic energy to power their music player. Yep, you’ve got to keep moving to keep grooving. Read More

Since Nicholas Negroponte first came up with his landmark teething ring visualization of the coming together of communication, computing and content, the term convergence has become the uber buzzword. Now there’s convergence going on in the personal transport industry, with the car and the motorcycle morphing as car makers attempt to downsize their vehicles to make them better suited to the world’s increasingly crowded roads. This article begins with Nissan’s tandem two-seat, half width tilting car, the Landglider, and examines all the other work being done around the world as narrow track vehicles seriously begin to make their case. Read More

Piaggio's MP3 was the world's first hybrid three-wheeler and at EICMA this week, it showed what is likely to be the first two-wheeled hybrid – the Piaggio USB (urban sport bike). The combination of a highly efficient, low-emmission GDI (gasoline direct injection) two-stroke motor and an electric motor, the USB is much smaller than it looks in the images and weighs in at just 130 kg. The USB runs 50km (30 miles) on electric only, and returns 1.5 l/100 km (156 U.S. mpg and 188 imperial mpg). Read More

Turning your old pre-digital memories into pixel-rich images usually involves buying a scanner, loading the prints into a computer and then transferring them to a USB or SD Flash card for viewing in your digital photo frame. JOBO has greatly simplified this process by including a scanner built into its latest photo frame - the appropriately named ScanViewer. Read More