MP3

Logitech's Squeezebox Duet wireless home audio system

By Kyle Sherer

15:50 January 14, 2008 PST

January 15, 2008 Logitech’s Squeezebox Duet network music system integrates home audio by allowing users to access Internet radio, online subscription services and their personal music library, wirelessly, through any speaker system in their house without switching on a computer. Read More

Fashion with bite – Taser’s new C2 stunner with MP3 player holster

By Mike Hanlon

18:33 January 10, 2008 PST

January 11, 2008 It seems we mistakenly thought that convergence meant we were supposed to be carrying less gadgets rather than more gadgets, but Taser launched a new range of stun guns in a range of female-focussed colors at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, adding yet another must-have for those who wish to ensure their personal safety – the Taser MPH (Music Player Holster), which is a combination 1GB MP3 player and Taser C2 holster. In addition to the leopard print, other new Taser C2 colors include red-hot red and fashion pink. Read More

Solio Magnesium Edition portable solar charger

By Noel McKeegan

17:28 January 9, 2008 PST

January 10, 2008 Portable solar charger specialist Solio has announced a new, ruggedized Magnesium Edition which builds on the features of the original (now branded Solio Classic) with greater output (8W), expanded compatability, a higher-capacity lithium ion battery (3.7v, 1800mAh compared with 3.6v, 1600mAh) and a stronger magnesium alloy shell to cope with the rigors of the road. Retaining the same footprint and fan blade design as the original, the Magnesium Edition is compatible with the universal iGo Tip System and includes a female USB cable for iPod, digital cameras and other compatible gadgetry. It can be charged in around 8-10 hours of direct sunlight or in approximately four hours via a wall outlet and can store energy for up to one year. Read More

Philips SHB9000 Bluetooth headset

By Emily Clark

15:14 January 9, 2008 PST

January 10, 2008 A full headset designed to deliver high-end sound quality to audiophiles listening to music via their mobile phone, Philips new SHB9000 Bluetooth headset allows users to seamlessly move between music and incoming calls and uses digital signal processing to filter out background noise and echo and automatically adjust volume in response to outside noise. Read More

S-52 joins Denon’s S series of compact music player

By Darren Quick

01:48 December 19, 2007 PST

December 19, 2007 Denon has announced the release of the S-52 wireless network CD music system which features the ability to stream audio either via Ethernet or wireless from Internet radio sources, together with other network attached storage devices including computers on the network. Read More

IDAPT provides a one-stop charging stop for mobile devices

By Darren Quick

16:04 December 9, 2007 PST

December 10, 2007 As portable devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players, digital cameras and handheld gaming devices proliferate in the home, so too do the number re-chargers and cables adding clutter to our benchtops. The latest solution to cross the Gizmag desk is the IDAPT "innovative adapter", a convenient multi-purpose charger with interchangeable connections that enables simultaneous charging of a wide range of mobile devices. Read More

CSR announce low cost Bluetooth enabled MP3 player design

By Noel McKeegan

23:06 November 19, 2007 PST

November 20, 2007 The falling cost of consumer electronics devices is showing no signs of letting-up with the latest example coming from the UK, where based wireless component manufacturer CSR has today announced the world’s lowest cost Bluetooth enabled MP3 player. Read More

V-MODA’s Vibe Duo headset

By Kyle Sherer

17:59 November 14, 2007 PST

November 15, 2007 Mobile phones and personal media players are all about entertainment, communications and increasingly, fashion – and any good fashion statement needs fashionable accessories. Designed with assistance from Apple, V-MODA’s noise isolating Vibe Duo headset takes this approach seriously with high-definition sound and a discrete microphone rolled into a slick all-metal design. Read More

Venturi Mini – Bluetooth handsfree kit meets MP3 streaming jukebox, through any FM car radio

By Loz Blain

21:27 November 13, 2007 PST

November 14, 2007 Cable connections are dying a slow death at the hands of convenient, wireless Bluetooth devices like this one. The Venturi Mini is a wireless music streaming and hands-free telephone gadget that works with most phones – but it’s the combination of new-world Bluetooth with the old-school technology of short-range FM radio transmission that makes this handy toy work with almost all car stereo. Read More

USB tape deck converts cassettes to digital format

By Emily Clark

21:33 September 25, 2007 PDT

September 26, 2007 The TAPE2PC USB Cassette Archiver from ION Audio is designed as a solution for those of us with a massive tape collection of eighties classics sitting in the garage gathering dust. The dual cassette deck system includes recording software that takes your music collection and converts it via your PC into MP3, WAV or WMA digital files or simply copies it to CD. Read More

BLINGPlayer portable MP3 player

By Emily Clark

23:20 September 13, 2007 PDT

September 14, 2007 For those not content with the dreary white, black, chrome and pastel color choices of most MP3 players, this new potable music unit come hip-hop jewelery from MediaREADY could be the answer. Created in response to the popular (but apparently dull) iPod, the 2 GB BLINGPlayer is further evidence of the very blurry line that now separates personal electronic devices and fashion accessories. Read More

Diminutive Microkey MP3 player from Zicplay

By Noel McKeegan

18:24 September 12, 2007 PDT

September 13, 2007 The phrase "portable music player" has been seriously redefined over the last decade and the tiny Microkey is further proof of just how far we've come. One of the smallest MP3 players we've encountered, the device was displayed at the recent IFA in Berlin by Swiss electronics company Zicplay. The Microkey MP3/WMA player provides up to 1GB of storage space and measures just 43mm long and 15mm wide. Read More

Rip CDs onto your MP3 player – no PC required

By Loz Blain

03:04 September 12, 2007 PDT

September 12, 2007 The Micoder is a simple device that converts audio CDs into MP3 format and transfers the music-files directly to an MP3 player or USB mass storage device. You can have a CD fully transferred to an MP3 player within 5-7 minutes, without the use of a computer, and without any technical knowledge whatsoever. Read More

Plantronics convertible mono to stereo Bluetooth headset

By Gizmag Team

17:42 September 11, 2007 PDT

September 12, 2007 Plantronics have introduced a Bluetooth convertible mono to stereo headset for MP3 Bluetooth enabled mobile phones. The Voyager 855 headset offers a convertible design for listening to calls in mono as well as listening to music in stereo as headphones via a detachable stereo cable. Drop the second earbud or detach the cable and the headset serves as a high-quality mono Bluetooth device. Read More

Sansa View video enabled MP3 player from SanDisk

By Emily Clark

22:35 September 10, 2007 PDT

September 11, 2007 It's been a week for small format, video enabled MP3 players with the release of the new iPod nano and now the announcement of a new device from SanDisk that offers a range of features including full-motion video support, long battery life and slim line design. Read More

ZAGG RockStic portable speaker for iPod

By Kyle Sherer

18:59 August 20, 2007 PDT

August 21, 2007 We’re now used to carrying our music library in our pocket but usually it’s a library that can only be listened to by one person at a time. The Zagg RockStic is a new take on portable speaker design. Specifically aimed at iPods but compatible with most MP3 players, the compact cylindrical unit aims to maximize portability, giving users the ability to share (or inflict, as the case may be), their taste in music on a wider audience. Read More

The i-Sing MP3 player encourages singing along wherever you are

By Loz Blain

July 18, 2007 Ancient Zimbabwean wisdom suggests "if you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing" though we're sure it is also true that if you can hold a note, carry a tune and belt out something relatively pleasant to the ear, everyone has more fun. There is currently a renaissance of music sweeping the world. More people are listening to more music thanks to the low cost high convenience MP3 player, and advances in user-friendly software and devices mean more people are beginning to explore not just listening to music but making it. One such device is the i-Sing, an MP3 player with the ability to digitally cancel out the original artist's vocals on any track, display song lyrics and record the user's own vocals over the instrumental tracks at the touch of a button. Bound to be popular with fans of the (insert country here) Idol TV phenomenon, the i-Sing harnesses some very cool technology and combines it with childproof ease of use. Read More

Two New USB Turntables

By Mike Hanlon

July 17, 2007 A recent Gizmag survey found that everyone in the world has at least two large boxes of old records in the garage that they can’t play but also can’t bear to throw away (it was a small sampling). Two new USB turntables from Ion Audio will go some way to unleashing all that music, as they represent the latest generation of vinyl-to-MP3 devices. The US$150 iTTUSB05 and US$250 iTTUSB10 turntables are the next generation of the iTTUSB first released in 2006, and come with EZ Vinyl Converter software, a new program by MixMeister that quickly converts vinyl tracks directly to iTunes. Other new features include a dust cover to protect the record; built-in pre-amps eliminating the need for an audio receiver with phono-in jack; integrated RCA cables; and 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM playback speeds. Read More

Pacemaker puts a DJ rig in your pocket

By Tim Hanlon

June 5, 2007 We've seen iPod DJ solutions like the Numark iDJ before, but now the next logical step has arrived. The Pacemaker is a 120 GB portable music player that doubles as a fully functional DJ setup, giving it the somewhat bizarre title of the world's first pocket-sized DJ rig. Read More

The US$4000+ Gresso 1GB MP3 player

By Mike Hanlon

February 19, 2007 In November we wrote about the newest of the elite mobile phone manufacturers, Gresso, which makes phones from 200 year-old African Blackwood and Gold. Now Gresso is to diversify and has announced a collection of ultra-exclusive Mp3 players, to be called Symphonia, and the idea to create an Mp3 player that is dedicated to create a device for those customers who demand the ultimate craftsmanship and exceptional design. Four Symphonia models will be released in Q2, 2007, being made from Blackwood and White Gold, Blackwood and Pink Gold, White Gold and Pink Gold respectively, with the same ancient blackwood and 18 carat gold in each case, with prices ranging from EUR 3000 (US$4000) to EUR 5000 (US$6500). Read More

Horntones enables your car horn to play MP3s

By Mike Hanlon

February 14, 2007 We’re reserving judgement on this one, though it definitely deserves comment. Horntones is a Californian company which will begin selling its US$150 car horn customisation tool in April. Basically, it enables your car horn to play any sound file – music, voices, rude sounds, sirens … anything. You’ll also need to pony up the readies for an amplifier and the sounds are loaded to the unit via a USB flash drive. The Horntones unit can be installed in or sit atop the dash and holds eight sounds – more than enough to offend almost everybody, with the constabulary included no doubt. While we think that customising your car horn is kinda cool, we also think it’s kinda scarey that such tools can be sold to people without them undergoing an IQ test first - this device has the potential to cause uncertainty on the roads, or worse. Read More

US$500 wrist watch telephone and MP3/MP4 player

By Mike Hanlon

December 5, 2006 The wrist watch telephone has been one of the most anticipated gadgets in history, having been introduced to the public psyche by Chester Gould’s globally-syndicated newspaper comic strips featuring Detective Dick Tracy who began using a wristwatch phone in 1946 (supersleuth Tracy was quite the technophile, with his wrist phone becoming a two-way video watch in 1964, and a wireless wrist-worn computer in 1987). Now the dreams of a billion people are about to be answered with the coming launch of a miniscule (43 x 56 x 16.8 mm) US$500 wristwatch weighing just 45 grams (1.6 ounces) with a 96 x 74 Pixel touch screen and as well as making and receiving phone calls (GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz Tri mode (HW and SW) it’ll play MP3s and MP4 videos. Initially expected to be available in mid-2007 in Pastel Blue & Pink, Baby Blue & Pink, Navy Blue, Electric Blue, Red, Yellow, Black and Grey, there’s also a range of upmarket versions in the design phase (see design sketches in the image gallery) made in 18 carat gold, black titanium and other exotic substances. Read More

iRiver S10 - postage stamp-sized audio video player and recorder

By Mike Hanlon

November 20, 2006 iRiver released an interesting new personal media device onto its home Japanese market last Friday (November 17) which is one of the first of an entirely new breed of wearable device that combines the elegance of jewelery with some compelling functionality. Firstly the S10 is little larger than a postage stamp and with dimensions of 42 x 30 x 10.8 mm, small and light enough (17.5 grams) so it won’t get in the way. It also has a small 96 x 128 pixel, 65,000 color 1.15 inch OLED screen which can play MPEG-4 video or run a slide show and its Lithium polymer battery offers eight hours of continuous playback so the lights don’t go before the party's over. Read More

The FMP3 watch, USB seat warmer and a bunch of other things you didn’t realise you needed

By Mike Hanlon

November 13, 2006 The impact of ubiquitous personal digital technology on the way we live is only starting to become evident, though it’s a safe bet that what we do and say is far more likely to be recorded (and published) than ever before given that most people in developed nations are now carrying an audio recording device (in their MP3 player or phone), a digital camera (in their phone) and perhaps even a digital video recording device in one of their toys too. That’s one of the aspects of RareMonoShop’s new FMP3 watch that we think makes it a killer app. The otherwise normal-looking watch can record up to a Gigabyte of conversation/negotiations and suddenly the worth of that verbal contract being the paper it’s written on (i.e. nada) increases substantially in value. Apart from service as a covert recording device, there are several other aspects of the FMP3 watch that make it a winner – it records audio direct from any source such as a CD player or radio, with or without a computer (USB2.0 and Windows or Mac), has an FM transmitter which means you can play it through your car audio system and sells with 1GB memory for JPY16,800 (US$143) and 500MB for JPY12,800.00 (US$109). A few examples of other new products to be sold from the new English-language website designed for international customers include a clever portable Aluminium lap-desk, a laptop holder for the car, a Silent Keyboard/Mouse and a bunch of USB-powered devices such as a bottle cooler and warmer, an Aroma Diffuser, Warmer Slippers/Gloves, Seat Warmer, Eye Warmer and a 9 port USB Hub that looks like a Gold Ingot. The new web site opens this week though we have the Japanese-language address if you want a sneak peak. Read More

Tivo-like device records web and FM audio and converts to MP3

By Mike Hanlon

October 30, 2006 Two of the age old problems facing every audiophile consumer appear to have been solved by a US$50 USB-thumbdrive-sized device. Instant FM Music plugs into your computer’s USB Port, enabling you to tune to your favourite FM or Web Radio station and record the station's entire playlist, at the same time as identifying the individual tracks for easy playback. So you’ll never have to listen to the radio and wonder what the name/artist of a track might be, or where you might get it. A complete USB hardware/software solution, the device finds and records the user’s favorite songs, podcasts and sporting events automatically, separates, identifies and labels the songs using a combination of Snaptune One and the company’s own the company’s own analog-to-digital audio converter and Radio Data Reception System (RDS) capture technology. This technology combines with the software’s other tools to enable consumers to easily tune across the entire FM band, record live broadcasts and view displays of RDS/RBDS data such as station call letters, radio text and more on their PC monitor. Read More