The iPod in all its various forms is the indisputable king of the portable media player market: more than 200 million have been sold since they first launched in 2001, and it’s estimated that over 70% of the mp3 players sold in the USA are iPods. (Source: The Guardian Technology blog 1 & 2)
But the tide might be beginning to turn: for the very first time Apple has seen a fall in iPod sales. There are certainly plenty of competitors for the iPod’s crown, many of them offering features not available on Apple’s player. Let’s take a look at the 5 coolest features on offer.
1. Radio
It may sound prosaic, but having a radio in your player opens up a whole new range of listening possibilities, whether it’s following the progress of the cricket or discovering new music from your favourite DJ. FM radio MP3 players have long been common outside the Apple fold, but now you can also get mp3 players with DAB radio for a better quality radio signal.
2. Waterproof Work-out music doesn’t have to be just for dry land. Aquatic expert Speedo makes the sturdy 1GB Aquabeat player, while New Universe makes the Dolphin Touch, a tiny waterproof mp3 player with a touchscreen, 4GB storage and FM radio.
3. Sonic search
Sony’s iPod Shuffle competitor, the NWZ-W202, boasts ‘Zappin’ technology that allows you to to search through the songs on your device by listening to the first few seconds of the chorus. If that isn’t enough to sway you, the design of the NWZ-W202 is pretty nifty too. Sony have miniaturised the workings of the player enough so that the whole device is incorporated into the headphones.
4. Wind-up battery Not just for the eco-conscious, the Revolution Eco media player means you’ll never be stuck with a dead battery and no music. One minute of winding gives you enough power for 45 minutes of music - and the generator can also act as an emergency mobile charger. The Eco also plays videos and FM radio and can record radio for later listening.
5. Dancing light-show
Perhaps not the most useful feature, but certainly a lot of fun. The Sony Rolly twists, moves and flashes different coloured lights in time to the beat of the music playing out of its in-built speakers. If nothing else, it’s inspired a massive (and often very funny) YouTube following.
And if none of these features grab you, be assured that more conventional PMPs are catching Apple up in offering iPod-style features. The Sonix 7 incorporates an ebook reader, the Sony S series walkmen and E series walkmen let you watch downloaded iPlayer content, and the premium Archos media tablet range do pretty much everything the iPod Touch can.
This week’s Gadget Watch is all about trees. Metal trees, that is. This fab looking sculpture will not only be an interesting addition to any room but it will also be your one stop shop (or tree), for charging MP3s, mobile phones, cameras and other small, battery operated devices.
How? Well, each of the leaves is actually a solar panel. These 54 solar panels or photovoltaic panels, to be exact, will store energy that can then be used to charge you favourite gadgets.
Pretty different, hey? Each piece is also movable so you can make it even more original by creating your own shapes.
A fun and great looking product that will save you money and give you that nice warm feeling to know that you’re helping to save the planet too.
It was designed by French genius, Vivien Muller and is not yet on the market but we’ll keep you posted.
If you’re mad about music and own a load of old-school LPs, you might like this week’s Gadget Watch. You can now easily convert your old vinyls into super new MP3s and take them everywhere with you on your iPod.
The LP Dock will let you transfer songs either through your PC via the USB cable or direct to your iPod. If you go through your PC, the Gracenote MusicID techonology that comes with this genius device will automatically retrieve all of the artist, album and song info for you. And no worries if your vinyls are a little scratched, this software will sort all that out for you too!
You can also use the LP Dock to play your LPs through your HiFi system. Pretty cool, hey?! You can pick one up for £129 or $259.95.
It seems us Brits are baffled by modern technology that was sent to help us. According to a poll of 2000 people (by the folks over at Reevoo), mobile phones, SatNavs and even TV remotes send us into panic and rage when we can’t figure out how to use them. In fact, a whopping 32% of people admitted to throwing a complicated gadget across the room when they couldn’t work out what to do with it.
Digital cameras were voted the most complicated with SatNavs and mobile phones close behind. Interestingly though, people are obviously happy to live in confusion with their SatNavs, as only 6% actually read the manuals!
More alarming is that the same numbers of us are as baffled by our laptops as our ovens (the nation’s health crisis suddenly makes sense now…). And people are more inclined to read their TV manual over their oven’s. Hmmmm.
And even when a device goes wrong, more than a quarter will try to fix it themselves, or even buy a new one, instead of turning to the instructions.
Here’s the full list of things we find complicated:
1. Digital Camera - 26% 2. GPS navigation - 21% 3. Mobile phone - 19% 4. Washing machine - 18% 5. Camcorder - 17% 6. DVD player - 15% 7. Games console - 13% 8. TV remote control - 13% 9. MP3 player - 13% 10. Microwave - 12% 11. Computer - 12% 12. Digital photo frame - 12% 13. Scanner - 11% 14. Laptop - 10% 15. Television - 10% 16. Modem - 10% 17. Oven - 9% 18. Printer - 9% 19. Answer machine - 9% 20. Freeview box - 8% 21. Broadband - 8% 22. Sky - 8% 23. Dishwasher - 7% 24. Digital TV - 7% 25. Hi Fi system - 7% 26. Tumble dryer - 6% 27. Iron - 6% 28. Telephone - 6% 29. Clock Radio - 5% 30. Smoke alarm - 5% 31. Electric timer - 5% 32. Smoothie maker - 5% 33. Alarm clock - 4% 34. Blender - 4%
…and how many people bother to read the manuals for these items:
1. I don’t read manuals - 46% 2. Mobile phone - 19% 3. Washing machine - 17% 4. Television - 16% 5. Digital Camera - 14% 6. Microwave - 11% 7. Oven - 10% 8. DVD player - 10% 9. MP3 player - 9% 10. Laptop - 9% 11. Computer - 8% 12. Printer - 8% 13. TV remote control - 8% 14. Broadband - 8% 15. Telephone - 7% 16. Tumble dryer - 6% 17. Iron - 6% 18. GPS navigation - 6% 19. Camcorder - 6% 20. Dishwasher - 6% 21. Hi Fi system - 6% 22. Scanner - 5% 23. Freeview box - 5% 24. Answer machine - 5% 25. Alarm clock - 5% 26. Modem - 5% 27. Smoke alarm - 5% 28. Clock Radio - 5% 29. Games console - 5% 30. Sky - 4% 31. Digital TV - 4% 32. Digital photo frame - 3% 33. Electric timer - 2%
Possibly the strangest gadget ever. It’s got a rating of 9.1/10 on Reevoo from a whopping 67 reviews and everyone raves about it. But what is it??
It’s a Zoundz. An “Interactive Fusion Of Light And Sound”. Well there you go then.
For those of you who are still none the wiser, it’s a base unit that comes with a variety of figures. Each figure, when placed on the unit in different positions, plays a different beat or riff – so you can create your own classic tunes.
You can then use your tunes to wake you up by using its alarm function or you can play your iPod through its built-in speakers. It’ll even give you a nice light show at the same time.
People really are quite literally raving about this thing. Here are some of the reviews:
“Quite simply the best present I have ever purchased for anyone ever!” “it is simp[ly], the best fun you can have with your clothes on” “Very cool addictive gadget - a must have” “A very silly way for even the most ham-fisted numpty to make music”
There are more Zoundz reviews here, if you want to get caught up in the madness. You can pick one up for around £15 but funnily enough, they’re out of stock in both the Gadgetshop and Firebox and Amazon!
Following on from our fun iPod docks post, we’ve got a cracking set of iPod skins and cases for you today.
I had to start with the iFrogz Tadpole iPod Case, which is meant to be for children but I was semi-tempted. It’s bright and extra shock absorbent so that you don’t have to worry about little ones (or slightly larger ones), dropping them. It also means that you’ll never lose it in your handbag…It’s 100% coated silicon so that it repels dust and lint. This is compatible with 30, 60 or 80GB iPod Classics and will set you back £24.99.
If you’re a more stylish individual, may I suggest this leather case for your Classic? Toro’s Treo leather case has a clear plastic screen protector so that you never lose sight of your music and a rotating belt clip that (I didn’t write this bit) “lets you experiment the best fit to look as snazzy as possible”. They’re £12.99 and come in pink and brown leather.
If you like a patterned case, there’s bunch of cool cases called Gelaskins. They come in different sizes for different types of iPod. This one is the Red Robot design but you can be as bold or as understated as you like because there are loads of different designs. This 2nd Generation Nano case is £9.99 and available over at iPod World.
For flashy types, the Griffin Technology disko is the case for you. As well as the protective, tough polycarbonate shell, the LEDs flash and swirl away in motion-activated light sequences. Forget disco balls, this can control a party all on its own. They’re £16.95 from MacHeaven.
For the cautious amongst you, why not keep your iPod from thieves by disguising it as a…hymn book? The case is designed for 30, 60 and 80GB Classics but if you have any other make that’s about the same size, it should work for them too. For £15,’cherishing’ your music has never been so easy. (sorry).
If you’re debating over whether or not to get an iPod or another brand of player, you can read the MP3 player reviews to help you decide. If you’re set on getting an iPod, check out all of the iPod reviews so that you can find the best one for you.
I think we can now officially say it’s summer, so to celebrate, I’ve picked out a few summer essentials to help you make the most of the weather before it’s too late.
You can’t enjoy summer without a lovely fruit juice at your side so I’ve checked out which juicer shoppers consider the best. At the moment, the Philips HR1861 is top with 8.6/10. It’s a 2 litre stainless steel super machine that pulverises whole fruit into juice in seconds. Shoppers hardly have a bad word to say about it. Check out the juicer reviews to see for yourselves.
As gadgets are always on my mind, I feel the need to insert a gadget I saw the other week that would be a perfect accompaniment to this juicer. Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact equivalent in the UK but for all of our US readers, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one. It’s a radio controlled drinks and snack holder for the pool. Summer can be a hot and sweaty business so don’t exert yourself, deliver snacks to friends in the pool without even having to move from your chair, or get snacks delivered to you on your lilo without having to get wet. For those of us in the UK, here’s an equivalent snack and drinks float that’s unfortunately not radio-controlled but it’s still pretty cool. All for £19.95.
If you don’t have a pool, how about one of these. It’s a 15 foot pool that can be put anywhere and it comes complete with a cover, ladder, pump and ground cloth. It’s £170 but surely it’s worth it for 3 days of sunshine a year?
And you’re going to need something to chill those drinks in. One of the best rated mini fridges is the Woolworths Micro Chiller. It’s a bargain at £14.
You’ll also be needing somewhere to sit, so how about this eight piece garden furniture set? It’s £199.99 and at the moment, it comes with a free sun lounger, worth £29.99.
And finally, no self-respecting sun worshipper can do so without some tunes. We featured the wireless outdoor iPod speaker a few weeks ago and I think it would be the perfect addition here. The speaker comes with a small transmitter that you plug your iPod
into. You can then apparently wander up to 240 feet away from the
speaker and still enjoy your favourite tunes. Perfect for the garden and wire free.
Some summer selections there. Here’s hoping we get some summer to enjoy them…
If you’ve succumbed to the iPod craze you’re either blissfully happy living in the land of the follower or you’re trying desperately to make it that little bit different to so that you can feel better about copying millions of other like-minded shoppers. There are plenty of things you can do to set you and your iPod apart from the crowd. We’re going to start off looking at iPod docks (but for those of you that don’t have an iPod, most of these will still work wonders on the other MP3 players out there too).
iPod docks are a necessity in any self-respecting trendsetter’s pad but how can you make yours unique? Well the guys over at the Japan Trend Shop have one idea (see above). The Zumreed Drop Speaker looks different and can be transported anywhere, including the bathroom as your iPod is tucked up nice and safe in the acrylic container. These come from overseas and are priced at $79 but they deliver to the UK. There’s a pretty good exchange rate at the moment so you could pick yourself up a bargain.
You may think I’ve gone slightly crazy with this next dock but I’m not the only one. They’re continually sold out so you have to get in there quick (may be something to do with the fact that they’re only £12.99 and they have some pretty good reviews). They’re called iPals and they’re an interesting way to house your iPod or any other MP3 player. They’ve got two speakers in their ‘ears’ which can be bent and rotated for maximum listening pleasure and they come in different colours and patterns.
If those two are a little too ‘out there’ for you, how about the stylish JBL Radial dock? It’s sleek and classy and has a stereo mini jack connection so that you can listen to most other MP3 players too. It’s £169.99 at the moment.
If retro’s your thing, maybe this iPod alarm clock that plays your favourite tunes to get you out of bed will interest you? It charges your iPod while you’re asleep and saves you from unwanted morning crooners. At £39.99, I think that’s a bargain.
At the opposite end of the scale, this next dock comes in at $1299.99! But it is a dock with a difference. The Miuro Robot can either hold your iPod inside it or just transfer everything from iTunes. It’s remote-controlled so you can press a button on the remote and your Miuro Robot will find you and bring all of your music with it . You can also control it with a joystick – much more fun. You may have already heard of it but if not, here’s a video so that you can see it in action. These guys also ship worldwide, should you be interested…
If boredom is a big issue for you, especially if you do a lot of travelling, this is the gadget for you. Forget iPods and PSPs, this is the accessory for the summer. It’s the MP4 Film and Music Playing Watch. Think James Bond without the missiles.
Ok, it’s only 4GBs but you can still store about six full-length films or 1000 songs or even 160 music videos on it. Not bad for some wrist action. What’s more, for those of you who are worried about how you could possibly watch your favourite movie on an average tiny watch screen, think again. This watch has an impressive 1.8 inch screen, without looking ridiculous and it comes with earphones and built-in mini speakers to complete your watch-ing experience (sorry, couldn’t resist that one).
If you fancy keeping other files on your watch, you can do that too. Its handy USB port connects to your computer with the cable provided so that you can also carry documents and pictures around with you. And if you have a meeting and you’ve forgotten your pen? No problems, it’s also a voice recorder!
You can pick one up at Paramount Zone for £49.95. The overall watch is black but you can choose from a smart silver screen-surround or a more fun blue.
The best bit is that you always take your watch with you so you won’t have to worry about remembering to pack your MP3 player, USB stick and dictaphone (I’m not entirely sure that anybody even uses dictaphones anymore but if you do, you can relieve yourself of a few grams) and, as one comment on the site says, it’s less likely to get pilfered than an MP3 player which you carry in your bag or pocket.
Always on the lookout for things that will make your lives a little simpler, I was looking through the products on Reevoo and I came across what looked like the perfect summer accessory – The wireless outdoor iPod speaker.
The speaker comes with a small transmitter that you plug your iPod into. You can then apparently wander up to 240 feet away from the speaker and still enjoy your favourite tunes.
Luckily for those of us in the UK, the gadget is splash proof so there’s no need to worry if you get caught out by a passing spot of rain…although, going by the weekend, it may be an idea to invest in a plastic cover or just practice sprinting.
You can either place the speaker on its flat base or you can use the handy garden spike. It runs on batteries and claims to have 6 hours of life in it. The detachable base also acts as a charging unit.
It sounds great on paper but I have to say that when you read the speaker reviews, they are pretty mixed. Andrew from Birmingham says that the device runs down after 3 minutes, whereas another reviewer says that it “Enables ipod etc to be used all over the house and in the garden - regardless of where its base/charger is”. The outdoor iPod speaker gets 7.2/10 and is recommended by 72% of people. It’s currently £49.99 so check out the reviews for yourself first, before you buy.
perfect accompaniment to this juicer. Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact equivalent in the UK but for all of our US readers, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one. It’s a 
If you don’t have a pool, how about one of these. It’s a 
You’ll also be needing somewhere to sit, so how about this 
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