Retro Mini Speaker with MP3 player

Posted in Speakers by Conner Flynn on November 2nd, 2009

Retro Mini Speaker with MP3 playerFu-bi of Japan has dropped this Retro Cube Mini Speaker with MP3 Player. It’s just like it sounds, a retro 3W x 2-channel speaker with built-in MP3 playback capability. It allows you to hook it up to your ipod or PC via USB 2.0.

The internal battery provides up to 3 hours of audio, and you can also play music directly from an SD/SDHC memory card. It’s available in Japan now for $50. We have no idea if it will show up elsewhere.

Hands On: Sansa Clip+

Posted in Review by Conner Flynn on October 12th, 2009

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 playerSanDisk sent us a complimentary Sansa Clip+ to check out. After using it for several days, we’re ready to share our thoughts on the device. The original Sansa Clip has been a popular choice where cheap mp3 players are concerned and the Sansa Clip+ is even better.

The design beats the original, with a larger capacity and better features. The first thing that you notice is how durable this thing is. Despite it’s tiny size, it looks and feels tough. It’s definitely more durable than your average mp3 player. And it feels natural in your hand.

Spy camera disguised as iPod shuffle

Posted in Spy Gear by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

Spy camera disguised as iPod shuffleWe’ve seen plenty of spy cameras, but this one takes the form of something more commonplace that many of us have clipped to our persons. A fake iPod shuffle. The “Mini MP3 Cam DVR” as it’s called is an old shuffle lookalike with a 1.3-megapixel video camera, a TF slot and a rechargeable battery.

Once you turn it on, this small spy cam begins recording 640 x 480 20fps AVI video or taking JPEG shots. You can retrieve them via USB. No one will suspect that you are spying on them.

EU to mandate MP3 player volume limits

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on September 28th, 2009

New ZuneHD imagesThe European Commission has set volume limits for MP3 players in all European Union member states. This means that your Zune HD or other mp3 player will not be allowed to output anything louder than 80 decibels under the default settings.

Officials argue that the limits are necessary since devices can play music at levels loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage and they do so without warning listeners. The EU mandate will still allow users to override the settings as long as they’re informed about the possible consequences.

Hello Kitty MP3 player

Posted in Hello Kitty by Conner Flynn on September 14th, 2009

Hello Kitty MP3 playerHello Kitty strikes again. iRiver just unveiled their latest MP3 player in the likeness of the Little furball. As usual with this sort of thing, don’t expect great specs. It’s basically a paperweight that plays music. It features 2GB of storage space, MP3 and WMA support and an integrated FM radio with no display.

It’s available in Japan for about $60 and we hope it stays there. I guess the lame specs show what the Hello Kitty people think of their fans. Just slap a cat face on it and people will buy it.

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player

Posted in SanDisk by Conner Flynn on August 31st, 2009

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 playerRemember slotRadio? SanDisk’s microSD cards that load into mp3 players? Well SanDisk has released the Clip+, another player that uses the strange format. So they haven’t given up yet. The Clip+ looks like your standard entry-level MP3 player and is an update to the original Clip.

It features an FM radio and 2GB to 8GB of storage, with prices ranging from $40 to $70, and you can navigate using it’s one inch OLED screen. If you like what you see, it will be available online tomorrow and appear in stores on September 13th.

USB Cassette MP3 player

Posted in MP3 by Conner Flynn on August 30th, 2009

USB Cassette MP3 playerSome devices suffer from an identity crisis. Like this guy, the USB Cassette MP3 Player. It’s designed to look like your run of the mill outdated plastic cassette, and is even the same size, so that it fits into your vehicle’s cassette deck (assuming you still have one) for portability. It also sports an SD memory card slot that holds all of your songs in flash memory.

Just drag and drop to transfer your files from a computer. The memory size is only limited by the size of your SD memory card. It will cost you $22 and has all of the usual buttons to control audio playback and volume on one side. So is it just an updated cassette or an MP3 player?

Justin Timberlake’s “Play” cologne looks like an MP3 Player

Posted in MP3 by Conner Flynn on August 23rd, 2009

Justin Timberlake's "Play" cologne looks like an MP3 PlayerI have no idea why you would want to smell like Justine Timberlake thinks you should smell, but his “Play” cologne for Givenchy tries to take advantage of your love for gadgets by mimicking am MP3 player. The bottle was designed by Serge Mansau, who has created bottles for other Givenchy fragrances.

It features Play/Rewind/Forward touch buttons, but it’s all a fake. Rest assured that you will repel girls with your pop star smell and the poorly designed bottle is not even worth bragging about to your friends, who will dwindle in numbers as they each seek to escape the scented cloud of funk that is you.

Wiipod Wiimote mp3 player

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on August 20th, 2009

Wiipod Wiimote mp3 playerThis is a pretty cool idea. I wish I had thought of it. Modder goteking has turned a Wii remote into a music player. I never ever thought that I would see a Wiimote with headphones.

Under the hood is an iPod shuffle. Well, a fake iPod shuffle that has also been modified. It’s not often that we see a mod within a mod. It blows our minds. But mostly we just love how a Wiimote looks with headphones.

Archos Clipper released

Posted in Archos by Conner Flynn on July 28th, 2009

Archos Clipper releasedArchos just recently got into the small MP3 player market with the Clipper, which will obviously target the SanDisk Sansa Clip. All they did was add the “er”. Though I don’t think that SanDisk will be bothered much since Apple dominates them both in the portable media player market.

Like the Sansa Clip and Creative Zen Stone, the Archos Clipper has no display and is designed to be clipped onto your belt or pocket. For $30 you’ll get 2GB of storage space, but we’re not sure anyone is interested. Anyone?

Pill MP3 player to be produced later this year

Posted in MP3 by Conner Flynn on May 26th, 2009

Pill MP3 player to be produced later this yearWe’ve seen some crazy pill shaped concepts as well as actual pill shaped products, but this may be the strangest. An MP3 player/pill that is actually going into production later this year. You should see it by years end.

It’s for those who love pharmaceuticals a little too much. Which is half of America, so they likely will have a hit on their hands. At this point in our culture, if it even resembles a pill, people will want it. And this pill has no side effects like numbness in the limbs, stroke or even death. It measures 2.7 inches long and is about an inch in diameter. It pulls apart to unveil the controls, allowing you to twist forward and back to skip tracks.

Sony whips out X-series Walkman

Posted in Sony by Shane McGlaun on May 13th, 2009

sonyxwalkman-sbThe Sony Walkman has been around for decades. When I was a kid, the name was tied to big yellow cassette tape players. Later the Walkman was a huge set of earphones with a silver antenna a mile long for tuning FM radio. Today the Walkman name is on mobile phones and MP3 players.

Sony has announced a new top-of-the-line Walkman MP3 player called the X-series. The series has integrated Wi-Fi, Slacker Radio, YouTube and integrated noise reduction technology. The device is optimized for both audio and video with a 3-inch OLED touch screen with high contrast and fast response rates.

Podio MP3 player connects to bicycle handlebars

Posted in Media Players by Shane McGlaun on May 1st, 2009

podio-sbI haven’t been into riding bikes since I was like 10. There are lots of people in my area though that are really into riding bikes. I always wonder how safe it is to ride a bike in a city while wearing an MP3 player that blocks your hearing. After all, they wouldn’t be able to hear all the rednecks shouting profanities at them.

A company from Taiwan has a new MP3 player designed for portability and use without headphones called the Podio. The device is fully integrated into an 88mm long cylinder-shaped micro speaker. The music player portion of the device has 2GB of internal storage.

LG releases MP3 player and USB drive with touch-interface

Posted in MP3 by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2009

LG releases MP3 player and USB drive with touch-interfaceiPod haters have yet another option with the release of LG’s new UP3 Neon. Sort of looks like a Trek phaser and a fancy remote in one. You won’t see many new features, but you’ll get a unique design

We’re talking a combination MP3 player and USB drive that offers a touch interface, voice recording and between 2 and 4 gigabytes of data. We think this one is going to be a hit when it arrives on the Korean market for $41.

Ribbit MP3 player from Toys R Us

Posted in MP3 by Conner Flynn on April 5th, 2009

Ribbit MP3 player from Toys R UsWell, this is certainly the strangest MP3 player we’ve seen this week. Too bad they didn’t go all Kermit the Frog with this guy. They may have actually sold more. The Toys R Us ‘Ribbit’ MP3 player comes with five play modes (normal, repeat one, repeat all, folder, repeat folder). And an eight-mode equalizer.(normal, rock, pop, classical, bass, jazz, soft, and SRS WOW)

It also sports a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, play-list function, and support for seven languages. A built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery is the power source. Not bugs. You’ll get up to six hours of continuous playback with a fully charged battery.





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