New Gadgets

Walkmans and Discmans are passe, and an MP3 player or an iPod is what the majority of people are using. Listening to your MP3 player or iPod with headphones is fine if you are on the go, but if you want to play it out loud for yourself and your friends, an iPod dock is a great accessory to have (provided you have an iPod in the first place) There are so many of them available, and there is a dock for everybody. But how do you know if you are buying the right one? Here’s a step-by-step buying guide that’ll help you make the right decision.

Compatibility
Your first step would be to see whether your iPod is compatible with the docks of your choice. You will need an adapter for some of the earlier iPods, without which you will not be able to use the dock. With some earlier iPods, you may need to connect it using the connector cable, which actually does not make sense, as the iPod won’t get charged. However, all the new iPods will not have this problem, except for the iPod Shuffle, with which you will have no choice but to connect with a 3.5 mm pin like you would any other MP3 player. The great thing about having a dock is that you can also connect an iPhone to most of them, although some of them might not mention this feature. However do take care, some docks really are non-compatible, and you may experience some irritating noises when your cell phone is about to ring.

Usage, Price and Size
What do you want to use your iPod dock for? Do you want it to be a party entertainer when your friends and family come over, would you like to use it for backing tracks while you practice your bathroom singing, or would you like to use it on the go? There are a lot of other factors that come into play here. And all these factors are linked to each other. For instance, budget. You can get a small iPod dock like the JBL On Stage Micro for Rs 4,990 or if you’re feeling rich, the Bose SoundDock 10 for around eight times the price. Of course, there are plenty of other docks that are cheaper and way more expensive as well.

When you’ve figured out how much you want to spend, the next step is to ensure you know what you will be using the dock for. If it is too small, it most certainly won’t be the life at parties, and if it is too big, well there’s the size and the fact that you won’t be able to keep it at your bedside table. Another aspect you should definitely look at is whether it is battery operated if you plan on carrying it around with you.

Sound
It is really easy to say ‘just buy the one that sounds best’, but how do you know if the sound is really good? You need to check for telltale signs of bad drivers and digital-to-analog convertors (DAC). If you buy some cheap junk, you might think you are saving money, but the audio quality will definitely suffer. So make sure that there are no excess vibrations coming from the dock and that the bass is sufficient. Also, ensure that the sound doesn’t distort at high volumes, although this is likely to happen even with small docks from reputed companies.

Features
Many docks come with extra features such as alarm clocks, radio, dual-docking systems, etc. You might want something that has some of these features, or even a simple dock to charge your iPod/iPhone and listen to music. The more features you find on a dock, the more expensive it might be, and sometimes, these features are barely of any use. For instance, the JBL On time Micro has features such as brightness and contrast for a monochrome display. This is something they could’ve done without, in turn shaving off the price on an expensive, but otherwise good product.

There are other features that you might want in a dock too, such as an auxiliary input for plugging in your laptop, mobile phone or portable media player. Some small docks like the JBL On Stage Micro take it a step higher by providing audio outputs so you can connect them to louder speakers. This particular dock also has a mini USB port so you can hook it up to your PC.

Going the extra mile
There are some really extravagant pieces of audio equipment that also throw in an iPod docking system, for example, Panasonic’s SC-PT470 , which is a full-blown home theatre setup that has an iPod dock as well. This is a good option for those who want an all-in-one system where they can watch movies, as well as plug in their iPod or iPhone. But where one succeeds, another must fail, and Philips has done that with the HTS9140 Soundbar. Instead of keeping it simple, they’ve added an 8-pin connector and expect you to buy a separate dock from them to connect your iPod/iPhone.

If you do not on know what to spend the extra gigabytes of free memory of your iPod, the company Alesis offers to turn these players into real record system.
Thanks to Alesis ProTrack gadget your iPod will be a real portable recording studio, equipped with two professional XLR connectors, combined with 1/4-inch nests of jack type, as well as built-in stereo condenser.
Alesis ProTrack players are compatible with iPod Classic, iPod 5G and iPod nano 3G. This gadget will be a good tool for musicians, journalists, students, and podcasters. Cost devaysa – $ 200.

Can I record TV shows without a TV tuner card and a computer, and without a VCR? Today I discovered at least one new way of recording (and playing, by the way, too), after learning about a gadget called iRecorder.

iRecorder positioned as a device can record video from TV and transfer it to iPod (iPhone and iPod Touch are not supported). This recording will take one gigabyte memory for 3 hours of video. What is even more interesting, iRecorder can also play recorded video on the TV screen and be connected to almost any device that is able to work with USB and Mpeg4 video format.
Based on the functional gadget, I would rather call it a modern VCR than an adapter for iPod. By the way, iRecorder also has a remote control.
The price of this gadget is about $186.

Underwater diving is a popular means of recreation in a variety of seaside resorts. But even if in the water you cannot give up listening to your favorite music, then it is time to buy iDive 300.
This gadget is a special case for iPod players, which allows you to use these multimedia devices at a depth of 100 meters under water. At the same time you can control the iPod.
Imagine how nice it is to see your favorite movie or clip under water. Nevertheless, for such a pleasure you have to pay – $350.

If you get tired of watching videos on small screens of iPod music players or Nokia phones, then it is high time for Zeiss Cinemizer.
Zeiss Cinemizer is a glass that should be connected to the player or mobile phone and provide viewing video on 39-inch screen.

Zeiss Cinemizer weighs about 100 grams, and it gets power from the handheld device (mobile phone or player), and from its own battery that provides up to 4 hours. The gadget has built-in headphones and players compatible with iPod Classic, Nano and iTouch, as well as multimedia phones Nokia N95 and N96.
Price of Zeiss Cinemizer is 369 Euro.

Recently, it has been a noticeable trend to release gadgets that perform multiple functions. Even without taking into account the mobile phones that are both media players and cameras, we can recall a docking station for iPod with built-in alarm clock or, for example, digital photo frames, capable of operating as a stereo.

AmpLamp belongs to this class of devices, too, which, however, is still in the concept stage. This gadget is capable not only to illuminate the surroundings, but also can be used as an audio system.
In AmpLamp there are two interesting technologies, which, without doubt, will find their application in a variety of audio devices. Airsound technology through the use of several small speakers provides even sound distribution throughout the volume of space, while providing power 80 Tues A NXT technology allows you to turn any flat surface into a speaker.

Without charging even the most advanced gadget cannot work, so we have to constantly use chargers. If this situation does not suit you, then it is time to buy a universal 5-in-1 USB Charging cable and Data-Sync Cable.
This cable, which costs only $14, is not only able to charge portable game consoles PSP, Nintendo DS Lite, GBA SP and Nintendo DS Phat, as well as iPod from USB-port, but also to transfer data between the computer and PSP or iPod.

Good news for lovers of bicycles. With the help of their two-wheeled friend, soon they will be able to charge iPod, mobile phones or other portable gadgets with OHM Personal Energy Device.

For its work it is enough to consolidate the special magnets on the spokes of the wheels, install the charger and press the pedal. OHM Personal Energy Device has a built-in battery with a capacity of 1200 mA / h, the rate of charge depends only on the cyclist.
There is one “but”: OHM Personal Energy Device is still under development, but I would like to believe that such a useful gadget will find its place under the sun.

There are cases when you need to share new music with a friend, but unfortunately, there is no personal computer or laptop. iPod players are not suitable for wireless data transfer yet.

If you encounter this problem constantly, then you should pay attention to the little gadget with a long name iPod to iPod Transfer Device, which is designed for fast and easy transfer of music, videos and pictures between the two Apple iPod players.

This device automatically determines the player which is connected to its terminals, and then you can easily transmit multimedia data. The average 3-minute song is transferred in 5 seconds, and 30-minute video – 3 minutes. If the players are working in the mode of “disk drive”, then you can transfer any type of data between them.

The battery of iPod to  ensures continuous operation during half hours without recharging. Dimensions of this device are 1,9 x5, 7h8, 3 cm, weight – 60 grams. The cost of the gadget is $100.

We often write about speakers with different shapes, sizes, types, colors, etc. Today I have a very interesting sample – glamorous Pig-Speakers. I will tell you about it in this article as I think that this unusual gadget is worth attention. Producers promise not only a beautiful design, but also a good sound quality.

Speakers are built into the eyes, ears and lower part of the body. With the new technology you can increase or decrease the volume just by touching ears of the pig. In addition, in place of the mouth is integrated LED display, which glows green when the column operates.
Piggy LoudSpeaker works with PC, MP3, MP4, iPod, etc. Dimensions: 15 cm x15cm x15cm. It is available in two colors – white and pink. Amazing price of such a seemingly simple gadget is $95.