Archive for the 'Gadget' Category
IDAPT, a Spanish company specializing in mobile energy technology, is announcing its portable charging systems product line for 2010. The three models in the IDAPT line – i4, i3, and i2 – were showcased at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.
IDAPT charging stations bring a complete and affordable solution to consumers with multiple mobile devices that each have unique charging cords. Its simple interchangeable tips system allows users to charge up to four devices at once without the mess of four different tangled wires, or the need for more than one outlet plug.
Of course, different mobile users have different needs: IDAPT’s models give consumers the option for more or less charging capacity. The i4, which is the highlight of the product line, has four points of charge, including a USB port. The i3 and i2 offer three and two points, respectively, and use the same interchangeable tips as the i4.
The IDAPT interchangeable tips are compatible with over 3,500 devices (Apple, Garmin, Blackberry, Sony, Nintendo, etc.), making the IDAPT a completely customizable charging solution for any home, office, or bedroom. IDAPT is committed to forward capability by creating new charging tips as soon as new devices hit the market. Users will also appreciate the two-button “quick release” feature to the tips, which allows for safe and easy ejection.
“We understand the modern hassle of juggling several different charging systems on a daily basis,” says Jeremy Patay of IDAPT. “That’s why we created the IDAPT: it offers organization and powerful simplicity for a truly affordable price.”
More reasonably priced than its competitors, the IDAPT universal charger is available from $34.95, which includes 6 charging tips. Additional tips can also be sold separately for $9.99 each. For more information, visit www.idaptweb.com or email contact@idaptweb.com.
Amulet Devices will launch their new second generation voice-enabled Remote control for Windows Media Center at CES 2010 in Las Vegas, running from 7-10 January.
Fully compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 Media Center, as well as supporting existing Windows Vista users, the Amulet Remote uses simple voice commands to provide instant access to any media item in your digital library – music, television programs, movies, home videos and photos.
Building on the company’s previous successful voice-enabled remote for Windows Vista, a CES i-stage nominee, the new product features a sleek new case design, improved voice capability and full IR learning capability.
CEO Garry McMullan said, “CES is the most important show we attend each year, and we can’t wait to let visitors get some hands on experience with our new model. I know they’ll be amazed.”
President, Amulet Devices US Pat Lawless added, “The early feedback from customers who have previewed the new Amulet Remote has been exceptional, and demand is very high. This is the remote Media Center users have been waiting for.”
In conjunction with product availability Amulet Devices are launching an Early Adopter Program (EAP) for a select number of end-users and resellers. Early adopters will have access to the newest Amulet® products and the opportunity to provide suggestions on the features of new products before they are released.
The Windows 7 Amulet Voice Remote is due to ship in Q1 2010 and will retail for $249. For more information, including demonstration videos, visit the company’s website at www.amuletdevices.com.
Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics, Inc., today introduced the new MIX™ (iMT800) digital boombox for iPhone and iPod. The MIX features a retro audio rack-style design and a powerful built-in subwoofer to thump big bass from the heart of your scene. Compatible with both iPhone and iPod, the MIX also includes two top-mounted auxiliary inputs plus onboard FM radio and a seven-band graphic equalizer. Its towering volume, perfect clarity and heavyweight bass make the new MIX the ultimate sound system for any party.
“The MIX is the genuine ‘next generation’ boombox for the way music enthusiasts are playing their music today,” said Ed Benforado, Product Category Director. “With rugged style and high end sound, the MIX is perfect for those ‘unofficial DJs’ who like to start their parties with sound. They can ‘mix it up’ between three music player inputs – a 30-pin dock connector for the iPhone and iPod and also two front-facing 3.5mm jacks — so everyone can jump in with their jams. And we’ve included heavy-duty carry handles and battery operation to take the MIX on the road or around the house just as easily.”
Geared to keep the party jumping, the MIX drives your favorite music through specially engineered horn-loaded tweeters and mid-range drivers. The 5.25” side-firing subwoofer and 5.25” tuned passive radiator pump out natural roaring bass, further enhanced with XdB technology for extra heavy punch. A digital 7-band graphic equalizer allows music lovers to quickly tailor the sound to their preferred taste. True to its retro boombox roots, the MIX runs on AC or gives 30 hours of play time on 8 D-cell batteries, even sporting a built-in battery life display.
Made for iPod and Apple-certified to “Work with iPhone,” the MIX is engineered to be immune to GSM signals, therefore preventing the speakers from picking up potential intermittent noises emitted by the iPhone or other mobile devices. The music pauses and resumes play before and after taking a voice call without ever switching the iPhone to airplane mode.
The MIX also includes a clip-on carabineer remote control so you don’t lose it at the party. Between parties, a built-in cubby secures the remote so it can always be found.
Go to www.alteclansing.com/fallpk2009 for the full MIX “inspiration” story.
Features
Crystal-clear high end – Specially engineered horn-loaded silk dome tweeters designed for smooth, wide dispersion.
Full mid-range – Two custom-designed drivers push room-filling mids and mid bass.
Fierce bass – XdB bass-enhanced side-firing subwoofer and tuned passive radiator deliver formidable bass.
· Audio Alignment™ – Drivers, enclosure and electronics are balanced for optimum sound.
Digital FM radio – Tune in to clean reception with telescopic antenna and four station presets.
AC or battery-powered – Plug in or lose the wires with up to 30 hours of play with 8 D batteries. Battery life is displayed on LCD.
Dual AUX IN jacks – Connect up to two additional audio players via front-facing 3.5mm jacks.
· Clip-on remote – Enhanced wireless carabineer remote provides song and playlist navigation.
Music Pause – Automatically pauses music when a call is received on the iPhone.
Interference Free – Unique design is immune to mobile phone interference, eliminating the need to switch to airplane mode.
· At-A-Glance LCD – Track, artist, album and station display.
Customizable EQ’s – Multiple EQ modes let you adjust your sound, including 7-band graphic equalizer, four EQ presets and separate Bass and Treble controls.
Onboard controls – Control most functions from the unit.
Universal dock for iPhone and iPod – Recharges while it plays your tunes.
Pricing and Availability
The Altec Lansing MIX (iMT800) is now available at Apple retail stores, BestBuy.com, Amazon and other leading consumer electronics retailers, as well as at www.alteclansing.com. MSRP is US$299.95.
For more information on the complete new Fall 2009 audio collection from Altec Lansing, visit www.alteclansing.com.
Easy & Convenient To Use
Using Voyager is so simple: just insert any standard 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA I/II hard drive (up to 2.0TB) into Voyager’s compact docking base and select the fastest of the four interfaces supported by your computer for read/write data speeds of up to 3.0Gb/s. There’s nothing else to install or configure. Voyager saves users the time and inconvenience of installing a hard drive into a computer or using an external hard drive enclosure with limited interfaces and slower speeds.
Plug and Play Hot-Swap Ready
With the most interfaces available on the market, Voyager provides Plug and Play ease of use for a fast external hard drive solution that works with both Macs and PCs. In fact, Voyager is so easy to use, that combined with today’s low cost of hard drive storage, users can think of a bare SATA I/II drive as being as convenient to use as a flash memory card, with the same instant access benefits and the addition of huge storage capacity gains. In addition, Voyager is completely hot-swappable for consumers wanting to move multiple drives at will while their computer is on and running. Its unique design and drive eject button makes inserting, using, and removing SATA I/II hard drives a safe and effortless procedure.
Ideal Solution for Storage Archives
The ideal solution for storage archives, professional photographers, videographers, and other hard drive storage archivers will no longer need multiple drive enclosures and power supplies for every archived hard drive. “Whether consumers want to re-task an older swapped-out hard drive, need to access multiple drives, or want to add big capacity, low cost external storage capacity to their desktop, Voyager is able to travel any computer user’s data universe needs with ease,” said Grant Dahlke, NewerTech’s Product Manager. “Its design and ‘Quad Interface’ functionality offer high speed ‘slide and swap’ hard drive read/write performance and convenience never before available.”
NewerTech Voyager Features:
• Supports all 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA I/II hard drives up to 2.0TB
• “Quad Interface” for maximum system compatibility and data transfer rates
• Data transfer rates up to 3.0Gb/s (300MB/s)
• Push button drive eject for safe hard drive removal
• Hot-Swap functionality for fast access of multiple hard drives
• Weighted base and non skid rubber feet for stable operation
• 2-Color Status LED: left side blue for power on, right side flashing red for disk activity
• Compact design: measures 5.28″ x 3.70″ x 2.68″ inches and weighs 1.35lbs without drive
• Whisper Quiet operation – no cooling fan needed
• Plug and Play with Macs and PCs
• All interface connection cables included
• RoHS Compliant
• One year warranty
NewerTech Voyager is priced at $99.95 MSRP and is available immediately from NewerTech’s exclusive distributor, Other World Computing (OWC®), at www.macsales.com, as well as through the retail channel. Voyager includes all its supported interface connector cables and an auto-switching power supply for worldwide compatibility. For more information, visit: http://www.newertech.com/products/voyager.php Additionally, OWC has created five Voyager/Hard Drive Bundles priced starting at $157.99 to offer consumers the ultimate in convenience and economy. For details, visit http://eshop.macsales.com/search/Voyager
Proporta have teamed up with Mixa to offer all Proporta customers the chance to win something rather special. Mixa is a pretty cool website which customises cassette tapes (remember them?) with bespoke designs and then sends them out ready to be recorded (and re-recorded) with all your favourite tunes.
Mixa have been kind enough to give Proporta three gift codes to supply their customers with free mix-tapes, which you will be able to design for yourselves online. All you need to do to be in with the chance of getting your mitts one is confess your deepest darkest secrets to Proporta…
Proporta believe that a problem shared is a problem halved and so are giving you the opportunity to own up and confess to your worst ever music purchase. Repent your sins and clear your conscience, by posting the name and artist of the song you’d rather forget about on their Confession Board. Proporta will then decide whose confession deserves a prize (so don’t be shy).
As not to leave anyone out (or if your secrets are going to remain as such) Mixa have also been kind enough to give Proporta an exclusive online discount which entitles Proporta customers to 15% off Mixa products. To use your discount simply enter ‘ProportaMIXA’ on the Mixa website.
Awarded Consumers Digest’s “Best Buys in Digital Photo Frames” in the “Premium Selection” category, Image Moments 6 is one of the most upscale and feature-rich digital photo frames available, built for those that demand only the highest quality. Perfect for corporate executives, Image Moments 6 features a stunning two-tone chrome finish; beautiful screen; compact footprint; and advanced operating system features for the highest quality digital frame on the market.
Image Moments 6 (model IMT-063), along with its larger sibling, Image Moments 8 (model IMT-083) with its larger 8-inch 800×600 resolution screen, are based on a unique operating system with advanced functions not found on other digital photo frames.
Highlighted Features of Image Moments 6 include:
It took a group of Stanford and Princeton music PhD’s (see, even these guys know the needs of Stoners every where) to come up with a safe way to show the rockers on stage that we can bring them a light show from the vast sea of die hard fans. Sonic Lighter is totally realistic and allows you to not just light the flame but also interact with it. Touch it and watch it dance around your finger. Tip the phone to the side and watch it burn the insides of your Cupertino-designed hardware. Blow at the flame (and blow long) and watch the flame extinguish! But if that wasn’t enough, worry not my pyro, you can find others with your same love around the country lighting up by glancing the global flame map.
Now, others have offered far much less than this wonderful flaming piece of software so at a penny under a dollar, it’s a steal. A fire sale, almost! So after watching the video demo of it on YouTube, purchase it on the App Store and impress all your rocking friends tonight!
So you’ve got to go somewhere this Labor Day weekend, huh? Looking for the right GPS to take you there? But you want one with some sweet swag? Easy to use? Maybe even something the “other guys” don’t have? But, its got to be a good brand. Well, the TomTom GO 930 may be your catch. With address voice input, Bluetooth speakerphone, Advanced Lane Guidance, traffic updates, and Mr. T to tell you where to turn, we couldn’t think of another GPS to suggest (until our next review, maybe.)
Before you shove off to your long weekend, we suggest reading the long and full-of-meat review of the TomTom GO 930. If you don’t have too much time, like all of our reviews, you can read The Bottom Line and the Overview for the quickie. But do at least print it out and read it sometime this weekend. It took us a long time to write. 
Effective immediately, DBL will begin marketing SPOT-1 to customers nationwide. This state-of-the-art personal messenger with GPS tracking, once activated by a satellite subscription, will send the exact coordinates of your location to International Emergency Response Center or 9-1-1. If your exact coordinates cannot be obtained, the device will send a distress signal instead. Other excellent features include personal messaging capabilities that reaches out to friends and family to request for help or to let them know you are okay. In addition, SPOTcastingSM sends a message to your account every 10 minutes, allowing your friends and family to view your entire route through GoogleMapsTM. Designed for maximum reliability, Spot performs a self diagnostic test every time it is powered on. It works worldwide and even in the most remote areas where cell phone service is scarce.
“This new and innovative product and technology introduced by Spot has revolutionized the navigational market,” stated Tim Coakley, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for DBL Distributing. “Its tremendous versatility coupled with its unique functionality greatly appeals to customers within our navigational product segment.”
SPOT-1 was included in DBL’s new Spring/Summer catalog featuring nearly 520 product lines, 5,200 new items and over 20,600 products. To order SPOT-1, please call DBL’s dedicated sales staff at 800.733.6766 or order online at www.dbldistributing.com.