Ed Sutherland - page 84

It’s true there is very little new under the sun. However, the way similar ideas are delivered can make all the difference. Take two very similar Nano cases introduced within days of each other. The Kickster ($14.35) from the community-design folks at Quirky is a case in point. Created for the latest generation of iPod Nano’s, the Kickster props up your iPod in either landscape or portrait orientation and can also serve as a great way to take hand-held video.

“Design by committee that actually works? Who’da thought?” mused Gadget Lab.

Now, flash back to Friday and another Nano kickstand case, but with a much different reception. Rather than being seen as useful, the kickBACK n5 from Scosche was seen a a gadget with an absurd name and design.

In order to break through the growing skepticism toward Yet Another Case, designers need to take note of Quirky, selling not only looks, but functionality.

[Via Gadget Lab]

We start the week with Apple’s $100 drop on the price of its 160GB Apple TV units to $229. Next we have the $20 Gigaware dual dock charger for iPods, plus a new round of freebies from the App Store.

For details on these and other bargains (such as the ProStockMaster software), check out CoM’s Daily Deals page.

The obsession over all things Mac now extends to your power cord. Yes, we’ve written about the zen of an unclutter desk and stylish storage for your iMac or MacBook. Now it’s time to tame the jungle of cords and wires with the Powercurl.

The brightly-colored PowerCurl is from the folks at Quirky, the people who make on-demand Mac products. (Earlier this week I wrote about the Scratch-n-Roll mousepad with built-in white board.)

This new product was designed to answer how to store Apple’s magsafe power adapters and the red hot power “bricks.” Used by MacBook owners to prevent laptops being yanked by someone tripping over the power cord, the adapters usually wind up under your desk — along with dozens of other cords.

While a seemingly useful idea, a war between the “winders” and the “folders” has erupted online.

The PowerCurl, which lets you wind the magsafe cord around the orange plastic housing “does more than get me a little excited,” raves Gizmodo.

On the other end of the spectrum, Gadget Lab takes a tongue-in-cheek jab at the “neat freaks” and those who “maniacally wrap” their cords versus people who “gently fold” their power lines.

Power cords rarely produce this much excitement.

The PowerCurl costs just $7.25.

[Via Gadget Lab, Gizmodo and Quirky]

You’d think the ship had sailed on any iPod dock gear making news. Aside from the cottage industry for cases, we’ve read so many dock announcements they start to blur together. However, Sharp Friday broke through the banality and the normal eye-on-the-clock mentality of Friday newswriters.

“Sharp DK-AP8P iPhone Dock’s Touch Remote Is 3X Better Than an iPod,” declares Gizmodo.

Just yesterday, Leander described a remote for Altec Lansing’s Mix Boombox for the iPhone worth “its hefty $300 price tag.”

Sure, the DK-AP8P let’s you change the music selected and the glossy-black remote acts as a cover, but three times as useful as the iPod’s own remote? Technically, Giz is correct, since Sharp’s 3 touch wheel-remote does outnumber Apple’s solo touchwheel for the iPod/iPhone.

The DK-AP8P weighs in at 1.6 pounds, lets you recharge your iPod or iPhone while in the integrated dock and costs $189.99.

[Via Gizmodo and Sharp]

We end the week with a continuing flood (alright, two) of iPods. Today it is the touch’s turn, with 8GB and 32GB models on sale. We all knew love was on life support, but Apple’s iTunes Store gives us the bad news: Love is Dead – and free. Finally, there are the Digital Performance Glasses from Metropole. They may not give you x-ray vision, but they are way cool.

Details on these and many other bargains are as close as clicking to the next page of CoM’s Daily Deals.

On the day after Apple announced new iPod features, retailers roll out their sales on shuffles, nanos, the touch and even the classic. Speaking of classics, you can still get CRT versions of the iMac used for just $40. For something newer, you can grab a just-announced iPod nano with video camera for $149 or an 8GB iPod touch for $199.

Details on these and many other bargains (like MacMall’s 75% blowout on Apple gear) can be found at CoM’s Daily Deals page.

The rumor mill about an expected video camera announcement at today’s Apple event was half correct: the video upgrade will be part of the iPod nano, not the touch, CEO Steve Jobs told a San Francisco audience Wednesday.

The camera was part of a makeover for the nano, which also gains a bigger 2.2-inch display, new colors and new pricing. The nano comes in nine colors; and costs $149 for the 8GB model, and $179 for the 16GB.

“We’ve seen video explode over the last few years, nowhere more than on YouTube. And where are these streams coming from? People like us,” Jobs told the audience.

Video is recorded in VGA quality (640 x 480) in H.264 format at up to 30fps and AAC audio. It features 15 realtime special effects like black&white and x-ray.

The nano also gets a built-in FM tuner with Live Pause, and a pedometer, which integrates with the Nike+ transmitter.

[Via Gizmodo]

New leaked photos of iPod cases hint Apple may reveal a new feature: cameras. That appears to be the suggestion from supposed first pictures of iPods Cupertino is expected to announced later today.

The photos from Asian iPod accessories maker Cygnette show an iPod touch case with a lens on the reverse and what Gadget Lab surmises as a “dedicated shutter release” button. The iPod nano images show a taller device.

The veracity of the images are in question with some reports cautioning the pictures could have been Photoshopped combinations of previous iPhone and iPod cases. However, we include the photos and a link to Cygnette for you to decide.

[Via Gadget Lab and Cygnette]

As Mac fans await word from San Francisco today, Apple unveiled across-the-board price cuts on its line of iPod MP3 players. Today’s deals concentrate on the iPod, including an iPod docking cradle, Sony’s wireless S-AIRPLAY dock and other price cuts on iPod gear.

Details on these and other bargains can be found at CoM’s Daily Deals page.

Are you tired of all the sticky notes on your computer? Why not write your grocery list where you’ll find it: on your mousepad? That’s the concept behind Quirky’s Scratch-N-Roll product. Rather than a colorful image on a pad, the company turns all that wasted mousing space into a horizontal noteboard.

The mousepad lets you doodle with a stylus (it’s attached.) Your notes and drawings are erased by raising a cover sheet. “It’s a wonderfully simple, and actually pretty useful idea,” notes Gadget Lab. All of that space once occupied by a Disney character or design can now hold quick schematics to your improved iTunes.

There may be one snag, though – something which might put Scratch-N-Roll a bit behind the curve: hardly anyone uses a mousepad. The advent of optical mice essentially sounded the death knell for micepads. Indeed, Logitech recently unveiled a mouse that does windows, gliding effortlessly on glass.

[Via Gadget Lab and Quirky.com]

Can’t decide whether you want your iPhone in your car, on your hip or patiently charging until your next foray? Such indecision could be the target market for USBfever’s 3-in-1 in-car/on-belt plus charger device.

The $40 gadget includes a goose-neck holder for car trips and a detachable case that also serves as a belt-clip. Finally, the unit includes a charger, complete with LED indicator and a bit of circuitry to prevent an overload.

iPhone users could potentially benefit from any one of these features if they were single-use. For instance, we’ve talked about iPhone holsters, in-dash devices and external battery packs.

[Via iClarified,Macnn and USBfever]

Ok, so summer is slipping away and school is starting for another year. Although Apple (finally) puts an end to its back-to-school hardware deals, we have MacBook Pro laptops starting at $999, iMotion’s Max Audio System for iPods and other Apple items in today’s gadget grab-bag.

For details on these and more (like an iSnug iPod Armband), check out CoM’s Daily Deals page.

We start the week with an intriguing goose-neck desktop lamp from iHome. Not only does it shine 60-watts of artificial illumination, it’ll pump up your morning with tunes from your iPod. The light/speaker is also a dock. If you’d like a bit more boom for your buck, check out iLive’s portable boombox. But if you just want to chill on this Labor Day (for Americans) you can always nab some App Store freebies from Apple.

Details on these bargains and many others (like a universal touch screen stylus) can always be found on CoM’s Daily Deals page.

We’ve read of all sorts of ingenious ways to power our favorite electronics, including solar and our own body’s heat or movement. But in one of the more practical examples, a New York company harnesses the power of your bicycle to keep your iPod or iPhone charged.

The BioLogic FreeCharge, unveiled at the Eurobike show in Germany, can fully charge your iPod or iPhone in 3 hours. Although its unlikely most of us go on three-hour bike rides, the $100 gadget will keep your iPod from going flat when you’re nowhere near an electrical outlet.

The BioLogic FreeCharge works by taking the power from your bike’s generator hub, filtering the juice through some circuitry that prevents spikes, and sending the electricity off to you iPod, iPhone or any gizmo with a USB port.

The BioLogic FreeCharge will be available March 2010.

[Via Gadget Lab and Bike Hugger]

We end the week with a grab-bag of bargains, including two deals on MacBooks, more accessories for your iPod nano, and App Store price cuts.

Details on these and other Apple items (such as an FM receiver for your iPod/iPhone) can be found on the CoM “Daily Deals” page.

Logitech today introduced two new ways to stream your DRM-free iTunes Plus and other music collections. The Squeezebox Radio is a standalone device which streams iTunes, Napster or Sirius. Using a six-button navigation system, and the unit’s color screen, you can flip through album art, track and station listings, along with visualizers, the company announced.

The 5.12-inch by 8.66-inch by 5.04-inch radio also serves as an alarm clock with a display that automatically brightens depending on lighting situations.

The Squeezebox Radio offers “clear sound with minimal distortion” Logitech claims. The company said the unit has a 3/4-inch high-definition, soft-dome tweeter, plus a 3-inch high-power woofer. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also included.

If you’re searching for a good deal on MacBook Pro laptops, today may be your day. We have two e-tailers vying for your attention. All are Core 2 Duos, with the screen size ranges from 15-inches to 17-inches. Philips also has a $50 iPod universal remote while TigerDirect.com offers this cool Photo ball/alarm clock and dock.

For details on these bargains and others (like a foldable USB keyboard), visit CoM’s Daily Deals page.

RadTech today doubled the usefulness of its AutoPower on-the-go iPhone and iPod charger, offering two USB ports. The new device also nearly halved the price, to $10 from $17 for the single-port version. The single-port option does include a 30-pin retractable cable.

The 3.3-inch by 1.3 inch AutoPower includes fuseless recharging with a sensor to avoid hardware damage. RadTech says the 5V 500mA recharger is “not for 1st -3rd Generation iPod.”

[Via iPodnn and RadTech]

The camera world is all aflutter over Panasonic’s Lumix GF1 digital camera. Along with questions about how the device measures up to the rival Olympus E-P1, the question on everyone’s lips is the GF1 a DSLR wannabe?

It seems the question has some substance. The “R” in DSLR requires a mirror. However, the GF1, the latest in Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds standard, is “mirror-free,” according to the company.

Today’s deals include iPods starting at $39 (a shuffle), soft-touch iPhone cases from iFrogz for $12 and MacBook Pro laptops starting at $999.

Details on these bargains and many more can be found at the CoM “Daily Deals” page.

Mobile phone gadget maker Parrot Tuesday introduced one of the few in-dash car stereos meant for iPhone users. The RKi8400 ($400 in the U.S.) was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

“All iPhone functions — music, navigation of the music directory and playlists and Bluetooth phone capabilities — have been adapted for in-car use,” said Henri Seydoux, Parrot founder and CEO.

Today’s Apple gadget deals lead off with a bevy of aluminum iMacs, starting at $999. AT&T again offers iPhone 3Gs, featuring $49 8GB models. Finally, PC Micro has a 50%-off deal on iPod touch accessories.

Details on these and many other deals can be found on CoM’s Daily Deals page.

We may be getting closer to a hardware version of hands-free navigation for iPhone users. The FCC has released several documents plus photos of a planned TomTom Car Kit for the iPhone.

The kit (pictured above) includes a mount enabling the iPhone to be positioned either vertically or in landscape mode. Engadget also writes the kit includes Bluetooth and a dedicated SiRFstar GPS chipset.

The announcement may be welcome news to iPhone navigators who hoped an actual TomTom product would follow an iPhone app released earlier this month. The app, priced at $99.99 for U.S. and Canadian iPhone owners, competes with the likes of CoPilot Live ($34.99), Sygic Mobile Maps ($39.99), AT&T’s Navigator ($10 monthly fee) and Google Maps.

[Via iClarified and Engadget]

In part two of our clever coverup series (yesterday’s installment: MacBooks disguised as newspapers), we offer you the faux shopping bag from Japan. The item is actually a 30-watt speaker for your iPod or other MP3 player. But there are some strings attached – literally.

Defeating the ‘shopping bag’ motif is the need for the device to be plugged in. This not only blows your cover, but puts your iPod on a leash. Then there is the price – $335 US – and that the speaker is not stereo. Maybe it’s all about style. Boing Boing reports the bentwood ‘shopping bag’ was created by artist Yoshihiko Satoh. A $335 non-stereo wired iPod speaker? Reminds me of the $300 tea kettle from Bugatti.

I’m waiting for the wireless version to appear – maybe disguised as a Walmart or Whole Earth bag.

[Via Gadget Lab and Boing Boing]

We end the week with an Apple Store deal on factory-refurbished MacBook notebooks, including a 2GHz aluminum 13-inch model for $899. Also on the gadget deal list is the sleek iLuv 5.1-channel slim desktop iPod DVD player and more price drops on iPhone/iPod touch applications from the App Store.

For details on these and other great finds, read CoM’s Daily Deals page after the break.