StudioDock 3i USB Studio Monitors with Built-in iPod Dock

The StudioDock 3i USB Studio Monitors are not particularly feminine and the name of it is kind of disconcerting….But generally speaking its a pretty powerful speaker system that has a dock for your iPod. The speaker itself features a tweeter, copolymer woofer, LED indicator, volume control, and USB port to attach to a computer for syncing and mixing tunes. If you are a DJ and want less equipment to lug around then I highly suggest getting one of these, or if you want the sound of a stereo rack system without the tuner and other components but still want to feel your music then this is a good bet for you too. The StudioDock 3i will retail for $149 per speaker.

StarPex is the First Wooden Guitar for PS2/PS3

Are you ready to mix up your collection of Les Paul Gibson Guitars and Fender Stratorcaster for Rockband and Guitar Hero? Then the Starpex by Peak products may be right up your alley. It is the first Full Size Wooden Guitar for PS2/PS3. It looks extremely realistic, so much so that I think it would make Hendrix proud. The design includes realistic looking strings and tuning pegs.There are frets for normal play and awesome solos as well as easier access to the starpower/overdrive button. The Starpex is also so forward thinking in design that you will be able to customize the guitar since some of its parts will be removable. Available as wired or wireless, the Starpex will cost $179.95 and will be available in late August at Circuit City and various other electronic outlets.

i-Ride Speakers for your Bicycle

It’s the summer and long bike rides through the park or along the beach are what make the lazy days of summer so great. Well i-Ride is about to rock your world just a little more. The i-Ride bicycle Stereo mounts to the handle bars and works with any iPod or Mp3 player via a audio line-in cable. It can even be used as external speakers for your laptop when not attached to your bike. With only 1 Watt of amplified sound it sure can’t be compared to a Bose system, but it will get the job done. Just don’t be blasting it around the park to much or you will get yourself a distubing the peace ticket. The i-Ride costs $29.99 and comes with a case that will hold your Mp3 player or the speakers when not in use. 5% of the proceeds of the sale will go to one of the companies many supported charities.

Tranquil Sounds Oxygen Bar Detoxicates and Plays Music Too

I’m sure alot of you are super tired from all the July 4th activities and sad that on Monday it’s back to work again. URGH! So why not rejuvenate with the Tranquil Sounds Oxygen Bar. Like most Oxygen bars if you have ever used one, it is meant to pump pure oxygen into your body so that you feel refreshed and relaxed. However, the most unique aspect of this Oxygen Bar is that it comes with its own music. There are 4 different soothing song selections to choose from and they can be played one at a time, over and over or consecutively from one to the next. A headset is included for your listening and breathing pleasure. You can even put Essential Oil in the unit to transform it into an aromatherapy machine. Now what more could you ask for! The Tranquil Sounds Oxygen Bar retails for $299.95

X-Ray FM Radio is Not an MP3 Player

No this is not an MP3 player for a change, but a very funky looking FM Radio. And yes, some people still like to listen to the radio on occasion. The X-Ray FM Radio features a translucent pouch that shows off the guts of your little radio player. It even features auto tuning. The X Ray FM Radio retails for £32 and is only available in the UK. Once again, more fun toys that aren’t accessible here!!

Lindsay Lohan’s New Single “Bossy” is Sooo Not a Gadget

Once and a while we get a strange press release that makes us scratch our heads when we get it in our inbox… Could it be that people don’t realize we are a gadget blog?! In any case to some of you this may be a treat or burn your ears so enjoy. So here is the preview of Lindsay Lohan’s new single “Bossy”. And the one techie aspect of this review? We used Divshare to stream the preview of her new single Bossy. Divshare is an awesome free service for easily streaming videos, audio files and documents online.

Speak-er Brings Comic Strip Bubbles to Life

We love speakers and any creative design gets our attention. A concept design called speak-er was created by Sherwood Forlee. Designed to replicate a bubble in a comic strip with a black front and silver casing, that looks like it would go well with our iMacs. You are bound to “WAM!”, “ZING!”, “BAMMO!” over these if they ever do get manufactured.

Nostaglic Wooden WWII Radio with iPod Docking Station

If you’re feeling nostalgic for radio’s of yester-year, then maybe this will be right up your alley. The spiritofstlouis.co.uk offers a wide range of nostalgic radios with today’s features. One such radio was designed to look like one from World War II and is actually a 3 Band radio with an iPod docking station. It also has a CD Player and can be powered by batteries or by electricity. Retailing for £299.99, it will certainly be a great present for any Grand-Dad this Father’s Day.

Jukefly Lets You Stream Your Music Library to Any Browser, No File Uploading Required

Services like MP3Tunes.com are awesome for music fiends because they let you access and listen to your music from any web browser. However a common pitfall of MP3Tunes.com, Anywhere.fm and similar services is that in order to get up an running, you first have to upload all of your music files to the service, which can be both a time and bandwidth consuming process. That is why Jukefly is so welcome. The service lets you play your music collection without having to upload everything first. Instead Jukefly connects directly to your computer and streams it directly to the internet browser you are currently using. Of course there is a catch - your computer at home will have to be turned on for this to work. Oh, and one more sort of catch - Jukefly is currently not Mac compatible. Dang.

Duevel’s Planets High End Speakers Look Like a Planetarium

We’re not sure whether these speakers are loudspeakers or a mini-planetarium. Duevel’s Planets are some of the strangest high-end audio speakers we’ve ever seen, yet still oddly good looking. The Floorstanding omni-directional loudspeakers feature a 5″ subwoofer and and a 1″ horn loaded tweeter. The Planets are available in several colors including black, white, silver, red, green or blue and retail for $1295 per pair, making them not crazy expensive but pretty expensive for a very unique audio device.

Flamingo Music Earbuds Review

The Flamingo Music earbuds feature EarClick technology which promises to provide a customizable secure fit for your ear that is also “weightless”. The product comes packaged with 6 EarClick ear-pads. I had to try on a few until I was able to find the one that fit my ear right. Once I found the appropriate one, the Flamingo did feel quite comfortable, however the non-appropriate sized ear clicks were just the opposite - they were uncomfortable. So you have to be sure to find the one that is best for you. True to their claim, the headphones did feel quite weightless as well, and the nature of the design does feel very secure - the earphones don’t fall out or get loose the way my iPod earbuds so easily do.

The Flamingo Music also came with a carrying pouch, which is appreciated because I hate carrying around headphones in my bag only to discover later that they’ve gotten all tangled up. Keeping them in a little bag keeps things neat in tidy. A clip is also included as well to keep things neat or to use to attach the earbud’s cable to your clothing or bag strap.

The design of the Flamingo Music is pretty slick and stylish, nothing spectacular but overall nice. Our review pair was colored in chrome and black. Although the Flamingo Music earbuds are a little bigger than your typical earbuds, wearing it in my ear was still pretty unobtrusive. The cable is shielded with a “sports-grade finish”. In other words, the cable isn’t your typical plastic cable that is more likely to snap or suffer from wear and tear.

Unfortunately when it came to sound quality the Flamingo Music suffered from significant tinniness and a lack of bass, even after playing around with the EQ settings. For $49.99 we’re not expecting Bose like quality, but even the standard iPod/iPhone earbuds provide a better audio experience. Is it the worst pair of headphones we’ve ever used? No. But still, for $49.99 we expected more punch.

The Flamingo Music retails for $49.99 and comes in a choice of 4 colors - chrome, black, blistered red or white. iPhone users will be happy to hear that the Flamingo Music is compatible with their favorite phone. Overall, if a high quality audio experience isn’t your priority but rather you are looking for something comfortable and lightweight, than the Flamingo Music might be for you.

Conclusion:

The Good: Available in 4 colors, Comfortable and Weightless

The Bad: Suffers from Tinny Sound and lack of bass

iPlayMusic Software Teaches You How to Play a Real Guitar, Not The Guitar Hero One

Learning how to play the guitar is something I’ve always wanted to do but have never gotten around to actually doing. I’m sure that a lot of people can relate to that. iPlayMusic’s software makes it easy and affordable to learn how to play and they even have great starter packages that come bundled with a guitar of your choice. For example their Beginner Guitar Bundle comes with a full size guitar in your choice of color, as well as a tuner, DVD, picks, and strings. There are software versions for both Mac and PC and even packages for kids. This is definitely an affordable alternative to paying for lessons, or just a great way to learn how to play at your own leisure.

Hello Kitty Pocketbook CD Player

Who needs a Dooney and Bourke or Fendi bag when you can have a Hello Kitty Pocketbook Stereo CD Player. This absolutely adorable pocketbook features the face of Ms Kitty herself, but it isn’t just a purse, it’s actually a CD player disguised as a purse. The CD player is front loading and has LED indicators for play, pause, and program, and it also works a AM/FM radio. A carrying strap is also included. No pricing is available yet.

Meet Tengu the Next American Idol

Who needs to watch American Idol contestants destroy classic songs with their interpretation of them, when you can have Tengu lip sync the originals to you. This cute little guy will certainly cheer you up at work. Just blow on Tengu to wake him up and then start playing a song and watch it mouth the words to the song using its 14 different facial expressions. It’s quite amazing and super adorable. Tengu is currently sold out on FireBox on the US side of the website. But in the UK portion of the site its available for £19.95.

Memorex Karaoke System with iPod Dock

What seems to be the new fad in the iPod world is making portable DJ equipment for it. The Memorex CD+G Karaoke System w/Dock for iPod is the perfect piece of equipment for amateur DJs looking to add Karaoke to their repertoire. Its CD/CD+Graphics player displays lyrics directly on the system or on a TV via an A/V cable. It will also charges and power all iPod devices with docking abilities and the ipod can be played as well in the system. Available at Radio Shack for an affordable $69.99, this a great unit for those looking to be the life of the party.

Booze Cooler Bag Doubles as a Speaker

Everyone will be heading back to the beach soon enough. So why not impress those Hamptons snobs with the Chill Out Stereo Cooler Bag. It will not only hold all your soda and beer and keep it cool - it also doubles as a stereo that you can plug your CD Player, MP3 Player, or PSP into. The speakers are waterproof and the bag is insulated to keep drinks cold. It requires 4 “AA” Batteries to power speakers and it’ll be ready to rock. It’s available in “James Dean”, Techno Fleur Red, and Paradise designs and retails for $47.99.

U Record Transfers LPs and Tapes to MP3s

Two days ago we reported about the iRecorder that made converting video files onto iPods a snap. So who knew we would now be reporting about a device called U Record which has the ability to convert LP’s and Cassette Tapes to MP3. I guess they couldn’t use “i” in the name - how sad… In any case the U Record simply connects to to your computer with a USB cable and your tape deck or record player connects to the U Record via RCA inputs. The U Record does all the hard work for you and converts your music into MP3s easily. U Record works for both Mac and PC and will automatically import songs into iTunes once the conversion is completed. The U Record retails for $49.99 and is a welcome addition to any collector of Vinyl. Now only if they made an 8 Record for 8 track tapes….oh I’m old…

mStation Orb Review

As we all know iPod dock stations are a dime a dozen these days. However what make the few of them standout from the rest is their design and sound quality. The mStation Orb is one such Docking/Speaker Station that is great looking and great to listen too and we were lucky enough to review it.

Setup/Installation:
When we excitedly unpacked the Orb from its box we were greeted with a pretty slick docking station that resembles a red tomato. Other items included inside the box are 10 docking cradles, all in red as well as a color coordinated remote control, a USB Cable, and a stereo mini cable. On top of the Orb are 6 buttons: power, volume controls, previous, forward, and play/pause. These buttons are also located on the remote and you can also control the Bass and Treble from the remote. The remote is thin and light weight, only somewhat bigger than a credit card. Overall, setup was easy, and we easily snapped in the appropriate cradle for our 3rd generation Nano. Besides using the included cradles there is a Firewire port that allows you to connect really older iPod generations, which is a great feature that most iPod docking stations don’t have. Then we plugged in the AC adapter to power the speaker and the included USB cable for syncing the Orb to your computer. The whole set-up took less than 5 minutes and even though there were instructions included, we figured it out on our own. [Read more]

ION Audio Block Rocker for Those Wannabe DJ’s

These days everyone thinks they can be the next great DJ. Just because they know how to mix a few songs and buy big head phones that make them look cool doesn’t mean you’re the next Mark Ronson. However if you absolutely insist here is the poor man’s version of a DJ kit. The ION Audio Block Rocker is a portable speaker system that has 4 inputs for your CD Player, MP3 Player, universal dock for iPod, and microphones. This unit is perfect for gigs and has no cords or extra external components, it will fit in your car perfectly if you need to travel around to events. It’s not the prettiest looking speaker but it is durable and sturdy and has a long lasting battery. For $299 this is a cheap effective alternative instead of lugging around huge pieces of equipment. Your back will thank you.

Retro Stylophone Gets New Life in the 21st Century

The Stylophone kind of looks like a cross between an accordion and a Nintendo DS. However the Stylophone is a pocket synthesizer that was created over 40 years ago and is being brought back to life by artists like the White Stripes and Marilyn Manson. Tap the electronic keys with the stylus and you can create funky noises with classical, bass, and synth sounds. You can make noise solo or plug in your iPod or MP3 player and jam with your favorite groups to enhance or destroy their songs depending on how talented you are. In order for you to become the next Stylophone prodigy you’ll have to layout £14.99.

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