May 2006 Archives

For those who miss bygone days, the SpecTone Retro iPod speaker system has been introduced.

As its name suggests, the SpecTone Retro looks like a throwback to the 1950's, featuring wooden construction and clean, simplistic lines.

However with 28 watts of output, a 4-inch sub-woofer and two three-inch drivers for mid to high tones, the SpecTone Retro's sound is anything but old-fashioned.

Electrical accessory company Speck, who makes the SpecTone Retro, said: "SpeckTone Retro looks like nothing you've seen for the iPod .

"The nostalgic elegance of 1950's style makes a statement without replicating or competing with the modern, sleek look of the iPod itself. The all wood, sonically tuned speaker cabinet is finished with a high-gloss lacquered 'piano finish,' a gorgeous high-end feature previously available only on speaker sets five times the price of SpeckTone Retro."

Available in black, white, or a sickly shade of green not seen since the 50's themselves, the SpecTone also comes with free matching skins for your iPod .

The SpecTone Retro will start shipping in early June and costs £76.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

For those looking for a fun alternative to the conventional iPod cradle and speaker, the FUNKit DJ, a stylized robot 'DJ' cradle from KNG America, may well be the answer.

Due to be released this Autumn, the FUNKit is in the shape of a robot and lights up the dance floor with LED lights, scratches with its moving arms and even comes out with unexpected one-liners.

Periodically pausing between tracks of a playlist to say profundities like, "drop the beat!", or "here's another FUNkit exclusive!" the FUNKit will cost £53.

Another yet to be seen iPod cradle speaker system is due to be released by KNG America that has been dubbed the FUNKit Kong, which will feature a giant ape with built in speakers and more LED lights that realistically pounds whatever surface it is on.

KNG America makes novelty gifts for companies including Disney, Harley Davidson and Nascar.

The company describes itself as "the innovative market leader of quality novelty electronics products."

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Apple has teamed up with Nike to provide the ultimate running experience, a wireless system that allows running shoes to talk to an iPod nano.

Dubbed the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, the first of a whole range of products will allow Nike running shoes to record a runners pace, distance and calories burned and then send the information to an iPod nano.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Nike CEO Mark Parker presented the innovation at an occasion in New York attended by Paula Radcliffe and Lance Armstrong.

Nike CEO Mark Parker said: "Nike+ iPod is a partnership between two iconic, global brands with a shared passion for creating meaningful consumer product experiences through design and innovation.

"This is the first result and Nike+ iPod will change the way people run. Nike+iPod creates a better running experience. We will see many more such Nike+iPod innovations in the future."

The Nike+ iPod Sport Kit is to be released in two month and will cost £15.50.

A range of apparel specifically designed around the iPod is to be made by Nike that will include a waterproof armband and jacket to hold the iPod while running.

Nike plans to integrate many of its existing shoes with the Nike+ technology.

Bag and accessory maker Targus has released the unique new eyelet security lock for the iPod .

Designed to work with an already present Targus cable lock, or other brands of locking systems, the eyelet security lock provides unbeatable security for those wishing to secure their beloved iPod s.

Weighing two ounces and made out of galvanised steel, the eyelet features a resetable 3 three-digit combination lock and is compatible with the iPod 5G, nano, iPod Photo, 4G, iPod mini, or 3G.

The company states: "The eyelet lock is compact, flexible and capable of being removed easily to be used in other locations, on the road, or with a standard retractable lock."

The eyelet cleverly utilises the iPod 's dock connector to attach the lock and the cable and comes with a one year warranty from maker Targus.

Priced at £10, the eyelet is available online from targus.com with the only colour available being black.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Chancellor Gordon Brown is the latest political heavyweight to release the details of what kind of music lurks on his iPod playlist.

The chancellor of the exchequer revealed in an interview with New Woman magazine that popular band the Arctic Monkeys "really wake you up in the morning".

While he waits to become the UK's next prime minister, Mr Brown also chills out to Beethoven, Bach, the Beatles, U2, Coldplay and James Blunt.

Mr Brown's revelations about his iPod come in the wake of those of another potential national leader from across the pond – Hilary Clinton.

The senator from New York and former first lady recently revealed that she enjoys listening to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles on her iPod , which was a gift from her husband, former US president Bill Clinton.

Current president George Bush, another user of the ubiquitous iPod , prefers Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and the Knack.

After having been given an iPod by his daughters Jenna and Barbara, President Bush recently upgraded to an iPod , a gift from U2 front man Bono.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Possible future presidential candidate, senator, and one-time first lady Hilary Clinton has revealed what tunes she relaxes to on her iPod when on time-out from the political fray.

The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Eagles and other popular bands from the '60s and '70s figure prominently on her playlist of over 1,000 songs.

Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit Respect is a favourite, as is Hey Jude by the Beatles.

The senator from New York was given the portable music player for her birthday by husband former US president Bill Clinton.

"I've got everything - a total smorgasbord," she told the New York Post on Monday.

Political rival and incumbent US president George Bush also has an iPod , a gift from U2 front-man Bono.

President Bush's playlist includes Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and the Knack.

The president reputedly likes to listen to his iPod as he engages in his favourite past-time – cycling around his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Presidential aide Blake Gottesman downloads Bush's music for him from iTunes.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Apparel and bag company Carrie Scott has released the JamBand, a wristband capable of holding an iPod nano or shuffle.

Designed for those who like to jog while listening to their iPod , or who simply have an active lifestyle, the JamBand features a transparent plastic pocket attached to a washable stretch terry cloth wristband.

The plastic cover allows the user to scroll through their music using the clickwheel and can even be hidden under a jacket or shirt when necessary.

So far only released in black, the JamBand costs £9.

Carrie Scott is a Santa Monica, California-based company and "designs products for independent minded tastemakers who create their own sense of style".

Another iPod accessory maker catering to the sporty set is iStuff, who make an armband for the iPod nano, made of waterproof Velcro designed to go around the upper bicep, which they sell for £12.99.

iPod s have proved popular for many with a sporty lifestyle, especially professional footballers.

England squad stand-outs Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Theo Walcott and Rio Ferdinand are all avid users of the iPod

The first iPod dock that allows users to view and choose music on their TV has been released.

Made by Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO), the HomeDock Deluxe shows all the iPod's songs on the TV screen and allows the user to scroll through and choose the song they wish to play using an 18-button remote control.

There are four different colour themes to choose from and a few different screen savers, including the status bar, which shows the iPod's current song and album information on a moving 'billboard'.

Costing £80 the HomeDock Deluxe can be ordered from DLO's website

Reviewing the HomeDock Deluxe for Time Magazine, Wilson Rothman said: "I especially liked being able to find a playlist with 100+ plus songs, start playing a song then, with one tap, putting the whole playlist into shuffle mode."

The HomeDock Deluxe also shows the iPod's pictures on the TV screen and lets the customer see them in a continuous slideshow.

Any iPod except third generation versions work with the HomeDock Deluxe.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

A smart new white leather case for the popular iPod Hi-Fi home stereo system is to be released by a Japanese company.

The Concerto Bianco case made by the Focal Point Computer Corp out of genuine Italian leather and covered on the inside by felt, will be released in June and should cost about £160.

Featuring openings for all the Hi-Fi's speakers, a leather carrying strap and a separate case for the iPod remote, the Concerto Bianco enables the Hi-Fi to be transported anywhere while remaining safe, snug and rather sexy looking.

Measuring just 17.0" x 6.6" x 6.9" the iPod Hi-Fi incorporates D-cell battery power allowing it to be used without being plugged in, a handy innovation for those with a mobile lifestyle.

However for those with less fancy tastes, there remains the sturdy nylon Waterfield Designs iPod Hi-Fi Speaker Case costing £79.65.

This case protects the iPod Hi-Fi with strong foam sheets, has five exterior pockets and is available in blue, grey or black and are available online.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

World Cup hotshot Theo Walcott has said that when not scoring goals for England or Arsenal he likes to relax and listen to hip-hop and R n' B on his iPod.

The young striker revealed in an interview with football magazine Four Four Two that his favourite tunes are the evocative beats of groundbreaking New York emcee Nas and the soulful crooning of Usher.

England team mate and Real Madrid 'galactico' David Beckham has also been spotted sporting the ubiquitious 'white buds' of the iPod earphones.

Meanwhile the Sun has reported that another young England star – Wayne Rooney – is frustrated at not being able to take his iPod into the oxygen chamber which is helping him heal his broken metatarsal.

Rooney, also a hip hop fan, has tackled the problem by setting up speakers around the facility to play his favourite tracks.

Reports say friend and fellow Manchester United and England player Rio Ferdinand has been devising the playlists.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Apple has agreed a deal with Japanese phone company Softbank to develop a mobile phone that can play music downloaded from iTunes Music Store, according to reports in the Japanese press.

The phone will incorporate features similar to the iPod, though full details are hazy and Apple has so far refused to comment on the story, first reported by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Softbank is Japan's third largest web and telecom conglomerate and recently acquired Vodafone Japan, paying £8.9 billion, ensuring a stake in Japan's £41 billion mobile phone industry.

Prior to that transaction Vodafone Japan had been struggling to keep up with competitors NTT, DoCoMo and KDDI.

Influential Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg wrote, "Now, Apple is working on other projects built on the same end-to-end model as the iPod: a media-playing cellphone and a home-media hub."

Apple attempted to release a music-playing mobile phone in partnership with Motorola last year, with the phone, dubbed the 'Rokr' which received somewhat mixed reviews from users and design critics.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

European-based iPod accessories brand GEAR4 has released CruiseControl, an RF remote control for iPods which works through walls and has a 50-metre range, the first iPod remote to be sold in the UK.

The CruiseControl works innovatively off the dock connector rather than the iPod's headphone jack, and has a headphone amp and port on the base, making it possible to plug headphones in.

Costing £24.99, the accessory is powered by the iPod, so uses no batteries, and comes with a remote, receiver, strap, lanyard and carry case.

Tom Dudderidge, managing director for Disruptive Technology Channels told IT Backbones: "There are many times when I'm either out running or on my bike when a song comes on my iPod that I want to skip past or turn up and have to stop and fumble around to get hold of my iPod to do so.

"Now with CruiseControl all you have to do is click forward on your remote and you're up and running – no need to be inconvenienced anymore."

In April 2004 Disruptive Technology launched PodGear, which became Europe's number one iPod accessory brand, and in January 2006 PodGear was re-branded into GEAR4.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Commuters on buses and trains can combine fashion with practicality thanks to Thomas Pink's new iPod shirts.

The Commuter shirt has a cleverly concealed pocket ideal for hiding iPods from the view of other passengers.

It also includes hidden casing for headphone wires and a cuff pocket that allows credit or travel cards, such as Oyster cards, to be stored.

The shirt acts as companion to the Thomas Pink commuter tie, out earlier last year that could hide an iPod nano behind it.

PCPro reported that the ties featured an extra loop behind it to secure the iPod nano and to keep headphone wires well out of view.

Shirts come in blue and white and are available now for £69, while the red silk ties cost £50 and can also be bought now from Thomas Pink's website.

Meanwhile figures out today suggest the Apple iPod continues to dominate the market for mp3 players

A consumer survey from In-Stat shows that49 per cent of people using MP3 players now own an iPod.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Nostalgic iPod users for whom money is not a problem can invest in a Wurlitzer Jukebox, now specially designed to accommodate the portable media players.

The One More Time jukebox is a special edition from the company that has made its name for creating authentic looking machines that recall the golden era of rock and roll.

Available in black or white and featuring retro styling, the jukebox has a dock at the front of the machine to house an Apple iPod.

It also has a 3-speaker sound system from audio giants Bose, which can provide up to 10,000 songs and can take 60 gigabytes of storage.

Being hefty, sizeable machines, the jukeboxes weigh more than an average kitchen refrigerator, packing in an impressive 346 pounds.

One More Times are currently sold in America, with a price of around £5,100.

Frank Zygmunt Sr, chief executive of Zygmunt & Associates who stock the machine, told Mac News: "People have been just so amazed by it.

"It's the only system like it, and people are buying it rather than getting a $10,000 stereo system. This appreciates in value."

There are no plans for UK distribution yet, though details of the machine are available from the website.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Sean Connery has given an insight into the tunes he relaxes to by revealing details of his iPod playlist.

The Bond star spends his time away from movie sets chilling out to jazz and classical music, according to reports from the Daily Record.

His favourite selections include Billie Holiday's I Cover the Waterfront, Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife and Finlandia by Sibelius.

Connery's Scottish roots were also on display with his choice of Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell and David Francis.

The Bond star is not the first celebrity septuagenarian to announce they're a member of the iPod generation.

Connery joins Pope Benedict XVI as an owner of the portable media player. His selections included religious music and pieces from composers such as Chopin, Beethoven and Stravinsky.

The Queen also owns a silver iPod along with a mobile phone, which was given to her by one of her sons.

Details of the monarch's playlist are yet to be released, so music fans will have to guess what she spends her time grooving to.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Football fans who can't wait for the World Cup can immerse themselves with the tournament's facts and figures with a new guide for the Apple iPod.

Coolgorilla has released a nifty piece of software that transforms an iPod into a pocket encyclopaedia of World Cup trivia.

The guide features biographies of every player on every team, a match schedule, stadium profiles and even boasts every score from every game from all previous World Cup tournaments.

Coolgorilla told macworld.co.uk: "With only six weeks until the greatest sporting event on earth starts, we at Coolgorilla thought that it would be a fitting tribute to release a comprehensive guide to the 2006 World Cup especially for the iPod."

The last World Cup tournament was watched by 2.8 billion people, which Coolgorilla comments is seven times the current number of iPod owners.

Coolgorilla also produces other fun applications for the iPod including a movie quiz and a "bling-worthy" hip hop trivia game.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

iPod users can now use their players underwater with new waterproof cases from H2O Audio.

The new cases offer safe waterproof housing specially designed to fit the iPod nano and are manufactured to withstand heavy impacts and scratches.

H2O is pitching the cases at extreme sports enthusiasts who want to accompany their bungee jumps, dives and parachute jumps with their favourite adrenaline pumping tracks.

Kristian Rauhala, CEO of H2O Audio, said: "Everyone from surfers, wakeboarders, water skiers, and swimmers to joggers and snowboarders can now strap on an H2O Audio for iPod nano using an armband or swim belt and take their soundtrack into their favourite activity regardless of environmental conditions."

The cases can secure iPod nanos for water depths of up to ten feet and are shielded with an "elastomeric" diagonal T-seal providing "absolute water protection".

H2O Audio cases for the iPod nano are available now for around £49, including an exclusive accompanying armband.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd

Two trapped Tasmanian miners have each been given an Apple iPod to help pass the time as rescuers launch a new bid to free them.

The two men have been stuck in Beasconsfield Gold mine for over a week now after a rock fall, which killed one of their fellow miners.

Brant Webb and Todd Russell were found alive on Sunday evening and were then given food, water, clothes and blankets.

Now the pair have each been given an iPod to while away the hours as rescuers start drilling to access them.

Beaconsfield Gold Mine manager, Matthew Gill, told the Australian Daily Telegraph: "They remain in good health and have now received iPods so they can listen to their favourite music."

He added that one of the men requested country rock.

Reports indicate the pair have also been given a small digital camera, which they have used to show rescue teams the area they are trapped in.

The final stage of the rescue attempt is expected to take 48 hours, with both men said to be in good spirits having received notes and letters from their families.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd