Classic Diner CD / iPod Jukebox Works Like the 1950s Originals

Sure, iPod Jukeboxes are nothing new, but this Classic Diner CD / iPod Jukebox is just the right size if getting a full  blown Crosley iPod Jukebox is too much for you. This jukebox is modeled after the classic tabletop music box of the diners of the 1950s, but this one can play your CDs and music off of your iPod. You can select music by pressing the letter and number buttons on the face of the device, just the way it worked with the originals. And once a song is chosen, the jukebox mimics the pop of a classic vinyl record loading into place. The jukebox even has a built-in equalizer, as well as an FM tuner. Plus it comes with a CD filled with 100 classic late 1950s/early 1960s songs from the artists such as the Four Tops, Buddy Holly, and Patsy Cline. The Classic Diner CD/iPod Jukebox comes in a Chrome finish and retails for $279.

Pink USB & Ethernet Cables with Swarovski Crystals for Overkill

So you have a pink cell phone, a pink MP3 player and even a pink laptop with a matching pink mouse. But where do you go from there? We say that it’s all in the accessories that counts. Cables Unlimited has partnered with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to produce a special line of KaBling Designer pink cables. The line includes pink HDMI, USB, audio, power chords, and ethernet cables - some of which are studded with Swarovski crystals for that finishing effect. There is also a special set of portable 900MHz Pink Wireless Speakers that are a part of the collection that retail for $169. The cables average for about $19.99 each.

i-Wrapz Skin for your iPod or Cell Phone Are Extra Thick

There is a new skin in town, but it’s not exactly a skin. There are dozens of companies out there that make skins for your ipod, iphone, cell phone and other gadgets, and so does i-Wrapz. However, i-Wrapz skins are significantly thicker than ordinary skins so that they add an extra level of protection. The extra thickness also makes them easier to apply and peel off than other skins. Their selection of available designs is also pretty impressive. They have everything from Hello Kitty for your 3G iphone to Marilyn Monroe for your Blackberry Curve. Most of their skins retail for $19.99 and they are available for the Samsung Alias, all current gen ipods, the 1st and 2nd gen iPhone, the Blackberry Curve & Pearl, the Samsung Instinct, the Motorola Razr, and the Sidekick LX & Slide. [Read more]

USB Handbag Flash Drive Packs Lots of Storage Just Like a Real Purse

Here is a another USB drive that you absolutely don’t need, but you’ll want it anyway. Perhaps not as tasty as the Freshly baked USB Drives, the USB Handbag Flash Drive is instead very stylish? The USB Handbag Flash Drive snaps apart to reveal a USB connector to plug in to your computer. It’s available in pink, red, green yellow red in an amazingly decent 8GB capacity for just $36. Hmm, so maybe you can justify this purchase after all.

MP3 Music-ed T-Shirts Let You Wear Your iPod

We’ve seen everything from iPod Gloves to iPod underwear. And now we bring you iPod ready T-shirts. These hip Music-ed t-shirts all come with special short earphones and an integrated connection cable, as well as a pocket to store your MP3 player. Each of the t-shirts are also individually hand-printed and customized so that no two t-shirts are identical. They are also made up of environmentally friendly organic cottons and bamboo jersey, because it’s also hip to be green. Pricing starts at 31.50EUR and the Music-ed t-shirts are available for both men and women.

Home Sentry Robot Lets You Keep a Watchful Eye from a Far

Want to keep an eye on your home from a far? What better way to do so than with your own private Terminator, errr, Home Sentry robot. The Control From Anywhere Home Sentry can be controlled remotely by any internet device. The robot will stream a 640×480 Mpeg 4 video to you so you can see what’s going on while you’re out. He can also take photos and email them to you, and he has a two-way mic so that you can even interact with people at home. This little guy is capable of 360 degree turns and his camera can offer a wide field of view while surveying the surroundings. He’s even savvy like his distant cousin, the Roomba, - he can avoid obstacles along a path too. And you can set the sentry to go along 10 custom paths when you aren’t around. The Control From Anywhere Home Sentry retails for $299. Our verdict: great for parents, but the days of house parties are numbered when the folsk head out of town.

Headless Teddy Bear Lamp is Too Much for us to Bear

Someone call the Humane Society for Animal Rights, because poor defenseless animals are being abused and being mutilated. So what if it isn’t an actual living breathing animal - teddy bears are dear to our hearts, and it pains us to see what some cruel entrepreneurs will do to them to make an easy buck. The Teddy Bear Lamp consists of a regular light bulb and lamp shade situated on top of a headless teddy bear’s body. This is not a photo to let the kids get a peak at. Even the product description is despicable ” The black fabric covered shade supplied is a reflective gold on the inside to enhance Teddy’s golden features and his plump body enables you to park him where you please without fear of him toppling over. Poor Ted may have lost his head, but he definitely lights up the room!” You can purchase the Teddy Bear Lamp for a Price: £59.99 - but you wouldn’t do that now, would you?

Seagate FreeAgent Desk for Mac Review

The new Seagate FreeAgent Desk for Mac has been designed specifically with Mac users in mind. Its modern silver and white aesthetics have been sculpted to blend in seamlessly with your current Mac set up whether it be an iMac, a Mac Pro or a Macbook Pro. Overall the drive is a nice size for an external drive. It comes with an attached stand so that it is designed to be positioned vertically - the stand raises the drive up about an inch and allows the venting holes at the bottom to breathe and thus this seems to keep the drive pretty cool. The stand however is not detachable so that means you really cant lay the hard drive flat on a surface.

Set-up/Installation:
Setting up the hard drive is as simple as plugging its power cable in and connecting it to your computer via USB or Firewire. Two Firewire cables are included - a Firewire 6 pin to 9 pin (if you want to use your Firewire 400 port instead of the 800) and a 9 pin to 9 pin, as well as a USB cable, but really it would be silly to use this drive via USB since it has Firewire available.  Oddly, there is no on and off switch on the case, however Seagate claims that the drive is energy efficient. Once the power and USB or Firewire cable is connected the light on the front of the drive lights up and the bottom of the drive over the stand also lights up with a neat white surrounding glow.

The drive comes with no installation CD nor any software on the hard drive. As soon as you plug it into your Mac, your Mac picks it up as totally empty drive. This means the drive is Time Machine Ready. The negative aspect to this is that you don’t get any backup or syncing software like you usually do when you buy a hard drive, however we can’t help but wonder how many people don’t actually use the software that comes with hard drives. Chances are most Mac users are using Time Machine to back up anyway, so we guess that is the thinking behind not having any software included.

Performance:
Inside the FreeAgent Desk for Mac is a speedy 7,200RPM drive. You also get a Firewire 800 connection for the fastest performance available. A USB connection is available as well, but if you’re a Mac user there is no reason not to take advantage of the much faster Firewire 800 connection. In real world testing the drive copied a 1GB file in just 19 seconds over a Firewire 800 connection. Duplicating a 1GB file took 31 seconds, thus proving the FreeAgent Desk for Mac to be a great performer. XBench scores were also good for the drive, but there is no question that the drive generally reads significantly slower than it writes. You can check out the gallery for detailed XBench results.

Conclusion:

The FreeAgent Desk for Mac is a solid drive with a slick design and very good performance via Firewire 800. Mac users will appreciate how well the FreeAgent Desk drive compliments their set-up. It’s also reasonably priced - The 500GB version retails for $169, the 1TB is $269 and the 1.5TB is $349 and the latter will be available in October. The drive comes with a 5 year limited warranty.

The good: Slick Mac-like Design, Great Performance, Time Machine Ready

The Bad: No on and off switch, hard drive can’t be stacked up, no included software

USB Nintendo Game Pad for Your PC is Retro Chic

A few years back there was a story circulating online about how to transform a retro NES controller into a USB Game pad. But not everyone is crafty enough to actually put one together on their own. Luckily for just $18.00 you can get a Japanese import modeled after the original Nintendo controller. It’s not quite the same thing but it’s similar enough that for $18, NES fans will appreciate it’s old school design when playing PC games with it.

How to Sell Your Music Online to iTunes and the Big Wigs

So you want to get your music out there and distribute it to the world? Well that MySpace page where folks can listen to some of your tracks ain’t gonna cut it. If you want to start playing with the big guns, you have to be on iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, etc. But where do you start? TuneCore is a one stop solution for budding artists. For a cheap flat free, TuneCore gets you on all of the popular online music destinations: iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, Music.com, GroupieTunes, Lala, emusic, etc. You get to collect all the royalties and every penny involved. That sounds so much better than having an agent or record company - right? Pricing begins at $0.99 per track, per store, per album, or you can pay a single flat fee of $9.99 per year with all stores included. TuneCore also has programs for distributing films, but we don’t have information on pricing for that service.

USB Key-pressed Ferris Wheel is Powered by Your Typing

A new day, another useless USB gadget to fill up your USB hub. The USB Key-pressed Ferris Wheel looks like a cheap plasticky toy with a “ferris wheel” that has lights flashing and two tinny cars running along it. Keep up your typing and the Ferris Wheel will keep going, stop typing and the free ride you’re giving the plastic bunny, bear and elephant on the ferris wheel we’ll sadly come to an end for them. The USB Key-pressed Ferris Wheel retails for $30.

Sony Vaio Z90 with Custom Floral Etchings

The new Sony Vaio Z series is so slick, it will even make some Mac users have a wandering eye. Weighing less than 3.5lbs with a Blu-ray drive, Core 2 Duo processor, and 13.1 inch display with a 1600×900 resolution - it’s one ultra-portable laptop that knows how to pack a punch and look good at the same time. But what we’re especially excited about is that Dynamism is offering the Z90 with custom etchings on its carbon case. You can choose from Botanical Garden, Gothic Arabesque, or Line Forest. The etchings adds a level of style to the laptop that makes it look like a million bucks. Pricing begins at $1999.

http://www.dynamism.com/#Product=sonyvaio_z90

GriffinSimplifi iPod Dock with Media Card Reader & USB Hub

Between miscellaneous accessories and peripherals, our desks are way to cluttered, and Griffin is trying to keep things tidier and more organized with the new Simplifi. The Simplifi is a dock for the iPod and iPhone that also doubles as a media card reader and a 2 port USB hub. The media card reader accepts most popular flash cards.  We can’t help but wish that they had managed to throw 4 USB ports in there, but we’re still drawn to how convenient and practical this device just really is. The Simplifi retails for $69.99.

CEIVAShare Digital Picture Frame Lets You Share Photos with other Ceiva Owners

The CEIVAShare isn’t your ordinary picture frame, it’s a frame that is focused on sharing your special photos with friends and family. CEIVA offers a special service called PicturePlan which lets you send photos to anyone else you know that also as the CEIVAShare frame. Folks who may not even have a CEVIA frame can also send images to those who do. No computer is needed just connect by phone, ethernet, or Wi-FI. The device also automatically uploads photos put on the frame via the built in memory card reader so that you can share them within your PicturePlan network too. The service costs $6.95 a month and it also offers users unlimited photo storage, which makes it a decent value.  Additionally you can use the CEIVAShare like an ordinary photo frame. Feature wise, the frame sports an 8″ LCD with a 4:3 resolution and an 800×600 resolution and it promises “True-to-photo image technology”. The CEIVAShare retails for $129, which makes it on par with other similar photo frames but this one has special tricks up its sleeve. It also comes with a 3 month subscription to PicturePlan and comes with a remote control that can be stored inside the picture frame itself.

Blood Drip Phone Strap for the Sickly Mobile Phone

Is your cell phone sick and you didn’t even know it? - So sick that it needs to carry around a Blood Drip Phone Strap. Or maybe it’s that your phone is a vampire and it needs easy access to snacks. Well, we’re just theorizing - after all, what other silly reason could there be to get a cell phone a strap like these ones? The Blood Drip Phone Strap is available with all available blood types - A, B, AB, and O. Only in Japan. Sigh. The Blood Drip Phone Strap retails for $5.82 USD just in time for Halloween.

Schwinn Tailwind eBike Recharges in Just 30 Minutes

Summer may be over but that doesn’t mean you have to put the bike away just yet. With the way the economy is going you may need a bicycle to get around. Just announced last night the Schwinn Tailwind eBike “utilizes the Toshiba Super Charge ion battery to deliver an industry leading 30 minute recharge time.” Each charge will get you 25 to 30 miles, and the best part is that it can be recharged using a standard residential electrical outlet. However don’t fret, because you can still peddle your way home the old fashioned way since it is also a 8 speed bike. The one thing that is a bit hefty is the price. Coming in at $3199.99, it could be a bit much for those who only plan on using this to bike around in the park. With the new addition of the Tailwind, Schwinn will have a total of seven electrical bikes to offer consumers.

Hello Kitty MP3 Player Review (And It’s Affordable too!)

Products under the Hello Kitty moniker have continuously established themselves in popularity and mass appeal among adolescents and teens as one of the world-wide leaders in the production of cool and colorful gadgets. The Hello Kitty Digital MP3 Player with 3 Changing Face Plates ($39.95, ages 7 to 14) by Sakar continues in that trend!

Weighing less than an ounce, this 1GB, battery operated (1 AAA battery) flash mp3 player includes 3 Change Face Plates, earphones, an instruction manual, USB cable and Music Express Software. The minimum software requirements are Windows 2000, XP or Vista (sorry Mac users) and the hardware stats are Pentium II 300MHZ, 128 RAM Recommended, a sound card and 250MB Free Hard Disk Space.

Constructed of light weight durable and sturdy plastic, even with the battery installed the mp3 player was still wispy and light as a feather in my hands! Setting up the player is a two step process which entails installing the included Music Express Software and connecting the USB cable (included) from the mp3 player to an available USB slot on a computer. Windows automatically discovers and installs the drivers.

Changing the face plates initially became a tug of war; carefully pulling and separating the face plate from the mp3 player was becoming a war of attrition. However, in all fairness, that could have been attributed to first time use. After that, changing the face plates was relatively a no brainer (and yes, the face plates fit very snug and secure on the unit)!

The controls are simplistic and easy to operate; a hold switch is on the left side of the unit, and an earphone plug, the built-in microphone and the slot for the included USB cable is located on the right side. The battery compartment is located on the back of the mp3 player and can be accessed by simply sliding down the detachable cover door.

Turning on the unit is done by pressing down on the play/pause key. Thus, one is presented with a Menu screen. The Menu is made of four choices: Music, REC (record), RPL (Replay of voice recordings done via the embedded microphone) and SYS (System). The actual navigation while not very intuitive is sort of like learning a combination and once I got that down, I didn’t have any problems. Pressing on the forward key is used to rifle through the four Main Menus and selecting a Menu is done by pressing on the Menu button, and within the sub menus, the navigation is done by using the fast forward button. Lastly, exiting a sub Menu is down by pressing on the Menu button which takes one back to the Main Menu screen (got that?).

Getting music on the Hello Kitty MP3 player is actually a straight forward and very easy process. The included Music Express software allows one to scan for all music on a computer, or strip music from a CD and convert it into WMA, WAV or MP3 (it does not play or convert the AAC format which is Apple Computer’s format used to play music on an iPod). There’s also a drag and drop feature that enables music to be copied over to the mp3 player within seconds! Another cool feature of this software is having the ability to set-up, create and manage playlists too!

The included pink head phones may be cute and girly, but the hard non-conforming plastic around the ear piece may indeed present some problems by being very uncomfortable! Listening to music through these earphones was an unpleasant experience and the sound was very “tiny” and low. However, when I used a pair of personal ear buds, the sound was very impressive. I would compare the sound quality to that of an Apple Shuffle! Additionally, the plays back of voice recordings are sub-par at best (but then again, how many 7 to 14 year olds will probably be using this feature on this device?). However, the over-all idea in using this device is to have fun!!

Admittedly, I was impressed with the over-all quality of the Hello Kitty Digital MP3 Player, but was kind of curious why the manufacturer chose to use an actual AAA battery as oppose to an embedded rechargeable battery like most mp3 players have these days. I mean would it be easier for someone to carry around an extra battery when the player becomes low on juice or to simply plug it into a computer to recharge it? Also, would it hurt to include a better pair of headphones, perhaps, an assortment of girlie colored ear buds? Ear buds provide a longer listening experience and they’re very comfortable to wear! Lastly, I became somewhat concerned by the battery compartment easy access, and the manufacturer has addressed this concern by indicating a warning which is on the box that all loose parts on this device including the battery are a Choking Hazard. Hence subsequent care should be exercised not to leave this device around were younger children are present.

Conclusion:
In spite of these minor mishaps, the pros outweigh the cons for the Hello Kitty Digital MP3 player. This mp3 player will make the girlish of girls and tom boys sing and dance and rejoice with sheer delight! I like the fact, that this device does not attempt to be an iPod and that it’s simplistic and easy to operate!
The Sakar Hello Kitty MP3 Player can be purchased at Target, Toys”R”Us and Wal*Mart for $39.00

The Good:
Sturdy quality, straight forward navigation and operation controls, full fledged hard copy manual, 1 year warranty for parts and labor, good price point for 1GIG flash player, cool face plates, excellent sound quality for music, extremely light weight, intuitive media management music software, unit can also be used to manage files such as homework, and will make an excellent stocking stuffer or birthday gift.

The Bad:
Poorly made head phones (ear buds, anyone?), requires an AAA battery for operation (embed battery please and if a battery must be used, please include) and make ear buds in an assortment of fun colors besides pink.

Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 Review

So last year around this time we had the chance of a lifetime to review Rock Band. When we completed the review all we could say was WOW! It had everything you would want and more from a rhythm game. It opened up the genre to something new and exciting and took it places that Guitar Hero hadn’t attempted yet. So now a year later and Rock Band 2 has landed on our doorstep. We were excited to see if it lived up to the original and would it improve on some of its minor flaws. [Read more]

Telephone Ring Signaler Lets You SEE the Phone Ringing

Have you ever missed a telephone call because you were busy listening to music on your headphones? It happens all the time, especially at work where you cant exactly blast your tunes out loud. The Telephone RIng Signaler is a simple solution to this pretty common problem. Connect the Telephone RIng Signaler to a phone outlet and to an electric outlet, and then plug a lamp in to that outlet. The next time the phone rings, the lamp’s power will cycle on and off, or rather it will be flickering on and off so that you can SEE that the phone is ringing. The Telephone Ring Signaler retails for $59.99. No word on what it will do to your electric bill though.

Portable Fan Keeps You Cool and Plays MP3 Tunes Too

We’ve seen Mp3 speakers show up in strange places, but this time it kinds of make sense. The o2Cool 8″ Mp3 Speaker Fan is essentially 2 compact 3″ stereo speakers built in to a totally usable fan. This is the kind of speaker that would be very suitable for dorm rooms, camping and the patio. The Mp3 Speaker Fan can be powered by batterries or an AC adapter and it retails for $29.99.

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