Gadget Reviews

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

PhoneSuit Primo adds extra juice, minimal bulk to your iPhone / iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so we fully anticipate that creating the downright adorable object you see above will take far longer than ten minutes if you a) don’t have a stash of circuits and fabrics laying around and / or b) you’ve never done anything like this before, but for seasoned DIYers, this is about as easy as it gets. The “10-minute sewable iPod remote” can actually be any character or design you feel like making, as the crux of this project relies on the circuit chip that is actually fitted inside the dock connector. From there, you just connect a few strands of conductive fabric, attach your kitty cat (or dragon, as the case may be) and begin to enjoy your homegrown iPod remote. Hit the read link for the full how-to, but only if you’re immune to cuteoverloaditus.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

DIY sewable iPod remote takes just ten minutes, will absolutely warm your heart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom’s much-ballyhooed iPhone GPS app best step its game up, else it’ll get left in the dust by none other than Navigon. The lesser-known nav company today introduced the second major update for its MobileNavigator iPhone app (our impressions are here), and the feature additions aren’t anything to scoff at. For starters, the program has become the first on-board navigation app for the iPhone to gain text-to-speech functionality, and just in case hearing street names belted out through a robotic voice ain’t good enough for your high standards, the inclusion of iPod control should win you over. At long last, drivers can access the full range of iPod functionalities with a single click from map access, and it even recognizes the shuffle feature to keep you guessing. Finally, a location sharing function has been added to make stalking your pals that much easier; to close, Navigon has knocked $10 off the purchase price, bringing it down to a nearly-palatable $89.99 — and yes, those who already own it can download the update gratis.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software

Navigon sneaks text-to-speech, iPod controls and location sharing into MobileNavigator app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need to catch up on today’s Apple news? Well, you can either fire up iTunes and download Apple’s video podcast of the event, or you can skip the endless game demos and marketing chit-chat and just peruse the links below. The executive summary? iTunes 9’s new app management, Home Sharing, and iTunes LP features are really nice, but it’s almost impossible to understand why Apple added a camera to the iPod nano and not the iPod touch, no matter what Steve says. Oh — and don’t forget the Palm Pixi!

Live from Apple’s ‘It’s only rock and roll’ event
Video: Steve Jobs returns to the Apple stage

iPods

iPod nano unboxed, camera gets tested against the mean streets of Manhattan
iPod touch 3rd gen hands-on and video
iPod nano 5G with camera first hands-on!
Apple announces cheaper, more colorful iPod shuffle, new Special Edition
Apple updates iPod touch line, drops prices, adds top-end 64GB model
Apple adds video camera, larger screen to new 5G iPod nano
iPod classic bumped to 160GB, price stays the same at $249
iPhone OS 3.1 is official, available today
iPhone / iPod touch OS 3.1.1 is live!
iPod shuffle 2g is no more

iTunes

iTunes 9 bringing iTunes LP functionality, ‘beautiful new look’
iTunes 9 breaks Pre media sync… what did you expect?
Video: iTunes 9 Home Sharing and iPhone app management

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple releases video podcast of Rock and Roll event, we’ve got you covered with the highlights originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wondering why Apple chose to add a camera to the iPod nano, but not the revised iPod touch? You’re not alone, but one Mr. Steven P. Jobs has an answer for you: it’s because the touch is a game machine, you see. Seriously — that’s what El Steve told the inimitable David Pogue today after the Rock and Roll event. According to Steve, Apple wasn’t “exactly sure how to market the touch” at first, but once they listened to their customers and started to focus on gaming, “it just took off.” That certainly explains the “funnest iPod ever” tagline, but still, why no cam? “We don’t need to add new stuff — we need to get the price down to where everyone can afford it.” And… that’s all he said about it, and Poguey didn’t pursue the blindingly obvious followup: that’s great for the $199 8GB model, but does Apple really think customers paying $299 and $399 for the larger editions would be turned off by paying slightly more for a camera sensor? Something tell us we won’t hear Jobs say one more word about it until he’s ready to actually unveil a touch with a camera — at which point it will be a revolution.

P.S.- Make sure to hit the read link for the full interview — it’s short, but it’s full of Steve saying things like “You notice Amazon never says how [many Kindles] they sell; usually if they sell a lot of something, you want to tell everybody.”

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Steve Jobs says iPod touch didn’t get a camera because “it’s a great game machine” originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every highly-polished stainless steel lining has a cloud, it seems, and today’s music player overhaul by Apple has been no different. Amidst all the excitement about moderate improvements and video cameras, we’ve also had to say goodbye to an old friend. Having been kept around for six months after the release of its successor, the second gen shuffle has finally succumbed, leaving the newly colorful 3G option all on its lonesome in the minimalist music lover space. Ah well, if you really have your heart set on the old rocker, refurb models are still available at Apple’s online store, though probably not for long.

[Via iLounge]

Continue reading iPod shuffle 2G is no more

Filed under: Portable Audio

iPod shuffle 2G is no more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, sure, the kids are all excited about iTunes LP and their fancy “lyrics” and “album art.” You know what we’re psyched about? Finally being able to manage our iPhone apps directly from iTunes 9. It works pretty much exactly as you’d expect, although we were able to make it do some minorly wonky things — and we’re psyched about the AutoFill-esque music sync feature that fills any remaining space on your phone with music.

We’re also pumped about the new Home Sharing feature in iTunes 9, which lets you transfer content between five different machines directly without screwing around with network shares or USB drives. We’ve seriously been waiting for a feature like this since iTunes sharing was first launched — it also works exactly like you’d expect, and we think it’ll make managing media across multiple machines much, much easier. Videos after the break!

Continue reading Video: iTunes 9 Home Sharing and iPhone app management

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Software

Video: iTunes 9 Home Sharing and iPhone app management originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s confusing now that we have an iPod touch 3G, right? We just got done handling the new model, and really, there’s not much to say. It’s a little snappier, but we didn’t do any heavy game playing, and otherwise it’s exactly the same. We thought it seemed thinner, but the cold hard specs stopped that idea in its tracks. Want to see more? Check out the gallery and video below!

Continue reading iPod touch 3rd gen hands-on and video

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

iPod touch 3rd gen hands-on and video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, gang — OS 3.1.1 for iPhone and iPod touch is alive and well and we’re installing it as we speak! We’re looking forward to digging into all those Genius mixes, syncing options and, most importantly, a reasonable way to manage apps. Stay tuned!

Update: Yes, managing apps from iTunes is every bit as magical as we expected. The update is free to iPhone users and iPod touch users who’ve already shelled out the big bucks for OS 3. If you own a touch and you’ve held off, however, your patience has paid off — the upgrade now only costs you $4.95. Huzzah!

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

iPhone / iPod touch OS 3.1.1 is live! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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8:53AM Well… we’re here. It’s still pretty early (just before 9AM here on the west coast), but we wanted to make sure no one snaked our sweet spot at Yerba Buena. We’re holding tight in line right now, but we’ll keep you updated on this breathtaking event as it happens. Stay tuned!

Continue reading Live from Apple’s ‘It’s only rock and roll’ event

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Live from Apple’s ‘It’s only rock and roll’ event originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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