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iLuv rolls out iMM178 Vibe Plus iPod dock with built-in 'bed shaker'
Need a bit more than a regular alarm to get you up in the morning? Then you might just be a prime candidate for iLuv's new iMM178 Vibe Plus iPod dock / alarm clock, which will not only let you wake up to a favorite track, but shake your bed in the process. Of course, "shake" is likely a bit of an overstatement, but the bed shaker attachment (placed under a pillow) does have its own speaker and volume control, and promises to "wake up the heaviest of sleepers." Otherwise, the dock is pretty standard fare, and includes a large LCD display, dual alarm settings, an FM radio, and a pair of jAura speakers that promise added "depth and clarity." Look for this one at all the usual sources right now for $89.99.
Audio Technica AT-HA35i melds headphone amp and iPod dock
Headphone amps may not be a necessity for the average user with a pair of off-the-shelf 'phones or iPod buds, but they're definitely a must-have for a particular subset of users, and Audio Technica is looking to make their lives a bit easier with its new AT-HA35i amp. From the looks of it, it this one doesn't skimp too much where it counts, and includes a D/A converter that supports 192 kHz/24bit audio, along with a max output of 440mWx2, 20-20kHz frequency response and support for 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz sampling. Unlike other amps, however, this one also packs a built-in iPod dock, plus some RCA, S-Video, and digital audio outputs 'round back to connect it to your other audio / video gear. Of course, Audio Technica headphone amps tend not to come cheap, and this is no exception -- look for it to set you back ¥50,400 (or about $560) when it rolls out in Japan next month.
Buffalo Dualie dock hits Apple Store shelves
The Buffalo Dualie takes two of the most ubiquitous items around -- namely iPod and HDD docks -- and does the inevitable by splicing them into one device. You should already be familiar with it from our CES coverage, but just to refresh your memory this is a dual-purpose docking station, accepting hard drives and iDevices of most colors and creeds. It comes bundled with a swish-looking 500GB storage drive, and we hear Buffalo is pretty cheerful about satisfying Apple's stringent standards to make this an Apple Store exclusive. Yep, that means you can only buy this direct from Apple, but if you've already tasted the forbidden fruit once to get your iPod or iPhone, another bite shouldn't really hurt, should it?
Sony WHG-SLK1 iPod shelf system surfaces at CES
Sony doesn't seem to have gotten around to an official announcement for this one just yet, but its WHG-SLK1 iPod shelf system was on hand at CES 2010, and the folks at Sony Insider managed to get a quick peek at it. Designed as much for video as for audio, this one packs a fairly large 9-inch screen front and center, and promises a full 100W of power, along with an iPod dock, a built-in DVD player, a USB port, and accommodations for both Memory Sticks and SD cards. You'll also get video in/out ports to connect other devices or connect the system itself to a larger screen, but there's unfortunately no indication of a price or release date.
Branex iTamTam iPod docking stool ensures your backside breaks it on day one
Hey, can you feel the vibe? That was actually your iPhone being snapped off by your reclining-inclined back. Anyhow, some genius at Branex Design of France decided that people would totally buy this $570, 11.5-pound speaker stool. Underneath the hood are four 1.5-inch 10W tweeters and a 5.25-inch 80W subwoofer to shudder your pelvis, all of which contribute to an overall power rating of 70W. There are over ten colors to choose from, too. Let's just hope that Philippe Starck doesn't see this and cry.
Pure Oasis, Sensia and Sirocco 550 internet radios hands-on
Pure's WiFi-enabled radios are making their US debut here at CES, and we've gotten to grips with the top trio on offer. The Oasis (pictured above) is a weatherproofed, rubber-rich unit, which can resist splashes of water and go on for between 10 and 15 hours on a single charge. We agree it looks like a durable machine, but -- while it can reach some pretty high volumes -- the sound itself was predictably lacking at the furthest ends of bass and treble. Moving up in the world to the Sensia delivers a snazzier touchscreen interface with built-in Facebook and Twitter integration, but we clashed with some deal-breaking lag while using it. Finally, the top tier Sirocco 550 offers a more conventional styling to go along with a CD player (those still exist?) and an iPod / iPhone dock. Priced at $249, $349 and $449, respectively, these should all find American shelves to sing from by the middle of this year. %Gallery-82501%
JVC unveils a wide array of ominous iPod docks
For those about to dock, JVC has plenty iPod / iPhone sound systems coming out this year. First off, the company has unloaded a pair of shelf systems with dual iPod docks that each sport a USB port for mass storage playback and the requisite audio input, video output, CD player, and AM/FM receiver. Either get the UX-F3 (60 watts) for $200 when it comes out in May, or drop $400 for the 230 watt NX-D2 with Sound Turbo for "wall-shaking, bone shattering, low frequency performance." (Woah!) For nano fans, the SP-A130 is a compact powered speaker available in the four iPod nano 5G colors. Get yours in March for $29.95. If you spend a lot of time in bed (or wakin' up), the new RD-N1 ($130) CD player/tuner/iPod dock is one-piece tuner / CD player /clock radio with front facing audio input. Available in April. If you want to save a few bucks, the RA-P1 eschews the CD player and is priced for $60. Available in April. Last but certainly not least, the JVC Kaboom! is an iPod dock / boombox with USB for external media playback, CD player (with WMA and MP3 playback), FM tuner, and front audio input. Available this month for $300. PR after the break.
iLuv App Station taped down with a cardboard iPhone at CES
We managed to get up close and personal with the iLuv App Station at CES. Sadly, we didn't get to try it out with a real iPhone, but even then it would've been difficult to see if the sound quality's any good. How about a review unit, iLuv? *wink* %Gallery-82143%
Cignias NAO Symphony iPod speaker enables WiFi control with iPhone and BlackBerry
If you were too timid to make the leap when this bad boy went up for pre-order, the Cignias NAO Symphony (and NAO Symphony Noir, which is the same thing, except dressed in black) is available for sale. The iPhone / iPod touch (second gen and later) dock can be controlled wirelessly from the included remote control, yet another iPhone / iPod touch or via BlackBerry app (which strikes us as bizarre, truth be told). In addition, your Apple or BlackBerry smart phone can stream music to it over WiFi or you can use any BlackBerry vie Bluetooth. Boasting a modest 50 watts, the device is available will run you $299 -- hit the source link to get started. PR after the break.
Sony Trik hands-on
Guess what, we don't even care if the official name is Trix, this product isn't about its name, its specs, or any other such sensible consideration. This is a loud and proud homage to every urge you've ever experienced to "express yourself." Whether yourself is a Yankees fan, a surfer, or a crazed Twilight aficionado, there are interchangeable covers to appease most (bad) tastes. We took a quick peek around this iPod / iPhone dock, and for those who care, we'd say the Trik actually looks like a well-formed tune deliverator that might very well be worth the $130 asking price. Audio testing in the booming halls of CES was a futile affair, but there's plenty of time before April's release date for you to hear them for yourself and to pick a tasteful cover to demonstrate your individuality with. %Gallery-82162%
Buffalo teases Dualie dock, LinkStation NAS and MediaStation 6x portable BluRay writer
Dropping by Buffalo's booth at CES today was a surprisingly fruitful affair. The company is keen is to promote its first US-designed product, called the Dualie, which serves as a simultaneous HDD and iPhone/iPod dock. Priced at $250, it'll come with a rather handsome 500GB external drive, and it'll even let your iPod Nano take a ride. Moving to more serious modes of storage, we snapped a couple of pictures of the Linkstation Duo NAS, which comes with two drives and will be priced at $500 for a 3TB set, $340 for 2TB, and $230 for a pair of 500GB drives. Finally, the as yet unannounced MediaStation 6x portable BluRay writer will be making its debut in March at around $250. %Gallery-81877%
Sony's Trik / Triq iPod Dock is perfect for your garishly tasteless lifestyle, also headphones
Looking for the perfect sound system to match the urban camo scheme you applied on your M4A1 in Modern Warfare 2? Have we got the solution for you, guaranteed to both work with your iPod/iPhone and to make your parents cringe. It's Sony's Triq/Trik, which is so unbelievably tricky Sony can't decide whether to call it the Triq or the Trik. If the monochrome thing doesn't do it for you there are three other skins to choose from, each more hideous daring than the next. It pumps out a very meaningful 75 watts and will cost a $130 when it ships in April. Sony also announced the MDR-NC300D Digital Noise Canceling Earbuds, said to be the first earbuds with digital noise cancelation, surely far superior than those paltry analog cancellation-featuring earbuds. They're pictured after the break, featuring a "vertical-in-the-ear" style and providing 20 hours of life from a single AA battery. No, the battery doesn't go up in your ear canal. %Gallery-81805%
iHome's new clock radios will ensure neither you nor your iPhone ever sleep too late
If you tend to think of iHome as a company that makes things iPhones and iPods can be seen sticking out of, we're here to reinforce that impression with the unveiling of three new clock radio dock devices for Appley goods. iP90 Clock Radio/Audio System: This is the latest clock radio from the company, displaying a sleek design (pictured above) that's much more visually appealing than the last one we saw and, interestingly, sports a sync button that will suck the time right out of your iPhone and use it to set the device. No more swearing at yourself for scrolling too quickly past 9:54pm. iP42 Dual Alarm Clock Radio: This version (pictured after the break) slims things down a bit and, honestly, uglies them up a bit compared to the iP90, but adds the ability to manage two alarms at once. Sync button makes an appearance here, too. iP39 Kitchen Timer and FM Alarm Clock Radio: Wrapping things up is a cooking companion, featuring stainless steel accents that are said to provide "the look and feel of a premium kitchen appliance." Sadly we have no images of this Bertazzoni wanna-be, but we do know that it's designed to be easy to clean, also sports an alarm clock, and adds a dual bake timer into the mix as well. No release date or prices for any of these at this time. Can your sleep cycle handle this kind of variety? We don't think so. Update: Justin commented to point out what we missed: that the iP90 will be $99.
iLuv App Station speaker dock rolls with its own Alarm Clock App
It's CES again kids and that means it's time to pump out as many iPod / iPhone peripherals as possible. Most are lame reworks of designs we've seen over and over and over again. iLuv's App Station, however, is a refreshing update that combines a few old designs: as a rotating iPhone speaker dock, the device can be shifted into vertical or horizontal positions for movies or music. But there's also a free downloadable iLuv App that turns the device into a big ol' alarm clock. The App Station is expected to go on sale in February for 130 beans.
GenevaSound S stuffs 'hifi' and 'pretentious' into smaller $299 box
We loved the original Geneva Sound System XL, if for nothing other than the sheer audacity of it, though we hear it made some pretty good noise to boot. But if you don't have $1,999 to drop on an iPod dock, the new GenevaSound S brings things into the realm of possibility with a street-style $299 pricetag. Of course, with only two speakers under the hood and not as much room (or power) to stretch those bass-ey legs, we'll have to see just if the dock can measure up to its hyperbole when we get a chance to take a listen. At least that sexy, hidden touch-sensitive control panel certainly isn't hurting anything. %Gallery-80467%
JVC gets tubular with XS-SR3 iPod speaker dock
Not that we haven't seen an elongated iPod sound system before, but we've definitely yet to see one as totally bodacious as this. JVC has just slung out its XS-SR3 iPod speaker dock, which -- like B&W's Zeppelin Mini -- can hold your iPhone / iPod vertically or horizontally. JVC claims this little trick better enables users to view videos in widescreen form, while the 5-watts of power are sure to blow your skin back when cranked to 11. Other specs include a bundled remote and two audio inputs (one analog, one digital), and if you're even mildly interested, you can check it out later this month for $149.95. %Gallery-80419%
Apple patent application details universal iPhone / iPod dock
Don't get your hopes up too much just yet, but it looks like you might one day no longer need to detangle a USB cable or fiddle with a plastic dock adapter the next time you want to charge or sync your iPhone or iPod. That's if this recently revealed patent application for a new type of universal dock from Apple turns into an actual product, at least. The secret to the dock, such as it is, is that the base would be made of an elastic, sponge-like substance that could conform to any device and hold it in place. What's more, the dock would apparently even be able retain the imprint of your device for convenient use next time, and be reset at the push of the button to let you use it with another device -- we're not quite sure how this thing is supposed to hold up a tablet, though.
Altec Lansing inMotion Classic iMT620 iPhone stereo review
We've been playing with the Altec Lansing inMotion Classic iMT620 for a few days now, and before you think "man, not another iPhone stereo dock," look again. It was (mostly) love at first sight when we spotted this mini boombox -- sharp corners and minimalism are what Altec Lansing does best these days, and the hint of retro isn't hurting anyone, either. Like the iMT620's predecessors, the inMotion series still bears the portability hallmark in the form of a built-in battery (up to five hours for this model), and now with the addition of a multifunctional handle as well. But is it really worth the $149 tag? Read on to find out.
Panasonic debuts MW-10 photo frame / iPod dock / sound system
Can something manage to be both an iPod dock and a photo frame yet still manage to look like neither? It can if it's Panasonic's new MW-10 "multimedia audio system photo frame," which looks more like a shrunken down LCD TV than anything else. If that suits your decor, however, it looks like you'll get quite a bit from this little package, including a 9-inch WVGA display, 4GB of internal memory, an SD card slot, an FM tuner, some puported "audiophile-quality sound," and even a built-in CD player to complement the iPod dock 'round back. Look or this one to hit US retailers sometime in December for $299.95 -- or if that's too long to wait, you can pick one up in Japan right now, where it launched last month.
Seiko Ocean Theater alarm clock brings the life aquatic to your bedroom
If you're anything like us, you're terrified of whales for pretty much no reason. Seiko's newest alarm clock -- the Ocean Theater -- probably isn't for you then. Fair enough, but plenty of people are not maladjusted, and we're willing to admit that it's pretty cool, even if it's terrifying. The clock, which responds to touch, can project various marine life upon your walls, and we imagine it'll be a huge hit with children. As you'll see in the video after the break, if this thing works as advertised, it's really rather impressive. The Ocean Theater also doubles as an iPod dock, and will be available from Japan Trends; it's up for pre-order now and runs $235. Like we said, definitely check out the video after the break.
