The band Counting Crows and BitTorrent recently launched a new music bundle that includes four songs from “Underwater Sunshine”, high-definition wallpaper images, and liner notes from the band.
The bundle is available to millions of music listeners, and will be included anytime someone downloads the uTorrent client software.
“I’ve been a big proponent of giving songs away for a long time,” said Adam Duritz, Counting Crows lead singer, when speaking with TorrentFreak. “I can dwell on the negatives, but I don’t want to miss out on the fact that there’s 150 million people who I can give songs to. You either treat it as just a money drain, like the record companies do. Or you can treat it as it actually is, which is a conduit, meaning it runs both ways.”
It’s refreshing to see a major musician made the statements Duritz said publicly — and I like his attitude about it. Embrace the music listeners and try to work with them, rather than rely on record labels to attack music listeners and lobby in Washington, D.C.
Enjoy total sound isolation with a quality pair of earbuds, but worry if you’re losing out from not being able to hear ambient sound?
If so, there is an interesting new product that utilizes air channels so you’re able to hear ambient sounds while still listening to music with a promise of no distortion. It helps give citizens and athletes have an ability to hear ambient sound while still enjoying their playlist.
It looks like the team did take its time working with design experts seriously, and this product could prove to be most useful.
The AIRbudz alone will cost $10, or you can pay $20 for the AIRbudz and some headphones. The Kickstarter AIRbudz promotion requires a minimum $10 donation, though additional funds can be contributed.
The SafeSound AIRudz seem interesting enough, and I’ll be curious to hear what people think about the product. I’ve seen runners and cyclists become oblivious to their surroundings while jamming out — which might be okay in the gym or on the tread mill — but can be extremely dangerous out in the world.
PC peripheral maker NZXT is back at it again, recently launching a special edition of the Switch 810 gaming case.
The case is promoted as a silent performing case that can be supported by liquid cooling and extreme airflow.
I like that NZXT decided to use a matte finish to help avoid fingerprints, smudges, and other eye sores that can be left on computer cases. Also interesting that NZXT is included black screws and motherboard standoffs, signaling their effort to stand out from rival PC chassis makers.
NZXT makes high quality products designed for gamers and PC enthusiasts, and the company’s cases are definitely top of the line. If you’re a casual PC user, you can probably skip just about all of NZXT’s products — the higher price tag and less practical solutions don’t make this right for you.
The NZXT Switch 810 Special Edition is available in two colors with a $179.99 MSRP from NZXT.
Urbanears may not be a household name among casual consumers, but you should take the brand seriously among the competition. A company I’ve worked with in the past, I’m appreciative of the brand’s designs, and will take the Urbanears Medis earbuds for a spin here today.
We received a pair of the Urbanears mustard (yellow) Medis, a bright and bold statement for music listeners. I like that the entire product from how it’s packaged to the matching earbud and cord color give it a more creative look.
Urbanears has the custom earclick system that helps keep the earpiece in place for maximum comfort. It certainly will take some getting used to, so don’t be surprised if you have to adjust fit a few times before you figure out what works best.
Also, I didn’t find the earbuds as comfortable as marketed, but a colleague has the same pair and says they are very comfortable. I don’t know if it was the addition of earclick, to help secure the earbuds, but extended comfort just isn’t there for me.
I enjoyed using the the microphone, and tested it with a BlackBerry Bold 9700, Apple iPhone, and Samsung Galaxy S. The unique headset feels like a dual in-ear mixed with on-ear — it’s a truly out there design.
I’m a bit of an audio snob when it comes to earbuds, but the Medis were decent enough. I was able to use a couple different earbud size adjusters comfortably, though I’ve heard other people had fitting issues.
Urbanears definitely went out on a limb when they decided to design the Medis headset. It’s more of a hybrid blend of earbuds and earphones, because the unit is designed with the Medis only “a small distance from your ear canal.”
The Medis earphones don’t offer stellar audio quality, and there are numerous choices in the same price range. I wasn’t overly impressed because all of music we tested the headset with lacked deep, plentiful range. The bass was okay, but audiophile snobs should aim for a different headset if they are looking for loud, clean music.
However, using the headset as a communications device is superb, and is significantly better than cheaper options available to phone owners. Accepting a call is painless, and voice distortion wasn’t a big problem for me.
The yellow cord is more like a cross of a shoe lace and a piece of string, and doesn’t tangle easily like many other earbud cords. I didn’t have a problem after using them for more than one month, but some people noted that the wired connection began to fail them.
These aren’t the best overall earbuds out there, but I’m fairly confident in Urbanears — and you should be able to score the headset for a good price. Furthermore, the company is quite innovative, so they’ll have a great selection of new products for you to choose from in the near future.
You can purchase the Urbanears Medis online anywhere from $35 up to $49, and you can shop around to find a great price.
Samsung plans to continue its momentum in the tablet market, when it launches the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 model with a 10.1″ screen.
The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1″ model will be available in Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Office Depot, so you’ll have plenty of options when looking to purchase.
The latest and greatest Samsung tablet runs Android “Ice Cream Sandwich” 4.0.3, powered by a dual-core CPU. There were rumors the Tab 2 would be a quad-core product, but instead has a 1 GHz dual-core CPU.
It weighs in at just 1.28 lbs., and is a thin tablet that is just 0.38 inches thick. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1″ also has microSD, and utilizes integrated IR so the tablet doubles as a fancy TV remote. The Smart remote still has a ways to go, but it’s clear the potential is there.
On the down side, Samsung is charging around $400 for the tablet, and that will put a dent in your wallet. It’s all relative, because the $400 price point for a 16GB Wi-Fi tablet is still $100 cheaper than Apple’s latest iPad model.
Samsung is known for making high quality electronics, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab is no different. You’re likely going to pay a bit of a higher price tag than competing products, but the company’s tablets are built to last. If you’re in the market for a tablet but don’t have an immediate demand, patiently waiting to see how things develop through the end of the year will prove useful.
Aperion Audio recently announced the upcoming release of a wireless speaker system designed to work with PCs supported by Microsoft Windows.
The ARIS Wireless Speaker is designed specially for PC support, while other wireless speakers tend to be focused towards wireless consumer products.
Instead of supporting Bluetooth or AirPlay, the ARIS utilizes DLNA wireless streaming, which gives PCs the ability to stream music, movies and other content. However, a growing number of tablets and other portable devices are DLNA-compatible, so the speaker will still work using other electronics.
Some specifications:
• Single-piece brushed aluminum enclosure
• Adjustable and removable steel base
• 100 W RMS total power
• Six internal speakers (four powered drivers, two passive radiators)
• Three sound modes: natural, bass boost and enhanced stereo
• Push-button connection to home network using Wi-Fi Protected Setup
• Compatible with Windows 7 (Compatible with Windows 8 pending)
• DLNA® certified
Here is what the company said in a press release:
“The ARIS Wireless Speaker combines our experience in making wireless speaker systems with the media capabilities of the Windows operating system,” says Mike Hopkins, Product Development Manager at Aperion Audio. “The result is effortless listening from any room. Plus, with the new ARIS app, smartphone users can choose music from any device on their network and instantly send it to any connected ARIS speaker.”
The Aperion ARIS Speaker is scheduled for release sometime next month, with a retail price of $499.
Peripheral maker Logitech recently launched the Global Graffiti Collection geared towards more fashionable and trendy PC users, with an initial offering of a keyboard and two wireless mice.
“This Global Graffiti Collection brings a new borderless style to our most popular products,” said Sophie Le Guen, Logitech Senior Director of PC portfolio management. “We hit the road and found emerging designers from around the world that embody a unique yet globally relevant style – and put the designs together into one collection. These colorful, new designs allow you to hand-craft your own setup for a desktop that reflects individual style and creativity.”
Logitech has three products highlighted with this new stylish collection:
Logitech Wireless Keyboard K360: Features a three-year battery life and is equipped with six hot keys and 12 programmable F-Keys for instant access to your favorite apps, folders and Web pages. And with Logitech Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity, you get the reliability of a cord with wireless convenience.
Logitech Wireless Mouse M310: Exceptional comfort and cordless convenience with its hand-friendly contoured design and the plug-and-forget nano receiver. With Logitech Advanced Optical Tracking, surfing the Web and navigating your laptop touchpad gets even easier.
Logitech Wireless Mouse M325: Features Logitech’s newest micro-precise scrolling, which makes everything you love to do online easier. Its feel-good, contoured shape and textured grips help keep your hand happy – even after long hours. And with up to 18 months of battery life, it virtually eliminates the hassle of changing batteries.
Prices range from $29.99 up to $39.99.
Logitech is a well established peripheral maker, and anytime they release a new product it typically garners major headlines. A smaller, quieter launch like this one won’t get as much buzz, but don’t be surprised if you see these products begin to decently sell.
I’ve seen these types of trendy products before, and it’s almost impossible to see how cool they are until you see it in person. We’ll see if Logitech hit a home run, or if they should just keep focus on product design…
If you are buying a 4gb mp3 player with a camera and tuner for $22, you better bring your sense of humor with you. I bought my eSport for $30. I should have gone to Walmart and picked one up for $22 but it was worth extra money to not have to go to Walmart. I have nothing against Walmart. It is just the time it takes to get to the store, find the item, then pay for it, do not make it worth the trip to save $8.
Back to the review. Since I had my sense of humor handy, I decided to get the pink model. I like the color. I think it sets my dark running shorts off nicely.
When I plugged the player into my computer, it worked! It actually started to charge. To make things better, my Linux Mint operating system recognized it. I was so shocked my mouse hand went numb! I opened up a random music folder and dropped the whole thing into the mp3 folder and the player took it. When I looked at the folder, it contained both mp3 and ogg files. Ogg is the open source music format. Since it took the music so easily, I got cocky and drug an avi file over to see what would happen. To my surprise, all of the music played. As an added bonus, the Japanese music showed up on the display in Kanji. The video did not work because I did not resize it.
The music player worked. The buttons are extremely clunky but navigation is possible. The player comes with a cheap little speaker that works. It is kind of neat to clip it onto the back of my bike jersey and listen to poor quality music. When I am going up the side of a mountain, it is nice to have a tempo to help set a pace. I don’t really listen to the music but the tempo is there. I listened to the player through some Bose headphones with satisfactory results. It was not like listening to the music from a PC with a $200 sound card but the sound was okay.
The video camera works. With 4gb of available memory, you can record for a while. The camera works. It has a flash but I am not sure it does anything. Half the time when I take a picture, I am not sure if I took the picture or not. ¾ of the time when I take a picture, I am not sure if I am in the camera mode. The pictures and video transfer to my computer by drag and drop.
I am currently using it as my car mp3 player. It has about 6 hours of battery use and still going strong. When I turn it off and back on, it remembers the track it was playing. Every time I throw it back into its hole for the trip, it changes the song from the touchy controls that are only sensitive when you don’t want them to do anything.
Pros:
It is cheap
It works!
Very easy file transfer
Plays variable formats, mp3, wav and ogg. I did not feel like looking for Apple files to drag over.
Lots of memory storage
Expandable memory
Nice colors
Comes with a cool video about a rabbit
Cons:
It is cheap
It is slow
Navigation is frustrating
I can’t figure out where the buttons are located
It is big
Final grade – Pass
It is a $30 mp3 player. It does what I want and some extra stuff. It is easy enough to figure out. I did not read the instructions and managed just fine. The buttons do not work very well but they get the job done. I will not cry when it breaks. I bought a cheap mp3 player so I could sweat all over it and not cry when I get caught out in the rain. Remember your sense of humor when use something like this.
Posted by: Michael in Uncategorized on March 24th, 2012
Athletes like music — but trying to experience the outdoors with your expensive MP3 player and earbuds can end in disaster. That’s why press statements regarding new electronics geared towards athletes tend to pique my interests.
The Ematic electronics company recently announced the eSport Clip MP3/video player, a $29 media player with 4GB flash memory storage. The device also includes a 5-megapixel camera, USB 2.0 port, and a 1.8″ color display.
Honestly, I haven’t tried Ematic’s products before — and never heard of the company before receiving the press release — but the Ematic eSport Clip MP3 player is a relatively low-cost investment to a possibly decent product.
Posted by: Michael in Uncategorized on January 10th, 2012
Peripheral and storage maker Verbatim has announced a new Store ‘n’ Go Micro USB Drive Plus with storage capacities ranging from 4GB up to 32GB.
Here is what Verbatim had to say (via press release):
“The new Micro USB Drive Plus is an eye-popping way of carrying files while on the go,” said Mark Rogers, Verbatim Product Manager, Flash Memory Products. “Whether you are a student, businessman, photographer or road warrior, Verbatim’s Micro USB Drive Plus is the perfect USB for you – just clip it on your key ring and carry your files with you.”
Device specs:
Ruggedized SIP (System in Package) Design, encapsulates and protects electronic components from water, dust, and debris.
Flexible Protective Cover, shields USB connector and withstands rough handling in stride
Large carrying ring for easy attachment to key-rings, carabiners, notebook binders or day planners
4GB – 32GB Capacities
Available in a variety of trendy colors
Verbatim is one of my favorite companies manufacturing PC peripherals that many of us seem to forget about. The company makes quality products used for storage (including HDDs, memory cards, and storage drives) — I don’t have first-hand experience with Verbatim SSDs, but know the company has shown high interest in the market.
The Store ‘n’ Go Micro USB Drive Plus should do its job just fine, and will complement the company’s growing product catalog nicely.
