Tag Archives: Audio

Splitterbot does just what a standard audio splitter does, but cuter

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Splitterbot does just what a standard audio splitter does, but cuter

I feel just a little shame posting this Splitterbot guy just after some important leakage, but the fact is that anything with a little robot face on it has to be worth a look, even if it’s more expensive and barely more functional than a standard audio splitter. Yes, indeed, the Splitterbot is a friendly little white guy (I mean he’s made from white plastic) who sits on your keychain waiting for your need to share a banging tune with one of your mates. At this point, his head conveniently comes off (completely, mind you, not just tilting back like our R2-D2 trash can) so you can plug him into Read more »

Logitech launches laptop speaker bar: Z205

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Logitech launches laptop speaker bar: Z205

Remember the times before laptops came with webcams as standard and you had to clip one on to the top of the screen? Well, it seems Logitech has applied this approach to the latest set of portable speakers. The Z205 is a speaker ‘bar’ that attaches to the top of your notebook’s screen and delivers a much more powerful sound than you’d expect from the internal speakers, while you don’t have to worry about standalone speakers disappearing while you’re on the move. The picture shows the speaker centrally located, which is probably the optimal position. However, if you have a laptop with a built-in webcam you may well have to Read more »

Sony shows off advanced digital voice recorders

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Sony shows off advanced digital voice recorders

Dictaphones: that’s what they used to be called. Today, though, those silly little cassette tapes and fiddly controls have all but gone and we’ve turned digital. In fact, after years of wanting a digital recorder, I now use my iPhone. However, there are still some nice features on these new recorders from Sony that would make me look twice at getting one. Obviously they’re digital. That means you can store a huge amount of audio on the solid state disk, with no fear of quality degradation. It’s all nicely indexed, so no fast forwarding and rewinding (unless you liked listening to high-pitched squeaking as you tried to find your place). Read more »

Compact "Eggy" speakers: your ultra-portable audio drivers

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Compact "Eggy" speakers: your ultra-portable audio drivers

Compact speakers may not pack the most punch for your music system, but what they might lack in power they make up for in portability. And, having said that, there are some pretty decent mini speakers around that are more than a match for their bigger cousins. Take a look at S&J’s new “Eggy” speaker. We can easily see why it has the name, and it’s not far off the size of a chicken’s egg either, because it can fit into the palm of your hand. Unscrew the two halves of the egg and you have two speakers complete with their own mini stands. The units are driven from micro-mini Read more »

For the PA love of your life: the AV tee

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For the PA love of your life: the AV tee

If your significant other is a PA or home audio/cinema nut, then you could do worse than buy them this audio-visual tee-shirt from Threadless. On the back of the shirt we have all the standard connectors you could want, from the (nearly) bygone SCART and S-VIDEO through to HDMI and digital inputs/outputs. On the front, simply a standby button and a phones jack. Sadly, this is just a printed shirt, with no working or moving parts (other than the human body wearing it, of course). I’m surprised it doesn’t come in an iPod version. $18. Tee (Via) Read more »

Audiophiles take note: Linn intros Majik DS-I one box audio system

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Audiophiles take note: Linn intros Majik DS-I one box audio system

True music aficionados of old probably had a huge stack of high quality audio components in order to enjoy the best of the musical world: a kick-ass amp linked up to turntable and CD and SACD players. Now, Linn offers a one-box system that claims to be able to do away with all that. While many everyday music lovers will happily download or rip compressed versions of their tunes, Linn’s MAJIK DS-I is all ready to take advantage of lossless audio formats such as FLAC and ALAC, including 24-bit Studio Master downloads that are identical to stereo Super Audio CDs. It can be connected up to other home entertainment components Read more »

Best of CES 2010 (Part One): 3DTV, Audio, Display, Processors, Gadgets

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Best of CES 2010 (Part One): 3DTV, Audio, Display, Processors, Gadgets

It’s Consumer Electronics Show time again, folks, which means many tech people camp out in Las Vegas to see what the big (and not so big) players in the world of consumer electronics have to offer for the coming year. Not all of it’s brand new, but CES is a great place to showcase it. There are geekier conventions, of course, but what would it be if Forever Geek didn’t give a decent nod Vegas way and showcase some of this year’s highlights. The show is still rolling as we speak, so we may not have captured all the best bits yet. Still, let’s take a look at what’s hot Read more »

Lightsaber MP3 player for Star Wars fans who don't need features

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Lightsaber MP3 player for Star Wars fans who don't need features

If being a fan of Star Wars merchandise is more important than the actual functionality of those products, then the official lightsaber MP3 player could be just what you’re looking for. Low on features (plays music in the order it’s stored on a memory card) but high in visual appeal, it’s 8cm (about 3 inches) in length and authentically detailed. It should be, in fact, because it has been officially licensed by Taito. I’m sure you can get knockoff variants for less than the $23.90 being asked here — they might even have an LCD to view your music track details on. This one doesn’t, but then it worked for Read more »

iPod with Everything: Electrolux's vacuum cleaner concept with iPod dock

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iPod with Everything: Electrolux's vacuum cleaner concept with iPod dock

Is “iPodification” a word? Clearly not, as there’s a big red line under it in my text editor, but I think it has to be one for next year’s update of the Oxford English Dictionary, because it seems that you can stick an iPod on just about everything these days. Take an everyday object and iPodify it by sticking an iPod-friendly dock on it. Electrolux wants to iPodify one of its own products: a vacuum cleaner. My first impression is a definite WTF because vacuuming is not generally known as a quiet activity. Yet the home appliance giant reckons it has created a cleaner that is “as silent as normal Read more »

Practice your ventriloquism with talking animals pen

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Practice your ventriloquism with talking animals pen

You know we’re approaching Christmas when the silly gift ideas start appearing. Not that there’s anything particularly Christmassy about these ventriloquist pens, but be honest — when else are you likely to buy (or be given) something like this. (If you think this is the best gift ever, you need to read our 12 tips for buying geek Christmas presents) Right, so what is it? Forget dictaphones and other recording devices. Nothing says “I’m a geek making it in the business world” more than turning up with one of these pens, recording memos on it, and then pretending you’re an ace ventriloquist by playing it back, at which point the Read more »