“Breaking News,” the first single from Michael Jackson’s forthcoming posthumous album Michael, is pretty awful. But that might not be Michael’s fault! While Sony insists the track’s legit, Jackson’s nephews say that it actually isn’t MJ singing at all. Controversy! More »
Remember the FlyWire? Time to fuhgettaboutit it. While Belkin saw fit to kill the flagship wireless HDMI product of the last decade, a number of other firms have moved forward with similar ideas — thankfully for far less cheddar in many cases. Take this guy, for instance. Best Buy’s in-house Rocketfish label has just introduced a four-port WirelessHD kit, which consists of two separate pieces that work in unison to pipe 1080p content from up to four HDMI sources (one at a time, obviously) to a single HDMI-equipped display. It’s utilizing the same 60GHz WirelessHD protocol that’s been hanging around for years, and supposedly it can operate with around 33 feet of space between boxes. There’s support for 3D video, CEC remote functionality and surround sound, and it’ll even auto-sense which HDMI socket is active and change over to that one for you. At $299.99, it’s definitely one of the cheaper ways to cut an HDMI cable from your setup, but only time will tell if artifacting is an issue. In semi-related news, Rocketfish is also debuting a set of wireless cans at $119.99, with the full details on those waiting just after the break.
Continue reading Rocketfish serves up 4-port WirelessHD kit, wireless headphones
Rocketfish serves up 4-port WirelessHD kit, wireless headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Can’t say we’ve ever heard of Soundfreaq, but it’s safe to say said company has our attention now. The newly introduced SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system is easily one of the most stunning we’ve seen, and since it accepts BT commands, it’ll play nice with just about any mobile phone and / or PMP in the modern era. As for aural qualifications, you’re looking at Kevlar-reinforced balanced drivers (2.75-inch), an acoustically tuned dual-port chamber and a UQ3 spatial enhancement processor, all of which presumably combine to deliver pure nirvana straight to your ear canal. Doubly so if listening to Cobain. You’ll also find an inbuilt FM radio tuner as well as a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary input, but you won’t spot the unit itself anywhere other than Target; it’ll ship there later this month for $199.
Soundfreaq’s SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system exemplifies gorgeous originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Onkyo’s got a knack for dishing out new kit with a semblance of yesteryear in the design, and we’ve got to say — we dig it. The company’s latest are designed for minuscule offices, studio apartments and your everyday bedroom, with the CS-V645 DVD / CD mini system leading the way. This guy’s got an iPod / iPhone docking station on the top, a USB port on the front, built-in FM radio tuner and support for MP3, WMA, JPEG, and DivX file formats. It’ll also upscale content to 1080p over the HDMI output, and in case you were worried about getting up each time to alter the station, a remote is bundled in for good measure. The CD-only CS-445 is practically identical save for its incompatibility with DVD and the removal of its USB socket, but as with its older brother, it boasts a 40-watt amplifier and a pair of two-way loudspeakers. The CS-V645 is expected to crash in early December for $399, while the CS-445 reaches retailers this month for $329.
Continue reading Onkyo’s CS-V645 and CS-445 mini stereos offer iPod dock, a pinch of retro
Onkyo’s CS-V645 and CS-445 mini stereos offer iPod dock, a pinch of retro originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Indamixx — get it?! — may be a relative dark horse in the race to tablet supremacy, but those looking for something a touch outlandish can’t possibly ignore the company’s latest. The self-titled Indamixx 2 slate has just recently broke cover, with a prototype boasting Intel’s single-core 1.66GHz Atom N450 (a dual-core chip is slated to hit the finalized version), 2GB of RAM, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, a VGA output, Ethernet socket and analog audio input / output jacks. There’s no exact word on the screen size or resolution, but the kicker is the software — this guy’s loaded with Transmission 5.0, a music-centric OS that’s actually built around MeeGo.
The creators say that they chose MeeGo due to its fondness of multitouch inputs, and based on the videos we’ve seen of it running, it definitely looks like a wise choice. Moreover, those looking to use this for more traditional tasks will be thrilled to know that they still can, and considering that it’s Linux underneath, the limits are near-endless when it comes to tweaking options. For those in no position to wait for the final build, you can hit the source link in order to snag “beta hardware” for $999; we’re hoping that those who wait will be treated to far more sensible pricing, but there’s no question that we’re intrigued either way. Hop on past the break to see this bad boy get down.
Continue reading Indamixx 2 Atom-powered MeeGo tablet touts rockstar looks, $999 price tag
Indamixx 2 Atom-powered MeeGo tablet touts rockstar looks, $999 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Alex, who just can’t take the noise, dude. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“Hello Engadget. I’ve always been a fan of high quality audio but I have a problem. I need noise cancelling headphones, but active noise cancelling gives me a headache and my ear canals aren’t round enough to use in-ear earphones. I’ve also looked into custom earphones but I can’t afford paying $400 or more for a set. What are your recommendations for the best pair of passive noise cancelling headphones? My ears thank you.”
We will say that Klipsch’s oval ear tips tend to fit in funky ear canals that typically reject round ones, but if you’re still hellbent on a pair of cans, we’re hoping our audience below can toss out some advice. If they can hear us from underneath their noise cancelling headphones, of course.
Ask Engadget: best passive noise cancelling headphones? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Since 2006, Jawbone’s been making noise-canceling bluetooth headsets boasting modern design and military-grade sound. This is not one of those. This is the Jawbone Jambox — a wireless bluetooth speaker — and it’s what happened when the company decided to let the music out. Functionally it’s almost exactly the same as a Jawbone Icon, down to the pairing process, three-button controls and MyTALK upgradable software platform, but instead of a tiny mono earpiece you’re getting a stylish portable speakerphone with a 3.5mm input jack and some serious stereo potential. We’ve had it playing for several hours now, and while it’s not going to be the life of a large party even at maximum volume, it pumps out a terribly impressive amount of clear, room-filling sound for its size. If you pick it up or set it down on a table, you’ll feel the vibrations nearby.
You can’t quite tell from this angle, but that stainless steel grill wraps around an airtight enclosure made of polycarbonate infused with glass, which houses a pair of full-range drivers and a microphone up front and a “moving-wall passive bass radiator” around back for some extra low-end goodness. We’re told this last was quite the innovation, which didn’t impress us much until we were told what Jawbone put inside the radiator to ensure mass and rigidity: the unit’s 800mAh lithium-ion battery. Speaking of juice, Jawbone tells us the unit’s good for about eight hours of continuous playback at 75 percent volume. You’ll be paying a good bit to get this designer toy pumping out your jams, as any of the black, red, blue or silver units will run $200 at Best Buy and the Apple Store when they hit November 16th, but if you’ve been aching for a modern, handheld ghetto blaster, this is definitely one way to go. PR after the break.
Update: As some have pointed out in comments, a number of the ideas here aren’t actually new — you can find a very similar portable Bluetooth speaker (down to a patent-pending “BassBattery” and a $200 price) in the Soundmatters foxL v2 with Bluetooth.
Update 2: As it turns out, the foxL v2 isn’t exactly a competitor, it’s an ally of sorts, because the Jambox is a collaboration with the same Dr. Godehard Guenther who invented the original device. “JAMBOX leverages the core analog acoustics that made FoxL great,” says a representative, but with numerous improvements: Jawbone’s noise cancellation and Bluetooth know-how, a thicker, stiffer speaker enclosure and a Yves Behar design.
Gallery: Jawbone Jambox unboxing and hands-on
Gallery: Jawbone Jambox press shots
Continue reading Jawbone intros Jambox portable bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (update)
Jawbone intros Jambox portable bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Last week we mentioned that a new line of Marshall-branded headphones are on the way, promising the full, loud, rock experience that you expect when you see a concert where the stage is surrounded by massive Marshall amps. If shoving your head against the amp isn’t enough for you, now you can shove the amp into your head with The Minor, a companion set of earphones that will be released at the same time as the headphones, feature an amp-like design complete with exterior knobs, and also carry the Marshall name.
The Minor are EarClick earphones, meaning they have an attachment on them that’s designed to “click” into place when you mount the earphones onto your ears. EarClick promises a better fit than traditional earbuds that have to be jammed deep into your ears to stay put or have wrap-around plastic that gets annoying to wear over long periods. The press release didn’t include pricing, but did say that the Marshall Headphones line – including The Minor – will be available worldwide on November 15th.
Dude. Those headphones are totally rad. Do the kids still talk that way on the slopes? If so, you could hear that in reference to a new line of headphones and earbuds designed by a group of seven pro-snowboarding friends — one of who is Olympic medal-winning Scott Lago. The hip-looking earphones range in price from $29.95 for earbuds, to $59.95 for headphones.
These earphones are rugged, and have been tested by the Frends crew for durability. According to Frends, “We test our gear on the mountain, at the party, in the Jacuzzi, in the mean streets–we make sure that by the time you get a product from Frends, it’s perfect. We don’t want to look like chumps, so we’ve made sure our products are legit. Nothing’s worse than when a friend lets you down, and here at Frends–that just doesn’t happen.”
Nothing is worse than when a friend lets you down. How true. Frends headphones come in four different styles, and in a variety of designs for each style. The Classic, and the Alli are both headphones, though the Classic covers more of the ear (see photo above). The Coupe, and the Clip are earbuds. Every Frends headphones feature the brand’s custom mic, which works as a play/pause feature in addition; and a fabric cord, which alleviates the frustrating cord-tangle problem that so many of us have suffered from.
Frends believes in using earth-friendly materials. “Using recycled corrugated cardboard and biodegradable plastic helps to satisfy our tree-hugging inner neo-hippy souls,” the group said on its site.
You can check out Wearefrends.com to find stores that sell Frends headphones. You can also buy them online at Zumiez.com. [Via Thrillist]
If you frequent small house parties like us, chances are you would’ve witnessed the many occasions where guests take turns to hook up their iDevices to the speakers; if not, just picture yourself fighting your flatmates over your communal HiFi system — Altec Lansing claims that on average there are 2.2 portable audio devices per household, and they’re most likely iPods. Naturally, a dual-docking speaker — which is nothing new — would somewhat ease domestic tension and reduce interruption to the tunes, but think smarter: what if you could let music alternate between the devices, as well as having the ability to instantly change the amount of play time on both persons’ music libraries? Better yet, what if the speaker doubles up as an alarm clock? These are pretty much what Altec’s offering with its $99.95 Octiv Duo (or Octiv 202 outside the US), with a little help from its two free iOS apps: Music Mix and Alarm Rock. You know the drill — read on to find out whether this new box would end your little social crisis once and for all.
Continue reading Altec Lansing Octiv Duo (202) speaker dock review
Altec Lansing Octiv Duo (202) speaker dock review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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