Hasta La Gadget!

High-end voice recorders are some of my favorite gadgets because they help me dictate story ideas while I’m traveling and because they catch key details of any song I might happen to hear in the streets.

Zoom is one of the top portable recorder makers out there and after almost three years of wait, they’re finally coming out with a new model, the Zoom H4n.

Like other recorders, this one picks up audio resolution to 24 bit at 96KHz on SD and SDHC media (up to 32GB), and is USB 2.0 compatible. But the main innovation is the ability to record up to four channels at the same time using its internal mics and external inputs. The internal mics (the cool looking cylinders facing each other slightly askew), allow you to pick up recordings at either 90° or 120° and will increase the area of detail. With the 4-channel, you could conceivably set up a couple of other mics or catch a full multi-track instrument kit to mix together later.

There are a few other features of note. The LCD is large, as I’ve
requested of other recorders in the past (though still not in full
color), and the button distribution is much more comfortable,
resembling that of the M-Audio Microtrack.
Finally, this one is much tougher than the last, with a rubber shock-proof body that should take on a few bumps.

It must be noted that recorders like these are probably too
complicated and expensive for non-professional voice recording. But if
you have a band or must use it everyday for dictation as a reporter or
an attorney, you won’t want to back down to the cheaper sets.

Ultimate Ears (by Logitech, we’ll have you know) has introduced two new MetroFi earbuds here in Las Vegas, and both of ’em promise 16 decibels of noise isolation and offer up a single-driver, in-ear design. The 220 ups the ante with a swank titanium-coated speaker for more detail in the highs, though both sets are pushing a red-colored right earphone (so you don’t get confused, or something) and three sizes of silicon ear cushions. We’re also told that both sets will eventually be available in vi models ($10 extra) that boast an integrated microphone, but those uninterested in that can snag the vanilla versions for $50 (170) / $80 (220) next month.

[Via iLounge]

Filed under: CES, Portable Audio

Ultimate Ears adds in MetroFi 170 / 220 headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tonium is releasing the second version of its Pacemaker music DJ player at CES 2009 this week, and the company says this is the one that will live up to the expectations and finally provide an easy-to-use portable turntable.

The new 60GB Pacemaker looks like the old one, but the change is all about the software and the user interface. The UI has been fully altered to make it easier to get to your music faster, only requiring pushing a button or two, as opposed to the endless scratching and pulling needed in the last version.

The main feature that makes mixing much easier is called ‘auto beat match,’ which is matched to a single button and mixes selected songs together (There’s no word on how many songs you can mix at once). This should enable inexperienced DJs to assimilate to the gadget’s other advanced features.

The original mobile disco was a lot of fun but it was impractical. In her review,
Senior Editor Nancy Miller thought the Pacemaker DJ player was mostly a
good idea for a gadget, but the complicated menus and UI (as well as
the huge price) soured her overall experience.

Tonium Marketing VP Ola Sars says that even though the UI now makes
the DJ a much more approachable option, the player will still maintain
its full Pro DJ capabilities and that the Pacemaker online community
should reflect that. But as of now, there are no promises the 2.0 will
be cheaper than before.

Considering the economy and the fact we still like the idea of a
cool DJ gadget, we’re crossing our fingers that the price will be
slashed. Because making a gadget everyone can use doesn’t mean squat
unless people can get their hands on it.

Watch out, MP3 — you’ve got a formidable opponent creeping up on you. All kidding aside (yes, we were kidding), Fraunhofer IIS is hoping that at least four people will turn from their MP3 / AAC addictions and embrace yet another one of its audio formats at CES, which is simply christened MPEG Surround. Harald Popp, head of the Multimedia Realtime Systems department at the company, has asserted that the firm believes that “MPEG Surround will become a major online distribution format when downloading music, movie and TV content,” noting that it offers “the music industry a way to sell iPod-compatible surround content through the existing stereo download infrastructure.” We suppose the multi-channel aspect is at least somewhat noteworthy, but we still see a hard road ahead for it to gain “global acceptance” in 2009.

Filed under: Portable Audio

Fraunhofer IIS to push MPEG Surround as next big downloadable audio format originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, a Dutch chip designer plans to demonstrate a remote control that could have battery makers quaking in their boots. GreenPeak claims its design offers two-way communication with multiple devices through walls and other obstacles with such efficiency that, in some cases, one watch battery can power the remote longer than some remotes last.

If only there were a human equivalent. For technology journalists, CES is about talking to everyone, writing about everything, and catching some sleep on the flight back from Vegas. For companies like GreenPeak, CES is about setting up deals with larger consumer electronics manufacturers. Sure enough, GreenPeak will be showing them a reference design featuring its Emerald GP500C chip, which it hopes they’ll start putting into their remotes next year. One reason they might is that in addition to the RF transceiver, GreenPeak’s chip includes an IR transceiver so it can work with consumer’s existing gear. But efficiency is the main selling point here.

"By using GreenPeak’s network radio technology, these remotes will
be able to run for the life of the device or until the battery falls
apart," stated the company. 

GreenPeak’s chip’s
IEEE 802.15.4 protocol allows for two-way communication, so
these potentially greener remotes would be able to offer
high-definition album art and menus from household devices on their screens, although at this
point, running a full display for a long enough time would require more
than a watch battery. The company’s reference design features no such
screen, since one of the advantages of this design is keeping AA and
AAA batteries out of landfills.

GreenPeak made its name building decentralized, energy-neutral mesh networks to help farmers monitor their crops more efficiently. Oddly enough, what began as a tool for farmers could wind up in the
hands of couch potatoes.

See Also:

• Why Are Green Personal Electronics Products So Rare?
• Recession Drives the Greening of the Electronics Industry
• Class D Amplifiers Are Shrinking and Greening Your Electronics
• Greenpeace Rates "Green Electronics;" Nokia and Samsung Stand Out