Hasta La Gadget!

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew waxes geeky on phones, bikes and exercise gear.

We kick off with the white iPhone 4, which just came out 10 months late: yes, the same phone we’ve been familiar with for a while now, in a different color. It’s even a little bit thicker than the black one. Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel has already dubbed this scandal “Thicknessgate.”

Speaking of scandals, the latest controversy surrounding the iPhone stems from a discovery that an unprotected file stored inside the device constantly records location data. It turns out that your iPhone isn’t actually tracking customer movements, but Apple admits it made some security mistakes.

Reviews editor Michael Calore joins the show to talk about the Breezer Uptown Infinity, a $1,270 two-wheeler that’s the textbook definition of a “commuter bike.”

Ever dream of watching the Gadget Lab podcast while swimming underwater? Well, now you can, with H2O Audio’s Fit Armband, an accessory that waterproofs your smartphone inside a sealed, plastic pouch.

Last but not least, don’t miss our giveaway of a MixAmp, a gadget that allows you to mix the audio from your games and other players you’re talking with. For a chance to win, answer this question in our comments section: What purveyor of strange gifts was profiled with a photo gallery on Gadget Lab this week?

—

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #113

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0113.mp3

Love comic books, but think that reading is for dumb jerks? Jonathan Robson has your back. The Scotland-based designer has created this minifigure-inspired helmet, which will help you make it through that sequential tome while protecting your head from lightweight falling debris. The helmet has volume control and a page skipping button on the side while, on the back, there’s a port for plugging in a Lego USB flash drive loaded up with audio content. The helmet is designed for kids, of course, but it should also work for tiny-headed grownups sick and tired of all of those pesky word bubbles. Another view of the concept after the break.

Continue reading Lego-inspired helmet concept protects your brain, reads comics so you don’t have to

Lego-inspired helmet concept protects your brain, reads comics so you don’t have to originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Technabob  |  Jonathan Robson  | Email this | Comments

Behold Final Audio Design’s latest high-end earphones: the Piano Forte X-VII Series. Each of the four models that comprise the series features a large neodymium magnet driver, nestled inside a rigid metal housing made of alloy powder and natural resin, designed to minimize bad vibrations. The driver is a hefty 16 mm in diameter, and boasts roughly three times the surface area of your garden variety earphones, resulting in enhanced low frequency soundscapes. Final Audio Design also added a proprietary pressure ring to each model’s diaphragm (to ward off sound artifacts), as well as special pressure vents (to optimize air pressure around the diaphragm). Internal air pressure, on the other hand, is kept in check thanks to the X-VIII Series’ metallic earpads, which allegedly allow your ear to naturally adjust to any barometric shifts. Each of the four models comes in a unique metallic housing, reportedly capable of delivering different audio blends. But they all share one important characteristic — they’re really expensive. At the high end of the price spectrum are the X-G and X-CC models, which will put you back some ¥220,000 ($2,668). Bargain hunters, meanwhile, will have to settle for the VIII, priced at a slightly less obscene ¥80,000 ($970). Granted, these earphones may very well warrant that kind of cash and scientific hyperbole, though it’s certainly difficult to gauge their value without taking them out for a spin ourselves.

Final Audio Design’s Piano Forte earphones promise concert hall sound at bank-breaking prices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmag  |  Final Audio Design  | Email this | Comments

Think you got a good deal on those Beats by Dre? Might’ve. Or maybe you paid too much for a knockoff. Thanks to easily accessed suckers like you, business in the world of phony high-end audio has never been better. More »

Tired of waiting for Google Music? How tired? If you’ve been pushed to your wit’s end, and you’re willing to give RealNetworks one last chance to actually impress you, Sprint’s got a new service for you to dip your toes into. Sprint Music Plus is a newfangled app that can be accessed via the carrier’s website and on Android / BlackBerry handsets, serving as a “single, convenient destination for customers to discover, purchase and play individual and bundled offers of full track music, albums, ringtones and ringback tones.” Naturally, everything in here is DRM-free, and aside from being a hub for transactions, it doubles as a media management tool where playlists can be created and new content can be recommended based on prior purchases. We’re told that customers can receive a discount if angling for a bundle — which includes a full track, ringtone and ringback tone — with $0.69 to $1.29 (per tune, mind you) being thrown straight to your Sprint bill. Care to give it a spin? Android users can head just past the break for a QR code, while everyone else can give those source links a hit.

Continue reading Sprint Music Plus app gives users yet another mobile jam portal… if you’re cool with RealNetworks

Sprint Music Plus app gives users yet another mobile jam portal… if you’re cool with RealNetworks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Sprint (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments