Angry Birds speakers are too adorable to slingshot

Okay, we admit it, we want one of these Angry Birds speaker docks from Gear4 seen on the floor of IFA here in Berlin. They’re available in both iPod dock varieties (pigs) and as plug-and-play speakers (angry, angry birds). Both will begin shipping in the next few weeks in Europe and the US. The non-dock version should sell for around €69. They’ll likely hit the spot for those casual gamers who aren’t getting enough of the irate fowl between their web browser, set-top box, e-reader, university and local Philharmonic.

Angry Birds speakers are too adorable to slingshot originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Altec Lansing shows off an iPod dock, AirPlay speaker, plus headphones for the ladies

Altec Lansing is showing off a handful of updates to its line of audio accessories this week at IFA in Berlin. At top of the list is the newly revealed inAir 5000, a hefty tabletop AirPlay speaker that the company is firmly positioning to take on Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin line (which also recently got its own AirPlay version). Like that system, the inAir certainly offers a unique take on aesthetics, with a teardrop design. The company opted not to install an Apple dock on the 110 watt system, given that compatible devices can stream audio wirelessly to the thing via AirPlay.

The iMT630 Classic is, not surprisingly, a more traditional speaker dock. It’s portable and light and features a docking shelf on the front that can be flipped out with the push of a button. Open up the stand on the back, and you’ll find a spot for storing the speaker’s remote. The remote itself is also magnetic, so you can stick it to the Classic’s front grill (someone at the company has clearly lost a lot of remotes in their day). No word yet on pricing and availability for either speaker system.

The company also showcased its Bliss Headphones, which are “designed for a Woman’s ear.” What does that mean, exactly? Mostly that their earbuds are smaller, fitting more comfortably in smaller ear canals. Altec Lansing assures us, however, that they’re still capable of offering great sound, in spite of their size. And yes, they come in pink.

Altec Lansing shows off an iPod dock, AirPlay speaker, plus headphones for the ladies originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)

There were lots of cool Apple-centric products to been seen around XtremeMac’s extremely orange booth at IFA this week, proving that there’s still interesting things to be done in the world of iPhone / iPad / iPod docks.

At the top of the list is the Soma Stand, a pyramid-shaped dock that folds up for portability. The accessory is mostly speaker, which faces outward, so sound isn’t blocked when you’ve got an iPad on the thing. The Soma Stand should be hitting shelves around October, running around €100 here in Europe.

The Soma Travel, meanwhile, works without the need batteries or wires, running directly off the power from your docked Apple device. XtremeMac claims that a docked iPhone 4 playing through the speakers will get about 34 hours of audio playback on a charge. As expected, the thing doesn’t get too loud, but it should do the trick for solo listening. The peripheral will run around €50 on its release.

The Tango Bar is a style-conscious sound bar with a silver grill that fits in quite nicely with the current generation iMac. The speaker pulls both audio and power from a single USB cable and outputs audio at ten watts. Like the Soma Stand, the Tango Bar will run around €100. Check out video of the Soma Stand after the break.

Continue reading XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)

XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jarre AeroSystem One’s music makes the audiophiles come together

We’ve all got that one friend who just cannot believe you’d listen to 128kbps MP3s. Well, forget the rent, slap a handful of Benjamins down, slot this AeroSystem One next to your IKEA furniture, and then continue to play those low bit rate tracks — it should drive’em nuts. Designed with a decidedly anti-regressive approach to sound quality, Jarre’s lamp-like audiophile rig is the Lady Liberty of digital music, accepting not only all generations of Apple’s iPods and iPhones, but also tunes recorded in any digital format. The stainless steel and toughened glass-made sound system, measuring about three and a half feet tall and weighing about 32lbs, pumps up those iTunes jams with the aid of two 30W satellite speakers and one 60W subwoofer. Oh, and that cost? Yeah, the sound of this music’s gonna run you 799 Euros (or $1,135), but hey — a month or three of ramen never hurt anybody. Right?

[Thanks, Nick]

Jarre AeroSystem One’s music makes the audiophiles come together originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Invoxia NVX 610 desktop VoIP phone for iPhone and iPad hands-on (video)


If we’re going to spend $599 on a phone for our phone, it needs to offer unparalleled audio quality, absolutely seamless device integration, and a drop-dead gorgeous design. Invoxia, a new entrant to the world of VoIP telephony, claims to have created just that, with its NVX 610. The desktop unit uses an iPhone (or iPod touch or iPad) app as its control interface — the hardware itself includes only touch-sensitive volume, mute, speakerphone, and voicemail keys. With the exception of accessing your iOS device’s address book, however, all of the phone’s hardware is self-contained. Calls are processed using the built-in ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and can be made via Skype or any third-party SIP. You can also take incoming iPhone calls using the handset or speakerphone, but all outgoing calls are processed using VoIP, not your iPhone’s mobile network. We took a peek at the NVX 610 at IFA, and definitely liked what we saw. Jump past the break for our initial impressions, and a (somewhat noisy) intro video from Invoxia CEO Serge Renouard.

Continue reading Invoxia NVX 610 desktop VoIP phone for iPhone and iPad hands-on (video)

Invoxia NVX 610 desktop VoIP phone for iPhone and iPad hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers (updated)

Enrolled in the iOS developer program and interested in iTunes Match? Better point that browser towards Apple’s dev portal, as Cupertino’s just flipped the switch for its upcoming music laundering service. There you’ll find iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1 with iTunes Match which’ll let you sign up for a yearly $24.99 fee. Hopping on the bandwagon early has extra rewards too — early birds get three months (on top of their yearly sub) for free. A tipster also provided us with a screencap (after the break) of his iPod touch running the current iOS beta, which now magically has a toggle for the service under the Music section of the Settings app. Taking the plunge? Let us know how you fare in the comments.

[Thanks, Matt]

Update: Looks like the initial signups have stopped, but Apple plans to expand the number of testers “over the next days.” So, keep compulsively checking iTunes if you want in on the next round.

Continue reading iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers (updated)

iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers

Enrolled in the iOS developer program and interested in iTunes Match? Better point that browser towards Apple’s dev portal, as Cupertino’s just flipped the switch for its upcoming music laundering service. There you’ll find iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1 with iTunes Match which’ll let you sign up for a yearly $24.99 fee. Hopping on the bandwagon early has extra rewards too — early birds get three months (on top of their yearly sub) for free. A tipster also provided us with a screencap (after the break) of his iPod touch running the current iOS beta, which now magically has a toggle for the service under the Music section of the Settings app. Taking the plunge? Let us know how you fare in the comments.

[Thanks, Matt]

Continue reading iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers

iTunes Match goes live for iOS developers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Lightning Review: High Fidelity, High Price, High on the Christmas List

You can get an iPod dock for $50, and it’ll do everything you’d expect: play your music, charge your phone. So how the hell can you justify spending $600 on one? You find something that surprises and delights you. More »

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories

Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got a slew of accessories — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Fall’s slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you’ve already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you’ve got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn’t it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let’s face it, you’re going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop’s scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we’ve got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don’t forget, we’re giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patent application imagines iPhones that learn the sweet sound of your voice

Button-loathing Apple really wants people to stop dirtying its devices with sticky fingerprints. That’s why it’s applied for a patent that should improve the frustrating experience of using iOS’s voice control — precisely the kind of update we’ve been awaiting since Apple bought Siri last year. With the help of a technology billed as “User profiling for voice input processing,” your device would identify your voice, check against a library of words associated with you without having to trawl through its entire dictionary. We just hope Apple doesn’t do away with physical inputs entirely — we’d hate to broadcast to the world all the guilty pleasures we have loaded on our iPods.

Apple patent application imagines iPhones that learn the sweet sound of your voice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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