Hasta La Gadget!

If your iPhone or iPod is your car stereo system, you’ll love these two new options from Griffin. The iTrip DualConnect (shown) is a strong choice for multi-car households or frequent travelers. It combines an FM transmitter with an AUX jack for a direct connection to car stereos equipped with an auxiliary input jack. Either connect your player directly or use the FM transmitter. Use it with the iTrip Controller App, free in the iTunes Store. The DualConnect is $59.99.

Also, check out the TuneFlex AUX HandsFree, which lets you talk hands-free while charging your iPhone’s battery. Set your player in the TuneFlex’s cradle and position it just where you want it. Calls play through your car’s speakers and the cable’s mic picks up everything you say. It lists for $49.99. 

Anyone who’s used to wearing the earbuds that come with an iPod or almost any other media player will tell you the first purchase worth making after buying a new device is a decent pair of earbuds or headphones. Too many people crank up the volume in their stock earbuds to try and improve the audio quality of their music and in the end just cause damage to their ears. Future Sonics wants to fight that trend with the new Atrio Special Edition Earphones.

The Atrio earphones feature Future Sonics’ proprietary “Power of 1” audio technology that reportedly delivers superior sound at lower volumes, resulting in a more natural sound that won’t damage your ears but still sounds great. They also feature some passive noise isolation to keep out unwanted sound while you focus on what you want to hear. The Atrio Professional line is available in red, blue, and black, while the Special Edition earphones come in a soft chocolate brown. All models are available now for $229.00 list price.

I own a pair of Sennheiser headphones – I wouldn’t game without my trusty PC 350s, but today the company upped the ante by unveiling the full line of new Sennheiser PC Gaming Headphones. Among them are the PC 360, the successor to my PC 350s, a pair of new compact models that feature 7.1-channel Dolby surround sound called the PC 163D and the PC 333D, the latter of which features a right ear-cup with a “DJ hinge,” which DJs and gamers alike will appreciate as it lets you twist the right ear-cup up and away from your ear to mute the headphones quickly.

Also in the new lineup is the PC 330 headphones, which also feature the DJ hinge, but come in a little cheaper and lack the 7.1-channel surround sound. All of the new models feature Sennheiser’s high quality noise isolating microphones and strike a balance between serious audio quality and clear voice quality. The PC 360s cost $299.95 list, the PC 163D and 333D are $209.95 and $239.95 respectively, and the PC 330 is $169.95 retail. All of the new models are available now.

[via SlashGear]

Rumors of the Sony Walkman’s death may have been ever-so-slightly exaggerated. All that talk yesterday about the end of the music player’s once glorious 30 year run weren’t quite what they seemed.

Turns out that, contrary to reports, Sony is only ending the production of its once ubiquitous portable cassette player in its native Japan. Production in other countries, such as the US, will continue on unabated–if not quite with the zeal it once had.

This latest bit of news comes from a spokesman at the company who The Los Angeles Times that he preferred to remain anonymous since he didn’t actually have authority to speak on the matter–is it just me, or is this beginning to sound more and more like some kind of spy movie?

The Walkman can still be purchased through Sony’s site for a not particularly cheap $29.99, so you can “enjoy your old cassette collection.” So much for a cassette tape comeback.

The College Music Journal’s annual Music Marathon is in full swing in New York City this week. The event is part music festival, part film festival, and a heck of a lot of industry schmoozing. During the day, while the rest of us are at work, the festival’s organizers throw a number of panels on the NYU campus tackling all things music industry-related.

I try to attend at least one of the panels every year–something that falls in line with what we do here at PCMag. At the very least, the sessions provide a unique perspective into the world of technology for someone who is knee-deep in the stuff. The panels aren’t really targeted toward me, after all–they’re for musicians struggling to be heard in an overcrowded market.

Earlier today I stopped into a panel titled “There’s More Than Radio; Build Your Audience Online,” — the sort of panel in which a drinking game revolving around the world “Twitter” would almost certainly lead to alcohol poisoning.