Hasta La Gadget!

While most homes are still catching up to the idea of Internet radios, U.K. company Pure is ready to take the product to the next level. Today, Pure unveiled a line of five radios with interactive features. Users can browse Facebook and Twitter content, and group their favorite stations in the Pure Lounge, a connected media portal. The Lounge goes beyond standard music content, and offers 100 sounds for setting a mood or falling asleep.

The Pure radios coming to the U.S. include:

• Sensia ($349): This model offers a 5.7-inch, 640×480 touchscreen, stereo sound, an MP3 player input, and access to Facebook and Twitter applications.
• Evoke Flow ($229): This radio (above) offers touch-sensitive controls and a box-like design. Use it to listen to podcasts, FM radio, streaming radio, and locally networked content.
• Siesta Flow ($139): This bargain model is the next generation bedside clock radio. It plays streaming stations and offers four quick-set alarms.
• Oasis Flow ($249): This rugged model is made for outdoor use. Take it in the garden or to a campsite. It offers FM and streaming content.
• Sirocco 550 ($449): Why is this the priciest one? Because it’s a full audio system, with a CD player and iPod/iPhone connectivity. Touch-sensitive controls let you play FM radio, streaming stations, podcasts, and content from networked computers or storage devices.

Updated. JetBlue now says they’ve returned Live TV and entertainment to all of their flights. Wow, things change fast.

Original post. New security regulations put in place after last week’s terrorist incident aboard a Northwest Airlines jet are going to make flying into the US difficult, boring and unpleasant, at least for a little while.

First, the good news: both Virgin America and Southwest confirmed that new regulations don’t seem to affect domestic US flights. So laptops, Live TV and other distractions are still A-OK if you’re flying within the USA.

The problem comes for folks flying into the USA from elsewhere. According to rules quoted on Gizmodo, you can’t hold anything in your lap or access your carry-on bags for the last hour of a flight, and any in-flight communications equipment, including live TV and Internet, must be turned off for the entire duration of the flight. Airlines have so far interpreted this to mean that you can read an analog book, but not use a laptop during that final hour. It’s unclear whether this prohibits iPods or other gadgets that could be stored in a pocket rather than a lap.

But wait! It gets worse! JetBlue confirmed to me this morning that because they can’t unravel their Live TV system from the rest of their in-flight entertainment, they’re turning off all in-flight entertainment on flights from foreign countries into the US. That means no movies for the whole flight (although you can use your laptop, except for the final hour). They’re working on a solution to allow for movies on flights into the US, they said.

JetBlue only flies relatively short international routes, mostly to and from the Caribbean. We haven’t heard details from any longer-haul carriers who don’t have live TV integrated into their entertainment systems.

Fortunately, reliable airline analyst Chris Elliott says that several of the security bulletins involved expire on January 1, which means that this draconian regime may be short-lived.

For a full guide to the new security regulations – independent of gadgets – check out Frommers.com.

Who says there are no new products introduced this close to Christmas? Not the people at JVC, thank goodness, who today announced the JVC XS-SR3, a curved dock for those tired of the same old boxy shelf systems. The speaker surrounds your iPod with a wraparound design and glossy black styling. It’s powered by neodymium magnets for a clean, crisp sound, and uses Dolby Virtual Surround to create the illusion of a wider sound field when viewing video.

Besides good looks, the JVC XS-SR3 offers versatility. It can hold your iPod vertically for album art or horizontally for video. This five watt system includes two audio inputs, one analog input, and one digital optical input. It also comes with a remote. Look for it this month with a list price of $149.95.

Musicians, if you record on your computer and also play live shows, you need a microphone that can go anywhere. That’s why Samson released the Q2U, which is both a USB mic and a standard XLR mic. Plug it into a computer or anywhere else that mics are used.

When you’re recording, you’ll appreciate the Q2U’s 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, which offers volume control for no latency during recording. The mic provides clear and accurate sound reproduction with its cardioid pickup pattern and high-quality A/D converter with a 16-bit, 48kHz sampling rate.

The Q2U is sold as part of the Q2U Recording Pack, which also includes USB and XLR cables, a mic clip, desktop stand, HP20 headphones, and Cakewalk Music Creator. Look for it at major audio retailers for a list price of $89.

Harman announced today the newest addition to the JBL Creature PC speaker line: the Creature III. Fans of the original and Creature II will find the updated martian-mushroom design familiar. The new 2.1 speakers, available for $129.99 exclusively at Apple Stores and Apple’s Web site, come in black or white and feature touch-sensitive controls. The speaker set, which features a more compact subwoofer design than previous models, also “glows” from the bottom, which will do nothing for the sound experience but might somehow enhance your enjoyment of Pink Floyd and Sigur Ros albums.

Another nice added feature: Despite the touch-sensitive volume controls, the Creature III will remember what volume level you used on your previous listen when you power up the speakers, which only sounds like a disadvantage if you were blasting them late at night and then turn them on again first thing in the morning.

Look for a review of the Creature III speakers on PCMag.com in 2010.