Audio, Video, TV - The Gadgeteer

Altec Lansing T515 Wireless Speaker / Headset System

By Julie Strietelmeier / July 12, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Device, Headset, Video, Wireless / 13 Comments

Mobile phones aren’t just for placing calls these days. They have become full blown digital audio players for a lot of people. Heck, the advertising for the LG Chocolate phones is pretty much based on that very feature alone. Altec Lansing’s T515 portable wireless speaker system is now available for those of you with mobile phones that have Bluetooth (it must have the A2DP profile though…) and music playing capabilities.

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Pioneer inno Portable XM Radio

By Rob Tillotson / July 3, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Device, Video / 11 Comments

When you think of satellite radio, you probably think of car audio. But your car isn’t the only place to listen to XM and Sirius. Although portable satellite receivers have been around for a few years, recent models have matured considerably compared to some of their predecessors. In this review, we’ll be covering the Pioneer Inno, XM’s top of the line portable receiver.

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XtremeMac XtremeHD 4 To 1 HDMI Switcher

By Julie Strietelmeier / June 11, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Device, Video / 2 Comments

I have had a huge 65″ Mitsubishi RPTV (rear projection television) for several years now. I love having such a large screen, but having to pull it out when I need to connect various devices to the inputs on the back panel is a real chore. Then there’s the fact that this TV’s best input is DVI, of which there is only 1. When I recently saw XtremeMac’s XtremeHD 4 to 1 HDMI Switcher, I knew I had to get one for my home theater setup.

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Kensington SX 3000R iPod Speakers with FM Radio

By Julie Strietelmeier / June 4, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, iPod / 3 Comments

Today I’m going to take a look at the SX 3000R iPod speaker system from Kensington. This particular system is a good solution for those of you that can’t or don’t want to devote a lot of space for a 3 piece speaker setup.

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XtremeMac Luna iPod Alarm Clock

By Julie Strietelmeier / May 23, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Device, Video, Watches and Clocks / 26 Comments

At the end of last year, I reviewed the iH5 iPod Clock by iHome. I liked it well enough, but it left me wanting more. The latest iPod alarm clock to grace my night stand is XtremeMac’s Luna. If you’re wondering if the iH5 that was next to my bed before, has now been banished to my shelf of discarded gadgets, you’ll need to keep reading to find the answer.

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DLO HomeDock Deluxe

By Julie Strietelmeier / May 11, 2007 / Uncategorized / Adapter, Audio, Video, TV, iPod / 3 Comments

If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy the music, photos and videos on your iPod through your television, then DLO’s HomeDock Deluxe is a solution that you should definitely consider. With this product, you don’t need a network connection, PC or Mac. You just need a television with good old RCA composite inputs (if it has S-Video, it can use that too).

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Insignia NS-DVB4G Video MP3 Player

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 13, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, MP3 / 16 Comments

At the end of 2006, I had the opportunity to review 2 digital audio players from Best Buy’s house brand of products: Insignia. I really liked both of these players and was happy when I was asked if I was interested in taking a look at their latest version of the NS-DV video player. Let’s see what has changed…

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Plantronics Pulsar 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 12, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Headphones, Headset, Wireless / 6 Comments

Does your mobile phone double as your audio player? If so, do you fumble to remove your stereo earbuds when a call comes in through your phone while you’re listening to music? A possible solution to that problem is the Pulsar 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headset from Plantronics. Let’s take a closer look.

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Frontier Labs NEXBLACK Audio Player

By Ryan Preston / April 5, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, MP3 / 7 Comments

The gluttony of digital audio players available to consumers in today’s market is mind-blowing. Audio playing gadgets are being produced in every shape, style and color imaginable, and some that are beyond my imagination. So it can be difficult to find the right one for you.

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Etymotic Research ety8 Bluetooth Noise-Isolating Earphones

By Julie Strietelmeier / March 29, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Wireless / 2 Comments

I love listening to my 2nd generation Apple iPod Nano, but the earbud cables always seem to get in my way. So far I’ve only had the opportunity to review one wireless headphone solution for the iPod: Bluetake’s i-PHONO mini BT450Tx. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like it all that much and to date I am still using wired phones. Then this past January, I was able to a demo Etymotic Research’s ety8 Bluetooth earphones at CES. Their products aren’t new to The Gadgeteer, we’ve reviewed several over the years. I quickly asked if I could review the ety8 earphones. They said yes and here is the review.

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Speck Products TechStyle-Puck 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle Case

By meredyth / March 26, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Canvas, Cases and Covers, iPod, Neoprene / 5 Comments

Since when does the package need to resemble what is inside? I for one wouldn’t like fish-shaped sushi or a cow-shaped hamburger. So why do electronics cases have to be the same shape as the gadgets they protect? So when I saw that Speck made a toroid-shaped case for the Gen 2 iPod Shuffle, I thought it might be fun to give it a try.

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Mvix MX-760HD Wireless HD Media Center

By Julie Strietelmeier / March 23, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Device, Video, Wireless / 15 Comments

Last Spring, I had the opportunity to review the MV-5000U Multimedia Player from Mvix. Except for a couple issues like a noisy fan and no networking features, I really liked this device. It is one year later and we now have the MX-760HD. This unit addresses all of the complaints that I had with the first generation device and goes even further to add a few major enhancements.

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Keyspan TuneView for iPod

By Julie Strietelmeier / March 13, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, iPod / 3 Comments

I have reviewed several different iPod docking stations that allow you to connect your 4G or 5G iPod to your TV or stereo. These docks typically ship with a small remote so that you can adjust volume and move forwards and backwards through tracks and content while you are sitting on your couch. I’ve almost always run into the problem where I would like to navigate to a specific song and to do so, it requires me to get up and walk over to the iPod so that I can see the display / menus. Thanks to the folks at Keyspan, that will no longer be necessary.

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MonsterPod Digital Camera Tripod

By Julie Strietelmeier / February 27, 2007 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Camera gear / 13 Comments

If you are a photographer or snapshot enthusiast, you probably often find yourself in situations where a tripod would come in handy. This is especially true when you wish to include yourself in a group picture. The problem is that lugging around a tripod everywhere you go can be somewhat inconvenient. What if you had a tripod that stowed easily in a gear bag and could stick to almost anything? The MonsterPod claims to do just that. Let’s see if the claims are true.

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Kaftan iPod Cases

By meredyth / February 26, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Cases and Covers, iPod, iPod nano / 2 Comments

Even though the iPod is the most popular MP3 player, each person’s iPod is unique on the inside. The iPod’s clean exterior design makes it another perfect canvas for customization.

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DLO PowerBug for iPod shuffle

By Julie Strietelmeier / February 19, 2007 / Uncategorized / Adapter, Audio, Video, TV, iPod / 2 Comments

I ran into the folks at DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters) while I was attending CES earlier this year. If you are not familiar with DLO, they sell a wide variety of iPod gear. I came away from the CES party with a nifty little trinket: a PowerBug for the iPod shuffle.

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Elgato EyeTV Hybrid TV Tuner Dongle

By meredyth / February 15, 2007 / Uncategorized / A/V, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Device, Video / 6 Comments

I’m a big fan of USB gadgets. From the whimsical to the practical, I find them all fascinating. When I saw that Elgato condensed one of their EyeTV tuners into a USB dongle, I began to daydream of watching live network TV while sitting in a coffee shop or in a laundromat. “Never again will I miss an important football game!” I thought to myself while handing over my credit card.

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Noreve Archos 604 Tradition Leather Case

By Dave Rees / February 14, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Cases and Covers / 6 Comments

I’m very careful with my tech-toys and do my best to keep them
all in pristine condition. My Archos 604 video player is no
different. The moment I decided to purchase a 604, I ordered a
Brando screen protector (so it would be here when the video player
arrived) and began looking for the perfect case. Sadly, since
Archos is not nearly as main-stream as iPods, there were few
choices…. Of the three I found (Noreve,
Proporta, and Archos), Noreve looked to be the
best of the lot.

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Brando USB Webcam with Telescope

By Ellen Beeman / February 9, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Webcam / 6 Comments

This is a story that does not end well…

A webcam with a telescope lens attachment! How could I, an aficionado of webcams, resist the opportunity to try one of these?

I knew I was in for an adventure with a non-brand product with the intriguing name on the box of “Digital Product PC Camera”.

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Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro Earphones

By Ryan Preston / February 5, 2007 / Uncategorized / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones / 9 Comments

Have you ever compared items, in general with the same basic functionality, and wonder why item “B” is so much more expensive than item “A”? The classic example, which many people can relate to, is shoes. Are the shoes marketed by a professional athlete and sold for $140 that much better than the ones sold at your local department store for $30?

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