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I’m a big fan of getting outside and walking. I find that listening to music or podcasts helps to pass the time, so like most people with MP3 players I always take my iPhone or Zune HD with me. I have recently started carrying my Zune HD because I love Zune Pass, which provides for nearly unlimited music downloads and automatically creates artist mixes – even from music I don’t own. WaterField’s new suede jacket is the perfect fit for my Zune HD. It’s thin enough to act as a shield and fits inside other WaterField cases. Continue Reading

Remember when a BlackBerry was simply a “pager?” Those days have been long gone for some time, yet I still know many people who don’t embrace their BlackBerry’s full potential.  Even though many folks at Gear Diary, myself included, often carry a few different devices, I can assure you that you can use your BlackBerry as your primary MP3 player.

Today’s BlackBerry devices sport excellent features — and I’m gonna go there — sound just as good as an iPod or iPhone (sans dropped calls, of course ).  While the stock music player does a great job, today we’re going to look at a few other options for media players for your BlackBerry — and battle it out to find the best of the best player for your own ‘Berry.

Let the smackdown begin…

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Have you ever wanted to take your smartphone with you on a workout, but your workout shorts don’t have pockets and neither does your T-Shirt?  What would you do?  Well you could order a arm band for your prospective device, but one downside to this is you must buy a new one when you buy a device that doesn’t fit the arm band.  That’s where the ArmPocket Sport 20 comes in.

The ArmPocket Sport 20 is essentially a universal arm band that is designed to work primarily with touch screen based devices like the iPhone, the T-Mobile G1, The T-Mobile myTouch 3g and more.  It has a large window where the screen goes and a couple of pockets inside.  There are 20 cubic inches of storage capacity inside the ArmPocket, which is enough to store your phone, keys, a id, a credit card and some energy gel. Continue Reading

iPopperz are an earbud/ ear-canal  headphone with added decoration. That sounds like a negative comment, but it’s not as they do not detract from the other. I have been using the headphones I was supplied with for a week on my PC for music, my laptop for Skype and on my Zune for music.

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Like many of you, my days are structured around a general time by which I try to be in bed and a specific time at which I prefer to awaken. In order to get up in a timely manner, I have to use an alarm. I haven’t ever really given much thought to whether my bedside alarm clock could fulfill functions other than simply making sure that I was jolted out of bed when I needed to be, but the new Altec Lansing moondance GLOW has caused me to realize that there might be more to a bedside device that tells the time, than just having a jarring buzzer.

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It seems perfectly natural to want to upgrade from the cheesy white stock headset that come with the iPhone, to a much more compatible – and complimentary – headset in silver and black…and that’s where Zagg Z.buds come in.

Z.buds feature convenient in-line volume control and a premium length, tangle-free cord. Multiple sliders mean better cord management and greater listening convenience – try our “Hangin’ Tight” slider alignment in image above. Z.buds Music Control for iPhone completes the experience, allowing iPhone users a seamless switch between their calls and their music.

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Listening to the tunes on a digital music player can be such a solitary affair; if you want your favorite audiophile to get into the spirit of the season and share a bit, then you might want to gift him or her with the Altec Lansing Orbit.

Although it is larger than some of the other diminutive plug-in speakers I have tried before, the Orbit isn’t too huge and it doesn’t scrimp on sound. Let’s take a look…

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Even though the screen is small, I enjoy watching video on my iPhone and iPod Touch. No, it will never match the experience of watching a movie on a 50 inch hi-definition LCD, but it is more than merely functional- it is a pleasant experience. I’ve had my eye on Myvu’s various offerings for some time, watching carefully as each new one was released. I have wondered if they really worked.  And, assuming they did work, wondered whether the experience of watching video through Myvu would be that much better than viewing on my iPhone.

So, when the opportunity to try out the Myvu Crystal arose (thanks Judie) I jumped at it.

Do they live up the hype? Read on to find out.

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Bluetooth stereo headphones are really starting to proliferate.  Not all headsets are created equal, that much is certain.  While I do like my standby headphones, the Insignia Bluetooth headphones, sometimes I wish I had a lighter set for when I am working out; this set fits the bill nicely.

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In case you have not been able to tell from my plethora of media player and headphone reviews, I am something of an audiophile (heck, I was even a DJ at parties and weddings in college).  I have built my home theatre system over the past couple of years, carefully selecting each component.  The one thing which has always eluded me, however, are quality speakers which will fit in my space without sacrificing sound quality.  I have a set of bookshelf speakers that I got in law school.  They were cheap…and they sound cheap.  Not terrible, but nothing to write home about.  They are small speakers and they offer a relatively small sound.  And yes, over ten years later, they are badly in need of replacement.  So, I was extremely intrigued when we received an email from Orb Audio asking for a review of their Mod 2 speaker system.

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Every time I see that commercial where the older couple is laying in bed, the one where the wife growls at her husband, “can you turn that down?”, and then he sighs as he pulls out this cheesy looking amplifier device so he can watch TV in peace without turning the sound up any higher, I think man…if he only had a set of wireless headphones. If he did, then he could enjoy his show and she could sleep in peace and not be such a cranky witch. Seriously.

I recently got to test just such a solution, and today I can tell you a bit more about the AblePlanet LINX AUDIO Wireless Infrared Headphones…

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There isn’t an easier way to get your iPod’s sound out to a car stereo than using an FM transmitter. No wires, no cassette adapters, just plug it in, tune your radio to the right station and out comes your music.

Problem is at lot of the time they are rubbish. I have tried several over the years and none of them could produce a clear signal at any time, it was constantly crackly and awful. A few days ago when I received the USB Fever FM Transmitter I was expecting more of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised.

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I have a confession to make: I am a iPod owner who dislikes his iPod. I don’t hate the iPod; quite the contrary, I really like it but am frustrated by it’s caretaker, Apple. For everything Apple has done right, there’s lots of things that it has done wrong. For example, if you look at the files on the iPod itself you’ll see undecipherable file names for each of your music files. Plus there’s Apple’s Love/Hate relationship with DRM. Then there’s codec limitations. You can listen to MP3, AAC,Protected AAC, Apple Lossless, Audible, WAV and AIFF, but what about open codecs like Ogg Vorbis?? To Apple, there’s no such thing.

So I went in search of something more and thought I found it with the Insignia Pilot, and it’s mostly true. Come along with me as we explore Best Buy’s Insignia Pilot 8GB MP3 Player…

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With the approach of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend that unofficially kicks off summer, I figured it would be a good time to take a peek at a tool to encourage some of us pasty-white technophiles out into the actual outdoors. Although my legs have often been described as “cadaverous,” I realize that I probably need to break down and put on some shorts and get some fresh air for a change.

But when I’m in the great outdoors, I don’t want to be totally disconnected from the grid and I want to know where I’m going. Enter the Universal Bike Mount Holder for iPhone / iPod / PDA / GPS from USB Fever.

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Back in the late 80s, when every spare dime I had went into car stereo components, I bought my first KICKER product. It was a subwoofer speaker box which fit perfectly into the space behind the seats in my silver Alfa Romeo. Never mind that it took up valuable cargo space; I still had a trunk, and I got a free back-massage every time I turned on my stereo. When I sold that car, I was able to unplug a few wires and easily remove my rear speaker system; that box was eventually transferred into several more vehicles before I ultimately gave it away. By that time Sarah had been born, and having a thumpin’ car stereo just didn’t seem like a priority anymore; but I digress.

When I was offered the chance to review the new KICKER iKICK iK500, my first thought was one of happy nostalgia. But make no mistake about it, this KICKER box is not a car stereo component, it is for use inside the home. There are versions available for both the iPod and Zune, designated by either an “i” or a “z” before the 500. According to the KICKER site, the iKick model was “designed to be the loudest digital portable system available.”

Loud is good, but if the sound is muddy and the music sounds like crap, then the speaker system might as well be quiet. Read on to see how the iK500 fared…

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