Portable speaker made for an iPOD Nano
Portable speakers are great for those times when you want to share your digital music instead of keeping it cooped up inside your headphones. Thanks to the MP3 boom, dozens of speaker models are available, but JLab Audio has one designed specifically for the iPod Nano that brings bigger sound to the tiny player without loading you down.
Like the iPod Nano itself, the JLab MiniBlaster comes in black or white. The speakers use two 40mm Mylar cone drivers and can put out 0.5 watts of sound per channel. The unit measures 4.4cm wide by 10cm high and is just over 2.5cm deep.
The MiniBlaster, available from www.jlabaudio.com, runs on four AAA batteries or with a power adapter, included in the box, which also contains a silicone case for the iPod Nano. The case, which protects the Nano as it rides around in pockets and purses, also ensures a snug fit when it's docked inside the MiniBlaster. To crank up the music, just dial up a song with the Nano's scroll wheel and push Play.
Answer the phone, and amaze your friends
Commissioner Gordon, Batman's lone friend on the Gotham police force, never had it so good. The Port-O-Rotary, which comes in red or black, holds a secret — and no, it does not turn on a signal in the Batcave. It's an old desk phone that has been rewired to work as a cell phone, keeping the loud, clanging ringer.
The Port-O-Rotary, from Spark Fun Electronics, works with most GSM networks. It uses the carrier's SIM card to make a connection and is powered by a large battery that requires the removal of two screws to recharge. Each phone is custom-made.
The phone's makers warn that the Port-O-Rotary is for entertainment purposes only, and that the audio is not quite as clear as with a modern phone. At US$400 for a black phone and US$500 for the red version, this is some pricey entertainment.
The Port-O-Rotary weighs about 907g and is available online only at www.sparkfun.com, where its creators have posted a play-by-play on how they morphed a 50-year-old phone model into a wireless wonder.
Don't like what's on TV?
This set plays PC files
Hewlett-Packard's latest high-definition TV has a few tricks up its sleeve. The MediaSmart looks like a standard 37-inch liquid-crystal-display set, but is actually a multimedia hub with wireless connectivity for streaming videos and photos from a PC.
This US$2,700 set includes all the standard ports (HDMI, S-Video and component video) and a built-in tuner. It displays HDTV at 720p resolution, or 1,280 by 720 pixels.
When connected to a Windows PC, the television is a picture viewer and multimedia playback device. Compatible with Win dows Media Connect and the Universal Plug and Play standard, the MediaSmart will search for any multimedia servers on a home network and allow browsing of movies, music and pictures using a remote control.
The TV connects to wired or wireless networks and plays HD Windows Media content as well as MP3s. It includes a digital audio-out port as well as a pair of speakers. It weighs about 27kg and is about 15cm thick.
Sold online at HP.com, the Media-Smart LCD TV has more brains than your average flickering boob tube.
An SLR camera with a built-in duster
Canon's latest digital single-lens reflex camera for consumers, the EOS Digital Rebel XTi, shares a feature with many kitchen ovens: It is self-cleaning.
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