MP3 Players & Accessories

Models: Brickyard (reviewed), Groove, Spoke, Ratio (reviewed) and Grid
MSRP: $9.99 - $34.99
Availability: Out Now at www.2XL.com and soon at other retail locations

These headphones come in many different styles, designs and most of all, are very affordable. So, how do these new headphones hold up?

Design

• Brickyard: DJ-style headphone with over-ear design, comfort headband suspension and full dynamic acoustic range.
• Grid: headphone featuring super comfort on-ear design, headband suspension and dynamic acoustic range.
• Groove: adjustable headphone with active grip hanger ear buds.
• Ratio: quality ear buds with soft silicone wrap and dynamic acoustic range.
• Spoke: in-ear bud featuring noise isolating, in-ear acoustics and changeable gels for comfort fit.

MusicSkins today announced its new Customizer, an online tool that lets you design a personalized skin for your iPod, MP3 player, cell phone, laptop, even PSP or Nintendo DS. What makes the Customizer different is you create the skin using your own photos or artwork for a truly unique design.

To get started, go to the MusicSkins website, choose your device, upload your photo, logo, artwork etc., or even pick artwork from the MusicSkins collections. Customizer then lets you size and position the image and add background colors and text if you choose.

Customizer skins are priced between $15 and $30 and are made of premium quality vinyl for a high-gloss photo grade finish while protecting your device with a durable, scratch-resistant, anti-UV coating. MusicSkins can also be easily removed without leaving any residue, making it easy to switch skins.

What are you waiting for? Design your personal skin today at www.MusicSkins.com!

The new Monster iCarPlay Wireless 1000 ($99.95) and iCarPlay Wireless 800 ($79.95) devices provide consumers with innovative and easy-to-use solutions for transmitting music wirelessly via their iPhone or iPod through any car radio FM radio station while on the road. Both devices will also charge you iPod/iPhone, too.

For users with vehicles equipped with an Auxiliary Input and who want to be able to charge their iPod or iPhone on the road, the Monster iCarCharger 1000 ($49.95) uses a 30-pin dock connector to charge the device while playing audio through a mini-jack cable with internal cable management, and features built in navigation controls on the back of the cigarette lighter adapter plug for easy music playback.Read more

iLuv's new iMM153 Desktop Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker for iPod will wake up even the heaviest sleepers! This shake you awake alarm clock features seven ways to wake up to your favorite music and is available in four colors, Black, Blue, White and Pink for the MSRP of $59.99 starting this month (July 2009) at www.i-luv.com.

This Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker for iPod has built-in speakers, a large digital display, 10 level LCD dimmer control, FM stereo, and it (of course) plays and charges your iPod.

It is compatible with iPod touch 2nd generation, iPod nano 1st - 4th generation, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod with video and iPod 4th generation. For more information visit www.i-luv.com.

Pioneer is now offering the best value in in-dash navigation with the AVIC-U310BT. This device is a robust, full-featured system with the convenience of built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and Apple iPod/iPhone control. The comprehensive, 2-DIN system provides the sound quality and features expected from a Pioneer in-dash source unit, renowned navigation performance with turn-by-turn route guidance and the ease of wirelessly connecting to Bluetooth enabled cell phones.

Pioneer's AVIC-U310BT utilizes a full-color 4.3-inch WQVGA touch screen display and 2GB of flash memory. It features voice guidance, text-to-speech technology and an SD card slot. Powered by Tele Atlas, the unit's comprehensive database covers the entire United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada and includes more than 500,000 points of interest.Read more

Roxy announced today a new line of ear-bud, in-ear and over-the-ear headphones targeted at the tech-savvy market of music trendsetters. These headphones combine legendary, award-winning JBL sound technology with Roxy's fashion sense to create a unique line ideal for those with adventurous lifestyles. The Reference 230, Reference 250 and Reference 430 come in blue/green and orange/pink.

The Reference 230 ear buds utilize a closed-back design that enables listeners to block outside noise while enjoying hours of comfort. The Reference 250 in-ear headphones' semi-open-back design features an inline book-style microphone for answering phone calls with the push of a button.

And the Reference 430 over-the-ear headphones help minimize ambient noise, and isolate sound so that music fans can enjoy their tunes the way they're intended to be heard. With power reaching 50mV, and sensitivity ranging from 98dB to 104dB SPL, clear highs and distortion-free lows come standard with these special-edition headphones.

The Roxy Reference 230, 250 and 430 are priced at $19.95, $39.95 and $69.95 respectively and can be ordered here www.roxy.com/jbl.

Belkin just announced the TuneCast Auto Live FM transmitter and ClearScan Live software application. Together, you can use your iPhone or iPod as an FM transmitter and locate the best radio frequency, based on your GPS location, to play music in the car. This way, you will be able to find the clearest FM frequency based on your location.

Some of the features of the TuneCast Auto Live are:

• Specifically compatible with iPhone OS 3.0
• Also compatible with the iPod Classic and nano
• ClearScan one-push station locator
• PRO setting optimizes audio and boosts volume
• Two programmable preset buttons
• High-contrast backlit display
• In-car charging

Since this device requires the iPhone OS 3.0, you can expect it to be available this Fall for a MSRP of $79.99. The ClearScan Live application will be a free download. Check out the full press release here.

Sony just announced a new Walkman Video MP3 Player that has Wi-Fi, a 3-inch OLED touch screen and has content provided by Slacker Radio and YouTube.

The X-Series is Sony's first Walkman with Wi-Fi, allowing you to access a web browser, search for and playback YouTube videos and podcasts…without using your PC. The X-series Walkman plays WMV files, and supports other video codecs such as AVC Baseline (H.264) and MPEG-4. It also comes with Content Transfer software so you can "drag and drop" non-DRM music, videos, playlists etc. from online music services to the Walkman player.

The new X-Series is also the first video MP3 player with integrated digital noise canceling technology. The built-in DNC software engine blocks out up to 98 percent of ambient noise. Several modes are available (airplane, bus/train or office) which use different filters in the digital signal processor specifically tuned for those surroundings.

Sony says the device has a battery life of up to 33 hours of music playback and 9 hours of video playback. The X-series Walkman video MP3 player is available now for pre-sale on sonystyle.com in two storage capacities, 16GB and 32GB. The NWZ-X1051 has 16GB and sells for $299. The NWZ-X1061 has 32GB, and is $399. Both models will be available in mid-June.

When you charge your iPhone or iPod, you expect to make it through a full day of use without charging again. How many times have you been talking only to realize you are out of power and you have to start thinking about charging in the middle of a call? It is never a convenient time to run out of juice. Well, Griffin Technology knows you need a little stored up energy to get you to the charging station. The PowerBlock Reserve and the PowerJolt Reserve each hold and charge a Reserve Battery Pack for your iPhone and iPod.

Now, you can unplug your gear, and take a little more power with you in the Reserve Battery Pack from Griffin. The PowerBlock Reserve has an MSRP of $39.99 as does the PowerJolt Reserve. The PowerDuo Reserve is $59.99. The PowerDuo Reserve is both PowerBlock and PowerJolt in one price.

I like the light meter on the Reserve Battery Pack that tells you how much power remains – it is an Apple battery signature, and Griffin compliments Apple with this feature.

We've all done it: left for a day away from the house or office with our favorite iPod or iPhone, only to discover the dreaded battery symbol is only one third filled, or worse, flashing. While this would have been little more than a nuisance in the past, in today's ever-connected world, not being available can be far more costly.

Fortunately, thanks to Belkin's Dual Auto Charger, you won't have to suffer, or even decide which product is more important. With its two USB ports, both your iPhone and iPod can find a home before their day-long adventures. Fortunately for the user in a hurry, it works under quick-charge and won't delay your adventure. Tell your friends not to worry – the USB ports are compatible with many kinds of technology, not just Apple.

At thirty dollars, people on the road for long periods of time may well find the Dual Auto Charger to be a boon.