It is not a mystery anymore why technology is as advanced today as it is, though many still do not know why.  Almost all of the evolution in portable electronics can be followed back to the origin of the iPod, since it had capabilities far in advance of other devices during the time.  The issues that the iPod introduced hurt the music industry, and it is still moving to recover today.

Around the year 2000 there were a couple of major shifts that created a lot of technological change.  The first was the expansion of storage technology, which became large enough for a user to have everything they wanted on a computer with more than enough free space.  High speed Internet connections were also introduced during that time which allowed the Internet to thrive more than it ever had before.  High speed Internet connections gave birth to the power to share music amongst people considerably more quickly than ever before, opening up a new method of pirating. 

The arrival of MP3 players was huge because it allowed someone to carry around so much music, but at first did not burst with popularity.  About a year after the entrance of the first MP3 players onto the market, Apple introduced the first iPod to the public.  These units were unique because they could store gigantic amounts of music with their internal hard drives instead of flash memory.  The control wheel and ease of use of the interface were massive innovations.  Previous MP3 players utilized a button based design, which made it tough to go through huge amounts of music.  There are a tremendous amount of accessories available today, although an iPod case was the first accessory that started the trend.

The development of the iPod marked the first time the MP3 player and music pirating market sky rocketed.  This put an enormous hurt on the music industry since they were still only selling music on compact discs.  It was much easier to sell digital music after all this, and Apple released their music store which evolved the way music was distributed.

The iPod Touch is the most sophisticated and popular kind of the iPod today, mimicking the design of the iPhone.  Many people can hold their entire catalogue of music on them, though they have less storage than their iPod Classic brothers.  An iPod Touch case is often necessary to purchase, since it is the first accessory that people recognize they need after breaking theirs.   

Question by Zoe: Christmas electronic gadget gift ideas for a fifteen year old girl?
Are there any new – not too expensive – electronic gadgets out?
I don’t know what I want to get for Christmas haha,
I was thinking along the lines of webcam, new phone, pay half for laptop etc.
Are there any cool gadgets out there that you like?

Best answer:

Answer by FourFangedCow
If she doesn’t have an iPod, get her one. I love mine (I have a 16gb, 1st gen. touch; I hear the new ones are better T-T) and I don’t even listen to that much music.

Half paying for a laptop would be cool. I sure wish someone would do that for me.

For phones, depends on the carrier. The iPhone is functional and fun, and the Droid is new (and I know NOTHING about it, but it looks cool ).

Webcam is a little useless unless she wants one for something in particular. Not much you can really do with one unless you want to skype with her when she goes to college or she has a long distance friend.

A small, digital point-and-shoot camera would also be fun. I know quite a few girls who own and use them frequently.

That’s all I got. Good luck! And I hope whatever you get, she likes.

What do you think? Answer below!

Apple iPod shuffle 512 MB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL

• 512 MB model holds up to 120 songs; supports MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), and WAV
• Up to 12 hours of battery life, with approximately 4 hour charge time
• USB 1.1 and 2.0 compatibility through integrated USB connector
• Compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later (Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later recommended for use with low-power USB ports) and Windows 2000 with SP 4 or Windows XP Home or Professional with SP 2
• Intuitive click wheel navigation – with just a thumb, you control Play, Pause, Skip, Repeat & Shuffle

Includes: iTunes for Mac & Windows, white earbud headphones, & lanyard. Apple 512MB iPod Shuffle – About the size of a pack of bubble gum, the iPod Shuffle gives you 512MB of storage space that can be used for both music and data. The storage is flash-based, which means there’s no moving parts, making it a great choice for listening to music during your workout. Transferring your music, or data files, is extremely easy and convenient. Requiring no extra cable, you simply pop off the cap on the end of the iPod Shuffle to reveal the built-in USB 2.0 connector. Then you simply plug the iPod Shuffle directly into your computer! While connected, it can also sync with iTunes and recharge the battery! Built-in Battery Indicator Stereo Minijack With iTunes you can set exactly how much of your storage space is used for music and data. With iTunes you can use the Autofill feature, letting iTunes automatically fill your device (depending on how much music space you gave it) with random music Audi

Rating: (out of 492 reviews)

List Price: $ 69.99

Price: $ 69.00

7x Gel Jelly Case Cover+Protector For iPod Touch 2G 3G iTouch New

US $7.14 End Date: Friday Feb-10-2012 14:34:29 PST Buy It Now for only: US $7.14 Buy it now | Add to watch list

Black Hard Plastic Back Case Cover for iPod Touch 2

US $4.72 End Date: Friday Feb-10-2012 14:34:32 PST Buy It Now for only: US $4.72 Buy it now | Add to watch list

I always used to believe that Samsung products has an expensive price tag, since they made plasma TVs and cell phone which were not exactly affordable material. To my surprise, I have found that Samsung makes mp3 players which actually come at a price which won’t tear apart your budget. An example of such an mp3 player is the Samsung P3 mp3 player.

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Depending on just how much music you plan on storing inside the Samsung P3 mp3 player, it comes at 3 different storage capacities and with 3 different price tags. If you wish to go with the 8 GB version of this player, you will have to pay $150. The 16 GB version costs $200 while the 32 GB model is a bit more expensive and it costs $300. With 4 x 2 x 0.3 inches in dimensions, this mp3 player is not very different from the P2, its predecessor. The tiny display measures 3 inches in diagonal and it comes at a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels. On the top side of the player you will notice some physical buttons, like the power and hold key plus the volume controls.

The audio and video file formats supported by this player are MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, FLAC, MPEG4, MP4, WMV9 and H.264.  the Samsung P3 mp3 player can also support different pictures as long as they come is JPEG, PNG or BMP file formats and you can even store different .TXT files as well. You get an included FM radio with auto scan plus 30 presets. Using this Samsung P3 mp3 player you can also record voice and it also has support for Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems. One thing is for sure, this player comes with a lot of fun features. It has Bluetooth headphones and other functions like a light bulb that you must tap in order to adjust the display brightness. You have an included calculator and different fun games like Sudoku Champ and World Car Puzzle.



The sound quality is simply amazing and the sound combined with the display really made us feel like the Samsung P3 mp3 player was the best mp3 player choice we could have made. Both the video and the photo display are excellent as the color saturation is just right and the viewing angles are amazing for a 3 inch display. The battery life is something that you should pay attention to when you buy a device which has portability as one of the main aspects. It so happens that the battery performance of this Samsung P3 mp3 player is simply great. During the test with continuous audio playback, this mp3 player managed to stay on for 40 hours of listening to music and 6 hours of video playback. Even if we have seen mp3 player with better performance, this mp3 player still manages to deliver a lot of cool features at a price which is extremely affordable. With excellent performance, good features and a gorgeous display, this device should definitely be at the top of your mp3 player shopping list.

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The NPD Group is reporting that the sale of music games like DJ Hero, Band Hero, Oboe Hero, and Violin Concerto Band are falling with a bullet, leading analysts to expect the category to crash this year.

The report finds that the Rock Band: The Beatles sold 800,000 units, missing its 1 million forecast and that Guitar Hero 5 sold 500,000 units in its first month of sales, down from 1.4 million for GH3.

Analysts blame “too much music in too short a time,” saying that the games just filled up the player’s heart with so much value that they could handle it. However, I suspect that the average gamer has room only for one or two freaking drum set ups in their living rooms and those with enough floor space have already filled it up with bongs and electric ATVs this winter, leaving little space for George Harrison’s RB:B flute attachment.

These games are great for parties but at some point you tell your host, no, you don’t want to play them anymore. Maybe you play New Super Mario Brothers or maybe you just drink beers and wrestle instead. However, the comet that was the “band game” is passed, friends. It’s sad but true.

As Technograph asserts

Aside from a better case, Nokia should’ve included the N97 into its Comes With Music program (currently unavailable for this phone, much less in the Philippines). The phone isn’t as hip or youth-oriented as the 5800, but purchasing a flagship Nokia model always represents brand loyalty and a significant investment for the buyer. Why not reward that kind of devotion?

All things said, each Nokia N97 comes with a lot of useful items. At the very least, the USB data cable, hands-free kit, charger adapter, and the phone’s built-in 32GB of memory means you don’t have to buy accessories to maximize the N97. The bundle is good, but pretty much standard for a high-end phone.

As far as I know, the N97 isn’t under Nokia’s Comes With Music program, which allows new phone owners to purchase as much music as they want within a year from the Nokia music store. Nokia can easily change this, and even make it available retroactively to early adopters. That will definitely provide more value for the N97.

Post from: The Gadget Blog