The Zune MP3 player is one great looking gadget that I personally love. For $250, this MP3 player could be yours. It comes with 30 GB of internal memory and a 3 inch display. Even if to most users it may seem like this is just another MP3 player which comes with a small display, it’s the wireless chip that makes this little gadget so special and different from the others. It has a sharing feature which means you can share both music and pictures with other people in the same room.

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Along with the Zune MP3 player, inside the same box you will find one USB cable, a soft case, foam pads, a software CD, some quick guides and a Zune sticker. With 4.3 x 2.5 x 0.7 inches in dimensions, this player is going to get along just fine with your pockets. The weight of only 5.6 ounces certifies that as well. If you are particularly interested in looks, we can tell you that this player comes with a matte finish which means you don’t have to worry about fingerprints getting all over the unit.

The battery will last up to 14 hours when you use the player only to listen to music. It may be manufactured by Toshiba, but the Zune is designed by Microsoft and it is certainly something else! There are no buttons on the sides of this MP3 player. On the top you can find the earphone jack plus the hold switch and on the bottom you will see the USB/accessories port.



The 3 inch display on this small gizmo has just the right size for you to watch videos and view photos. You can adjust the brightness of the small display as there are 3 brightness levels available. In the end, the display is still going to appear a bit washed out but nevertheless, you can still read it even under direct sunlight. The user interface can be customized with the photo of your choice. A troubling chapter is the audio and video formats which are compatible with this Zune MP3 player. As for the photos, this MP3 player will only read JPEG format. The good part is that these photos can be sent to other users as well. you also have an included FM radio with a very user friendly interface.



The most important piece of software is the Zune Marketplace. Very similar to the Windows Media Player, the interface is functional and easy to use. You can rip CDs into MP3s and you even have the Media Sharing features to benefit from.  We may have said earlier that the battery will last for 14 hours while listening to music but there are a lot of other things that you can use the Zune MP3 player for. If you turn on the wireless function without sharing any files, the battery will last for 13 hours. If we add video playback to this list, you will only get about 3 hours and 30 minutes of battery life.

By Andrew Liszewski

And on the other end of the USB accessories spectrum comes this 4-port hub from Loas which as far as I can tell is as small as a 4-port USB hub is ever going to get. Feature-wise it’s pretty basic, which is what I expect from a hub, with support for the important flavors of Windows and OS X as well as 4 different colors to choose from including black, pink, silver and white.

[ Compact Loas 4-Port USB Hub ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

Listen to your iPod/iPhone when you wake up with this latest Chronos iDock clock radio. Part of Apple’s “Made for iPod” and “Works with iPhone” programmes, Chronos iDock Series II enables also boasts stereo DAB, DAB+ and FM clock radio. Track and ‘now playing’ information is displayed on the Chronos iDock Series II screen and users can control their iPod/iPhone via the radio or remote control. Based on the award-winning Chronos iDock and available in black or white it comes with enhanced controls including a rotary dial and larger, easy-to-use buttons. PowerPort provides charging for USB accessories such as a mobile phone charger, reading light or even cup warmer solving the problem of having insufficient power points next to the bed. Other features includefour independent alarms (for waking to DAB/ FM, iPod/iPhone or a tone) adjustable sleep and snooze timers and a light sensor which automatically dims the display. An MP3/CD player or headphones can be connected and a matching remote control is also supplied.

Next to all the 09/09/09 product announcement hoopla this week, this little USB device probably won’t even rate a blip on the tech radar. But we’ve always had a soft spot for USB accessories, particularly of the wacky encounter. And anything out of Thanko’…

By Evan Ackerman

There are any number of potentially useful and/or incredibly stupid light-up USB accessories that owe their glowyness to various flavorings of LEDs. That’s cool, I’m down with that, I like the futuristic look as much as the next geek. But retro is rapidly becoming the new futuristic, and this USB light fits the bill neatly with a light bulb that is, in fact, a light bulb. You know, the old school vacuum + filament + heat + inefficiency + if it breaks you have to clean up really carefully or you’ll get shards of glass in your feet kind. Numerous disadvantages aside, the one redeeming factor if incandescent bulbs is present in this USB powered version… Namely, the ability to cast a warm and pleasing glow, which (I imagine) provides a nice counterpoint to the inevitably harsh and unyielding photons that are being pumped out by whatever device this little lamp is plugged into.

For about $14, you get the lamp plus two spare bulbs, one of them frosted (if you’re into that kind of thing). Each bulb should last about 300 hours, giving you decades (well, 0.01 decade) of pleasing illumination, and a replacement set of three is only about $6. It all can be yours, from where else but Japan.

[ JTT (Translated) ] VIA [ New Launches ]