Riding the iPad wave
The new must-have gadget may be a windfall for many.
Read more on Sydney Morning Herald

iPad in flight offer
Jetstar Airways will offer the iPad for passengers to rent for on selected domestic routes.
Read more on BigPond News

Sonos ZonePlayer S5 Wireless Music System Finally Available In Black [Sonos]
# sonos The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is elegant and impressive, but until now we had trouble making it match our decor. No more headaches over that thought though, because the wireless music system now comes in black. More »
Read more on Gizmodo

The iPod touch is considered to be amongst the best when it comes to a portable MP3 player. This Apple iPod MP3 player has the looks and the features to die for, making every other MP3 player users jealous. Looking at an iPod touch is like looking at an iPhone. When it comes to pricing, this portable MP3 player cannot be considered a very cheap gadget. The 8 GB version of this player costs $229, the 16 GB version is $229 and the 32 GB version is $399. The good thing is that you can choose which one to buy according to the money that you have available. Anyway, one thing is for sure: this is one MP3 player which you will not regret having bought and once you own it, you cannot imagine life without it.

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It comes with a lot of features that you would have never expected to see in an MP3 player. It has a Safari Web browser, podcast support, a music player, video playback options, a music player and even an e-mail reader which is definitely a spectacular feature for an MP3 player. Come to think of it, Apple has the habit of surprising us with its products so could only expect to get high quality gadgets from this manufacturer. The Apple Genius feature will allow you to create an instant 25 song playlist which is based on the musical characteristics of just one song. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? You get a built in speaker and even a headphones out and microphone in jacks. The speaker of this iPod is not the most spectacular one that you have seen but it is something out of the ordinary for a portable MP3 player.

One feature which is common for both the iPod touch and the iPhone is the capacity of manipulating the iTunes functions on the WI-Fi store. Anytime you are around a wireless connection, you can benefit from the wireless music store and you can browse around the iTunes catalog as much as you like. In terms of performance, there is not much to complain about when it comes to the iPod touch. It takes a couple of seconds to launch web based applications but most of the other applications of this iPod can be launched at a very decent speed.

We have always thought that battery life should be the most essential purchasing decision factor of any portable device on this planet. Whether we are dealing with a laptop, a cell phone or an MP3 player, it is essential that the battery performance is good because you will want to benefit from these gadgets for long hours when you are away from a power outlet. The battery performance of the iPod touch is outstanding if you ask me. Tests have revealed that the iPod touch can handle 38 hours of music playback and 6 hours of video playback. If the wireless is turned on, it will last 35 hours on continuous music playback. Simply amazing…

If you’re familiar with the Sonos system, then there isn’t too much news here. In fact, there’s not too much news even if you don’t know what Sonos does. Let me break it down for you: the Sonos system is a nice, comprehensive wireless music system for your house that you can control via your iPhone. If you haven’t heard of it before and you’re wondering how to get your music collection to various rooms in your house, check out the demo.

The rest of you, think on your current Sonos speakers: are they good enough? No? Well, these ones are better. The focus groups they’ve been running must have gone something like “No, everything’s great, actually. I guess we could use a bit more power.” And that is how the Sonos S5 was born. Stereo tweeters and mid-range drivers, plus a sub in each unit.

Trouble is, these fancy magic speakers cost $400 each. Zounds! Of course, some would say they’re worth it. Personally, I just turn up my speakers loud enough that I can hear them in the shower or while cooking, but that’s not really the most sophisticated solution (though I must say it is elegant).

What we have here is the Sonos CR200 controller that was leaked a couple weeks back. By now, I’d imagine most of the CG audience is familiar with Sonos and what they’re all about, so I don’t really need to dive into that. All you really need to know about the CR200 is that it features a 3.5-inch capacitive VGA touch-screen and has a kickass keyboard. Just check out the video to see what it’s capable of. Available now for $350.

Sonos CR200 Datasheet US

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – July 28, 2009 – Sonos®, Inc., the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems, today launched a state of the art music Controller for the home, the Sonos Controller 200 (CR200). The new full-color Sonos Controller features an ultra-responsive touch screen display making it easy to quickly find and play all the music you want, in any room of the house, and all with the touch of a finger.

“Finding and playing music all over the house needs to be so easy that anyone who walks into a home can pick up the Controller and start playing DJ,” says John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. “Sonos has applied our seven years of experience designing wireless music systems for hundreds of thousands of customers in more than 60 countries to deliver the most innovative and intuitive way to find, play and control music anywhere in the home.”
The Sonos CR200 is 100% dedicated to providing a great music experience throughout your home so everything — from the hardware and industrial design to the software and user interface — works together to make controlling the Sonos system fast, easy and fun. The Sonos CR200 features a 3.5” full-color VGA display (640×480 pixels) and comes with a capacitive touch screen for accurate and responsive operation. The convenient touch screen keyboard enables rapid search of the world of music, including multi-million song jukeboxes (Napster® and Rhapsody®), more than 25,000 radio stations and podcasts, SIRIUS® Internet Radio, and of course, your own personal music library. It also makes the creation of custom radio stations from services like Last.fm and Pandora® incredibly easy. The quick intuitive interface provides rich graphics that display what music is playing and in what room all while making it a pleasure to view artist information, cover art and more. The CR00 is styled with an anodized precision machined extruded aluminum case and soft durable rubber backing that fits comfortably in your hand. The CR200 includes ships with the Sonos Charging Cradle 200 so it’s always easy to find and charge your Controller.

Other Sonos Controller 200 features include:

Easy set up – A few simple steps are all that’s needed to get Sonos up and running using the new Controller.
Instant on — Pick up the Controller or touch the screen and it’s instantly ready to play music.
Dedicated buttons — Mute, Volume and Zones buttons provide shortcuts to the most often used functions.
Quick, intuitive search — Instantly find the artist, song, radio station, or radio show you want to listen to by typing on the on-screen keyboard. Suggestions are provided as you type.
Superior wireless performance — The CR200 works on SonosNet (Sonos’ proprietary mesh network) ensuring that you get the best wireless performance of any wireless music product on the market with no interference.
Easy zone management — Take music with you as you move through the house by linking rooms with ease (and without interrupting music playback).
Multi-room volume control — Change the volume in a single room, or in several rooms, all from the same screen.
Great for using outdoors — The CR200 features a transflective screen, making it easy to use while listening to music outdoors on a sunny day.
Long-life and replaceable battery — Comes with a high capacity lithium ion battery that gets about five days of usage between charges and can easily be replaced.
Compatible — The CR200 is compatible with all existing and previously purchased Sonos Multi-Room Music System hardware.

Also today, Sonos Software 3.0, a one-button software update, was made available to all Sonos customers. Sonos 3.0 brings new music discovery tools to the Sonos multi-room music experience when using the Sonos CR200 or Sonos Controller for iPhone – Info View. This new feature provides one-touch access to rich music information, like artist bios, album reviews, concert listings, and lists of similar artists. Info View is available on Last.fm and Rhapsody and can be accessed using the Sonos CR200 or Sonos Controller for iPhone.
In addition to enabling the new features of the CR200, Sonos 3.0 allows the CR200 to work seamlessly with any existing Sonos Controllers, including the CR100, Sonos Controller for iPhone and Sonos Controller for Mac or PC. Sonos 3.0 also provides Controller support for the latest Operating Systems. Sonos now supports Mac OS 10.4 and above (including 10.6), Windows XP and above (including Windows 7) and iPhone OS 3.0. The new Sonos Controller for iPhone 3.0 is expected to be available via the iTunes App Store after receiving approval from Apple Computer.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Controller 200, which includes the Sonos Charging Cradle 200, has a suggested retail price of $349 in the United States and is available worldwide beginning today at authorized Sonos dealers and at www.sonos.com. Also, the CR200 is available today as part of the new Sonos Bundle 250 ($999 suggested retail) which also includes a Sonos ZonePlayer 90 and a Sonos ZonePlayer 120. The Sonos CR200 replaces the Sonos Controller 100, which has been discontinued.

Bose just launched a computer-based speaker system that plugs into the back of your PC and streams music wirelessly to a single SoundLink speaker. As a fan of their SoundDock I’d say it’s pretty cool but $549 for this thing is a bit much in anyone’s book.

The SoundLink simply shows up as a USB speaker and you route all the audio through it to the remote part.

The device includes a rechargeable battery so you can carry it out to the back porch for a barbecue or to the basement to tend to your “rabbits.”

NEW BOSE SOUNDLINK WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM
Computer Music in Any Room –- Easy and Wireless

Today, Bose has introduced the SoundLink wireless music system, a one-
piece portable speaker system that allows users to play music from their
computer –- wirelessly — in and around the home.

The new SoundLink system was designed as a simple solution for people
who listen to music stored on their computer, but don’t want to be at
their computer to enjoy it. Setup is easy. No software or Wi-Fi
connection is required. Just plug the included SoundLink USB key into
the computer, select music — from iTunes, Pandora, or any other
Internet radio or music source — and the audio will stream to the
SoundLink system via a long-range wireless link that works through most
walls and floors.

“Many people use a computer as their primary source for music,” said
John Roselli, category business manager for Bose Corporation. “But that
convenience and experience is diminished by having to be at the computer
to hear it. The Bose SoundLink system unlocks that music, streaming it
almost anywhere in the home –- even outside –- quickly and easily.”
New Bose SoundLink Wireless Music System

For added flexibility, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is included,
making the SoundLink wireless music system truly portable. It’s charged
by the system’s AC power supply and then no outlet is required. The
battery provides all the power the system needs for up to three hours
when played at full volume or for longer periods at more moderate
listening levels.

Advanced Bose engineering in electronics efficiency and speaker design
enable the same high-quality audio performance whether plugged-in or
operating on battery power. The SoundLink system features a proprietary
acoustics package, which combines exclusive Bose waveguide speaker
technology and neodymium transducers to deliver room-filling, high-
quality audio from a very small enclosure.

The system’s infrared remote control operates the power and volume, and
can send transport control commands to most applications, allowing users
to skip tracks or play/pause from a distance. Touch-sensitive volume
buttons also are located on the unit itself.

Although designed primarily for wireless connectivity to a computer, the
SoundLink system features an auxiliary input for connecting additional
audio sources, including an iPod, iPhone, MP3 player or CD player.

The new SoundLink wireless music system comes in Gloss Black, and will
be available from Bose beginning August 27, 2009, for a price of
$549.95. It will be sold at authorized Bose dealers, Bose retail
stores, www.Bose.com or toll free at 1-800-444-BOSE (2673).
New Bose SoundLink Wireless Music System

(Credit: Bose)

The digital music revolution has made is easy to amass hundreds of hours of tunes on your computer, but it’s not always as painless to listen to your collection away from your PC. Bose’s newly announced SoundLink Wireless Music System (coming August 27) is focused on …