Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Apple

TomTom's Car Kit for iPhone will be your co-pilot in October originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If I biked a lot—a whole lot—there's little doubt I'd drop $100 on the BioLogic FreeCharge when it hits in March.

Obviously pedaling a bike could generate a lot of electricity. So the BioLogic FreeCharge exploits this phenomenon, sticking a dyno on your wheel that charges a battery-powered USB hub. You plug something (like an iPhone) into the USB and it can recharge in about three hours.

But what makes the idea work is that battery intermediary between the dyno and the hub. By charging a battery that in turn charges your device of choice, the system assures a steady stream of power to whatever is plugged in.

Obviously solar power is another obvious point of energy exploitation for those on bikes, but something about exerting myself to charge my phone really preps my psyche for the days when I'll pedal to power the robot whipping me to pedal to power him. [Bike Hugger via Gadget Lab via DVICE]

If you're in the market for a dedicated, easy-to-pocket audio player that can handle the occasional video then it's hard to beat Sony's new Walkman S-series of players. The latest Walkmans, priced at $110 (8GB) or $130 (16GB), are the first from Sony with integrated speakers and include a plastic kickstand in the box. As usual, the sound was excellent but Sony cheated a bit at its IFA stand by equipping the demo units with high-end Sony over-the-skull cans. Hey, whatever it takes, right? Nevertheless, Sony always bundles good-quality earbuds (MDR-E804Y in this case) with their gear unlike some other manufacturers who shall not be named. Switching between the stereo-speakers and headphones is as simple as throwing the physical slider along the right-side of the unit -- speakers that sounded pretty decent as long as your expectations are set appropriate to the unit's physical size. Video playback was fine but it's hard to be enthusiastic about watching anything other than very-brief clips on the S-series' tiny 2.4-inch QVGA display. But in a pinch, no problem. Plenty of pics in the gallery and a quickie video walk-around after the break.

Continue reading Video hands-on: Sony's Walkman S-series is no Mickey Mouse audio player

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Video hands-on: Sony's Walkman S-series is no Mickey Mouse audio player originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you don't really need any more evidence that Apple is gearing up to unveil at least two new iPod revisions at its forthcoming 'rock and roll' event, but are you seriously going to hit the ignore button on these? If you'll recall, last year's visit to Hama's IFA booth gave us early access to cases of Apple's then-upcoming round of iPod nanos, and this year the company seems to be disclosing all of Cupertino's secrets once more. On hand were cases for Apple's fifth-generation iPod nano and the third-generation iPod touch, the latter of which seems to make room for a built-in camera. Of course, these lovely peripherals could be nothing more than a complete waste of company resources, but we'd encourage you to browse the gallery below before jumping to that conclusion.

Filed under: Handhelds, Peripherals

Hama cases foreshadow 5G iPod nano, 3G iPod touch at IFA: hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, Accessories

Novothink unveils first licensed solar chargers for iPhone, iPod originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sandisk's Sansa Clip has been the preferred cheap mp3 player for audiophiles for awhile now, and the Clip+ improves on the original in price, design, capacity and features. Basically, this is the best trash mp3 player around.

When I say "trash," I don't mean it's bad; quite the opposite, actually. But at $40/$50/$70 for 2/4/8GB capacities, the Clip+ is very nearly disposable—you can knock it around or drop it and not feel bad—making it an excellent player for workouts or as a spare in case your main PMP runs out of juice on a long trip.

What's New

The Clip+, unlike the Clip, packs a microSD slot for cheap expandable memory (up to 16GB at the moment). The microSD slot also supports SanDisk's own (admittedly stupid) SlotRadio cards. The clip on the back is no longer removable, and the headphone jack has been moved to the right side of the player, away from the miniUSB port. Oh, and the control pad is now square instead of circular. That's pretty much it for new features.

Why It's Great

What makes the Clip+ better than competitors like the iPod Shuffle and Creative Zen Stone is surprisingly excellent sound quality. This little guy has some power behind it, sounding as good as my Zune with a pair of decent earbuds. SanDisk clearly knows what they've got, since the Clip+, unlike other tiny budget mp3 players, supports audiophile codecs like FLAC and OGG.

It's got an FM radio, podcast support, and a voice recorder as well. It also auto-detects OS and will choose either MTP (Windows) or MSC (everything) when plugged in, meaning it supports every OS perfectly. The two-color OLED screen is bright and readable, and the player itself is miniscule and feels very tough—I've actually dropped it twice and there's nary a scratch on it.

Flaws

In terms of controls, it's not ideal—I'd really like to see a dedicated Back button instead of having to hit Menu and then select "Back to Music List," but after two minutes of toying around with the player, you'll have it figured out. The battery life isn't thrilling, rated at 15 hours, and I would have preferred a dedicated hold switch to the Home button playing double duty. Also, scrolling through long lists of artists or songs is a little pokey—it's no problem if you've only got a few GBs of music, but if you have a filled 8GB player with a microSD card, it'll be annoying.

Conclusion

It's the best low-end mp3 player on the market, without question. And did I mention it costs $50 for 4GB? That's $20 less than the iPod shuffle and the Clip+ has the shuffle handily beat on features and sound quality. I recommend the 4GB version—it's worth the $10 upgrade from 2GB, and 8GB is really more music than the little guy is built to handle. The UI's a little dated, but it's totally serviceable, and the player's strengths more than make up for its drawbacks. I've got absolutely no hesitation about recommending the Sansa Clip+ as a workout or spare mp3 player. [SanDisk]

Tiny and rugged body

Excellent sound quality and surprisingly extensive codec support

Competitively priced

UI hasn't evolved since previous model

According to the company FAQ, TomTom's much talked about car kit that brings enhanced GPS to both the iPhone and iPod Touch will be available starting in October, and not by the end of the summer as previously believed. [TomTom]

Just a quick reminder that we're looking for insights into ways to make sure copyright doesn't stand in the way of innovation. Read through the details below, check out the Innovation Movement website, and participate!

As anyone who reads Techdirt regularly knows, copyright is a big issue around here -- with particular concern in how certain industries have used copyright law not for its intended and stated purpose (to promote the progress) but for exactly the opposite reason. It's been used time and time again as a weapon against progress and innovation, by industries who saw that innovation as a threat to their business model. In the 1980s, Hollywood tried to outlaw the VCR, declaring it "the Boston Strangler" of the movie industry. The reality was exactly the opposite. The VCR helped revitalize the movie industry and provided the fuel that grew the industry throughout the last two decades. Then, a decade ago, the music industry tried to kill the first MP3 players, again insisting that a portable MP3 player would destroy the music industry. Once again, they failed -- and once again, their own failure has helped to save them. A recent Harvard study found that the success of the digital music market has grown the overall ecosystem and resulted in much greater output in music.

But, still, the industry fights such advances, often using a variety of different tactics, including lobbying and lawsuits. On this front, they've been winning a lot more than losing lately, to their own detriment. Copyright has been extended and changed over and over again, now covering significantly more than it ever did and ever was intended to cover. And certain industries are using that to their advantage. In two recent court rulings, the Hollywood movie studios were able to prevent two different innovative products from hitting the market, since both involved making backup copies of DVDs. Even though these were both designed for perfectly legitimate reasons, both were banned, due to copyright or copyright-related issues.

Imagine how different the movie industry would be if the VCR were not allowed? Imagine how different the music industry would be today if the iPod was illegal? Yet, we're unable to know how different the music industry would be today if Napster has been allowed to live, and the industry had found a way to monetize via its platform. And now we likely won't be able to find out how the movie industry would be different if people could back up their movies legally (there are, of course, unauthorized options for both, but that, too, limits their ability to advance and innovate).

The Innovation Movement is an effort by the Consumer Electronics Association to make more people aware of such issues, and to make sure that Congress actually takes these issues into account, rather than just focusing on the patriotic headline while ignoring the unpatriotic results.

In this Insight Community Conversation, we're looking for thoughtful and well-written discussions on the importance of not letting copyright stand in the way of innovation. How can politicians better understand the negative impacts of certain industries using copyright to protect old business models and take away consumer rights? The copyright system supporters can always point to the past -- noting the successes of the industry and (often incorrectly) attributing it entirely to copyright. But it's hard for innovators to point to the future of what could be if they were allowed to innovate freely. We're looking for discussions on ways to better make this point to politicians, journalists, consumers and (yes) the very industries that have been fighting so hard to protect their old business models. Present a convincing argument on why innovation is key, and holding it back with copyright is bad for everyone. The best results will be used as posts on the Innovation Movement website.

This is a case from the Insight Community, a powerful new marketplace that connects companies with intelligent communities like Techdirt. Click here to learn more.

• Earn up to $50 for Insights on this case.
• Insights Due: 9 Sep 2009, 11:59PMPT

View Case Details at InsightCommunity.com

Pico projectors were all the rage when they were in development, but as the first wave of products hit, so did a reality-induced malaise: They weren't that great. Fortunately, 3M's MPro120 goes far to outshine the original MPro110.

Price

$350, just like its predecessor.

Verdict

What a difference 10 months make.

While the 12-lumen projector isn't noticeably brighter, the throw is substantially tighter, so at the same distance you get about 25% more picture. In terms of use, I could comfortably watch a screen of about 32 inches on the 120 (as opposed to the 110's 20 inches) and could get nearly 50 inches out of it in a very dark room before the picture just got too blurry to enjoy. A 32-inch screen size may not be great shakes in the age of $1000 50-inch plasmas, but in a dorm room or other close quarters, it sure beats a laptop.

The MPro120 is a bit larger than the 110, owing not just to better optics, but to a larger battery—with up to four hours of juice, rather than just one—and built-in stereo speakers. (The 110 is really just a monitor.) The speakers are loud, and not as tinny as one would expect. It won't give you the full butt-shaking DTS treatment, but I was surprised when I started a video, left the room, and heard everything clearly, 20 feet away through a doorway. As you can see from the slides, the video handled the Blu-ray of Generation Kill surprisingly well via composite output, and I wasn't even vexed by the 480x640 resolution. Given what I was trying to pull off, it looked good.

Connections & Accessories:
• VGA adapter for laptops
• Composite adapter for AV sources
• Female-to-male RCA converters so any video output kit for your phone, iPod or camera will work
• Small Gorilla Pod-style tripod
• Built-in flip-down stand for just a bit of lift

When I reviewed the MPro110, I bitched that it was pretty flimsy too. Not so with the MPro120. It's sturdy, has nice firm buttons for volume and brightness, and has a focus dial on its face that stays where you put it. The MPro110 and MPro120 are so different despite their naming, my theory is that 3M shot the guy who built the 110 and hired his arch-nemesis to build the new one.

Does this mean you should buy a pico projector? If you have $350 to spend and find yourself in situations where a very portable 32" monitor that requires relative darkness would come in handy, go for it. It's still not good enough for corporate presentations, and it's still not a true theater-on-the-go. My thought is, if it got this much better in just 10 months, why not wait another 10 months for even more improvements—and perhaps a tiny cost drop? [Product Page]

It isn't the only solar charging case on the market, but Novothink's Solar Surge is the first to receive an official thumbs up from Apple.

The case features an integrated solar panel that should yield 30 minutes of talk time on a 3G network or 60 minutes on EDGE after 2 hours of sun exposure. Plus, the battery is a rechargeable 1500 mAh 3.7 V lithium-ion that offers 120% capacity of the iPhone 3G. The Solar Surge for the 2G iPod Touch will be available later this month for $70, while the iPhone 3G/3GS version will come in sometime in the 4Q of 2009 for the same price. If you are into this sort of thing, the Solar Surge is probably the most compact and practical solar iPhone charger on the market—and the price point seems to be in line with many standard charging cases. [Novothink via Ecofriend via Inhabitat]