[Original story via CrunchGear]

Grumble, grumble, grumble… If you are going to make videos for YouTube or Viddler, Vimeo or Blip.tv, get a Flip. Better audio and much much better video quality. I think people are drawn to the Nano purely because it is tiny and “it can play music.” Yes it is convenient since it is an all in one package, but as I stated before, how much video can you record once you’ve added about 12GB of music and photos? And are you really going to be making videos everyday? I’m sure you can use your camera on your cellphone… The Flip is still small enough to carry in your backpack so stop complaining!

[/rant]

Hit the bump for the full review as well as pictures:

The Xpal XP8000 (Amos) from Energizer provides portable battery power (see hours below) to many small peripherals, iPhones/cell phones, iPods/mp3 players as well as netbooks. But the best part about this portable power is the free tips for life. Not really free… you do need to pay for shipping and handling and you only get 2 a year. But it isn’t like you need a lot since they do give you about 15 tips to begin with… and you can use your current USB power cable to charge devices. Otherwise, this was a great buy, fits neatly in my leather portfolio with my netbook and digital camera. Everything I need for a conference.

By the way, it also worked nicely with my camcorder…

$180 at Amazon.com (I guess the price went up a lot)

The Apple Apps Store is nearing 1 billion downloads. And if you are the winnar of this huge feat of internet strength, you’ll get a cool $10k iTunes gift card, a fully decked out MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod Touch and a Time Capsule. Not sure what it all means? Check out Apple!

[Gizmodo]

Two weekends ago, I had an “oops” moment.  I was playing cards at one of the fine establishments here in Las Vegas when, in the heat of a 3am storytelling session where I gesture wildly with my hands, I dropped my iPod headphones into a cup of coffee…

Now, if you’ve ever read the warnings about electronics, you will see that exposure to liquids of any kind is most often a big no-no, and will almost definitely void any warranty.  And while the swill that some casinos try to pass off as coffee is not always a liquid, it is still enough to destroy a nice pair of headphones.

While many people would look at this as a bad thing, I saw an opportunity.  I was presented with a chance to upgrade my headphones for two devices, while decluttering my life just a little bit more.

My normal routine has me listening to my iPod for a little over an hour everyday, from the time I leave my office, through my walk across campus, into the cafeteria for lunch, and then for the time back to my office.  With the amount of crap I carry, I’m forever getting tangled in wires with every step I take, not to mention the problem of having a wire run the full distance from my pocket or my laptop bag to my ears.

I made the decision to go wireless.  And I’m not talking some crappy Infrared (IR) Wireless headphones that don’t work without line of sight connectivity.  I wanted the whole package – Bluetooth connectivity with an adapter specifically for iPods, plus the ability to pair my headphones with my cell phone as well.  I mean, if we’re shedding wires, why not find something and dual-purpose it?

After days of hunting and research, I finally settled on the Jaybird JB-200im Bluetooth iPod Adapter and Headphones (pictured above – more photos in gallery at the end).  It came with the headphones, an iPod adapter, and a secondary adapter for other devices.

At first glimpse, it’s easy to see why these are popular.  While other Bluetooth headphones rely on either a bulky adapter or over-the-ear phones, the Jaybird has fairly snug and comfortable earbuds with a behind-the-ear loop to hold the Bluetooth receiver.  And their iPod solution is fairly unobtrusive as well, hanging only slightly more than an inch from the bottom of the iPod.

The pairing of headphone to iPod was fairly painfree, and playback was almost instantaneous.  I’ve yet to pair it with my phone, since I was lucky enough to find my old Bluetooth phone earpiece this weekend, but ‘m sure it will work just as well.  The sound quality coming off of the iPod was probably not as good as what I get from playing my tunes on the iHome system in my bedroom, but it is plenty good enough for me to use while walking.  The Bluetooth range seems pretty good, but it also seems fairly variable.  At home, with nothing else around me, I can easily get 25-feet of range without any quality or sound loss.

Now, for the downside.  The iPod adapter does not like movement.  At all.  When walking at a slow pace from my office across campus, the slight jostling in my bag is enough to knock it loose from the bottom of the iPod, and produce intermittent drops in audio coming from the headphones.  I can’t imagine this would function well for, say, someone on a five-mile run.  Luckily, I don’t function well on a five-mile run either, so this will never be a problem for me.  Most often, a quick reset or even a re-pairing of the devices will eliminate the problems.  Thirty seconds at most.

Second, interference.  I’ve noticed that when I’m in a high-population area (like… oh, I don’t know… the cafeteria on a major college campus) that the connection seems to drop more frequently.  I’ve attributed this to the fact that in a room that holds 500 students, there are probably 450 Bluetooth enabled cell phones, 100 Bluetooth earphones, and at least 50 Bluetooth enabled laptops.  Again, a re-pairing of the devices all but eliminates the problem, but it can be a bit annoying.

Personally, for my preferred use of the device, these headphones are a lifesaver.  The reduction in cables coupled with the freedom of moving around without having to stuff an iPod in my pocket every time I stand up makes them 100% worth the purchase.

]]> http://kurteng.com/2009/02/unplugging_the_wires/feed/ 1 http://kurteng.com/2008/09/weekend-recap-september-8th-2008/ http://kurteng.com/2008/09/weekend-recap-september-8th-2008/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:10:56 +0000 kurteng http://technewsmadesimple.com/?p=329

Not a big news weekend since the big news will come tomorrow…

• Rumored iPod photos of the new Nano – Gizmodo
• iPhone 2.1 and iTunes 8.0 to come out tomorrow – Gizmodo
• JD Power releases best cell phone company by region – Gizmodo
• … the world to end via a Large Hadron Collider on Wednesday… – Engadget

Happy Monday!

Another busy week here at TNMS. Here are some important stories that you might have missed over the weekend!

• Kevin Rose rumors on new iPods, etc. from Apple – CrunchGear
• XBox360 will get motion controllers like the Wii? – Gizmodo
• Google and Verizon to partner for cell phone searching – Gizmodo
• Virgin Mobile to acquire Helio – Engadget
• Cyborgs by 2050? – Gizmodo
• And finally… Why this Gizmodo writer won’t be switching to Macs anytime soon

A write up and video will follow but I will leave you with some pictures of Red Sox players, and the glorious store that is the biggest in the US. It was an awesome time and was worth the 1.5hour wait in line (that stretched for 4 blocks!) for the 6pm opening. With out further ado, hit the pictures after the jump!

More to come as we edit! Stay tuned!

Kurt and Dave