All this talk about next-gen consoles has us looking at the other side of the spectrum of home entertainment. This generation's next-generation of digital media players, the "iTV," has been clouded with many rumors recently. Lo and behold, Steve Jobs pulls yet another, well, Steve-Jobs-job on us.

Surprise, surprise. As announced in the MacWorld Expo, the Apple TV is now available for pre-ordering. Shipping starts this February, so you better make sure your living room is prepared for the invasion of the iTunes-to-TV player. Here's the long and short of what you can expect for the US$ 299 price tag:

• Mac + PC support
  
• Wi-Fi 802.11 wireless connectivity
  
• 40GB hard drive for up to 50 hours video
• Apple Remote included

This device allows you to play any media content - music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, etc. - stored in your computer onto your widescreen TV. Every time you update your iTunes with new content, Apple TV automatically updates itself. An easy-to-navigate menu is incorporated into the device to allow easy browsing and streaming of media files with the Apple Remote.

From the man, Steve Jobs, himself:

Apple TV is like a DVD player for the 21st century -- you connect it to your entertainment system just like a DVD player, but it plays digital content you get from the Internet rather than DVDs you get from a physical store. Apple TV plays the same iTunes content that users enjoy on their computers and iPods, so now they can even watch part of a movie in their living room, and watch the rest later on their iPod.

You can place your orders and learn more about the Apple TV in the official Apple website found behind the "Read" link below.

So you've been a little naughty this year, maybe Santa isn't exactly thrilled, maybe the red-suited fatman won't be zipping down your chimney to shower you with gifts and yuletide joy, never fear, QJ and Neuros have got your back. You might be thinking we've already given away a few of these, but you'd be wrong (ish) this is a whole different beast. What the guys at Neuros are offering today is the advanced model of the regular Neuros Recorder 2, this is the Neuros Recorder 2 Plus! What that means is that you'll be able to use this swanky little device not only with your PSP, but with your iPod and those new fangled smartphone devices all the cool kids are carting around these days. Click here to find out more about the Recorder 2 Plus.

If you happened across our last little shindig where we gave a Recorder 2 away, you'll know the drill, it couldn't be simpler. All you have to do is reply in the comments below while signed into QJ with your site username (register if you haven't got one), once we get all entries, we'll shake the box round, have Jake cut a fancy ribbon and pull a lucky name from the ether. Entries will be accepted until Friday 15th at 9pm CST, so be sure to reply before then.


Contest Rules:

• You MUST reply in the comments with a valid QJ username, we'll need the email you signed up with to contact you if you win. However, please DON'T INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL IN THE COMMENTS. We'll be able to get that info from our records (web-magix!)
  
• The contest will be open till Friday 15th at 9pm CST. All comments must be in by this time to count as entries.
  
• Contest is open only to U.S. residents. We know, it sucks, the guys at Neuros know it too, and they wish it didn't have to be that way but unless you want to pay  $100 in fees just to claim your prize, this is the only way.

To clarify, you DON'T need to post your QJ forum name, or your email address, we'll be using the name you reply with in the comments below as long as it's a registered QJ site username.

As always in these sorts of things, we wish y'all the best of luck.

Barely out into the market, and the iPod 2G may already be showing early teething problems. praseodym of Appleinsider reports that he had a minor mishap involving the new iPod model, which was designed to be clipped to the wearer's waist. According to his report, as he was standing up, the unit fell to the ground, its aluminum clip bent out of shape.

Because of the way the clip was designed, he couldn't properly bend it back. While he could still run the iPod normally, the biggest problem was that the bent clip meant that the unit couldn't be plugged back into its original form-fitting cradle, which hooks up to the iPod via a multi-modal headphone jack.

If it's any relief, there's news that third-party manufacturer THOUGHT OUT is making plans to produce a USB jack just for this port, which allows users to hook their iPod 2G's up to PC's like normal MP3 players. Below is an image of the proposed USB jack design.

Digital Multimedia Broadcast (DMB) is big in Korea, but that doesn't mean other countries should be left out in the cold when it comes to direct-to-home multimedia transmissions. Thanks to Elgato Systems' EyeTV Diversity DVB-T Stick, Mac users can join in the fun and with Dual Tuner to boot!

Sure, there's really nothing new with watching digital terrestrial television (DTT) on a Mac, but with EyeTV Diversity you get uninterrupted coverage even when you're stuck in areas with weak reception. And that's not the only thing that gets going for this product. It allows you to actually watch two channels simultaneously. Or if you're just not up for a TV marathon, you can watch one and record another directly to your Mac's hard drive. You can also have your own "director's cut" version of the show with the edit features. Sweet!

It's just quite unfortunate that this amazing USB 2.0 stick is only available in select countries where DTT or DVB-T is broadcast. No U.S. the last time we checked.

Inasmuch that there's that never-ending quest of man to live on another planet or contact aliens, man also has a never-ending quest of finding another iPod dock. It's one media player dock after another, and here's another iDock that'll match perfectly with your iWhatever. It's called the iLamp, and from the name (and pic) alone, you know why it was called so.

Adesso's iLamp incorporates a lamp and a media player dock into one device. It hardly looks like a dock, and looks good with your other desk ornaments. There are six models in the iLamp line, all of which can be bought at US$89 a pop. Some of the models (like the one on the left) has little pockets where you can put in various little odds-and-ends. The lamp itself differs from one model to the next, some are conical, other are UFO-like in shape.

In any of the six models, the speakers are carefully placed to not look so blatantly like speakers. And as long as your media player has a headphone jack - MP3 player, iPod, Radio, CD Player, etc. - you can plug it into the iLamp. You might think it's not the holy grail, but it's a good alternative to end your never-ending quest.

Parting from the conventional cubed iPod docks, Hong Kong brand Brando introduces a tubular iPod dock/speaker combo called iSing. Looking very polished and dapper, iSing comes in a variety of colors, such as the default silver, green, or purple. Other than your iPod Nano and iPod 5G (Video) 30G, it is also suitable for other portable music devices thru line-in.

As for its capabilities, well, they're fairly simplistic, with not much frills. It's powered by AAA batteries, DC adapter, or your USB port. For that complementary touch, the accents are in "iPod white". Oh, and of course it has volume control.

Hmmm, so it doesn't really boast of some mind-blowing hi-tech capacities. But hey, iPod has evolved to become more than just about the music, anyway. Now, it's all about the fashion. And as long as the iSing plays your music while at the same time jazzing up your style, then there's really no reason to complain, right?

The iSing Speaker Dock for your iPod is yours for only US$ 25.00.

Mobility is what the Apple Remote offers for those who live day-in and day-out with their Macs. The remote lets you do things even if you're 10 ft away from your Mac. But, like any gadget, it can only do so much -- unless some really cool software comes along and liberates you from its limitations. Now, imagine your Apple Remote integrated with any Mac - yep, any Mac - and with just IR receivers on USB G3, G4, G5 & the new Mac Pro. Also, imagine that you can import and export application profiles which you can share online. It's now possible with mira.

Basically, mira allows you to personalize the control of your Apple Remote. It's like "easy" made "easier". It comes bundled with over 40 profiles for popular programs which you can easily change according to your own settings. Where you used to only open Front Row, with mira you'll have a giant menu that you can view across the room. The software application allows us to control any program even without knowing how to create scripts.

mira comes with a host of other features which you can check at Twisted Melon, but meanwhile you can check out some of the application's screenshots here.

Frustrated audiophile? Looking for the best earphones available? Worry no more. We found a list of the top ten best earphones for you and your iPod.

Westone UM2 Dual Driver In-Ear Earphones
It's a set of dual driver earphones. It has well designed cables, and arguably better comfort than the 5PRO and the E5c, also just in case you run into any problems, Westone provides excellent customer support. It's perfectly balanced output places this very "musical" set at number 1. A downside to this lovely toy would be that it only has a one year warranty. It costs around $450, if you surf around enough, you can find some stores that sell them for around $300.

Read on to see more earphones

  

Griffin Technology Inc., announced this Wednesday that they have begun shipping their 5.1 Surround Sound solution for Mac, the FireWave. Griffin Technology is known as one of the leading creators of accessories and peripherals for Mac, PC, iPod, and gaming and here they prove once again why.

Through FireWave, Griffin's Surround Sound solution for Mac, users are now able to upgrade their sound system via the FireWire ports. FireWave gets its power through the FireWire connection so there's no need for cables, batteries, or whatnot, to make it work.

FireWave is also small and portable enough for use with laptops, making it easy to incorporate into any computer setup. It also has an extra FireWire port so that it doesn't hog your FireWire port, letting you connect with other FireWire devices.

FireWave lets you enjoy DVDs in 5.1 surround, use Dolby Prol Logic II to listen from any audio source, whether from iTunes, QuickTime, or streaming audio. Another cool thing is that FireWave supports multi-channel playback from cross-platform OpenAL games (gasp!) like World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament, definitely a gaming must-have.

Technical Specs:

• complies with IEEE1394 specification
• sample Rates supported: 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz playback in MBLA mode (non-Dolby) 32,44.1, and 48kHz in Dolby Pro Logic II o 48kHz
• encoded Digital in Dolby Digital Outputs: 6-Channel, 24-bit Frequency Response
• powered by the Oxford Semiconductor FW970 Pricing & Availability Griffin FireWave

FireWave is now available at your nearest Mac or FireWire accessories retail stores, and sells for $99.99. Not bad, eh?

You may have come across our previous articles about the EyeTV. Now this baby from Elgato Systems is back, with twice the power.

Like the EyeTV, the EyeTV Hybrid lets Mac users watch digital TV. Unlike the previous one though, the EyeTV Hybrid also delivers analog TV via antenna and the standard cable. This small stick is also reported to work well with the Apple Remote and boasts of the following features:

• Watch analog as well as digital TV on your Mac.
• Browse EyeTV menus in Full Screen mode.
• Rewind, fast forward, and pause digital TV.
• Record hours of your favorite TV shows directly on your hard drive and edit out unwanted content.
• Find TV shows using the built-in program guide (USA only).
• Export clips and entire episodes to your video-capable iPod.
• Connect game consoles and enjoy zero latency game play.

This product is already available, and costs roughly Â?149.95 or $192 USD.