We don't need to hear Altec Lansing speakers. The sound quality is among the very best in the business, that's a given. The only thing we need to do is see the speakers and think where they would look good. That's how reliable the brand is.

   
   

The iM600 is Altec Lansing's speaker set designed specifically for the Apple iPod. It's very thin, has a docking function, and can play music at full blast for about seven hours straight on a rechargeable battery. Other features include 12-button Infrared remote control and SFX stereo enhancement button, iM600 folds down to 11" by 1.7" by 6", and weighs 2.1 pounds. Oh, did we say that it has an antenna for instant radio reception?

The iM600 is available now in selected retailers across the nation.

 

Are you ready for the biggest i-gadget ever? A couple of years back we told you how Apple announced its partnership with some car manufacturers: Acura, Audi, Honda and Volkswagen. These auto makers wanted to put the ever ubiquitous iPod into their stereo systems and Apple obliged. Now, having your car iPod-integrated is already old news.

What's probably fashionable now is having your car name sounding like an Apple product. Only recently Volkswagen released its new iGolf with a big bang. iGolf is just like Volkswagen's best selling model in history, the Golf, only the i-toting model has a matching iPod dock hidden away in an armrest.

The VW iGolf is worth the equivalent of US$ 24,171 in Spain.

Looking for ways to accessorize our consoles is always fun - but not when it involves rifling through dozens of websites and catalogs.

Now, for the guys who would prefer their peripheral shopping a little more uncluttered, accessory manufacturer Nyko is announcing the opening of their new Ecommerce site.

The site offers visitors access to information for Nyko's current line up of parts, and is divided according to each accessory's corresponding consoles (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) and electronics products (iPODs, PCs). Aside from providing a more convenient data hub for the company's line of accessories, the site also carries information on which retailers carries these Nyko products - this should make shopping in your local community a little easier.

In case you're wondering what Nyko's already been working on as of late, they're well-known for handy and practical accessories like the recently released Wii Charge station, which provides a set of rechargeable packs to go with the Wiimote. On the odd end of the spectrum, Nyko is equally known for releasing the highly controversial - strangely successful - Xbox 360 Intercooler.

Nyko's Ecommerce site could be found through our 'Read' link below.

This is definitely for the food and music connoisseurs out there. Enter the Philips DCD778 Docking Entertainment System. Perfect for your posh kitchen.

The Philips DCD778 Docking Entertainment System features an 8.5-inch widescreen LCD display, where you can watch DVDs, MP3 CDs, and VCDs. It has a ATSC/NTSC TV tuner, AM/FM tuner, plus it's compatible with fourth and fifth generation iPods - along with iPod mini and nano - to play both audio and video.

Since it's bound to be mounted underneath one of your kitchen cabinets, it also sports a cooking timer and clock (just so you don't lose track of time and burn whatever you're cooking), wireless remote, and two 2-inch speakers.

Anyway, the Philips DCD778 Docking Entertainment System starts shipping next week and will retail at around US$ 400.

These days, there's a good number of iPod dock devices to choose from which give you different features. SendStation is launching another one which has by far exerted the best effort at achieving all the functions you could possibly want.

 

Introducing the PocketDock- it's compatible with all iPods and the manufacturers claim that it will be with the iPhone as well. This baby does more than charge your gadgets, it also syncs them and serves as a universal adapter by having the ability to serve as the arbiter for your iPod to output media into your major appliances.

You can play videos on your big screen TVs, play the music on your stereo and link up to USB ports. The PocketDock is available for $36.95 in stores nationwide.

Here's some good news for those Mac-users who also happens to own an Xbox Live Vision Camera. It seems that someone's been able to confirm that your Xbox Live Vision cam will work on OS 10.4.9.

According to the discussion thread, lOUDsCREAMEr decided to take a chance and bought a Live Vision Cam to see if he could get it to work on his computer without the need for a hack or a driver. Lo and behold, as the picture on the right shows it in action.

Zorkon points out that this is a new feature of the patched 10.4.9, which has support for USB video cameras using iChat. Whether this means that other game-related cameras will work with it is dependent on how much you know about cameras. But it stands to reason that anyone with a Live Vision Camera now has a free OS 10.4.9-compatible cam to use for taking pictures and amateur YouTube videos of the Tunak Tunak Tun dance.

If you're thinking that headbands have gone the way of the dinosaur, think again. A Japanese company called Thanko has just announced the VONIA sports headband, which actually acts as a set of headphones without requiring you to shove anything in or on you ears.

How? Bone conduction. The VONIA headband uses it to send sound directly to your brain by stimulating your eardrums, leaving you free to hear any ambient sound that could alert you to, say, an oncoming truck that would have turned you into a bloody mess. Perfect for people who love listening to music while running or biking.

The VONIA headband has a front pocket designed to hold an iPod shuffle or any other small mp3 player. The player connects to wiring hidden inside the headband itself. The speaker units are also waterproof, so if you have a waterproof player you can still use it while you're doing a few laps in the pool.

There's no word yet on if the VONIA headband will be coming to the U.S., but if you have a friend in Japan, you can get them to buy one for US$ 85 when it goes on sale later this month.

The i.Sound MovieTime Universal solves the most common problem for the gadget-trendy entertainment fan - which one to use. The dock makes listening universal for the most popular players around like the iPod, Zune and the PSP, and has these features to boot:

• Surround sound feature
• Compact
• Four 32 mm speakers
• Total Power: 12 Watts RMS
• Frequency response: 180 Hz with 20 Khz
• Buttons: go/stop, volume, surround
• Auxiliary audio Entry + audio cable mini jack for the connection with your other audio devices.
  

One thing about this multi-functional gadget is that the appearance is unlike any other we've seen so far. At 77 bucks a pop, it's certainly worth the consideration, but style-conscious users may want to give it a second thought.

SnoopTunes Noestring Attached has been around for some time but is only catching on now. In case you are not so familiar with this gadget, it is an addon device for the iPod which gives the unit wireless sharing capabilities. We're not so keen on adding this bit but, yeah, it's pretty much like the Zune's own wireless music sharing feature.

The gadget was designed by a brilliant 16-year old kid named Kristyn Heath. We wonder now what does Steve jobs, or the rest of the Apple company for that matter, thinks about Heath and her creation.

Anyway, the gadget itself weighs around 10g and it measures 79 mm X 25 mm X 25 mm. There are five available channels as of now and a total number of two channel memories. It is powered by an AAA battery.
If you want to know more about the product, there's a video capture below of SnoopTunes Noestring Attached as recently featured by NBC. The gadget can be purchased over at eBay for US$ 59.99.

Here's a cool idea. If you've got some old seven-inch records (y'know, the big black ones with the hole in the middle?) just lying around, why not have them turned into custom cases for your iPod? That's exactly what Contexture Design is offering with their custom-made 45 iPod Cases.

These cases have been available since January, but the company has only recently started accepting custom work on customer-submitted seven-inch vinyl records. "We have had a lot of requests for particular artists or songs since we launched the cases in January," says Contexture co-founder Trevor Coghill. "This new service allows people to protect and decorate their iPod with the records they feel best reflect their individuality."

The custom-made cases are made to fit iPods ranging from 20 GB to 80 GB. They're made of thermoformed vinyl records, recycled felt padding, cork and an acrylic glass window. The center hole of each case's record is also positioned to fit exactly around the iPod's click-wheel.

The 45 cases are available online for CA$ 45 (US$ 38). Custom seven-inch orders will be accommodated for an additional CA$ 7 (US$ 6). If you've gt some free time on your hands, Contexture also offers a CA$ 5 (US$ 4) rebate in exchange for participation in a street-level poster campaign. Now go ahead and wrap your digital mix-tape in some analog armor.