Ultra Cool Gadgets

iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. With great new applications, now iPod touch is even better. Watch a movie you rented from iTunes. View rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline. Open PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments. With Maps, find your location and get directions from there. See where you are on a map, a satellite image, or a combination of both. Make Web Clips for your Home screen so you can visit your favorite websites in just one tap. Fill up to nine Home screen pages with Web Clips and arrange them however you like. Browse YouTube videos, follow your stocks, check the weather, and take notes. With the new iPod touch, tap into even more.
With iPod touch, discover new music anywhere. Its built-in wireless capability gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, where you can buy songs with a tap. Browse New Releases, What’s Hot, Genres, and Top 10 songs. Or find exactly what you’re looking for with a quick search. Tap a song to preview it, tap Buy to purchase it. Even redeem your iTunes gift cards and gift certificates. All from anywhere you happen to be.

Product features:

* Includes – Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter/connector, polishing cloth, & stand
* 8GB of storage (approx. 1,750 songs)
* Battery Life – up to 22 hours of music / up to 5 hours of video
* 3.5 Widescreen Multi-Touch Display
* New Applications – Email, Maps, and widgets for weather, notes and stocks

Customer feedback:

1. For those who may be interested in acquiring an iPod Touch as a replacement for a PDA, I have found it to be quite useful. The primary function used in this regard is syncing with Microsoft Outlook, which works flawlessly. Now I can check appointments and find those phone numbers for early morning conference calls without waiting 10 minutes for my laptop to boot up. The new software improves the functionality by adding the notes capability, and I even find myself frequently viewing video podcasts – something I never thought I would use.
The most important functions for me in a portable device are calendar, music, notes, photos, and Audible book playback, all of which this iPod handles very nicely. I have also used the maps feature for driving directions – load it up while on the home WiFi network, then the directions are retained for reference – in a much more useful format than if you print out the directions on Google. Just bring along a navigator, as I would not recommend trying to read the iPod while driving. The same applies to paper maps, of course.
2. Now onto the product….simple, sleek, amazing. Set up out of the box could not have been easier. Make sure you have the most updated version of itunes onyour computer, plug in the USB cord and you’re up and running. Give it a full 3-4 hour charge first time through. Load up your music, pictures, videos. The software is simplicty defined. If you can use a toaster over, you can use this device. The wi-fi immediatley found my home network (and my neighbor’s). Setting up email: simple. Surfing the web: simple. And, oh yeah, using it to listen to music (ostensibly what it is for): a lifting and beautiful experience.
Might as well buy this newer version with the new software loaded. With amazon’s discount, it only a few dollars more than the old version without the upgrade after you pay for it and upload it youself. Save yourself the hassle and get the new version.

The ZEN Stone Plus is a tiny 2GB MP3 player available in six fun colors. It may fit in your pocket, but it’s packed with features: built-in FM radio with 32 presets, stopwatch, countdown timer, clock, and even a voice recorder. All this and 500 of your favorite songs for you to take anywhere. The ZEN Stone Plus weights less than an ounce, which means you can truly take it anywhere, in any pocket. The Stone Plus supports MP3, WMA and Audible file formats, and its rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery will give you up to 9.5 hours of playback. In a hurry? A 15-minute quick charge will give you 2 hours. The built-in stopwatch, countdown timer and clock give you everything you need for your workout. Capture that thought when it hits you, or record lectures or meetings with the built-in microphone and voice recorder.

Product features:

# Small and lightweight 2 GB MP3 Player with 500 song capacity
# Li-Ion battery for 9.5-hour continuous music playback
# FM radio with 32 preset stations; Voice recorder; Stopwatch, clock, and countdown timer
# Mass-storage mode for added usability

Customer feedback:

1. The Creative Zen Stone Plus 2GB doubles the size of the iPod Shuffle and adds a monochrome screen for viewing track names and settings. Add in the functionality of a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder at $65 and you have a great value.

Pros -
+ good stereo sound
+ nice capacity for a decent price
+ light-weight
+ FM tuner with 32 presets ( though it’s just average )
+ voice recording
+ simple design (no more click wheel!) with more color options
+ great navigation and sorting features
+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, WAV, WMA, Audible)
+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity
+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage
+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via Creative software
+ Nice extras like stopwatch function

Cons
- average battery life of 10 hours (OLED screen sucks the battery)
- mediocre backlight ( but it can be disabled )
- some DRM song transfer issues with some firmware versions
- not expandable – few size options 1GB and 2GB
- Creative software is buggy
- larger than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles

2. I purchased these for two of my children. For the price, I think they are a great value, but the earbuds must be upgraded. I have a pair of $8 Sony earbuds that sound much better than the garbage that comes standard with these. The sound levels all blended together, produced static, and sounded muffled. That rant out of the way, upgrade the headphones, and this is really a nice little mp3 player. The equalizer works nice and this unit really does produce nice sound. I like it better than the ipod shuffle just because of the equalizer settings and the LCD display that allows you to see what song is playing, artist info… That being said, the LCD display does drain battery life a little quicker.
I bought $10 headphones for these, and still came in $20 cheaper than the shuffle, and there are some pretty decent inexpensive earbuds out there.

One look at your expansive music collection, and it’s revealed. You’re not just a music listener. You’re a connoisseur. You have a passion for audio. And there is no better way to satisfy your craving for natural, sparkling audio than to listen to your favorite music through ZEN Aurvana in-ear earphones. Efficient, balanced armature drivers in the tiny speakers deliver exceptionally precise instrumental and vocal timbre. Even at low volumes, you’ll hear every note. Oxygen-free copper cable and a gold-plated plug offer excellent audio transmission. Slide the soft, pliable earbuds into your ear. Instantly, you’ll block out the noise of a bustling café or a chatty neighbor. In fact, you’ll block out 90% of ambient noise. The snug, comfortable fit directs sound into your ear.
Enjoy a secure, comfortable fit for hours at a time thanks to soft silicon earbuds—three sizes are included for just the right fit. They’re hypoallergenic and durable.

Product features:

* Package Content – 1 pair of noise isolation earphones, 2 sets of contoured silicon earbuds (2 pairs, 3 sizes), 1 airplane adaptor, 1 cleaning tool, 1 travel case with integrated cable management, 1 user guide
* Precise Audio Reproduction – Balanced Armature drivers deliver pristine audio performance just like those found in hearing aid and professional music recordings
* Secure, comfortable fit – Specially selected silicon rubber that is hypoallergenic, durable and capable of shielding out unwanted noises
* AuraSeal Noise Isolation – Contoured silicon rubber earbud shaped to optimally fit your ears for maximum noise-isolation and comfort
* Works with ZEN and all other MP3 players – Perfect for any MP3 players, while making them sound even better

Customer feedback:

1. I had to replace the stock earphones that shipped with my Creative ZEN Vision M. After alot of looking around I found the Aurvana ZEN earphones and ordered a set.
I am very happy with the performance for the size of these earphones and they block outside noise well. If you are looking for great BASS performance get some good to great Headphones because earphones just aren’t big enough to pull off great BASS responce and never will be.
With listening devices size can matter alot. If you want something that works well with a portable like an MP3 player or a laptop I would consider these to be a good choice.
2. I’ve had these headphones for about six months and I didn’t realize how good they were till a couple of days ago. I bought them for my forth deployment to Iraq/Afganistan and now they are history. Of all things do do them in, a field mouse. The little furball chewed them up and ruined them forever. Since I have very little choice but to buy something here(which is next to nothing), I got a $10 pair of Sony cheapies and now i know what I paid for. Yes the Creative had their quirks but based on what I have now, they were more than worth the extra money. solid bass(when fitted properly, you really need to do this), clear mids and highs. It did take a little to get use to them being in my ear, but after that everything was fine. Durability was not a problem. After a couple of training exercises and around three months in this less than perfect area to live in, they held up very well. If you are a little more serious about what you listen to and how you listen to it, these are a good starting point before entering the world of $200.00 to $500.00 sets of earphones.

The sophisticated and stunning LG Venus slider phone offers a unique combination of touchscreen and tactile keypads in a compact form factor with a stylish mirror finish. The phone features dual external screens, with the bottom screen incorporating interactive touch navigation, and the top slides open to reveal a standard numeric keypad. The Venus gives you access to V CAST Video–Verizon Wireless’ multimedia service with news, sports and entertainment video clips, 3D games and more–as well as V CAST Music, which offers access to more than 2.4 million songs that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, MicroSD memory expansion, Bluetooth connectivity for headsets and stereo music streaming, multi-format digital music player, and optional GPS turn-by-turn navigation services. It operates on Verizon’s 850/1900 CDMA frequencies, and offers fast connectivity through Verizon’s EV-DO data network.

Product features:

* Tools: Calendar, notepad, calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch, world clock, and EZ tip calculator
* Speed Dial (95 entries + 4 pre-programmed for voicemail, #BAL, #MIN, #PMT)
* USB connectivity to your PC for file transfer as well as charging
* One-touch speakerphone
* Speaker-independent voice commands
* 21 included ringtones and compatibility with real-music ringtones
* Voice recording up to 1 hour or 5 minutes during phone call
* Video player compatible with WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
* Hearing Aid Compatibility Rating: M3

Customer feedback:

1. I purchased the LG Venus a few days after Thanksgiving (a little over a week ago). Initially I had purchased the LG Voyager after reading the reports on its features. Since this review is about the LG Venus, I’ll just say I returned the Voyager after 12 hours and exchanged it with the LG Venus. I am very happy with my decision. This phone packs a huge amount of features in such a beautiful and small (but not too small) form factor. I was first impressed with the practicality of the dual screens on the front as many have noted. After tooling the previous day with the Voyagers lack of responsiveness with the touch screen I was instantly pleased with the Venus’ ability to recognize my taps. There is no sensitivity control (nor does the Voyager) but after a few minutes you can quickly become accustomed to how it works. The best feature of the touch screen display’s ability to adapt its menus prompts according to the action you are currently conducting. When you are using it as a phone the buttons for Mute, Speaker Phone etc are prominently displayed for touching. It’s a huge step beyond the ubiquitous soft keys that Verizon phone depends on for many of its phones.
2. I just got this phone and the selling point to me was the availability of really large font. That, coupled with the stark contrast between the font and the background, gives what I want in a phone. The ability to read the screen without glasses. Everything else is gravy.