Ultra Cool Gadgets

The new PowerLink USB Adapter for iPhone is a convenient three-in-one device that most any iPhone or iPod user would find handy. The PowerLink combines a USB memory stick for storing files, a 30-pin cable for syncing your iPhone/iPod, and a charger with a built-in rechargeable battery.
Take PowerLink with you for emergency power for your iPhone or iPod with 30-pin dock connector. It’s easy to use: Just connect PowerLink to your iPhone/iPod, and switch on PowerLink’s power. PowerLink boasts a 270mAh Lithium-Ion battery that provides 500mA powering current to the iPhone or iPod. That’s equal to about 25 minutes of talk time on an iPhone. (Note: The PowerLink does not actually charge the iPhone or iPod; it powers the devices as an external battery pack.) When it’s time to recharge, PowerLink’s internal battery can be charged from any computer with a USB port or through a USB power adapter. During charging, each LED takes approximately one hour to light up. It takes approximately three hours to fully charge the PowerLink’s battery.

Technical Details

* Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G
* 270mAh Lithium-Ion battery provides emergency power for your iPhone or iPod
* Works as a data sync cable between iPhone/iPod and computer
* 2 GB flash drive for file storage
* Battery level indicator lets you know how much power is left

Customer feedback:

1. This handy little device is a three-fer – a 2 gigabyte pen drive, an emergency battery backup, and a USB connector. The device is designed for use with an iPod or iPhone, and I personally think that it works pretty well. For connecting to a computer, it is a bit less bulky than the white cord, the 2 GB drive is very handy, and the battery backup is very nice.
Now, if you are expecting a device that will revolutionize your iPod or iPhone, then you will be disappointed. It’s a bit of a Swiss Army knife, and as with that widget, this one is not excellent at any of its features. But, what it is is a tiny thing that you can drop into your purse or pocket, and have a handy dandy tool for one of its three uses. As for me, I found this to be a very useful little device, and I am quite glad that I now have it.

2. If there is one thing I’ll recommend to anyone buying an iPod from now on, it’s this handy, little battery. It’s also a flash drive, which is great because you have two functions in one, saving even more space. The device is small, so you can pop it into your pocket or handbag pocket, and it’s incredibly handy to have when traveling. Your iPod or iPhone is out of charge and you are stuck on a train or plane? No problem: plug this in and you’ll be able to use it for a while still. And when you get home plug it back into your USB drive to recharge it.
There is a charge indicator to give you an idea of how much longer it will last, too. And for this price? A great deal!

Designed specifically for iPod with dock connector only including iPod 3G, 4G, iPod Mini, iPod Photo, iPod nano, iPod (video).

Technical Details

* Compatible with Dock Enabled iPods – iPod 3G, 4G, iPod Mini, iPod Photo, iPod nano, iPod (video)
* Power to the music with a car charger adapter that allows using your iPod on the road
* Compact design and retractable coil cord are made for easy storage
* IC Chip Technology to prevent back-flow current and your iPod from excessive electrical loads
* Coil cable length: 31.5″

Customer feedback:

1. I keep the car charger in my car, with no extra cables to burden it, and I keep the wall charger plugged into the wall. The cable retracts easily, with a design much like that of a window blind (pull until you let go, where it locks, and then pull a bit more and let go to release). It’s a small, unobtrusive, and incredibly convenient device for your iPod, and at this price, it’s a steal. You’d pay two or three times this at some electronics stores for the wall charger or car charger alone, let alone one that is so solidly constructed. No question — if you own an iPod, purchase this product.

2. This kit is one that no iPod user should be without. The pieces are well constructed, and the wall charger beats Apple’s own overpriced model. Also reasonably priced. I am very satisfied with this product.

Now you can take it with you. All of it. Available in a 120 GB model that holds up to 30,000 songs, 150 hours of video, 25,000 photos, or any combination, the new iPod classic fills your pocket with sight and sound. Available in quintessential silver or striking new black, iPod classic catches your eye with its sleek, all-metal enclosure composed of anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel. The new Genius Playlist feature creates an on-the-fly playlist of tracks in your library that go great with the song you’re listening to. And Cover Flow lets you flip through your music by album artwork. Discovering new music, movies, TV shows, games, audiobooks, and podcasts is easy on the iTunes Store. Even rent a movie from iTunes and watch it on the go. To get everything into your pocket, just connect iPod classic to your Mac or PC, and iTunes transfers your music and more in one seamless sync. The vivid 2.5-inch display makes video come alive. Purchase or rent movies, buy TV shows, and download video podcasts from the iTunes Store, then sync them to your iPod classic to watch anywhere, anytime.

Technical Details

* 120 GB capacity for 30,000 songs, 25,000 photos, or 150 hours of video
* Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
* 2.5-inch color LCD with LED backlight and 320-by-240-pixel resolution
* Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* Supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; Supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG

Customer feedback:

1. Firstly, the 120 GB version is again smaller than the largest capacity available last year, but it is a single platter hard drive, which allows it to maintain the slim shape of the 80 GB version from last year. More storage, a hundred dollars less, and just as small. That is progress despite calls from others that the classic isn’t exciting. It still serves its purpose as the original iPod idea. Big capacity in a simple to use device.
Next, the software has been slightly updated on the iPod Classic. It now includes Genius, like iTunes and the other new iPods. This allows you, when on a song you enjoy, to select the genius feature. The iPod will then compile a list of songs (playlist), which goes together with the original song you were listening to. This helps you rediscover music in your library, with a playlist to fit your mood at the time. I have been using the genius feature for a few days now, and it is impressive the way it compiles these playlists. I was skeptical, but overall, it does a good job. Furthermore, as another review mentioned, the iPod does seem more responsive with this update from what I saw at the store compared to my original 160 GB iPod Classic. Some speculation has been that the older iPod Classics will receive the software update of this new one, but I’m not holding my breath on that.

2. In a number of circles, the iPod Classic is now considered the “less sexy” iPod. Largely because of the things it appears to lack vis-a-vis the newest “fully-wired” iPods/iPhones: it doesn’t have a phone function (d’oh!), it doesn’t “do” wide-screen for video and games the way an iPhone/iPod Touch does, and…well, it doesn’t seem as much *fun*, darn it! (Memo to the only-two-colors-available fashionistas: silver and [charcoal] black, being *classic* colors, go with everything. When’s the last time you saw a pink Audi or Merc? Mary Kay doesn’t hand either of those out to its top sales stars, which is just as well.)
The Classic is, as close as can be, a direct descendant of the original iPod that turned the portable digital music-player market on its ear. The enhancements it has picked up since then have made sense insomuch as they haven’t gotten much in the way of the Prime Directive, if you will: allowing the user to carry and access her/his music collection about easily, and with reasonable fidelity. No, it was never a direct replacement for a killer home ‘fi (which most people don’t possess), but more than ear-pleasing in the environs in which these devices are most-often used. (Yes, as a New Yorker, the subway comes to mind most often…particularly the F, A, C, and #2/3 lines.)

The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies–including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics–and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.
Remember what it felt like to flip through your CD or record collection? Cover Flow brings that feeling back. Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music. Even view the lyrics while you’re listening.

Technical Details

* This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone
* 16 GB capacity for 3,500 songs, 10,000 photos, or 20 hours of video
* Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
* 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display with 480-by-320-pixel resolution
* Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG

Customer feedback:

1. One year ago I purchased the 16GB original iPod Touch. At that time, I found that even though it had some flaws, the over-all package made it one of the best iPods available. Now, one year later, Apple has released the next generation Touch. I’ve now had it for a few days, and here’s what I found: the second gen iPod Touch is a marked improvement over the the first gen, and comes even closer to perfection. Keeping this in mind, this review will show one big, and a number of smaller shortcomings. It may also be difficult to justify upgrading from the 1st to 2nd gen unless you simply must have one of the few hardware improvements, and can live with the fact that you may have to re-purchase some of your accessories.
The screen is simply gorgeous. It’s bright, crisp, has great contrast, and can adapt it’s brightness to the ambient light. In direct sunlight, much like it’s predecessor it becomes difficult to read correctly. In shade it’s perfectly readable — a feat considering how bright a display has to be to achieve that. Color temperature of the display has shifted slightly downwards (or, to sound less pompuous: the display’s colors have shifted slightly from a blueish to a golden tinge, something you wouldn’t notice unless you have the two devices side by side).

2. Hits
+ great display
+ good audio
+ gesture-based interface
+ accelerometer for controls
+ great integration with your music library (via iTunes)
+ long battery life
+ wireless music store
+ wireless App store (killer feature)
+ Speaker for gaming
+ Mail, Calendar and Address book with Push
+ WiFi Internet (killer feature)
+ Remote App (free) for your PC/Mac’s iTunes/AppleTV
+ SDK freely available for anyone
+ Microphone and remote support
+ Nike + iPod without dongle

Misses
- incompatibility with ‘made for iPod’ devices (bad, bad, bad)
- stainless steel backplate (fingerprints and scratches easily)
- no wireless synching
- no wireless playback of streamed iTunes content (an Appstore application can stream unprotected content, though)
- no visualizer
- no search function
- no playlist groups (why, oh why?)
- no GPS nor FM radio
- Notes not synched with MobileMe
- no hard drive mode
- no synching documents (except third party Apps)
- downsampling of photos
- currently tops out at 32GB (would have preferred 64)
- no bluetooth