Developages - Development and Technology Blog

This speaker system might look fragile but the only thing that will break in its presence is your bank - it costs a cool $168,000. Manufactured by Hario, a glass maker based in Tokyo, the conical speaker system called Harion (translates to “the king of glass”) is made of heat-resistant glass. It’s composed of a center speaker, a sub woofer, a couple of acrylic tweeters, and a couple of mid-range speakers.

The speaker system proved so hard to build that it took 23 subcontractors and a total of three years and eight months to come up with a finished product. And yes, the Harion was crafted by hand; it should be considering the price. According to Japan Today, a company executive thinks that if a minimum of ten orders are put out for the system, the price could be lowered to $105,000 per.

Original post by Mariella Moon

Japanese company Landport launched the Cube, a speaker that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Perfect for fans of extreme portability, Cube Speaker measures 26mm on all sides and weighs 16 grams. It has an output of 0.8 watts and connection to source of music such as media players is via 3.5mm jack, so it can accommodate a range of devices.

The Cube Speaker has a built-in lithium-ion battery that is charged via USB connection to a computer. A total of two hours charging is equivalent to four or five hours of playtime. To be available in black, white and pink, Landport’s Cube Speaker will start shipping this December in Japan for $25 a pop. No word yet on global availability.

Original post by Mariella Moon

The new Kenwood CR-iP500 is categorized as a personal CD system, but it has numerous functions that extend beyond its CD player capability. It is, of course, also an iPod dock that works with most models with a dock connector up to the newest iPod Nano 4th generation models, but it also serves as a speaker, an amplifier and a charging station.

Aside from playing tracks through its slot-in CD player and through sourcing them from your iPod, the CR-iP500 also has USB connectors that can play music straight from USB drives. In fact, the CR-iP500 can record music being played by the CD player in either of the two available speed options directly to a memory drive as long as it’s plugged in. The basic FM player is also included in the list of features along with its 30 station presets that’s already more than enough unless you’re a hardcore FM radio fan. The Kenwood CR-iP500 personal CD system will be available this early December for a SRP of $280.

Original post by Mariella Moon

It’s getting chilly, and we’re starting to think about keeping warm. This means hats, scarves, and gloves, but if you look closely, the dangling white iPod headphones are bound to be hiding somewhere in the mix. A little cold weather won′t keep us from rocking out!

This is where i360 and its Music Infused apparel step up to bat. The company offers headbands, beanies, and hat beanies that have built-in pockets in which to stash your iPod nano and its provided headphones.

I had the chance to try out the Music Infused Polar Headband ($49.95 direct) that was designed for the 1st-generation nano. This model comes in black or white for both the 1st- and 3rd- generation nanos.

Installation is simple; plug your iPod and the packaged headphones into the pre-threaded wire and then slip them into the side pockets. The headphones stay completely hidden within the band, while a round hole in the front gives you access to the iPod controls.

After I had my iPod loaded into the headband, I tried it on. And here’s where the first and biggest problem arises.

Though many will concur that I have an exceptionally large mental capacity, my actual head is average size. The one-size-fits-all headband was too snug for me, though, causing the integrated electronics to push uncomfortably into my scalp. Additionally, to get the phones in a good listening position requires pulling the headband down to a point where it both looks and feels awkward. And if you’re an eyeglasses wearer like me, expect to have the frames dig into the side of your head, adding more pain to the mix.

Had this been a product I wasn’t reviewing, it would have already ended up right back in the box for a swift return. Grunting through my discomfort, I felt around haphazardly for the nano controls, which were exposed near the front of the headband. When I finally figured out how the buttons were orientated, it was time to hear how these puppies sounded.

A tinny tone and a severe lack of bass were immediately apparent. I continued to fiddle around with placement, thinking that was causing the degradation in sound, but the only improvement came by pushing the headphones even more uncomfortably close into my ears. This created an improvement in the bottom end, but it’s not a reasonable solution.

Volume-wise, these things can get pretty loud when you crank the sound up, and I heard no significant degradation in sound or distortion at full volume. The downside is that even when you’re listening at normal sound levels, the people around you hear it too, since the speakers are unenclosed.

My recommendation is to stick with your favorite pair of ear buds and throw a comfortable hat or headband over the top. This is especially true for any classic iPod owners out there who wouldn’t otherwise be able to fit their players inside the i360 headband.

Original post by Andrew Frankel

A new iPod dock was launched by Marantz earlier; a wireless dock called IS301 that has Bluetooth connectivity. The whole package is composed of a few elements for all of its functionalities: there’s a receiver with all the ports needed for audio and video outputs (that includes S-Video), the transmitter to which the iPod slides into for a wireless connection to the receiver, and the charging base that could accommodate both the iPod slid into the transmitted and just the iPod itself.

The Marantz IS301 iPod dock uses Bluetooth ver.2.1 + EDR with A2DP support, has a maximum wireless distance capability of 10 meters, and is compatible with the fourth generation iPod Nano and first and second gen iPod Touch; it is not compatible with the iPhone 3G. The device will be available in Japan by January 2009 for a SRP of around $280.

Original post by Mariella Moon

The HP-Nᩀ.IPs active noise-cancelling earphones by Hitachi Maxell don’t need batteries to work. They instead connect to and suck power directly from iPods to which they’re exclusively compatible. The earphones promise 20 dB reduction in noise through active noise-cancelling technology.

At 22 grams in weight, 95cm in length, and the elimination of a battery power source, it should have been the perfect option for long commutes or the like. Unfortunately, the power that it sucks from the iPod is too large for convenience - these earphones can reduce an iPod’s battery life by 50 to 66 percent. The Hitachi Maxell HP-NC20.IPs earphones connect via iPod dock and are compatible with all generations of iPod (with dock connectors) and iPod Touch. It will be available by December 12 in Japan (only, for now) at an $85 price point.

Original post by Mariella Moon

Microsoft is making all sorts of Zune-related announcements this week. First came the price-drops on the Flash-memory-based Zunes (more on that later in the post), as well as minor upgrades to the Zune marketplace software and Zune firmware, which includes new games and the ability to play Texas Hold ‘Em against other Zune owners via Wi-Fi. The big news today, however, is that Microsoft is making its $14.99-a-month Zune Pass subscriptions–which you don′t even need a Zune to use–a little more interesting.

On a monthly basis, subscribers can now download 10 songs from the Marketplace and keep them forever.

Even if your subscription runs out, the songs are yours. Almost 90 percent of the files will be DRM-free MP3s, and the others will be protected WMA tracks. That means that the majority of downloaded tracks can be transferred to different devices as many times as you want.

The four major labels are on board, as well as some Indie labels–all in all, the portion of tracks from which you can choose represents roughly 90 percent of the songs currently offered on the Zune Marketplace. Your tracks won′t roll over, however–so if you use only two of your 10 picks one month, the next month, you still get only 10. That’s 120 tracks per year that Zune subscribers weren′t getting this time yesterday, though!

As I mentioned earlier, the Flash-based Zunes dropped in price this week as well. The 4GB model is now $99 (down from $130), the 8GB is $139 (down from $150), and the 16GB is $179 (down from $200). Some Zune accessories also got price slashes: the Zune Car Pack is now $69 instead of $79, the Home AV Pack is now $59 instead of $79, and the Dock pack is now $39, down from $49. The new prices, software and firmware updates, and new subscription deals are all in full effect now.

Post by Tim Gideon

Original post by Gearlog

Most of us have been plagued with a blue screen of death, a laptop that refuses to connect to a home wireless network, or a cell phone that just doesn’t feel like making calls.

About 48 percent of technology users have encountered such problems with their devices in the last year, according to a Sunday report from the Pew Internet &amp American Life Project. How do they deal with these technological meltdowns? Most turn to customer support or just tinker with the devices themselves.

Of the more than 2,000 people surveyed last year by Pew, about 38 percent of them said they contacted customer support for help with a bad Internet connection, computer, or cell phone, while 28 percent fixed the problem on their own.

About 15 percent asked friends or family for assistance, 2 percent found help online, and another 15 percent could not fix the problem at all.

What technology caused the most headaches?

Internet connections. About 44 percent of home Internet users reported having their Web connection fail in the last year.

“Broadband may be trickier to fix than dial-up without help from customer support,” according to the report. About 49 percent of broadband customers had to contact customer support when they had a problem, versus 27 percent of dial-up customers.

Also causing problems were computers, with 28 percent of respondents reporting a malfunction in the last year, followed by 21 percent of cell phone users, 2 percent of people with PDA′s like the BlackBerry, and 3 percent of those with Ṃ players like the Apple iPod.

People who encountered computer trouble were most likely to fix it themselves, with about 29 percent contacting customer support. Internet and cell phone troubles were not as easy to troubleshoot, with 45 percent and 43 percent of people turning to user support, respectively.

Friends and family were most likely to help with computer and Internet problems, but cell phone problems were not as easily resolved. About 23 percent of people with cell phone issues could not fix the problem at all. About 19 percent of computer issues were unresolved, while only 7 percent of Internet connection issues could not be fixed.

Men were more likely than women to fix their computers themselves, but women were more likely than men to ask friends and family for help, according to Pew.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

We used to have the original Flower Rock by Takara Tomy a long time ago. If you don’t know, Flower Rock is a potted flower toy integrated with a speaker that dances to the tune of any music. To celebrate its anniversary and in an effort to become relevant (like how Bandai redesigned the Tamagotchi), the dancing toy gets a complete overhaul with the addition of colorful flashing LED lights on each of its petal and leaf.

As such, dancing now isn’t the only feature of the Flower Rock 2.0; expect to get entertained with light shows as well. You just plug in your iPod or other player and listen to music through the toy plant’s 1-watt amp and speaker. Tomy Takara’s Flower Rock 2.0 was released in Japan earlier this year at the Tokyo Toy Fair. Now thanks to the Japan Trend Shop, it’s available to all toy-loving geeks around the world for $77 each.

Original post by Mariella Moon

LG Display, Sharp, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes have agreed to plead guilty and pay $585 million in fines for their role in an LCD panel price-fixing scheme, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

LG will be responsible for $400 million of that fine, the second highest criminal fine ever imposed by the department’s antitrust division, DOJ said.

South Korea-based LG Display Co. and its California subsidiary LG Display America pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy between September 2001 and June 2006 to fix the price of thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD panels used in computer monitors and notebooks, TVs, mobile phones, and other electronic devices.

Chunghwa, a Taiwanese company, will hand over $65 million for conspiring with LG and another unnamed co-conspirator between September 2001 and December 2006.

Japan-based Sharp will pay $120 million for a separate conspiracy to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold to: Dell from April 2001 to December 2006 for use in its desktops and laptops Motorola between 2005 and 2006 for use in its Razr mobile phones and Apple Computer from September 2005 to December 2006 for iPod screens.

Specifically, the three companies were charged with agreeing to charge prices for TFT-LCD panels at pre-determined levels, issuing price quotations in accordance with those levels, and exchanging information about sales of TFT-LCD panels to make sure those prices were being enforced.

The charges were filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and are the result of a joint investigation between the DOJ antitrust division’s San Francisco field office and the FBI. The agreement is subject to the approval of the court.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

S1 Audio certainly gets points for trying. A few of its representatives were on hand last night at the CES Unveiled event in Manhattan to showcase a few of S1′s latest products, two of which warrant mention, if only for pure strangeness.

First are the Bud Buds (above). Add these to the list of gadget whose sole purpose is solving an extremely minor gadget pet peeve. Do you ever share the music from your iPod with friends? Are you sick and tired of having to carry a splitter around, or having to listen to you music out of one ear while your friend borrow the other? Good news: The Bud Buds feature a second pair of headphones built in specifically for that purpose, and that alone.

The second pair attach to the primary headphones, making for a slightly awkward and bulky pair of earbuds.

Also available: the Bud Bud Solo. Rather than hiding four ear buds in two, they hide two in one, so you can use the single ear bud for your cell phone and bust out the second when you want to listen to music. (I asked the PR rep why they didn′t just call it the “Bud.” She didn′t laugh.)

The company also showcased the similarly strange NxSET Music 1 (above). I understand that earbuds can hurt. Heck, I’ve worn those proprietary Apple headphones, which seem to have been designed for a pygmy elephant. That said, there are all sorts of other less-painful options, like over-the-ear headphones and foam-ear inserts.

The NxSET Music 1, on the other hand, is a sort of a speaker collar that sits around the user’s neck, playing music upward. The site boasts the speaker’s “private listening and sharing.” If you buy this, promise me that you′ll never sit next to me on a plane.

Original post by Brian Heater

A CEA Innovation Award winner, the Acoustic Research High Performance Audio Docking System (model A󉜌) will be available next week. The 3-inch-thin docking system ($199.99) works with iPod audio and also has video output.

The audio quality is promised to be high: The wall-mountable device has horn-loaded tweeters, a ported subwoofer enclosure, and premium audio crossovers. The Audio Docking System also features sensitive backlit touch buttons on the front panel, which are similar to the controls on the iPod Touch or the iPhone–both of which work in the dock.

Original post by Jennifer Bergen

SanDisk announced today that its diminutive, adorable MP3 player, the Sansa Clip, is gaining storage capacity: Now available in 2GB and 4GB sizes, the Clip will come in an 8GB size. It should be on sale this week at sansa.com, and it costs just $99.99 list. Remember when iPod shuffles cost $100 and had only 1GB and no screen? We’ve come a long way, baby.

We reviewed the original Sansa Clip for PC Mag Which was priced at about $60 for 2 GB. Pretty much every thing else is the same–it plays MP3, WMA, WAV, and Audible files, but no video or photo files.

Original post by Gearlog

Share music, video or photos with anyone, anywhere with the miShare: This smart little device lets you transfer music, video or photos without the use of a computer or a cable.

This is the device I have been waiting for. It was so frustrating to have to get to a computer just to a copy a song from a friend onto my iPod; now I don’t have to.

The miShare makes the process of sharing files easier than ever before. To transfer files, connect both iPods to the miShare; click the on-switch to music, video or photos; click the only button on the device; and let the transferring begin.

The miShare works with all mini, nano, 3G, 4G, Video (5G), and Classic (6G) iPod models. Unfortunately this nifty gadget doesn’t currently work with the iPod Touch or iPhone, but the company is working on it.

The miShare is $99 and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Start sharing your favorite files with a friend now.

[Via Yahoo Tech].

Original post by Gearlog

While the picture above looks like that of a traditional Japanese umbrella, it’s actually modified to become a loudspeaker. Called Oto-Shigure, this umbrella (which is probably not made of just oiled paper and bamboo like ordinary traditional ones) was developed by IT company Toa Engineering and Keio University. The inventors Mai Tanaka and Yusuke Kamiyama worked on a prototype this year after filing a patent application last 2007.

The whole umbrella produces sounds through a minute integrated amplifier and, if you look at the illustration after the cut, through four vibrating motors incorporated into the edges. The system forms what creators call a three-dimensional “sound space” inside the umbrella. That means the sound the system gives off can only be heard by people directly underneath it, according to Pink Tentacle. So basically, you can go around with your umbrella without most people actually knowing that it’s a speaker; at least that’s the ideal scenario. The manufacturers are currently gauging people’s interest in Oto-Shigure, and in case everything goes well, it will be available next year for $100 per.

Original post by Mariella Moon