TechWire

Burton Motorola MP3 jacket: a review (almost)

So I finally got to review Burton’s Motorola MP3 snowboarding jacket. Okay, so it was just for the evening. Well, actually just for a walk around the Mansion House during a Motorola expo, followed by goons with earpieces and revolvers. Okay, so there weren’t any goons or guns, but there was a very cross 5 foot 3 PR lady. Plus a guy from Carphone Warehouse wanting a go. Point is, I finally got to try it out. For those unacquainted with the garment, it’s a fully waterproof, ultra-warm snowboarding jacket with a battery pack, iPod connector, mobile connector, control panel and hood speakers built in. I was using an iPod Nano and the sound was pretty good, though obviously not as good as a proper set of headphones. The control panel, situated on the sleeve, has a waterproof Velcro cover and can be operated through this. Some people may think this is geek overkill but I loved it -- the jacket is actually pretty nice. Matt from Motorola, whose jacket it is, couldn’t say for sure how much it would be. I suggested €500 to €600 (fearing the worst) but he said it will be cheaper than that. I’m betting around the €350 mark. In the US, it sells for between $320 and $500 (there's more than one model, apparently).

Adventures in iFi

Yet another set of iPod speakers hits the market this week, this time from the same manufacturer that makes iGroove, the slightly over-rated high-end MP3 speaker set. Klipsch's iFi pumps out 200 watts of music through a couple of serious speakers. It works using a docking system and recharges the iPod as it plays. The speakers are free-standing or wall-mountable. Full review here in a couple of weeks. It costs €380 and is available in Spectra stores, with O2 Experience shops and 3G shops from next week.

The incredible shrinking iPods

Apple has launched a new 1GB (250 songs) version of its iPod Nano for €160, bringing yet another "impossibly small" model into the world. Where will it all end? Fluxiontech believes it has the answer, while another view is offered by Steve Jobs's comedy alter-ego.

Ef-ing and dialling with BenQ-Siemens's new mobile hybrid

Mobile or MP3 player? It may look like the latter but BenQ-Siemens's (previously Siemens Mobile) new EF51 is very firmly the former. Despite its MP3 visage, it has little by way of its own memory storage, relying instead on external SD memory cards, the maximum storage level of which is 2GB at present (up to 1,000 songs). And MP3 players don't come with 1.3 megapixel cameras, which this little number has. Due out by the summer, a price of about €375 sim-free or €100 on an operator contract is expected.

Sony Ericsson's 4,000-song mobile phone

Who needs an iPod? Sony Ericsson continues its mission to get the word 'Walkman' back into mass circulation with its new W950i mobile phone. Although it won't be out until August at the earliest, it could be worth waiting for with a whopping 4 gigabytes of memory. That's enough for at least 2,500 MP3 tracks though Sony claims it’s closer to 4,000 if using its chosen music file format. So it looks like next Christmas could be a digging match between it, iPod's Nano (2GB or 4GB) and Nokia’s much-hyped, but still unreleased, N91 MP3 phone (4GB). Unfortunately, unlike the W800i phone it’s replacing, the W950i has no camera. But the phone does have a radio and is 3G. Expect a sim-free price of at least €500 or €150 to €200 with an operator contract.

Cool cases for Nanos

Looking for an iPod Nano case that isn't luminous orange or blue? This British website is selling cool cases in metal or crystal for a reasonable EUR40 including delivery.

Klipsch's iGroove: overrated and over here

While we're on about iPod speaker systems, here's the most overrated: Klipsch's iGroove. Having toyed around with it side by side with Harman Kardon's dulcet device (see below), it's definitely not worth €250-€300. While pretty decent, the sound is closer in quality to Creative's Gigaworks T20 -- which costs almost €200 less.

Harman Kardon iPod speakers as good as Bose

-- but for €100 less

Looking for a high-end speaker system for an entry-level PC or iPod? While we reviewed Creative's Gigaworks T20 last month, we've just had the pleasure of playing with Harman Kardon's Soundsticks II. This is a system to rival Bose's Soundock for least €100 (and up to €150) less. Its secret seems to be not to waste too much effort on floor trembling, melody distorting bass. Definitely worth considering.

iPod undies

Valentine's Day is a mere 18 days away. For the truly desperate, iAttire presents a range of iPod undies for the special person in your life (and their MP3 player). Just make sure you have something else, too...

Review: Creative's new MP3 speakers

Looking for external MP3 speakers? You can spend as little as €15 or as much as €300 (check out these Bose beauties) in Irish shops. For €100, there's Creative's new Gigaworks T20. Having hooked it up to an iPod last night, we're happy to report that it gives high(ish) end sound without a subwoofer, an item usually de rigeur to achieve passable bass. Crucially, there was little blare distortion when we turned it up to 11. This is impressive for 14 watts per channel. It's available widely in electronics retailers.