andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

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Anytime a person like me packs for a trip, you need to pack all your gadgets. And with your gadgets, comes all the individual chargers to keep it running. Anytime I have brought my cell phone, iPod, PDA, satellite radio, digital camera, and PSP anywhere, I’ve had to stuff my bag with tonnes of cords. Companies are now starting to work on solutions to cut down the number of chargers you need, preferably to 1.
 
One such company is Callpod, with their Chargepod. The Chargepod is a cool device that lets you plug in up to 6 mobile devices at once. Looking at their website, they have tips for just about every portable device I own, except the digital camera which no one seems to have anyway.
READ MORE »

Amazon.com will be carrying a limited edition version of Speakal’s iPig iPod docking speaker system.

The docking station features 25 watts of power, touch volume control, a “Pig” inspired design and an exclusive high gloss black finish.

Speakal CEO David Solomon says “The exclusive availability
on Amazon.com will certainly insure our customers have a pleasant purchasing
experience and we are happy to grant this exclusivity.” READ MORE »

Years ago, I was flipping through the pages of a catalogue on an airplane and saw what at the time was the greatest invention I had ever seen: A pair of sunglasses with a built-in TV. It advertised that you could sit on the beach and watch your kids while simultaneously watching television. I had dreamt of getting them, and even started saving in hopes of buying that $800 contraption I had only seen a picture of in a catalogue.

I never bought them. In fact, I put the catalogue back in the seat pocket, and left it just as a dream. But with the advent of portable media players such as the iPod and the Zune, it was only a matter of time that a contraption like that would make the leap from niche gadget to mainstream product. So when the Myvu Crystal came my way, I jumped at the chance to play with it.

The glasses themselves are a very sleek design. As I put them on, I noticed they didn’t obstruct my entire view beyond the glasses. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad, since I could easily be distracted by what was around me, though it also meant I would see something important around me, like if I were on a plane, I’d see a food tray coming and know to move my legs in. The headphones are in-ear style, which would normally be great except this was a loaner from the company that had already been used at least once. At least they put 3 different pairs of covers in the package, though the ones that would have fit me best were the used ones. READ MORE »

Speck is a case company out of California that provides great protection for computers, in particular Macintosh products. The company’s Vision is to design, “functionality and personality into everything’, into their products and that ‘delicate stuff protected can be just as stylish as they are protective!’ In the opinion of this reviewer, Speck is a company that fulfills their customers commitments.

At andPOP, we see our share of iPod cases and the Speck ‘Tough Skin’ line is above the crowd for many reasons. The Tough Skin cases are available for the entire iPod line up and will offer maximum protection for any iPod. We closely inspected the Tough skin for the iPod Nano and this case was a great choice! Complimenting a textured ‘rubber grip design’ that fits like a glove, the Tough Skin includes a hard clear shell to protect the shiny screen from scuffs and scratches. There is also a rotating belt clip that can be completely removed should you prefer to carry your iPod without the protruding belt clip connections. The custom fitted design of this case, provides complete access to all the openings and all connections including the dock. The Tough case is an excellent choice for the current iPods for protection, style and convenience.

Visit Speck for more information.

You bought your iPhone and you probably purchased a case for it at the same time. It’s still worth taking a look at this one. Out of Canada, making some pretty interesting products for the iPhone is Helium Digital. While there are many iPhone cases on the market, Helium’s Leather Back Flip is one of the best I’ve tried. The case is smart looking and features a leather flip top with magnetic closure, offering good protection and direct access to all iPhone functions. You’ll have to pick up a clear screen protector separately however, because Helium does not include one with this case, but for $24.99 CDN this case is still a bargain and you will enjoy using it on your new iPhone 3G. Maybe one day Helium will make a case for the iPod Touch, but for now you can slide a slim piece of foam you can trim off from the packaging materials to retrofit this handsome Leather case for use with your 2G iPod Touch.

Helium also stocks a 3 pack silicone case set for the iPhone (HD-020). Most notably, these silicone cases include screen protectors and the price for the set is only $19.99 CDN. Order Helium products online from the website or visit such retailers as The Source by Circuit city and Wal Mart.

Helium Digital

QuickerTek, a company specializing in wireless networking for Apple products, recently released a new external battery compatible with a variety of Apple products. The iPod, iTouch and iPhone 3G can get up to three times the battery life by connecting to the new external battery pack from QuickerTek.

The battery simply attaches to the device it is powering. The battery also features a retractable USB charging cable, making it easy to recharge from any laptop or desktop computer.

The battery charger is backed with a one-year warranty on parts and labour. For additional information on the product, visit .

Today, Audioengine annouced the release of Audioengine W2 Premium Wireless Adapter for iPod. The adapter turns an iPod into a wireless remote, allowing a user to play all the songs on the device on any stero system.

The adapter works by plugging the digital sender into an iPod and connecting the included Reciever to the stereo. The Audioengine W2 works as a ‘wireless dock’, according to the press release. Extra recievers can also be added to other music systems throughout the home allowing users to switch between each.

The dock pack by Scandyna is supposed to be a sleek, modern take on the iPod Dock, but is instead clunky, awkward and a mess of wires.

The dock pack consist of three components: two speakers and the actual dock itself. The two speakers are round, about the size of a grapefruit, and stand on three small plastic legs. The small dock component of the system stands alone, and the pack comes with 6 changeable dock shapes, so that every kind of iPod can be used with the dock. This is probably the strongest feature of the product, and comes in handy when hosting a party and you want to mix up the music by using your friend’s iPod.

While your hopes are set high after seeing the stylish package and unique design, the dock pack falls incredibly short. The instruction booklet is very brief and doesn’t actually tell you how to connect the three sets of wires that come with the dock pack. Luckily my sister was around and knew what to do because she had set up a iPod dock before, but otherwise I would have has no clue what to do.

When it came to actually setting the dock up, it was difficult to distinguish how to connect the wires to the dock. There were blue and red wires, and blue and red sockets to connect them to, but it was hard to decide where exactly to place the wires. Again, my sister, who had set up a dock before, could figure it out eventually, but even she had a hard time making the wires connect to the system. When I tried to start playing music, I had to move the wires around a bit to actually establish a connection between the speakers and the iPod.

I set the dock pack up on a table in my room, and there were wires and cords everywhere. Again, this is fine, but the whole point of the dock pack, to my understanding, is to be less clunky and awkward than a typical dock. While the dock pack may take up less space and allow for the increased mobility of the speakers, the extra cords and wires make it ugly and inconvenient. The actual sound coming from the speakers was fine, but nothing exceptional.

Another problem with the dock pack: the remote control that comes with the device didn’t work. It came with a battery and everything, but wasn’t working with the dock. Again, there was nothing in the instruction booklet that outlined how to activate the remote.

Overall, the dock pack was a disappointing experience. The packaging shows the dock and is intriguing, but in reality the device doesn’t live up to expectations. If you are looking to buy a dock, I would recommend looking into a more traditional model, as this new wave of docks are more trouble than they’re worth.

2 out of 5 stars

iLuv, an iPod accessories company, announced this week the release of the iMM173, Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock for your iPhone/iPod. The iMM173 will be available in early September 2008 for approximately $130 US.

The Apple certified Dual Dock Alarm Clock for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2G includes a variety of features and functions, including an advanced user-interface (UI) with oversized LCD display and 5W x 2 sound output with treble/bass control. The Dual Dock Alarm Clock also features jAura soundcell technology, which includes acoustic speak sound and the properly proportion mix of forward and backward sound waves.

The device also features an integrated universal dock for the iPhone and iPod, and allows users to charge two iPhones or iPods at once. Users can also choose and play either of the two docked iPhones or iPods.