Would you be embarrassed if someone scrolled through your iPod? We sit down with Spee and Brendan to talk about the diverse music on their playlist.

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Tired of the same old boring iPhone/iPod cases? Why not try changing it up with a Music Skin of your favourite artist. Simply place the skin on the back of your device and you’ll instantly be cooler (ok we can’t guarantee that). To enter the contest, simply fill in the form below and select which device you have. Here is a list of the skins we have:

iPod Touch 1st Gen – Paramore, Taylor Swift

iPod Touch 2nd Gen – T-Pain

iPhone 2G – Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Paramore

iPhone 3G(S) – L’il Wayne, T-Pain, Paramore

We’ll randomly select winners for each device and send out a random skin. Contest ends August 8th, 2010.

Visit Music Skins to see what else is available and to buy one or two.

This contest has expired.

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When we visited CES in January 2010, a new area was announced to showcase Apple based products and peripherals because of a recent change to the annual Macworld show. While there were some great new products being debuted, we noticed one type of product that was abundantly available, iPhone cases.

After visiting more than 30 booths with iPhone cases, we noticed only a handful of companies were innovating beyond the basic silicon skin case. One of those companies was iFrogz.

We really like what we saw with the iPhone Frosted Luxe cases. Available in several colours, the two piece case slides together, providing protection from scratches and drops. The case also extends a few millimetres above the screen, which would prevent the screen from making contact with the ground, should you drop it.

The case provides access to all buttons and with a larger opening around the headphone jack, it can fit all types of headphones. Featuring a velvety ‘soft touch’ feel and the option to swap colours if you have multiple cases, you’ll always have a phone that can match your outfit.

You can buy the case online at ifrogz.com for US$29.99 or browse their site for more iPod, iPhone, iPad or Blackberry cases.

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Sia Furler is a professional musician, but she doesn’t listen to music. If you look through her iPod, you won’t find songs.Aside from the music that her friends play in the background when she hangs out with them, the Australian singer would much rather be watching TV.

“I don’t really listen to music,” Sia tells andPOP in a phone interview. “I really don’t have any songs on my iPod, I just have TV shows. And Scrabble!” She laughs. It’s infectious.

Sia may not spend her free time listening to music, but the songs she produces are brimming with artistic merit. With three full-length albums as well as the hauntingly beautiful (and widely popular) single, “Breathe Me,” behind her, the 34-year-old is getting ready to release record number four; and it’s definitely a step away from the calm of her past music.

“We Are Born”, set for release on June 7, is a bit of a throw back to Sia’s first album, 2000’s “Healing Is Difficult.” “Some people might call that record hip-hop,” Sia said of Healing Is Difficult. “Each time [I make a record] it’s different. It just depends what’s happening around me, who I’m spending time with, what they’re listening to.”

And even though her slower songs of late have been met with immense success, Sia is excited to share her more upbeat, pop-infused music with her fans.“They might want to dance down a staircase with a top hat on,” she says of what her fans can expect from themselves when listening to We Are Born. “Maybe [do] a high kick or a scissor kick.”

Her bubbly and charismatic persona radiates even over the phone. Never shy to crack a joke or drop a swear word, Sia is refreshingly honest and impressively grounded. “I feel irreverent about the creative process,” she says thoughtfully. “It’s not hard and you don’t have to be special. Everybody gets something. God gives us something. Whether it is that we can paint a wall without dripping any paint on the floor – that’s a fucking skill. Nobody puts them on a stage and claps at them. It’s weird to me that actors and singers and celebrities get treated in a different way.”

For Sia, staying away from that celebrity status is important. “I don’t read any press,” she says. “I think that’s the only way to stay sane. Otherwise I think you turn into your own worst enemy. It’s such a narcissistic job.” She starts to talk about interviews, and how she knows that what I as the interviewer need is for her to talk about herself; that it’s essentially a one-way conversation. “I don’t have time to ask you about you,” she says to me. “How are you? Where are you from? What do you parents do?”

Ever a free spirit, Sia rejects the preconceived notion that artists have to be tortured, brooding souls; she proves that instead, the best art can come from a person bursting with happiness and positivity.

“I sort of disagree with the whole glamorization that you have to be a depressed, fucked person to make beautiful art,” she says. “I just think that’s sending out the wrong message.”

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Signup to win a new iPod Shuffle loaded with Halestorm’s new album.

http://feature.atlrec.com/halestorm/ipod/

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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.

One knock is that it doesn’t include any tips for any devices. They offer a bundle for $40 more that includes a car adapter, and six tips. The device itself, with 6 items in it, can be a little flimsy, if you need to move it around. The tips seem to be longer than necessary adding to this.
 
Many of my comparisons using it are to the iGo system I’ve used for a few years now. Chargepod doesn’t include laptop charging, though a newer model does. Where Chargepod beats iGo is that iGo only lets you charge 2 portable devices at once, to Chargepod’s 6. iGo’s system is also very difficult about charging iPods with another item. Chargepod passes this test with flying colours, when it charged my iPhone and my iPod Nano at the same time… and a Blackberry.
 
The Chargepod comes with a convenient travel case. And the car adapter is available separately. Great for those times you find yourself in the middle of nowhere on a family car ride, and everyone’s cell phone is dead. You can choose one phone to charge, or 6.
 
Despite the clunkiness of the design, it gets the job done effectively. You don’t need to throw a bunch of chargers with their messy cords into your suitcase or carry-on anymore. This one device is enough, which bodes well for any nervous airport baggage screeners… and in turn, you.
 
Price: $39.95 USD
http://www.callpod.com
 

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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.”

Speakal says the 5 speaker system’s acoustic design enable it to disseminate 360 degree sounds.

Speakal also promises continued environmental focus on their products, designed to have little impact on the environment. The product is listed as GREEN and RoHS.

The unit is selling for $139.99USD.

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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.

The setup itself was easy enough. Plug the glasses into the controller. Choose the gadget you’re watching on, and plug in the corresponding connector to the other side of the controller. If the glasses are low on power, plug in a mini-USB into the controller to charge the battery. Turn it on and go. Seems simple enough.

The first item I tested this with was an iPhone 3G. Imagine my surprise when the first thing that happens is my iPhone giving me the warning that this device was not compatible with it. It suggested I switch to “Airplane Mode.” I declined. I assume the $25 cable sold on the Myvu website eliminates that message. I went to play the movie, but noticed it didn’t start up. As I sat there playing with different settings on the iPhone, I eventually discovered the culprit. In the time it took me to read the warning message and decide what to do – which was 10-15 seconds approximately – the glasses shut themselves off. I turned them back on and away I went.

It took some getting used to, but I had started to get the hang of watching. There are separate screens for each eye, but they are aligned just about perfectly to be seen as one screen. I did notice that the centre of the movie screen would seem slightly fuzzy, like I was watching cross-eyed. This issue eventually faded away as I adjusted to the movie, but eventually, I also noticed that if I tried to look at the sides of the screen, my vision would be a little blurry. Shutting each eye and looking at the edges, it seemed looking at the edges would always be too far out of view for one eye.

I was watching the movie lying down, but I decided to try walking around with them on, while watching the movie. Remember: You can see very easily above and below the screen. The glasses did not have the best fit, so lots of movement caused them to move around a lot. I don’t have this problem with sunglasses. Anytime the glasses moved anywhere other than the proper spot right in front of my eyes, the video would go fuzzy, and I’d have to hold them in place with one hand. I suppose you won’t need to worry if you keep your head against the headrest in a car or airplane.

Having enjoyed the movie, and not having a major complaint about viewing – I’d call these previous comments minor complaints – I decided to try another test. The Myvu Crystal came with connections for an iPod – also with a mini-USB jack in the iPod connector to charge the iPod or iPhone as you watch – as well as standard A/V cables. I hooked it up to my Playstation 2, and tried playing some NHL with it.

NHL was a great game to test these with because it showed me how I needed to take a few tries to get the contrast just right on a mostly white screen. It was also a game with fast action, so I could see if there were any response time issues. There didn’t seem to be. Where issues came up were reading text on the screen, and the glasses’ tendency to slide. Moving my hands really quickly while sitting up caused the glasses to start sliding down my nose, which caused the video to get blurry and small. If anyone had walked by me, they’d see me sitting and playing a game, with my head turned all the way up to keep the glasses in place. It did not do any favours to my back or neck.

The Myvu has to potential to be an incredibly great product. It’s sleek design and convenience for watching movies makes it a great product for people who have over $300 to burn on a gadget of it’s type. For those of us without that luxury, it might be best to wait for some improvements to be made. A better fit for the glasses would be a great start, and interchangeable headphones too. As great of reviews in-ear headphones get, I don’t personally like them. And there could stand to be just a little more room for viewing quality. Finally, 4 hours of battery life means it will last for an entire flight from east to west coast, or east coast to western Europe, minus the take-off and landing. For longer flights, you may have to rely on the airplane video at some point.

Myvu Crystal All-in-One

Retail: $344.85 USD

http://www.myvu.com

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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.

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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

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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 .

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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.

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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

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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.

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Yesterday, Sony Canada unveiled its new wireless, multi-room audio system for listening to iPod players. The new S-Airplay system features Sony’s S-Air technology which provides users with a practical, wireless, multi-room audio system without complicated setup and special requirements.

Wireless audio sound can be transmitted from the system’s main docking station in one room to numerous rooms throughout the home – the signal can reach to nearly 164 feet. The sound can be transmitted by plugging a separate S-Air wireless speaker into any power outlet.

Pre-orders for this product can now be made at www.sonystyle.ca. In September, the entire system will be available in Sony Style locations and select retailers nation-wide. The S-Airplay will retail for about $400, and additional wireless speakers for the systems will be available for about $130 direct from Sony.

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Belkin, a company that specializes in technology integration products, recently announced the upcoming release of its new GoStudio hardware product for the iPod nano and classic models.

The GoStudio allows users to capture and record high-quality audio (16-bit, 44kHz digital) content from their iPod. Users can record full podcast episodes, interviews, lectures, music, or short clips directly onto their iPod and then upload content onto iTunes when the iPod is connected to a computer. The audio content can then be added to a blog, website, MySpace or Facebook pages.

Audio recordings can be played back instantly via GoStudio’s built-in speaker. The GoStudio also features two combo microphone inputs, two built-in omnidirectional stereo microphones, and a 3.5mm mini-jack microphone input.

The GoStudio will be available in September/October in North America. The product will be selling for around $120.

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Wi-Gear, a wireless hardware and accessories company, announced last week the release of its new iMuffs wireless headphones. Marketed towards people who like to exercise with music or who are constantly on-the-go, the iMuffs allows users to listen to their iPods or Bluetooth phone through ergonomically-designed, wireless headphones.

“iMuffs represent the massive convergence of two great technologies: the iPod and Bluetooth cell phone technology,” said Mark Pundsack, Founder and CEO of Wi-Gear, in a press release from the company. “We saw an opportunity to fill a gap and put the two things together, for a product that provides fantastic sound quality and functionality without all of the hassle of wires.”

Volume, track and pause controls are placed on the headphones, eliminating the need to fumble with your iPod to change settings while on-the-move. The iMuffs features Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Bluetooth 2.0 technology, allowing users to listen to music via headphones that can be up to 10 m away from the iPod or Bluetooth device. When the headphones are paired with a Bluetooth phone, the iMuffs will automatically stop the iPod and ring in the headphones, allowing the user to speak through an integrated microphone.

This latest model of the iMuffs, MB210, is compatible with iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod photo, iPod mini and all 3rd generation iPods. The headphones are available in black or white, and are selling for $179.99. The product is available at www.wi-gear.com.

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iLuv, an audio accessories company for portable media players and devices, announced the wide release of the il255. The il225 will be selling for a retail price of approximately $150 and will be available at Circuit City, J & R Music and www.i-luv.com.

The il255 is a desktop iPod/DVD player that features a slim design and has iPod connectivity/DVD player capabilities. The device also comes with intergraded dock adapters for watching movies and playing music. The il255 is specifically designed for iPods, and the on-screen display function allows for easy searching of video and music files on a TV screen.

The il255 is compatible with 6th generation iPods, iPod touch, iPod classic (80GB, 160GB), iPod Nano 3rd Gen, and iPod with video (30GB, 60GB, 80GB) via remote control. The device’s DVD player component features multiple subtitles, angles, and audio functions as well as slow- and fast-motion playback and zoom operation. The il255 is able to play a variety of media, including DVD, VCD, MP3 CD, Audio CD, JPEG CD, and Kodak Picture CD.

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Griffin Technology Inc. has announced the availability of PowerDock2, a charging dock that can simultaneously charge an iPod and iPhone. The PowerDock 2 can charge any combination of two iPhone and iPod models. It features 6 Universal Dock Adapters for iPhone and iPod models that all charge through USB.

The PowerDock 2 is compatible with Pod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano with video, iPod with video, iPod nano 2G, iPod 4G and iPod mini. The product is available at Apple stores and online. The PowerDock 2 is selling for approximately $50.

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Scandyna, a high-end speaker design and manufacturing company, has just released their latest product, the Dock Pack. The Dock Pack is available in black or white, and comes with a uniquely designed iPod dock and Micropod SE speakers. Micropod SE speakers are designed for maximum sound quality from smaller systems (such as iPod docks), and features components such as a soft dome tweeter and a Kevlar bass/midrange driver.

Scandyna’s Dock is compatible with numerous iPod models, and allows users to dock, play and recharge all iPods. The Dock, in fact, comes with seven different inserts for the various models of iPods now available on the market. The Dock also features a 2×15 watt RMS Class T amplifier and a remote control.

The Dock Pack is available at higher-end audio retailers, and is selling for around $300. To see a list of where this product is available, visit www.scandyna-speakers.com.

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