How many times have you had to leave your hair unwashed because you haven’t had time to do it? Or chipped your nail varnish because you were in a hurry to get somewhere? Yep we thought so, more than you care to remember, right?

Oh if only we had a 30 hour day- we wouldn’t have to rush around like cheetahs on speed, we’d have lovely glossy clean hair and we would be able to listen to Sony’s new Video MP3 Walkman non stop - yep thats right it goes on and on like, uh, Ariston?

The NW-A800 is as pink as a Duracell bunny and claims to last as long as one – it has a battery life of up to thirty hours. However this does go down to eight when playing videos in MPEG-4 format.

The MP3 player also has a 2” LCD screen which can either be used to drawl over Clive Owen or show off your pics. Like Nicole it is also super skinny - its just under 1cm thick - so you can slip it nicely into your back pocket. We just wish it was a pocket sized Robbie we were slipping in there instead.

The MW-A800 comes in 2, 4 and 8GB capacities and also in Black- just in case your one of those couples who like to have matching his and hers stuff.

March 1, 2007 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Picture the scene, you leave the pub after a few Friday night tipples, and reach into your pocket to switch on your Nano, however, in your white wine stupour you end up dropping it onto the floor instead of your pocket.

Those with tougher Nano's may end up with just a scratch, but for others it means the only songs you will hear on the tube home are from the drunken man on the chair next to you.

For those who do not consider the sangria fuelled serenade as a good end to the night ,iSkins has come up with a solution that may just protect your iPod - and your ears.

The Duo protector works like a “Bodyguard” and like the film protects Whitney and um, Kylie and Robbie on your second generation Nano.

Like Kevin Costner it sports stylish good looks with all-round protection and features a clear frosted inner silicone layer which has been specially treated to resist dust and protect against moisture. It is also shock absorbing, meaning your iPod is less likely to break if you drop it - making it perfect for use after a few beverages - it’s just a shame iSkins hasn’t come up with a Tech boutique staff version…

February 19, 2007 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

If like us, you were a child of the 80s, you will remember dancing around in your room to Kylie - dear us first the earmuffs and now this, maybe we should rename today ‘trip down memory lane Tuesday’.

If you do, you will also remember the phrase “I should be so lucky” meaning a lot more than a song when your parents unsuccessfully tried to get you tickets to the concert – no we don’t recommend this is grounds to sue as disappointingly it is still a similar story today.

This is something you will agree with if, you, like us have tried and tried to get your hands on tickets for Kylie’s “Showgirl” tour and failed miserably. We know, life is hard but we have a little something that might cheer you up…

MSN have obviously heard our cries of despair (banshee’s have nothing on us) and  taken pity on us because they have decided to stream the concert direct into our living rooms! All we have to do to watch the performance, which is said to include no less than seven set changes and all the greatest hits from Kylie’s entire career - Locomotion here we come, is log on to MSN music and follow the links provided.

To be honest we do think this might be a bit of a blessing after all we can now sing and dance to our hearts content without the risk of being chucked out by the bouncers for stepping on peoples toes or for breaking windows – well the banshee voice stretches to more than wailing you know.

January 23, 2007 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Yes, it’s that time again, the cold warnings and ‘winter is finally here’ headlines are rife with predictions of snow around every corner. And for the first time this year, today has been the first time that Kylie’s heart warming voice through our earphones has failed to warm our ears -  yep winter is definitely here.

For those of us who fear a hat may ruin our hair, but earmuffs of our childhood (if you didn’t have a pair we suggest you sue your parents) may make us look a little bit strange we have found the perfect earwarming solution.

JVC have teamed technology with the 80s and brought us the “180s JVC Earwarmer Headphones with Tec Stretch”.

Now before we go on we have to say we were a bit gutted when we saw these because we had a similar idea – except ours involved a much whiter, fluffier covering – so of course we are going to rave on about how this product is music to our, uh, ears. Sorry, we know it’s a bad pun.

The earphones, which can be used with most audio players, are basically JVC headphones with a layer of techstretch fabric around them and look like a 2007 version of our 80s earmuffs.

The outer shell and insulation work together to block wind and shed rain and snow (although it will be more like mushy sleet in London) while retaining heat which basically means your ears stay nice and warm whilst you listen to your music.

If this wasn’t enough, these little gems are also said to take away the moisture that may accumulate during high-energy activities so you can stay nice and comfortable after you have run for the bus, well some of us just weren’t made for skiing and snowboarding.

January 23, 2007 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Modern technology eh; shiny this, digital that, whatever happened to walkmans, cassettes and retro radios?
Don’t get us wrong; we are all for new technology and funky styles but sometimes it would be nice to be able to hold onto our childhood (and our Care bears) for just that bit longer.

If, like us, you sometimes feel the digital era has killed the soul and style of products, Dualit’s new red Kitchen DAB radio may just have you singing its praises into your wooden spoon.

Priced at £200, the radio comes smartly dressed in red polished aluminium and keeps the 1950’s look. However, inside it is brimming with today’s technology including an extra large, dimmable LCD screen and 8W, 4 inch speaker with a reflex bass port . For those of us who are firmly stuck on our favourites, there are also five presets for both the FM and DAB mode.

When in DAB mode, the radio’s battery life is 3-4 hours; and 7-8 hours for FM meaning you can take it away from the kitchen and to wherever else you are venturing to.
And please no jokes about women and kitchen sinks, the 1950’s are all well and good in the style stakes but we’ll stick to the etiquette and culture of the 21st century when it comes to women and the kitchen thank you very much.

January 8, 2007 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

According to today's Metro, 'Using iPod or phone in a storm "could kill"' as they could be become electrical conductors if a user is hit by lightning, increasing the change of serious burns or worse.

With a few examples of how this has happened, including one sad tale of how a 15-year-old was hit by lightning while on her mobile which left her badly burned and in a wheelchair, with a loss of hearing in one ear, experts have nevertheless said this is a rare occurence.

Phone manufacturers Nokia said that it is 'never a good idea in a storm to hold any metal items'. To be honest we have to agree that this is more common sense than anything else, but it is good to remember when the sky starts to look a bit grey.

June 23, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Samsung’s latest mp3 player, the YP-U2, is one for the music buffs, as it supports the superior Ogg Vorbis sound codec.

With Apple’s players so dominant in the market, rivals are looking for ways to brand their’s as viable alternatives, and for Samsung, it’s the music playing format.

Ogg Vorbis is generally considered better than the mp3 format, although it is not widely supported by digital music players on the market.

And Samsung is trying to draw that distinction, but not too much – it supports mp3 and wma as well.

It comes with three capacities, ranging from 512MB to 2GB. In our view, steer clear of the 512MB unless your budget is incredibly tight – it’s just too small, but does cost only £49.

Style wise, the YP-U2 has a glossy look and feel. Its USB cap lights blue whenever it’s being used and navigation buttons are easy to locate and use, even when in a pocket.

Overall, it’s not a bad little player, and you can get more details in our fuller review of the Samsung YP-U2.

June 21, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

With this neat gadget you get three features in one for your iPod - a hardwearing case, speaker system and battery charger , plus it is portable too.

The Soundbag iPod Speaker with PowerBank combines a lot of the key elements you need when you are away from home, with seven hours play time per charge and a dock connector to connect all iPods and other mp3 players plus laptops and DVD players too.

You can play your tunes when you are out and about, charge up and protect your precious pod all in one.

With these three useful elements, we think this would be a great gadget and for £37.99 it is cheap enough not to break the bank too. Get yours from iWorld.

June 20, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Just when you thought there weren't enough iPod products around, along comes another one. This time in the form of the iWoofer.

Compatible with all iPods post the second generation (and that includes you Shuffle fans), this is a 2.1 channel speaker system that looks more like an alien than anything else. FM radio is also included, and you can charge your pod while you listen.

The most exciting part is when the blue halo light comes on and does a flash dance when you are tuning the radio. We think this looks like fun

June 6, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The market seems to be awash with iPod accessories at the moment, with companies announcing new gadgets and gizmos almost everyday. So here's another one...

GEAR4's ProControl is basically an AV connection kit which lets you play music, pictures and videos straight from your iPod to your TV or home stereo. Now we know that many companies go on about 'freeing your tunes' you it does seem like this could be a pretty nifty gadget for doing exactly that.

At £49.99 it isn't too expensive and with the addition of a remote control to be able to select things from the comfort of your sofa, you could have everyone round to show them your latest holiday snaps like a modern-day slideshow!

It fits all dockable iPods, and you can also charge and synch your device via USB. We'll let you know what we think when we get our hands on one.

June 5, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)