Fatman's Wi-Tube Valve Amplifier Streams Audio Wirelessly To The FatDock

Fatman's Wi-Tube Valve Amplifier Streams Audio Wirelessly To The FatDock

There's a new power couple in town—Fatman's Wi-Tube and FatDock. The Wi-Tube valve amplifier can stream music wirelessly from a docked iPod or by the multitude of outputs the FatDock also offers.

If you happen to invite a non-Apple-eating friend over for a long night in listening to Roxette's back catalog, you can connect a media player or other source by the 3.5mm input, alternatively most iPod and iPhone models will do the trick. It not only charges any 'pod that's stuck in it, but can also sync up to a Mac or PC by USB.

The Wi-Tube amp has two RCA inputs and one 3.5mm jack, and the FatDock can output wirelessly, or by RCA, USB, Video or S-Video—controllable with the bundled remote control.

On sale in April for our UK friends for £399, it'll retail for $599 in the States when it hits stores late April/early May.

(Via Gizmodo: Audio.)

Yamaha TSX-80 iPod Dock Receives New Colors

Yamaha TSX-80 iPod Dock Receives New Colors

Yamaha has added two new colors (Purple and Ivory) to its TSX-80 iPod dock. In case you didn’t know, the TSX-80 features a radio alarm clock, an iPod dock, and a 2.1 speaker system (2 x 4Watt + 8Watt). These new colors will be available in Japan next month for 25,000 Yen ($277) each. [Akihabara]

JVC Kaboom Boombox With iPod Dock

JVC Kaboom Boombox With iPod Dock

Amazon has started selling the JVC Kaboom Boombox that comes with an iPod dock and a USB port. The Kaboom RV-NB50 also features CD player (MP3, WMA, Audio CD), an FM tuner, a front audio input and a remote control. Available in black-and-silver and full black, the JVC Kaboom Boombox retails for $287.

(Via The Apple iPod and MP3 Players Blog.)

SD card reader for iPhone might help bridge the photo gap

SD card reader for iPhone might help bridge the photo gap

It's cool that Apple is getting all cozy with SD cards for the iPad; it helps to sell the idea that the iPad is closer to a MacBook than an iPhone. As useful as an SD card reader is for the iPad, there is one minor hiccup: it probably won't work with the iPhone.



ZoomMediaPlus aims to fill that gap with the ZoomIt SD card reader/application for the iPhone. The ZoomIt is a dongle that plugs in to the iPhone's dock connector and (with the use of Zoom's app) allows you to view and share content stored on an SD card.



According to ZoomMediaPlus, the card reader works in conjunction with its application that can be installed on either an iPhone or iPod touch. The app has a file browser that lets you browse files by group such as documents, pictures, or videos. It's also possible to copy files of any type from an SD card to your iPhone's internal storage.



The ZoomIt iPhone app also has the ability to quickly and easily send photos and documents from the SD card via email. Further, photos on an SD card can be sent via MMS or simply added to the internal photo library.



The ZoomIt SD card reader is available now for pre-order for $49.95US -- which is a savings of over 15% off the final retail price ($59.95US). According to ZoomMediaPlus, pre-orders will begin shipping in April of this year. Of course, by that time, Apple's own SD card reader could be available and surprising us all with iPhone compatibility.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

PhoneSuit Primo micro iPhone and iPod battery pack impressions

PhoneSuit Primo micro iPhone and iPod battery pack impressions

We've been playing with PhoneSuit's Primo micro battery pack on our iPhone 3GS for a few days. As the name suggests, this thumb-sized battery is the smallest we've seen in its class, but somehow it still packs 800mAh of juice -- almost two-thirds of the iPhone's built-in cell. Feature-wise you'll only find battery level and charge status indicators on the front, and a mini-USB port on the back for charging. Unlike the slot-in case-style battery packs for the iPhone, this battery pack's dock connector is on a flat top, which makes it compatible with 'all iPhones and most iPods.' We also noticed a 2mm gap when plugged in, and apparently this is to allow space for your iPod's / iPhone's protection case -- too bad our iPhone didn't have one.



While the battery life lived up to its promise for us, this broad-compatibility design backfired on us -- the battery pack was thicker than our iPhone 3GS, so the overhanging sharp edge on the back often caught our trouser pocket while the phone was being pulled out. Alas, we were more worried about our battery pack coming loose than our iPhone's own battery life. Hopefully PhoneSuit will consider making device-specific adapters to give us a peace of mind, or maybe offer baggy pants at discount prices.

(Via Engadget Mobile.)

L5 iPhone Remote

L5 iPhone Remote

The L5 iPhone Remote answers the wish of many for quite some time already - it adds an IR port to your iPhone or iPod touch, allowing your portable device to double up as a remote control as well. Retailing for $50 a pop, this small Dock-connecting accessory and companion app allows you to construct your own user interface thanks to a preloaded library of buttons within the app, where the on-screen remote can be manipulated to control just about any popular consumer electronics device in your home - all directly from the iPhone or iPod touch.

(Via UberGizmo, the Gadgets News Blog.)