SwitchEasy ships revised RunAway adapter for Nike+iPod Sport Kit

SwitchEasy Limited has introduced its newly revised RunAway and new RunAway Crystal AnyShoe Adapters for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. The RunAway is an adapter for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit that allows it to be used with non-Nike+ shoes. Features include a power button to disable the sensor, polycarbonate/ABS construction, a redesigned holder cap, a reinforced locking mechanism, and a receiver lock. In addition to standard black and white RunAway models, the RunAway Crystal adds translucent ruby, sapphire, and crystal color options to the RunAway line. The SwitchEasy RunAway and RunAway Crystal AnyShoe Adapter for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit are available now and sell for $9.

Via iLounge

Targus intros SoundUP sound enhancer

Targus has introduced its SoundUP high definition sound enhancer. SoundUP is an in-line audio booster that uses a Phantom Technologies circuit which “enhances sound quality up to 20-25%,” helping to reveal instruments and voices typically lost during compression. “iPods and MP3 Players represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the consumer electronics industry today,” stated Al Giazzon, vice president of marketing at Targus. “SoundUP delivers amazing sound quality giving consumers the ultimate portable music experience.” Features include a built-in powered audio-out splitter, in-line volume control, and power provided by one AAA battery. The Targus SoundUP is available now and sells for $40.

Via iLounge

Sakar intros iSnooze Mini iPod clock radio

Sakar International has introduced its iSnooze Mini, a new clock radio for iPod. The iSnooze Mini is squarish in shape, and features line-in for other audio sources, an integrated iPod Dock, an AM/FM radio alarm, buzzer alarm, snooze, an LCD display, two speakers, and “Made for iPod” certification. The iSnooze Mini will sell for $40; Sakar claims availability information will be coming in the near future.

Via Ilounge

Altec Lansing M602 Review

The good: The Altec Lansing M602 is an attractively designed stereo speaker system with a built-in dock that recharges your iPod as well as a composite video output for displaying iPod videos on TVs. Its line-in jack and included patch cable lets you attach any audio device, not just iPods, and it offers decent sound, with richer bass than you'd expect from a speaker system that's this compact.

The bad: The sound can be overly bright. The wireless remote offers limited functionality, and setting the bass/treble levels is trickier than it should be.

The bottom line: The Altec Lansing M602 may not deliver high-end sound, but as far as iPod speaker systems go, it's a pretty solid choice for the money.

The market for iPod-centric speaker systems seems almost infinite. Altec Lansing already offers roughly seven portable iPod speakers, but the company is turning to the home market with the release of the M602 Powered Audio System. Billed as a "high-end home system," the M602 ($199 list) is designed to sit on a table or shelf, or it can be mounted on a wall. (The latter requires mailing in a $3 check to cover shipping and handling charges for a "free" mounting bracket.) It's not as heavy as the boombox-esque Altec Lansing iM7, but it weighs in at 5 pounds and measures 14 inches wide, 5.4 inches deep, and 8.2 inches high. The upright single chassis design is relatively compact, but it feels reasonably substantial when you take it out of the box.
Most iPod speakers are attractively designed, and the Altec Lansing M602 is no exception. It's silver-and-white motif lends itself more to white iPods, but there's enough black showing through the grille to make it work with models in that hue, too. And while Altec Lansing markets the M602 as a "Made for iPod" speaker system, it hasn't excluded other MP3 players from the mix: the company includes a universal stand that allows you to prop up non-Apple MP3 players in the center-front tray. Of course, you won't get the dock connection or the recharging option that the iPod connector offers--non-Apple MP3 players are connected via their headphone jacks with an included analog cable that's stored under the speaker and plugs into an input on the unit's backside--but it's a slightly more elegant solution for attaching another brand of MP3 player.
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Via CNET

Belkin Releases TuneBase FM 2 FM Transmitter

Belkin Releases TuneBase FM 2 FM Transmitter: "

Belkin showed off its upcoming TuneBase 2 FM Transmitter for Apple iPod at the IFA 2007 conference in Berlin, Germany. This FM transmitter sports a mono display for navigating stations, an auto tune feature that finds the clearest frequency on which to broadcast, and a ‘signal booster.’ Pocket-link claims that Belkin’s TuneBase 2 FM Transmitter will be released in the UK in October and will retail for $140.

(Via TechFresh.net - Cell Phones, Laptops, Video Games, iPods, Cameras.)

Uniea takes a gamble on iPod nano fatty, preemptively makes case for it

Uniea takes a gamble on iPod nano fatty, preemptively makes case for it

Let's get this out the way right here and now: to the best of our knowledge, Apple doesn't really provide pre-release units to accessories partners -- even the big ones -- to help them get their products out the door faster when new gear drops. Most cogent example? See the non-existent Made For iPhone accessories market -- accessories with their own electronics could have an 8-18 month lead time, so we still probably won't be seeing the first proper iPhone add-ons until closer to the holidays.

Which is why it's so weird that Uniea would go out on a limb and produce a hard leather case 'for new iPod' (which we've been affectionately referring to as the nano fatty). Did they really just tip Apple's hand? Probably not. If any accessories-maker WAS going to get the new iPod early, we doubt it'd be some unknown company like Uniea. Besides, a few grand in costs for cheap Chinese accessories production secured them all kinds of PR-marveling at their leak-or-gamble product (including this here post on Engadget). Well, we're calling this one a gamble, not a leak, so there you go.

(Via Engadget.)

Hands On: Sizemodo and Sound Check: New Bose SoundDock Portable vs. Original SoundDock (Verdict: New One Bigger, Rocks Harder)

Hands On: Sizemodo and Sound Check: New Bose SoundDock Portable vs. Original SoundDock (Verdict: New One Bigger, Rocks Harder): "

The most startling thing about the new Bose SoundDock Portable is that it's bigger than its forebear (though thankfully not heavier). The least startling thing about it is that it sounds better than the original.

If you look at the profile, especially, you can see that the SoundDock Portable stands about half an inch taller than the original. It has a slimmer look from the side, but there is a ridge down the back. I have to say, however much a lover or hater you are of Bose, the new machine is a vast improvement, even aside from portability:

• The old SoundDock hisses audibly when an iPod is docked, and gets louder when the volume is up. The new Portable has licked the problem almost completely. There's a very faint hiss when you put your ear to it that won't change regardless of the volume setting.

• The auxiliary input is key. For some apartment dwellers, this might be their whole sound system, and being able to plug in other stuff (satellite radio, CD/DVD player, etc.) really matters. I always assumed Bose avoided Aux In because it might mean lost sales opportunities. I suppose, now that the new SoundDock costs $100 more, Bose is willing to take that risk.

• The new remote is better built, with more substantial buttons, including two additional ones dedicated to skipping from one playlist to the next. As a playlist kind of guy, I like this.

• The sound comparison was the most telling. The previous SoundDock has notoriously suffered from a fairly weak stereo image, not enough midrange and a lack of sonic resolution. Bose has definitely read all of the commentary, because those are the three areas that have been improved. The bass levels are about the same, but at higher volumes you get a much richer sound with the Portable, a much more open stereo feel, and a sense of coherence and clarity that you just don't get on the original. In fact, when I was doing side-by-side comparisons, it occasionally sounded like the original SoundDock was playing from the bottom of a well.

I will acknowledge here that I haven't tested the SoundDock Portable against any docks from other makers, and it may be a while before Mark Wilson is up for another Sweet Sixteen. In the meantime, at the very least it's good to know that the extra $100 isn't just for the lithium-ion battery—which I probably wouldn't make any use of—but for a much improved device overall. It really should be called, simply, SoundDock II. [Original Story]

(Via Gizmodo.)