Not satisfied with its recent launch of its Pandora, Sirius and Rhapsody capable AV receivers, Onkyo has announced yet more tuners.  The new tuners, the TX-NR1007, TX-NR3007, TX-NR5007, each have the same Internet capabilities of the recently announced models, but include other top of the line features as well.  The newest models include features that all but the most dedicated home theater aficionado would understand and go nuts for.

One of the biggest features of the new models is the inclusion of full-tilt 9.2-channel surround sound using either Audyssey DSX or Dolby ProLogic IIz.  Not only will is produce that great sound, but the audio and video are handled with separate power supply transformers making them both independent for better quality.  Each of the new devices is capable of supporting nearly any surround sound format through the use of TI Aureus DSP chips for whatever format you prefer.  The TX-NR3007 and TX-NR5007 are even the first Onkyo receivers to feature Dolby Volume to keep the volume consistent through TV shows, commercials, and switching inputs to DVD players or any other myriad connections.

With the TX-NR1007 starting at $1,599, and the TX-NR5007 selling for $2,699 these new Onkyo receivers are definitely not for the casual home theater owner.  While the new features are fantastic, the truth is that most won’t notice much of a difference most of the time.  However, if you have a lot of money and your looking for a way to improve your home theater and already have the surround sound, TV and some combination of boxes, Onkyo definitely has you covered.

Read [Onkyo]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

With the allure of Internet music services like Pandora and Rhapsody setting up a home theater system that incorporate them can be a bit difficult without having to put a whole computer in the system.  Sure, having a computer in the setup would be cool, but when’s the last time you wanted to browse the Internet on your TV?  A simple solution that allows you to have access to some of those Internet media services is really all you need.  That’s what Onkyo is trying to deliver.

The new Onkyo TX-NR807 is home theater receiver that in addition to having an enormous number of ports for audio and video has an added ethernet port.  It can connect to your home network and Internet for some nifty features.  The TX-NR807 uses the Internet connection and an on-screen UI to connect Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius Internet Radio, and vTuner for easy music/radio playback.  The receiver also supports DLNA so you can stream nearly any audio file from any computer or storage also connected to your home network, though strangely there is no word on streaming video.

The Onkyo TX-NR807 also makes it easy to program the remote to connect to the receiver, TV and any other supported device.  Through the on-screen UI, all you have to do is select the correct device, and the receiver transmits the code to the remote, which can support up to four macros.  It will take a lot of the guess work out of programming the home theater to work without have to use five different remotes for the five different boxes or devices.  It will be useful as the TX-NR807 can use connect to any device you could possibly think of in any nearly any possible way, which is to say more ways than most people are even aware of.

Read [Onkyo]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Americans are ditching their land lines in masses.  No one knows that better than the maker of many of the phones that used to be plugged into those lines.  VTech took a look at the declining market and decided it was time to diversify.  So leveraging their strengths, namely RF devices, they are seizing the chance to jump into the booming Internet radio market.

VTech was kind enough to to give me the grand tour of their device that will be out in March.  It’s understated good looks, simple user interface and low price point are sure to make this a compelling choice..

From the release:

VTech’s IS9181 is the first Internet radio receiver to offer a rich range of features and superior sound quality for under $200.  Once users connect the IS9181 to the home wireless network (802.11 b & g), they can enjoy the vast variety of music offerings from more than 11,000 Internet radio stations worldwide, as well as audio files (MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, Real) stored on a Wi-Fi-enabled PC or laptop.  The IS9181 also includes an auxiliary audio cable to play files from digital audio players or any other device with a 3.5mm headset jack. 

Low price, sound rumored to be bench marked against Logitech’s $100 more entry, and broad distribution.  It sounds like a winner to me.

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Like always Sony has made us trek all the way over to the convention center for their press conference. We are expecting the regular announcements LCD TVs, new OLED displays, cameras, new computers include the teased P series, new Blu-ray players and more. The one catch will be that Howard Stronger, Sony CEO, will be offering a keynote tomorrow morning and will surely save something for that time—so this can end up being a bit dry. Either way stick around to this page for live coverage of all the announcements (you can reload the page by hitting Ctrl+R or F5).

For more CES press coverage head over here or check out our 2009 CES page for all the CES news, CES keynotes, CES photo galleries/booth tours, and more!

Full Story » | Written by Adam Berger for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

GN Netcom, the company that manufacturers Jabra products has recently added two new headsets, the Jabra M5390 USB and Jabra BT530 USB to the mix.  Jabra touts that these headsets are some of the lightest they have to offer and pair up with over 8 devices and 2 simultaneously. 

The nice thing about these headsets is that they can be paired to 2 totally different products, such as a cell phone or a computer, and you are able to still answer the phone.  Let’s begin with the Jabra M5390 USB.  It has a nice 6 hour talk time - great for when you are multi-tasking and talking with your boss for an extended amount of time, and 60 hours standby time. 

In addition, it comes with a 200 foot range, Plug-and-play Bluetooth connectivity to PC or VoIP, comes with software to hook up the headset to Microsoft Office Communicator, Skype, and Cisco IP Communicator.  Another nice feature is that it come with Wideband noise canceling feature within the microphone and has two different wearing methods - around the ear or the head.  Lastly, it is set to be available sometime in January 2009 for $191. 

Moving on, we have the Jabra BT530 USB headset.  The main and unique feature in this headset is its Noise Blackout technology, which helps to remove noise so you can hear the caller more clearly.  As previously mentioned, it pairs with 8 different devices, Plug-and-play Bluetooth adapter for PC applications and soft-phones, again, comes with software to hook up with Skype, Microsoft Office Communicator, and Cisco.  Furthermore, it comes with 3 different ear sizes, so it can match your ear with style and comfort, and it comes with 5.5 hours of straight talking, and an astounding 250 hours standby time.  Lastly, it is already available and retails for $129. 

David Grazio, Director of Channel Marketing, Contact Center and Office for GN Netcom, had this to say about their new headsets:

“People have embraced headsets for personal use and now is the time for business professionals to leverage headsets for increased mobility and efficiency within their office environments,” said Inc. “These cutting-edge products have improved voice quality and noise elimination, enabling professionals to be hands-free so they can multitask.”

If you want a high-end, quality Bluetooth headset, you may want to consider checking these out.

Read [PR Newswire]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Satellite radio took a hit this past week as WorldSpace filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Only two weeks ago, both Chief Operating Officers resigned.

WorldSpace is a subscription-based service that broadcasts news, sports, music and educational programming to over 150,000 people.  They charge $5.00 - $10.00 per month for their plans and provide more than 100 channels.  WorldSpace offers the only satellite radio service outside the U.S. (except Japan and South Korea).  Sirius XM is the licensed provider of satellite radio here.  Judith Pryor, Senior Vice President of Worldspace, told me that they do not expect for the U.S. to ever be in their market.  With a reorganization and probable sale in its immediate future, it is uncertain who their audience will be.

Chapter 11 allows WorldSpace to continue on with business while these changes are being made.

Worldspace’s objective is to come up with a way to pay back some outstanding debts.  Pryor says, “This we expect to do by either a sale of the Company or its assets or a recapitalization of the Company.”  Worldspace had a decent 2006 with major relationships and agreements made with CNN and ESPN.  That was followed by a disastrous year financially in 2007 with a shareholder lawsuit, and with this year looking even worse, the call for change should not come as a surprise.

Worldspace highlights:

• Worldspace pioneered broadcasting from company-owned and launched satellites.
• Worldspace was one of the principal founding shareholders of XM Satellite Radio.
• Worldspace’s Global Content and Programming Department puts out four of the original content channels heard on XM Satellite Radio.
• Worldspace technology is used in every XM receiver.
• Worldspace’s receivers act as modems and are capable of downloading data, video, and other media content.

Sirius Too?

Sirius XM is having a pressured year also, not nearly as bad as Worldspace, but they did cut 50 jobs last week.  Sirius is seeking approval for a reverse stock split in order to increase their stock value and to avoid getting delisted from Nasdaq.  Sirius is also under scrutiny for inhumane working conditions for women in their factory in Korea who assemble the satellite radios.  A press conference is supposed to be held today (Tuesday, October 21) to discuss some very scary discrimination and abuse accusations.

Good news for both companies: both their stocks at closing yesterday were up (a little).

See Stock Information
See Sirius accusations
Read Worldspace News Release

Full Story » | Written by Heidi Crossman for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Well, apparently SanDisk feels Joe Public likes their music hands on.  This thinking may well be what led to their new line of music-filled microSD cards. They managed to pull in all the big record labels like Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner.  Although, I’m not sure what the labels were thinking with this one. The songs on the 1 GB cards will be DRM-free MP3s that are encoded at 320 kbps for the record.

The first stores they have in on the deal are Wal-Mart or Best Buy.  So, you simply stroll into one of those two stores, nab your rockin’, grooving, bopping-loaded slotMusic, and pop it into your phone, and voila…you’re set.  Umm..except for the fact that the ever-popular iPhone doesn’t accept microSD cards.  So if you are one of the millions using an iPhone, sorry.  Or, if you are one of the millions who would simply rather get your music by downloading it, then this little slotMusic thing is pretty useless.  Many consider physical media (besides the fact that it is small enough to lose extremely easily) archaic.

“Musicians will find slotMusic cards offer a compelling new way to express themselves to their fans. With 1GB (gigabyte) of capacity, slotMusic cards can hold songs, as well as liner notes, album art, videos, and other creative content that an artist may choose. Consumers can also add their own content to a slotMusic card, creating a personal plug-and-play media library.” -slotMusic official Press Release

One reason I can see people buying these is for the last sentence here, “...can add their own content.”  I think you just may have some buying them, taking them home and wiping them to have a handy dandy new memory card.  Especially given the fact that a source in the NY Times says that they are expected to run about $7-$10.  Not bad considering the SanDisk 1GB card itself currently sells at WalMart for about $15. I think the target audience for this product (for its intended purpose) is going to be very limited.  So if you do want one, maybe hold out a little longer.  You just may be able to get a fantastic deal on a dozen of them on eBay in a year.

Via [techmeme]
Product Page: [slotMusic]

Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Philips showcased their new home theatre device recently at IFA 2008.  Granted, it kind of looks like a cross between a pet’s feeding dish, a humidifier, and a soccer ball…and one might think “what can this really do?”...but it’s getting some decent feedback.

The CinemaOne is one of the smallest home theatre devices out there.  It contains a DVD player, a CD player, an iPod dock, a five channel amplifier, four speakers (featuring the same soundbar technology found in their Ambisound line) and a subwoofer which is built into the base.  It can output in just about any kind of format, including DivX and WMV, and you can control the iPod with the included remote. There is also a USB 2.0 port. The DVD player comes with 1080p scaling and Dolby Digital and DTS support as well. Not bad.

No confirmed release dates seem to be out at this point. I’ve seen rumors of September through January. Keep an eye out for updates of confirmation and pricing.

via [techradar]

Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »