Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Meet GEORGE, he may become your next best friend. GEORGE isn’t your typical iPod speaker system but rather the first digital audio system to combine iPod music playback, a full feature wireless remote, AM/FM radio and alarm in one. Chillhouse Sound also announced its first optional upgrade module for GEORGE, yes you can upgrade the firmware on this system,—a consumer-installable, no subscription HD radio tuner which will be available in 2H 2007.

GEORGE’s features include a removable front panel that serves as a wireless remote with control of your iPod (with folder navigation), the radio, and the alarm. The wireless remote works for between four and six hours and can be recharged in its dock on GEORGE’s front panel or in the optional charging stand. Once you insert your iPod into GEORGE’s built-in dock, the system will automatically download all the meta data (tracks, artist info, etc.) so you can quickly search your music. The BANDLESS AM/FM radio allows you to organize stations based on personal interests like sports, news, talk, etc.

GEORGE contains an Aux jack for devices such as CD players and other MP3 players, a pre-amp jack out to support the installed base of larger audio systems to enable the iPod to serve as a fully remote-controlled “juke box” with a high-quality AM/FM radio, and a USB port for data transfer.

GEORGE supports 4G iPod and later with full remote and charging capability. GEORGE comes standard in white but optional finishes including cherry, mahogany and maple wood can be user installed. Older iPod models and the iPod shuffle are supported via the line-in jack. GEORGE will be available January 9, 2007 for $549 and $599 with a remote charging stand.

Read [Chestnut Hill Sound] Via [Crave]

Eos is the world’s first digital wireless “whole home audio” speaker system for the iPod.  Using WiFi friendly technology, the Eos system links up to four stereo remote wireless speakers, establishing interference-free CD sound quality (48Khz) via each satellite speaker up to 150 feet away. 

At the heart of the Eos system is an iPod docking base station/transmitter that has two stereo drivers and a ported subwoofer and SRS Wow sound enhancement technology. The attributes of the SRS WOW signal are broadcast to all the wireless stereo remote speakers linked to the base station/transmitter. Like the base station, the Eos remote wireless speakers have two stereo drivers and a ported subwoofer. The wireless remote speakers have a removable, integrated power supply that allows the speakers to mount directly on a wall power outlet independently, without mounting brackets or other support. By removing the power supply from its cavity on the rear of the cabinet, the stereo remote speaker can sit independently on a counter top or bookshelf.

The Eos system will be available at retail in March 2007.  The core system includes a docking station/transmitter with one wireless remote speaker ($299).  Additional Eos wireless speaker remotes, as well as a Eos weatherproof wireless outdoor amplifier and a stand-alone transmitter/receiver bundle are available separately ($129).

Read [EOS]

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Now that you have gotten over the fact that you either dropped a nice wad of cash on Black Friday or missed out on the action and settled with winning some Bluetooth headsets from us, it is now time to keep rolling.

Up next in the Gadgetell v2 Giveaway is a set of Audioengine5 speakers (model A5B for $349 per pair). Unlike last time, this set is a pair of black lacquer speakers, matching your shiny black iPod—designed for your iPod (or really any music player). Let me tell you, these speakers sound sweet!

To enter: All you have to do is leave a comment, any comment. This post will close Monday (the 4th), and then we will pick a winner at random, assuming you don’t cheat, as well as post a new giveaway! (this time we are going easy - the next contest will require some musical talent)

The rules…

The Rules:

• You may only enter this contest one time


• You can only win once during the extent of the “v2 giveaway” contest, but can enter each one


• The winner will be sent a notice via email and has 72 hours to reply with their mailing address to claim their prize—make sure you use a valid email address
• You will be shipped your prize as soon as we get it into the mail, but don’t worry it’s coming

Good luck!

Need to know every single possible thing about the Apple iPod? Want to compare cases to speaker docks to Bluetooth headphones? Look no further than iLounge’s 2007 iPod Buyers’ Guide. At 180 pages, this may be more than you have read in a “book” this whole year - but at least this will be all geeky and cool!

Here’s the official page, and here’s the short version: More than 20 exclusive accessory debuts. Our Best of the Year accessory awards. All the help you’ll need to pick the best new iPod for the holidays. Amazing photographs in our iPod Home pictorial feature and iPod Colors contest gallery. And much, much more.

Read [iLounge]

For those of you who remember the sweet sound of analog will really appreciate this product. The Sonic Gear i-Steroid 2.1 speaker system looks sweet as hell but I am worried that they are selling to the wrong crowd. It seems that over 70% of iPod users were born years after black and white TVs, A-tracks, record players, cassette tapes, thus they certainly do not know what a vacuum tube is. Enclosed in a wooden speaker box is a tube-based amp to provide the rich sound that came before CDs, MP3s, and iPods. The i-Steroid also has a FM Radio tuner, and it comes with a remote control.

The set comes with a sub that stores the bass as well as two satellite speakers. It is currently available in the U2 iPod black/red color scheme as well as the standard iPod white, for £159.99 at Play.com.

Read [Chip Chick]

Product: Altec Lansing inMotion iM7
Price: $249.95
Rating: Very Good 8.0/10.0
Pros: Loud, clean sound, connects directly with iPod, remote, AC or battery power, aux 1/8” input jack.
Cons: Requires 8 batteries, aux input was fuzzy, heavy, limited remote functionality.
Overall:For $250, older inMotions could produce nearly the same sound for a less appealing look, but for those interested in investing in a system to replace their old stereo or shopping for the first time, the iM7 is an easy, mobile and sleek option.

Advertised as “your iPod’s new traveling companion” I was skeptical that the inMotion iM7 would be easier than my canvas black case and 2 year-old inMotion speakers half the size.  It felt a lot heavier than I expected after taking it out of the box but its smooth and symmetrical look made it more appealing to plug it in and put in on a shelf, until I turned it on, that is.

For a portable sound system, the sound was excellent.  Fitting in my iPod to get it hooked up was a little tricky but after turning it on, it was hard to imagine such sound coming from such a little device.  The music was clear and when I plugged it directly into the wall (I wasn’t up to using the 8 batteries it required for non-electrical power) unless I blasted it past any reasonable volume the sound stayed relatively fuzz and high-pitch frequency free.  I found it easier to control the volume on the actual iPod because you could hear the difference faster but the remote was convenient for distance. The one issue I had with the system was when I would connect it to my Powerbook and play it from my iTunes.  The speakers were slightly fuzzier and the quality wasn’t as strong as when it played solely off an iPod.

The speakers have an extremely appealing slick and modern look.  They take up almost no space and its cylinder shape borders trendy and techie and one of the most appealing features was the fact my iPod could charge as it played. For $250, older inMotions could produce nearly the same sound for a less appealing look, but for those interested in investing in a system to replace their old stereo or shopping for the first time, the iM7 is an easy, mobile and sleek option.

Product: Audioengine 5

Price: $349 per pair
Rating: Excellent - 8.5/10.0
Pros: Sleek white cabinets, built in USB charging, dual 1/8” audio inputs, auxiliary power, airport support, 30 day trial, all needed cables
Cons: Heavy bass, white cabinets
Overall: These bookshelf speakers are great speakers that have been designed from scratch for your iPod and playback of MP3 files, and they do a great job doing just that.

These are the first pair of bookshelf speakers that I know of that were designed specifically for MP3 and ACC files. Upon opening the box, I was pleased with the shiny white lacquered speakers that matched my iPod and the obvious care for the tiny details that Audioengine had taken in packaging. The box came with the pair of speakers, 1/8” to 1/8” gold plated audio cables in 2 meter and 20 centimeter lengths, an AC power cable, a 1/8” to RCA “Y” cable, USB power extender cable, 12.3’ of speaker cable, and a cloth bag to store the wires.

Upon setting up the speakers, I noticed how much attention was paid to make these units the ideal speakers for the iPod. On top of the master speaker (the one with all the connections in back: power, audio, etc) lies a USB power jack as well as a audio input so you can place your iPod dock (preferably remote controlled) on top of the speaker and charge your iPod while you listen. The back of the speaker has the speaker’s AC plug in addition to an auxiliary AC plug for Apple’s Airport, the second audio input, and a spring loaded jack to connect the slave speaker.

Without hesitation, I plugged my iPod shuffle into the USB adaptor and connected the audio 1/8” cable. The tunes sounded good but not great. As with all speakers, I ran music through them for 24 hours and listened to the sound gradually warm up. Now I was ready to get down to business…

All tests songs that I played were either MP3 or ACC encoded at 192 kbps. First up was Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young – Deja Vu. The harmonies and acoustic guitar in the song sounded great, as did the background harmonica. I would have liked to hear some more separation between the lows and mids in the song. I was getting excited with the sound now and wanted more funk. Next, I threw on Peter Brown’s - Do you wanna get funky with me. Once again, the highs (the vocals and synthesizer effects) sounded very clean and clear. The bass also was very sharp and concise, with perfect balance. James Blunt- Beautiful was up next. I have heard this song in a listening room at the release party and I have to say that the Audioengine 5’s were similar given that my listening was in my office. Once again, there could have been a clearer separation between the lows and the rest of the track. My final test track was Modest Mouse - Float On, a track with a very hard bass line as well as constant mids and nice high snare. On this track, I really enjoyed the large sound; these speakers are powerful enough to fill a medium sized room without distortion.

It was interesting to learn how these speakers were built specifically for MP3 and ACC files, which tend to be rather empty and tinny as opposed to WAV files or analog, yes vinyl, recordings. I was a little disappointed when playing CD’s or watching movies through the speakers. While it is not easy to notice a sound difference when performing an A-B comparison of a song on a CD and that same track on my iPod it sounded better from my iPod.

Most people are spending most of their musical enjoyment time listening to MP3 or ACC files through their iPod, computer, or streaming through their stereo system. These speakers are perfect for this job. The sound is very real and warm. The lows have more than enough bass (at times a little too much) and the highs are very sharp and crisp. If you do not mind the white finish on these speakers, they are a great buy. Don’t believe me? Check out their 30-day trial. I think you will want to keep a pair of these, I certainly do.