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Altec Lansing’s Upgrader series of headphones will target audio enthusiast not satisfied with the ear buds included with their digital media player and looking for “upgraded” sound, style and fit (the style and fit comes from parent company Plantronics).

Pricing for the series will range from $29 to $199. Altec Lansing’s Upgrader Series headphones will offer seven wearing styles in two categories.

SnugFitTM models are made from soft, flexible materials that conform to the shape of the ear to seal out noise and improve sound quality. Styles will include:

• SnugFit InEar Earphones powered by technology from Ultimate Ears. These earphones feature passive noise occlusion including microdriver and armature technologies.


• SnugFit Earbud Earphones have a patent-pending ear pad designed with Altec Lansing’s Golden Ear Technology for a “perfect fit”. Models will include three sizes of soft silicone ear pads or high-tech memory foam ear pads.


• SnugFit OverEar Headphones have a lightweight, brushed spring steel construction and Active Noise Reduction technology, stereo Bluetooth, or SRS surround sound.

AirFitTM models made from breathable materials for increased listening time and enjoyment. Models include:

• AirFit Small and Large Ear Clips have a moisture-resistant construction and feature a stainless steel and silicone ear hangar design that offers a secure ear suspension system that makes them ideal for sports.


• AirFit BehindNeck Headphones and AirFit OnEar Headphones have eyewear-grade titanium that makes these headphones flexible. Other features will include stereo Bluetooth wireless convenience and titanium wire neck backs.

UHP307 pictured above

Read [Altec Lansing]

Almost everyone has heard about the products released at MacWorld ‘07 - but not many were able to make it to the event to see it all being revealed. You didn’t have to be there to see the action thanks to panoramas.dk, a site which specializes in putting together QuickTime VRs of major events and places.

Panoramas.dk has put out a new MacWorld ‘07 gallery that contains over 15 full-screen VRs of various booths from the expo including Canon, Microsoft and of course, the iPhone in its beautiful rotating glass case. Be sure to check it out.

Panoramas via [TUAW]

Meet Luna by XtremeMac, the world’s most intelligent alarm clock for the Apple iPod.

The four knobs on the top of the unit control an on-screen menu system that lets you choose songs, set alarms, and control the radio station. The display shows time, day, date, alarm times and wake-to options.  It has an AM/FM stereo with 4 programmable presets, a wireless remote with advanced functions, and the ability to dock and charge your iPod, all while you’re sleeping.

The Luna goes on sale next month for a price of $149.95.

Product [XtremeMac] Via [TUAW]

Speaking of HD Radio… Griffin announced plans to develop radioSHARK HD, a digital table top radio for Mac and PC with HD Radio technology. radioSHARK HD--like Griffin’s radioSHARK and radioSHARK 2--will house a radio tuner in a sleek “shark fin” that connects to the USB port of a Mac or PC.  With radioSHARK HD, users will be able to listen to their favorite AM/FM stations in pure digital audio quality, conveniently from their personal computers.  With next-generation digital HD Radio technology from iBiquity, digital FM stations approach CD-quality sound, and digital AM stations approach FM-quality sound.

HD Radio technology also makes “multicasting” possible, allowing broadcasters to double or triple the number of program streams (all free) available to listeners.  With innovative hardware-software integration from Griffin, next-generation digital radio becomes truly interactive.  radioSHARK HD will allow users to “pause live radio,” and to schedule recordings of digital radio programming.  radioSHARK HD will go further by automatically identifying radio stations and even individual songs broadcast in digital format.

Finally, radioSHARK HD will allow users to review and playback music recorded from digital radio on a personal computer, sync recordings of digital radio programming to an iPodTM, and purchase songs heard on digital radio from Apple’s iTunes Music StoreTM.

Griffin’s radioSHARK HD will be available in Summer 2007.

After covering CES and Macworld all week, we somehow let the Apple TV slip by without giving it a fair share on the site. During Steve Job’s keynote, he announced what was previously codenamed the iTV. The Apple TV is Apple, Inc.’s solution to bridging the gap between the computer and the living room. It allows you to wirelessly play all your iTunes content from your Mac or PC on your TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts.

“Apple TV is like a DVD player for the 21st century—you connect it to your entertainment system just like a DVD player, but it plays digital content you get from the Internet rather than DVDs you get from a physical store,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple TV plays the same iTunes content that users enjoy on their computers and iPods, so now they can even watch part of a movie in their living room, and watch the rest later on their iPod.”

Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering 720p output. It comes standard with HDMI, component video, and analog and optical audio ports, and it hooks up to your computer and internet via 802.11b/g/n. Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV. Apple TV requires an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TV. It also ships with a remote that works from up to 30 feet away.

The Apple TV and Remote will be shipping in February for $299.

Read [Apple]

G-RAID mini incorporates the latest and greatest disk storage technology currently available - 5400 or 7200 RPM SATA hard drive - built into a stylish case similar to the Mac Pro/MacBook Pro which will act as a backup drive and keep your data safe.

It has an integrated heat sink and cooling fan for long life and reliable operation, supports multi-stream video playback, has a unique industrial design (to match your Mac Pro), compact all-aluminum enclosure, and is Mac OS 9, OS X and Windows 2000/XP compatible.

This is perfect for anyone wanting a stylish, fast, and affordable RAID backup solution for their data. Prices range from $399 for the 160GB version, up to $729 for the 350GB version.

Product [G-Technology]

First you had the format wars, and now you have the iPhone wars.  We thought Apple and Cisco were playing nice with each other over the name iPhone, but apparently Apple was thinking differently.  Cisco says that they were in “extensive discussions” to negotiate terms for an agreement, but it looks like Apple’s lawyers feel it’s unnecessary to be civil.  Unless there is paperwork to prove that Apple filed for the trademark before Cisco did, then this is ridiculous.  Here’s what Cisco’s CEO had to say about the debockle:

“Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” said Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel, Cisco. “There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission.

“Today’s iPhone is not tomorrow’s iPhone. The potential for convergence of the home phone, cell phone, work phone and PC is limitless, which is why it is so important for us to protect our brand,” Chandler concluded.

No word has come out of Apple yet, so we’re assuming they’re staying quiet on the matter until they either win big, or lose big.

Cisco iPhone [Gadgetell]
Apple iPhone [Gadgetell]

Read [Press Release] Via [Dvorak]

If your collection of CDs, DVDs, comic books or even booze is getting unmanageable, you’ll appreciate this item. The new IntelliScanner Mini, introduced at Macworld 2007, is a wireless handheld barcode scanner you can use anywhere and then upload stored UPCs to your PC. Since barcode information in itself is not especially useful, IntelliScanner Crop. also offers various applications to translate the information and put it into sensible, organized English. (Sounds a lot like Radio Shack’s free but failed and wired :CueCat but much more useful than an annoying lead-in to an online retail catalog).

Even better, they also provide 10 pre-printed barcode Asset Tags so you can slap them on un-coded items to scan. ("C’mere kitty kitty kitty.") You can order more uniquely coded tags as needed ($24 per 100) and then input the appropriate information for that item. ("Kitty, brown, x1, $0.10")

The full bundle, available now for $299, includes the IntelliScanner Mini USB portable scanner, a neck lanyard and all six applications. They also sell other wired and wireless handheld home-use scanners, with prices starting at $179 up to $399, and a professional model at $899.

Here is a list of available software packages:

• Media Collector 2.0 (for books, DVDs, CDs, and games)


• Wine Collector 2.0 (automatically; track locations, tasting notes, and maturity)


• Kitchen Companion (track groceries, build shopping lists)


• Comic Collector (comic book organization with access to a database of 250,000 titles)


• Auction Automator - (online listing tools to help sell your media on the web)


• Home Assets 1.5 (for other home assets and create insurance reports)

Site [Intelliscanner] Product Page [Intelliscanner Mini] Read [MacMinute] Info [CueCat]

It hasn’t even been a full day yet and people are already coming to the realization about what Apple’s iPhone is, and isn’t.  Analyst Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research has noted that the new iPhone is NOT a smartphone.  Why isn’t it a smartphone?  It looks smart, right?  Gartenberg is saying that the term “smartphone” means that third party software is able to be installed… and Apple’s new phone only allows first party support.  Engadget notes some other “unfortunate realities about the device”:

• No 3G. We know you know, but still, it hurts man.
• No over the air iTunes Store downloads or WiFi syncing to your host machine.
• No expandable memory.
• No removable battery.
• No Exchange or Office support.

Read [Michael Gartenberg | Jupiter Research] Via [Engadget]

Now you may not have even known it in the first place, but until yesterday, Apple was known in the corporate world as Apple Computer, Inc.  Steve Jobs made the announcement in his much-anticipated keynote address at this year’s Macworld.  The reason they decided to change it was likely because they’ve gone from soley a computer company to a company that focuses on other consumer electronics, evident by their committment to the iPod brand.  And if you didn’t hear already, Jobs also announced a new phone to join the ranks of the iPod called the Apple iPhone.

Live-blog of Steve Jobs’ keynote [Gadgetell]