PLAY: 3 Gadget Reviews
i1030
I actually drove over this monster in my car ... and it didn’t break (Pelican offers a guarantee for these things if they do break). If you’re looking for a tough case to hold your iPod in, this one has a water-tight seal (and pressure release valve that’ll take this thing 30’ deep) and plenty of cushion to keep your mp3 player safe. It took some figuring out on how to close the case with iPod, headphones, charger, and USB/Firewire cables enclosed, but it can be done – even with the larger and older generation iPods. Burdensome by its massive size and weight, but as sturdy as a turtle shell. Holding all that payload is a pretty handy feature. It goes against the sexy, small and sleek vibe of the iPod, but who doesn’t want to keep their charger, headphones, USB cable and iPod all in one place?
$39 [pelican.com]. DV
[Sequential photos by Kaela Van Pelt]
iKey
The job description of this compact device is promising: a one-step conversion of audio into mp3 or wav files directly onto your iPod or USB jumpdrive. The user interface is crude and inconvenient (relying on counting LED flashes for important info), but ideal for recording a lecture or single song. In converting audio from vinyl to iPod, however, you’ll need a wav or mp3 audio editor, since it saves each “session” as a single file. Wait ‘til the next model comes out.
$229 [ikey-audio.com] DV
PiCO
How DIY are you? Ready to self-duplicate your next CD? For about the price of one outsourced job, this miniature CD/DVD factory can swing its little arm into action for you. In testing, it was easy to install and make single copies, but it failed in several attempts to make multiple ones. For the price, I’d pass.
$699 [discmakers.com] DV
©2006 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
Return to Internet Exclusives
