Filed under: Portable Audio

We've seen companies hop the fence on occasion before, but SanDisk is making absolutely sure that we all know that it's seriously changing its tune (ahem) on this one. In a bizarre statement that proudly "applauds Amazon and EMI on the launch of its newfangled unprotected music store," the company goes out of its way to proclaim its "excitement for Amazon's DRM-free music download portal," and moreover, cranks up the contradiction further by stating that the firm is a "consistent advocate of consumer choice that believes this launch is an important step forward." While we try not to read too much into that, there's a pretty stark difference between these adoring comments and the ones just months ago that aimed to "protect content creators and the long-term health of the industry" by utilizing DRM on digital downloads. Regardless, it has become fairly clear that SanDisk probably just goes with the flow and hopes to put blinders on everyone else rather than actually saying what it means, but as of this moment, we're felicitous that SanDisk is seeing the light.

[Via Electronista]

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Gone are the days where you sat impatiently in another room flipping through endless tracks just waiting to hear the lead-in from Forever Young, as even DLO is joining the LCD-equipped remote game with the HomeDock Music Remote. Similar to the KeySpan, EWOO, and Popalive iterations, this RF remote dons a sleek OLED display (shown after the jump) that mimics the menus and text on your iPod's screen so that you can flip through playlists, scroll through albums, and see what's currently playing all without having your eyes glued to your Apple. The device also comes with a docking stand that can connect to your home stereo or TV, and doubles as a charging station when plugged into an AC outlet. Still, you'd have to be mighty lazy or incredibly burdened with disposable income to make this one worth it, as DLO's charging a stiff $129.99 for the kit.

Continue reading DLO's HomeDock Music Remote mimics your iPod screen

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Portable Audio

Just as the Times Online predicted last month, Amazon.com is set to strike a potentially major blow against DRM by launching a download store later this year that will offer millions of songs in unprotected, MP3-only format. Leading the list of a claimed 12,000 record labels is none other than Apple-buddy EMI, which has been widely praised for its decision to distribute unlocked 256kbps tracks on iTunes -- but the lack of any other participating majors means that Amazon just doesn't have the catalog yet to compete with other established megastores. However, a profitable showing from EMI's 'experiment' may very well convince the other labels to accede to consumer demand and start joining the free music party too, meaning that this move by a player like Amazon is certainly nothing to sneeze at. So, here's to Jeff Bezos for his decidedly anti-DRM philosophy (this time around, at least), and to that wonderful day in the future when we'll actually be able to watch all those Lost episodes from iTunes that don't play right on any of our three computers.

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Granted, the untouched iPod doesn't sound half bad to the average ear, but for the audiophiles in the house, you all somehow know better. Enter Red Wine Audio, which took its discerning ways and channeled them into a nifty iPod hack that "reduces the analog signal path by taking the signal directly from the DAC and then sending it to the 1/8-inch headphone jack." Additionally, the original case was stripped in favor of a bulkier, roomier aluminum shell that could house the new electronics, and "high-end Black Gate non-polarized NX-Hi-Q coupling capacitors" were used to ensure the highest audio fidelity. Onlookers noted that they "couldn't tell a difference" between the iMod iPod's WAV playback and a normal CD player, and while the company looks to be readying these pre-modified units for sale by the end of the month, there's no telling how many hundies you'll be throwing down for it. Click on through for a few more snaps.

Continue reading Red Wine Audio's iMod hack tweaks the iPod for audiophiles

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!