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Philips launches new range of GoGear portables

For superior sound quality on-the-go, Philips launched this month a new range of GoGear portable audio and video players.  With 6 brand new models, there is now an extensive range to choose from that promises superb sound reproduction and great all-round value.

The new flagship Philips GoGear Opus portable audio and video player boasts a 16GB, 2.8 inch QVGA color screen that can record online videos directly from the PC.  The Philips GoGear Aria is an 8GB version that comes with a 2 inch color display.  Both these players come bundled with a pair of high definition sound isolation earphones that deliver audio performance normally reserved for more expensive players.  For ultra-portability, the Philips GoGear ViBE is an 4GB audio and video player that comes equipped with a 1.5 inch full color display.

Completing the new range are the Philips GoGear audio players, Spark, Luxe and Mix. The Philips GoGear Spark is a matchbox-sized 4GB music player that has a 1.46 inch OLED color screen to show off album art or photos, while the Philips GoGear Mix comes with a 4GB memory with push-out USB to make file transfer a snap and Philips GoGear Luxe switches from music to calls.Philips FullSound Technology
The Philips GoGear Opus, Aria, Luxe and Spark all feature Philips’ innovative FullSound technology which faithfully restores sonic details to compressed MP3 music, dramatically enriching and enhancing it, so users can experience music the way is was meant to be.  FullSound combines Philips’ renowned expertise in music reproduction with the power of the latest generation Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that analyzes the sound track ten million times per second to restore the original sound experience. The result is fuller bass with more depth and impact, boosted voice and instrument clarity, and rich detail.

Internet Video Download
Another innovative feature found in the GoGear Opus, Aria and ViBE is the Internet Video Download.  This easy-to-use feature enables video downloads from video sharing sites such as Youtube, MySpace or Google Video directly to the GoGear.

Philips GoGear Opus
For a top-of-the-line portable audio and video player with the works, the Philips GoGear Opus meets all criteria.  This flagship player from Philips comes with a large 2.8 inch QVGA color screen that lets users enjoy their favorite videos comfortably in the palm of their hand.  And with 16GB storage capacity, users will enjoy hours of video entertainment.

For superb audio quality, the combination of Philips FullSound technology with the in-box high-definition headphones allows users to hear and enjoy greater music details at a lower volume than is possible with normal headphones.  The ergonomically designed headphones feature Philips Angled Acoustics technology to direct music more precisely within the curvature of the ear canal, while the three sizes of interchangeable ultra-soft silicon ear caps provide both exceptional comfort and excellent noise isolation.

True to Philips’ promise of simplicity, all Philips GoGear products are easy to use and experience.  With the Internet Video Download and SuperScroll feature, operating the GoGear Opus is almost child’s play. Users can enjoy up to 30-hour music or 6-hour video playback within a single charge.

Philips GoGear Opus is priced at AED 599(16GB)

Philips GoGear Aria
The GoGear Aria offers a more compact package to the flagship GoGear Opus with its 2 inch full color LCD screen display and 4GB of storage memory.  It also comes equipped with FullSound technology, Internet Video Download and a pair of high-definition headphones.

During music playback, the screen displays all of the information needed, showing six lines of text and full-color album art. The large screen is of course of great convenience while watching movies, downloaded from the Internet with the supplied software. An intuitive control system with a large rocker key makes navigation quick and easy.

Philips GoGear Aria is priced at AED 399 (8GB)

Philips GoGear ViBE
The GoGear ViBE packs big entertainment in a superbly small design.  Its 1.5 inch full color display shows off videos and videos admirably.  And with smart features like Album Art – which displays album artwork embedded in the music files – users can have a richer and more enjoyable music experience.

Other handy features include an RDS FM tuner with 20 presets as well as a built-in microphone with the option for voice or radio recordings direct to the internal storage.

Philips GoGear ViBE is priced at AED 299(4GB).

Philips GoGear Spark
Don’t be fooled by its cute and diminutive size.  The square-shaped GoGear Spark packs quite a punch on the audio front!  Powered by Philips FullSound technology to enhance the dynamics, bass, treble and stereo imaging of highly compressed MP3 files, users can enjoy up to 27 hours for audio bliss on a single charge with this pocket MP3 dynamo.

Consumers’ visual senses will also be delighted by the Album Art feature on the backlit OLED color screen which displays the Album sleeve cover of the music track as it plays.

Philips GoGear Spark is priced at AED229 (4GB)), available in two colors - Gold and Black.

Philips GoGear Luxe
Connect to your music and calls MP3 player with Bluetooth® headset Clip and click to always stay tuned and connected!

The chic Philips GoGear Luxe digital audio player fastens as an accessory and switches from music to calls on your Bluetooth mobile phone - and displays Caller ID - with one touch. Philips GoGear Luxe is   small and stylish - like a fashion accessory and comes with the same headset for music and phone calls: in one click you switch to your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. With up to 4-hour talk time and 100-hour standby time and Up to 10-hour MP3 and WMA music playback* plus FM radio for superb music pleasure,  FullSound™ bring CD listening experience to MP3 and music shuffle for ultimate convenience.

Philips GoGear Luxe is priced at AED349, available in red color.

Philips GoGear Mix

The compact GoGear Mix features a push-out USB making file transfer a snap – no cables required.  Enjoy easy, intuitive navigation on the full color display and up to 25 hours of music playback with its built-in battery.

Other snazzy features include an FM radio with 20 presets for more music options, equalizer to suit all music preferences and a voice recorder function to take notes and record any conversations anytime, anywhere.

Philips GoGear Mix is priced at and AED169 (2GB), available in two colors - Black and White

All products mentioned above can be purchased at leading electronic retail outlets across Middle East.

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 116,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 26 billion in 2008, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

source: www.albawaba.com

www.usa.philips.com


i.Sound® Ice Speakers, Crystal Design, Budget Friendly

Well, these certainly aren’t ment to turn any audiophile heads, but maybe they would be a good gift in these hard times for the iPod generation.  $50 for some stylish speakers isn’t going to break the bank and might be either a good gift or a stocking stuffer.  The speakers boost the ability to charge your iPod or other USB players, oh, and they also “glow”.   I could see hooking these up to the alarm on your iPod.  Awake up to music, and since it is dark outside, you’ll have a little morning light!


i.Sound® Ice Speakers Boast Big Sound in Compact, Crystal Design

Inspired by Ice Cubes, New Speakers Offer Unique Look.

Torrance, CA (PRWEB) October 27, 2008 — i.Sound®, leading provider of high quality accessories for iPod®, iPhone™ and other audio devices, introduces the Ice Speakers as the newest addition to their established line of high quality speaker units. These crystal clear, compact speakers glow with illumination from blue LED lights and are compatible with any audio device that uses a 3.5 mm audio jack including all iPod models.

The first and only speakers of their kind, Ice Speakers are tiny, transparent speakers that glow with ultra-bright blue LED lights when in use, making them the most stylish units on the market. The crystallized PC Plastic forming the speakers’ housing is the clearest plastic available, and the substantial weight for the speakers’ diminutive size hints at the superior audio technology housed within.

The Ice Speakers’ convenient features complement the cutting edge design: The miniature size and the deluxe travel case allow users to easily take them on the go, whether to work, school or from room to room. The included AC adapter is also compatible with iPod and other MP3 players’ original USB cable, so users can charge their devices in between play time. This extra feature ensures that users are ready to combat low battery life at any time.

Read the rest at PRWeb.com

source: PRWeb.com and I.Sound.net


Editor’s Choice Best of the Top Mp3 Speakers

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We’ve Pulled Together the Best Mp3 Speakers for Your Dollar.

Why read five different sites with one review each?
What we’ve done is scavenged the web of editors top picks, from CNET to ZDNet and given you a one stop web review experience.

Quick Top Pick:

Editor’s Choice Mp3 Players
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Editor’s Choice Headphones
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How to Choose Mp3 Player Speakers:

iPod Only iPod and Everything Else
Most mp3 Speakers out there are for iPods only. These act as a docking station, charging your iPod and allowing you to access the iPod’s functionality via the speaker system. Some have other added functionality like alarm and FM tuner. The main benefit of these is that you don’t have to worry about charging your iPod, it does it for you. All other mp3 player speakers are basically just multimedia computer speakers. You can connect your player to them via a 1/8th headphone jack and you get the functionality of your player, on your player, and that is it. Bluetooth is the other way to connect your player to speakers, but this still doesn’t charge your mp3 player like a dock does for the iPod.
You know the great thing about portable mp3 players? You can take them anywhere, except most of the time you can’t share. The solution to the problem, mp3 player multimedia speaker system. Some are portable, and some must stay plugged in at home. But how do you choose what is right for you?
First, if you have an iPod, your choices are substantially large. You only need to consider if you want a portable speaker system like the Think Outside Boomtube or stationary dock system like the Chestnut Hill Sound George. Remember, stationary systems that plug into a wall and are intended for indoor use only sound substantially better than portable outdoor systems that typically don’t have enough power to throw down a party.
For those of you who don’t have an iPod, your selection for speaker systems specifically for mp3 players are much smaller. Most systems will not act as a dock for your player which ultimately means that you’ll need an electrical plug for the speakers and another for your mp3 player if you want to charge it while playing through the speaker system. But beyond this particular issue, the selection of high quality speakers is very good and the functionality of Bluetooth in a lot of mp3 players other than the iPod, almost makes a dock system seem old school.
Choosing a non-iPod specific speaker system for your mp3 player basically breaks down to how much you want to pay, and if you want to use Bluetooth. Bluetooth is pretty great but sometimes the range can be an issue, and walls can block the Bluetooth. Price mostly determines the quality of your speaker, though remember, most mp3s aren’t encoded so well and the better your sound system, the more flaws in the encode you will notice. So spending $600 on a speaker system might not be the best idea if your mp3s are not all high quality.
Experts may all agree on the advantages or shortcomings of any product they review but, at AudioReview.com, we believe that the average consumer can best summarize all the details a product has to offer… So read what users have to says!

Think Outside - BoomTube H201 - $99

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Specs:

  • Portable
  • # of channels: 3
  • # of satellites: 2
  • Separate subwoofer: Yes
  • Power rating front satellite: 12 watts RMS per channel
  • Power rating subwoofer: 24 watts RMS per channel
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    PCMag says: The audio quality is impressive and very full, thanks to dual subwoofers (2.2-inch drivers, 24 watts), two powerful satellites (2.2-inch drivers, 12W per channel), and integrated MaxxBass technology. The system’s output is plenty powerful for small gatherings—it provides the most bang for its size of any portable we’ve seen so far.

    CNET Says: The overall design of Think Outside’s Boomtube H201 might be unique–even cool–but we could have done with a bit more boom.

    ZDNet Says: The two remote speakers sounded reasonably rich, with fair detail in the soaring strings, and we were able to crank the volume to bone-rattling levels with little distortion, thanks to the Boomtube’s output of 20 watts per channel. However, bass response was disappointingly subtle, even with the bass control cranked all the way up.

    Read more details and find out prices here.


    Bose - SoundDock Digital Music System - $200

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    Specs:

  • iPod Only
  • # of channels: 2
  • # of satellites: 1
  • Separate subwoofer: No
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    Digital Trends says: The Bose SoundDock is an excellent option if you are looking for a simple speaker dock away from your computer for your iPod or iPod Mini. While the unit lacks some of the features that the competition boasts, potential buyers should consider whether they will ever actually use those features. In the sound quality category, the SoundDock comes out on top.

    PCMag Says: The SoundDock isn’t an audiophile speaker, but it gives even our favorite desktop models a run for the money above 80 Hz. It’s a triumph of engineering and a shoo-in for Editors’ Choice.

    MacWorld Says: If you’re using the SoundDock in the types of environments for which it’s intended—on a desk, or in a bedroom, office, or kitchen—you’ll be rewarded with good sound in an eye-catching package.

    Read more details and find out prices here.


    Harman/Kardon - SoundSticks II- $169

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    Specs:

  • Product Type - PC multimedia speaker system
  • # of channels: 3
  • # of satellites: 2
  • Separate subwoofer: Yes
  • BNominal Output Power (Total) - 40 Watt
  • 2 x Satellite speaker - 10 Watt - Wired, 1 x Subwoofer - 20 Watt - Wired
  • Power adapter - External
  • 1 x Audio line-in ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
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    CNet says: Harman Kardon bridges the platform gap, allowing anyone with a 1/8-inch minijack input to take advantage of the SoundSticks II and their fantastic output.

    DigitalReviews Says: …these speakers are for those who place a little more emphasis on sound and design over total output power. The only thing I would have liked to see with these speakers is a headphone jack on the satellite speaker and possibly a volume meter for the volume control buttons.

    ilounge Says: …we wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to add a set of the Soundsticks to an iPod or computer setup. They look great, sound great, and won’t kill your wallet.

    Read more details and find out prices here.


    Parrot - BOOMBOX (w/ Bluetooth) - $200

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    Specs:

  • Portable - Power supply - Internal
  • Connectivity Technology - Wired - Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, Wireless
  • Transmission Range - 98 ft
  • Speakers Included - Speaker - 2-way - 60 Watt - 50 - 20000 Hz
  • Driver Details - Speaker : 2 x Tweeter driver, Speaker : 1 x Woofer driver
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    CNet says: The Parrot Boombox wireless Bluetooth speaker system ably combines elegant design, minimalist aesthetics, and better-than-average sound quality at an affordable price.

    IT Reviews Says: Given the speaker’s abilities and audio performance alone it’s not overpriced, and if you think you’ll get a decent amount of use from the Bluetooth support it comes in as a bit of a bargain.

    TrustedReview Says: If you use your phone as an MP3 player and want something to play your music on then the Parrot Boombox is an excellent option. Sound quality was excellent, besting the iPod Hi-Fi comfortably with little loss of quality when streaming via Bluetooth. The only caveat is the slightly disappointing Bluetooth range…

    Read more details and find out prices here.


    iLuv - i199 Bluetooth (with BluePin) - $199

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    Specs:

  • Plays back your Audio CDs and MP3 CDs with the slide-in CD loading mechanism
  • Digital clock display with dual alarm
  • Plays MP3 files stored on a USB storage device, such as USB MP3 players with USB connector
  • BluePin audio transmitter / receiver
  • Connector type - 1 x Docking station, 1 x USB, 1 x Headphones
  • Receive and play the music wirelessly from your audio device with Bluetooth wireless technology, such as MP3 music players, MP3 mobile phones, laptops, etc
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    LaptopMag Mag says: With the module in place, you can stream music from a phone to the i199’s speakers or transmit sound from the unit to a wireless headset. Though the Bluetooth function isn’t built in, exactly, pairing was painless, and the sound was excellent.

    CNet Says: The impressive iLuv i199 provides a dizzying array of features–including iPod compatibility, CD player, AM/FM clock radio–you’ll be hard-pressed to find on any other tabletop audio systems at this price.

    Ngadgeti Says: Among this feature-heavy iPod speaker’s many talents is the ability to play MP3s from USB thumb drives, as well as dock and pump out tunes from iPods. It has a slot for regular and MP3 CDs, a radio, and even an alarm clock. The iLuv’s sound is pretty decent, too. It’s a shame that operating it is such a pain.

    Read more details and find out prices here.



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