Sharing Is Caring
With SanDisk’s Sansa Connect, you can listen to your music — and other people’s too. The Wi-Fi–enabled MP3 player has 4GB of memory and full wireless capability. That means it delivers streaming Internet radio, music sharing, and easy downloading of tunes from any hot spot — whether it’s your living room or your local coffee shop — through Yahoo! Music Unlimited to Go. The Connect’s software also allows easy sharing of music lists with other users, or anyone who is a member of the Yahoo! music service. If you like a song on an Internet stream, it’s easy to tag and download, and you can pop that song right over to another subscriber to the service as long as they’re in an open Wi-Fi space, and vice versa, with no limits on how often you can play the song (unlike some other players out there).
You’re not limited to music either; photos can be shared, so you can continue your obsession with Flickr while on the road. The microSD slot allows easy memory expansion and lets you swap out your tune or photo “library.” And if you really want to share, the Connect also has a built-in speaker, a big 2.2-inch color screen, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to keep the party going. ($249.99; sandisk.com)
— Bryant Urstadt
On the Dock
Sharp Electronics joins the many manufacturers making iPod docks with its i-Elegance DK-A10, a sleek music port and charger that also has a CD player built in. With two main speakers, and subwoofers on the sides, the iElegance cranks out some mighty mellifluous tones while lights beat in time with the rhythm. And it’s a clock radio as well, so it serves a purpose besides entertainment — it’ll also get you up in time for work. ($330; sharpusa.com) — B.U.
Radical Radio
Leaping from holder to holder, Visteon’s HD Jump brings high-definition radio into your car and your home. Unlike satellite radio, HD radio is free, providing higher audio quality than standard radio to listeners who purchase an HD-compatible unit, like the Jump. HD allows broadcasters to stream several broadcasts through one channel, in CD-like quality, along with song information and text news. Cradles for the Jump receiver are available for your car and your home. ($225; evisteon.com) — B.U.
No More Clicker Clutter
Logitech’s Harmony 1000 replaces up to 15 lesser remote controls, combining them all in a seamless touch-screen experience that allows you to perform most tasks with one touch. It comes with a built-in battery and recharger and features a 3.5-inch screen and brushed aluminum casing. Sure, you might miss having all those other remotes, but we think you’ll be just fine. ($499; logitech.com/harmony) — B.U.
Clean Machine
Dyson claims its new Stowaway is the only canister vacuum on the market that doesn’t lose suction power over time. We hope they’re right, but even if they’re not, the Stowaway might be worth it based on looks alone. It has the signature Dyson see-through case, and when you’re done, the hose and wand compress for easy storage. ($499; dyson.com) — B.U.
Small Screen
The OQO model 02 is a full-featured laptop that fits in your hand, so it should probably be called a handtop. Either way, it’s Windows XP and Vista capable, which means you can run pretty much anything on it, including Microsoft Office. It has a five-inch screen that slides up to reveal a keyboard, and is compatible with 3G cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless systems. ($1,499; oqo.com) — B.U.
(The Way It Works)
How Can You Make MP3s Sound Better?
As many listeners know, MP3s lack true high-fidelity sound. The reason is that the files are compressed — an MP3 converter takes a large file, like the ones on your store-bought CDs, and uses an algorithm to compress the file so it can fit into the smaller memories offered by portable players. Along the way, information gets lost, and that means lower fidelity. It’s a sad state of affairs for music fans, but there are some things you can do to make your MP3s sound better.
Most media burners allow you to turn your compact discs into MP3s at a variety of bit rates. Essentially, a higher bit rate provides better sound, though it also uses more memory. Fraunhofer IIS, the German lab that developed the MP3 standard, recommends a bit rate of at least 192kbs and maybe even 256kbs or higher for the best sound. Normally, you can set the bit rate when you transfer files from your computer or a CD to your portable media player.
“When the MP3 throws data away [in the compression process], the highs and lows get affected the most,” says Marc Lee, brand manager for Creative Labs, which has developed its own hardware solution, the X-Fi. “It’s basically like you’re clipping off the edges.”
The X-Fi restores those missing highs and lows by up-converting music using Creative’s X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer. The device produces a virtual surround sound that re-creates the experience of listening to a multichannel speaker system using a feature called CMSS 3D. “It’s not a real restoration process,” Lee explains. “Instead, it’s an intelligent guess as to what the missing data should be.” For the casual listener, it should work like a charm. — B.U.
FLY & BUY
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