All Portable audio Feeds

The Creative way to give your PC better audio

Marc Chacksfield — 1210693260

Creative’s new addition to its X-Fi range, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1, is the first of its type that allows you to upgrade your PCs basic, built-in audio system to 5.1 surround sound.

The device comes in black and simply plugs into a USB2.0 port to give your computer advanced audio capabilities - ideal for those who are afraid to open up your PCs to see what lurks inside.

Located on the Sound Blaster are gold-plated RCA ports and mini-jack outputs, while there’s also an optical-out for connecting to surround sound systems. A rather stylish remote control is also supplied.

Let the games begin

The X-Fi Surround 5.1 is not only geared towards those who want to immerse themselves in their DVD collection, it’s ideal for gamers too.

Put a game on and Creative’s EAX Advanced HD effects kick in, giving – in theory – a fantastic 5.1 gaming experience.

The Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 is out now, priced at around £30.

Downloads blamed for Warner share slump

Marc Chacksfield — 1210345413

Warner Music Group, the company behind Muse, REM and Nickleback, has announced losses of around $34 million. This second quarter deficit is worse than the loss of $19 million it made a year ago.

The company has blamed the lower revenue on an increase in taxes and a decrease in CD sales, as more and more music buyers migrate online for their tunes. It has also cited illegal downloads as a reason the company is losing money.

Digital downloads up

Even though the company has made a loss, its digital revenue is up a whopping 48 per cent. The digital arm of its company now accounts for just over 20 per cent of sales. This equates to around $164 million.

Warner is also gaining money on the sale of mobile ringtones but even this combined with online sales hasn’t been enough to stop the slump.

To counteract the losses, Warners has announced it is to diversify revenue streams. According to The Guardian, it is to recoup money from ticket sales, merchandising and making deals with MySpace.

Gear4 DUO brings satellite speakers to iPods

Patrick Goss — 1210339395

Gear4’s latest ipod speaker is actually fairly astounding - it isn’t a run of the mill docking station by dint of a detachable portable speaker system.

So while you can appreciate the sub-woofer in your own home, it is also possible to detach the bulky bit of kit and take the speakers with you on your merry way.

The Gear4 DUO, available in June, has a total output of 38W, which becomes 18W with just the satellite speaker, a rechargeable Lithium-ion cell and a handy extra battery compartment.

Original

In their own words: “The patented Seamless Sound Technology (SST) allows the Satellite Speaker to be effortlessly docked into the Bass Unit, where its built-in Lithium-ion battery will automatically recharge, making it permanently ready for portable use.

“So, whether you want a home or portable speaker, you’ll Never Miss A Beat!”

At least it’s got a spark of originality in the sea of samey iPod accessories

Audio-Technica's ebony headphones make you feel good about wood

Gareth Beavis — 1210247862

The Audio Technica W5000 headphones are dubbed as ‘high-end’. Luckily, here at TechRadar we have a foolproof checklist to determine what that means:

Cost over £500? Check. (Actually £699.95)
Provide sound quality improvements only the cultured masses could fully comprehend? Check.
Eliminate oxygen somewhere? Check.
Made of some random material to apparently improve sound? Check.

In fairness, these cans do look very, very nice, and sound even nicer, and that’s because they’re made out of ebony wood. For those who only know of ebony when suffixed with ‘and Ivory’, then you should know that hacking into ebony wood is actually harder than cutting steel.

Sounds strong, is hard

But why make headphones out of the stuff, when you’d have to justify not paying bills for a month in order to improve the sound from your iPod?

Well, most headphones use plastic as a ‘foundation’ for the sound to spring into your ears. Given plastic has a certain amount of flexibility and strength, a lot of sound can escape the other way.

Ebony is strong, but also pretty light too, so makes much more sense for these cans. Imagine trying to punch someone on a bouncy castle (maybe because they kept bouncing next to you and making you fall over). It would be difficult to hit them, no?

But stand on concrete (assuming they stand still in front of you and let you punch them) and the whole thing becomes a lot more effective.

The headphones are comfortable on top of the head too, so can be used for many hours, ensuring you unwittingly travel far too many stops on the bus or tube.

The Audio-Technica W5000 headphones have 3 metre cables made from Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) conductors and come supplied with a hard carrying case and a cable storage bag.

Replug: Audio jack saving device

Adam Hartley — 1209462059

Replug’s handy new ‘audio jack saver’ means no more damaging equipment after accidentally tearing your headphones out of your MP3 player when dancing around or walking away from your computer, forgetting your cans are still connected.

Replug offers music lovers' an easy way to prevent broken headphone connectors and audio devices.

Simple but effective

It’s a simple and obvious solution to a common problem – a cable adapter that creates a flexible and safely detachable connection between headphones and your computer, iPod or other audio device.

The Replug is compatible with any standard 3.5mm stereo format audio socket and also has variants adapted to fit the iPhone connection.

For more you can check out www.twistedcarbon.com.

Wafer-thin portable speakers soon to launch

Dan George — 1208874551

NXT, the Cambridgeshire-based electronics specialist who pioneered flat panel speaker technology in the 1990s, has announced details of its latest loudspeakers – two foldable, portable models manufactured by mobile accessories specialist Targus.

Although the speakers are aimed squarely at music on the move, following the launch at MacWorld 2008 earlier in the year, NXT has its roots in performance-based audio.

Flat and proud

The Traveler’s Choice compact stereo speakers comprise a set of sleek, ultra-thin NXT portable speakers using the company’s proprietary Balanced Radiator (BR) technology, making them handy for traveling music lovers as well as laptop users.

Designed for use while ‘on the road’, the Traveler’s Choice speakers can be attached to laptop computers via USB, or to the supplied battery pack, which is powered by four AAA batteries.

Audio input is via a standard 3.5mm jack, ensuring the speakers are compatible with portable music players, laptop computers and a number of other media sources.

The Traveler’s Choice speakers clip together magnetically when not in use and are available in a choice of black or red finishes. They will be available nationwide in the early summer.

Recharging iPod case offers 46 hours of music

1208347763

Japanese company Radius has launched the awesomely named RadJacket Charge – a recharging jacket for the iPod touch.

The RadJacket Charge is fitted with a built-in lithium ion battery and a three hour charge will set you up for 46 hours of music, 12 hours of video and 10 hours of web browsing, the Japanese company claims.

Unfortunately, right now the RadJacket Charge is only available in Japan.

TechRadar expects that it is only a matter of time before some canny importers bring this handy iPod gizmo and other Radius products to the UK.

Creative launches stylish new iPod nano speaker

1207738411

Creative has announced the rather nifty looking little TravelSound i80 docking speaker for the latest model iPod nano.

TechRadar has to agree with the manufacturer that the dock is "sleek, stylish and versatile", though we do hope that it doesn’t encourage yet more young ruffians to blast out music on the back seat of our bus each morning.

Photoframe nano

The i80’s rechargable battery lasts up to 15 hours, claims Creative, and can be recharged via a simple USB lead. We will be sure to put that to the test as soon as we get a unit in for review.

And while it looks pretty tiny, the i80 still packs in four micro drivers and a mini digital amplifier.

It even features an adjustable stand, should you choose to use your iPod nano as a photo frame on your desk. A snip at £49.99, available now.

Def Jam Records launches hip hop mobile phone

1207528370

Sony Ericsson and The Carphone Warehouse are releasing a limited edition hip hop and RnB mobile phone, in association with the legendary Def Jam Records.

Kim de Ruiter, commercial and new business manager at Mercury Music Group - the label responsible for Def Jam in the UK - said of the deal: “Joining our unique Def Jam artists with Sony Ericsson in this way allows us to reach a targeted audience in an interesting and relevant way, while at the same time entering a new, non-traditional music retail space to market our acts.”

Blinging speakers

The limited edition white and gold W910i handsets will come fully loaded with audio and video content from the Def Jam stable. The phone will also be bundled with matching MPS 75 speakers in blinging black and gold – ideal for annoying grannies on the back of the bus.

The Def Jam phones will be exclusively available at the Carphone Warehouse in the UK from tomorrow (8 April). For all the interested gangstas out there, here’s the full list of content the phone will come pre-loaded with:

VIDEOS

1) Ne-Yo - Do You

2) Fabolous f/ Ne-Yo - Make Me Better

3) Chingy - Gimmie Dat f/ Ludacris and Bobby V

4) Rick Ross - The Boss

5) Rocko - Umma Do Me

6) Mariah - 'Touch My Body' podcast

AUDIO

1) Janet - Rock With U

2) Rihanna and Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You

3) Ne-Yo - Because Of You

4) Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead

5) Ludacris - Money Maker

6) Fabolous - Diamonds

7) Playaz Circle - Duffle Bag Boys

Mpio V10 PMP induces severe gadget lust

J Mark Lytle — 1207039015

Korean audio specialist Mpio has long done a great line in PMPs so tricked out, yet affordably priced, that they make the competition look bad. The latest such device raises the bar even higher.

So far available only in Korea, the V10 costs 228,000 won (£116) for the 4GB version or 268,000 won (£137) for one with twice the memory. Taking a leaf out of the iPod touch, there's a big (three inches) touchscreen with a 480 x 272-pixel resolution.

Complete PMP package

As you can see from the gorgeous photos on the Korean-language website, that screen is the gateway to everything you'd expect in a high-end PMP.

Aside from the usual audio and video players that can handle every format under the sun, including H.264, the 108g, 15mm thick package contains an e-book reader, a photo viewer, a Korean-English dictionary, an FM radio and a built-in voice recorder.

Battery life is slightly disappointing at just eight hours of audio or five hours of video, but a TV output and an SD card slot still give the V10 an edge over most other players.