Looking at the current crop of smartphones and tablets it is clear that capacitive, rather than resistive, is the touchscreen technology of choice. Because of its reliance on pressure for input resistive screens are plagued by inaccuracy and poor responsiveness. Resistive touchscreens do have one advantage over capacitive though – you can use one while wearing gloves.

But now, SMK Electronics and Synaptics have both developed touch screens that will allow gadget users easier usability when operating capacitive touch screen devices. SMK has developed new sensor panel structure that is noise-resistant, allowing for a clearer signal to be detected at high sensitivities. But this isn’t the first touchscreen we’ve seen that works with gloves. The range of screens designed by Synaptics also work by reducing noise but in slightly different way. Synaptics screens integrate the touchscreen controller with the display controller running the screen beneath it. This allows them to work together and avoid interference. The Synaptics touchscreens are able to detect a gloved hand or even the head of a pin!

The Synaptics screens are aimed at mobile phone, MP3 and tablet use while SMK’s have been specifically designed for dash panel systems in cars. The company believes that more and more functions will be centralised in our vehicles, where access at any time is important. The SMK panel is 6.5-inches, but can be scaled up to 8-inches.

Any audio device Bluetooth connectivity can now become a truly wireless player for all your music and movies. Listen to music or other audio from your smartphone, laptop or tablet on using the Logitech wireless speakers. The plug-and-play system lets you stream music from anywhere in the room – up to 15 metres away and transform your device into a touch screen player and remote control to wirelessly stream stereo audio.

The speakers in the range are all rechargeable and boast an impressive 10 hours of listening and offer full stereo sound with dual two-inch drivers and plenty of bass.

Logitech has also launched the Logitech Wireless Headset which can connect to a variety of Apple devices or any other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The headset will let you roam freely without the fear of tangling yourself cables.

The headset includes a rechargeable battery which promises 6 hours of listening time on a single charge.

The speakers start at R699.

The box-shaped device has 5.25-inch speakers has on each of its four sides, a comfy leather handle on top and a compartment on the bottom with room for 12D-cell batteries. Control audio source, station present, playback and other functions from the capacitive touch control above the front speaker and volume and radio tuning from the two aluminium knobs to the left and right of the control screen.

On the back, the TDK Sound Cube offers an iPhone, iPod, and iPad connection, USB stick media playback (for MP3, AAC, WMA), and a slew of auxiliary input options. You can also plug a microphone, electric guitar, or other instrument in to the Sound Cube for use as an amplifier. TDK took it one step further and also equipped the speakers with Cirrus Logic CS5340 analog-to-digital converters and digital signal processors that allow you to mix the input from your instrument with music from your digital music player -  so you can sing or play along with your favourite tracks.

The TDK Sound Cube is a stylish choice for users looking for an affordable and portable speaker/amp. It’s great for musicians on the go and can easily be used for jam sessions or parties in the park with friends.

The problem with small portable speakers is that they have very little capacity for low bass frequencies – this makes for very low quality sound playback. Wowee has now turned the world of the portable speaker on its head by allowing the Wowee ONE to work in conjunction with any flat surface in order to achieve better bass response. This clever little speaker is designed to vibrate, and enable low frequencies to bass on to any flat surface it is placed on – essentially creating a ‘natural’ sub-woofer.  Basically it uses a hybrid technology of a standard speaker (that delivers the mid-to-high frequencies) and a Gel Audio driver that delivers the low end bass frequencies. The low end frequencies are created though the use of a soft gel-like padding at the bottom of the speaker. This gel also allows the device to be placed on vertical surfaces such as windows and walls.

The device can be used with all iPod, iPhone, iPad, mp3 and mp4 players, as well as other mobile devices. Or to put it more simply: it works with any device that has a headphone jack.

The Wowee ONE has a built in battery and can be charged using a USB cable. The little device will allow you to enjoy up to 20 hours of playtime – just plug the jack cable into your device and you’re ready to go. While the device is by no means a replacement for a stereo system or high-quality speakers, it is a perfect companion for trips or for use when larger options are not practical.

iPod Shuffle: The new Shuffle returns to the square form factor of the pre-previous model, and thankfully loses the silly, instantly breakable ear-bud mounted controls, getting a real click-wheel in their place. Of course, there’s a handy clip for athletic wearability… The tiniest body is machined from a single piece of aluminium, and comes in silver, blue, green, orange, or pink. Other new features include playlists, the increasingly improving and popular Genius mixes, and a discrete Voiceover button. The capacity is 2GB and the device will last 15 hours on a single charge.

iPod nano: Apple’s obsession with touch, is slowly but relentlessly spreading down their line of products. The new iPod nano is the latest to be annointed with a display featuring Multi-touch technology. The device form-factor changes completely, from previous nano’s. And. Lo and behold, there’s a clip! That, together with the size change, makes this another easily-wearable iPod. There are 8GB and 16GB models, and the battery life is 24 hours. Display rotation makes for super-easy handling, and Nike+ love and the built-in pedometer, ensure this one’ll be loved by the jogging set.

iPod Touch: The biggest of the iPods has inherited a slew of features from it’s sibling, the iPhone, but at the same time, the locked-in-step same-case-design trend, has fallen away. The remarkable 960×480 pixel resolution Retina display, front and rear cameras for FaceTime, and HD (720p) video recording and editing? All in. iOS 4.1 brings with it Game Center, and the device loves it. BTW? The “Project Sword” demo by Mike Capps from Epic games at the Apple event yesterday, was a excellent peek at what to expect from gaming on the new Touch.

• iPod Shuffle 4GB – was R999.95, now R899.95
• iPod Nano 8GB – was R1999.95, now R1699.95
• iPod Nano 16GB – was R2499.95, now R1999.95
• iPod Classic 160GB – was R3399.95, now R2799.95
• iPod Touch 8GB – was R2699.95, now R1999.95
• iPod Touch 32GB – was R3999.95, now R2999.95
• iPod Touch 64GB – was R5499.95, now R4299.95

So head down to your nearest Incredible Connection store and pick up an iPod at these new prices.

Technical aspects that are known so far include a touch screen display, 4.3” screen displaying at a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels; the player will be available in a wide array of colours upon release. All popular music and video formats are supported making this a very handy and highly performance driven product which will also have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities.

The player also has an outgoing HDMI port which gives it the capability of being plugged into a larger screen. One of the features I especially liked about this product is its battery life; the Digital Cube i-station T9 offers 10 hours of video playback and 20 hours of audio playback at a go.

No release date has been scheduled or announced as yet.

source: http://www.clonedinchina.com/2010/01/digital-cube-i-station-t9-hd-pmp-with-wi-fi.html

When doing a little bit of research regarding Apple’s latest iPod offering, much of what I expected came to fruition … until I learnt something about this new iPod which came as a bit of a surprise.

The iPod back and front

The Apple iPod Nano 5G is now not only a mobile media playback device but it also comes equipped with a video camera for you to not only listen to your favourite tracks on the run but also to record your own videos just as easily!

As illustrated below, the new Nano’s overall look has not been totally revolutionised; in fact it is very similar in looks to the older model with the exception of a polished aluminium finish.

The iPod's interface is both user friendly and attractive

The iPod will come equipped with Apple’s iTunes software. From the sounds of it, no pun intended, the new Nano will sound even better than its predecessor. If you love iPods which you probably do if you’ve ever owned one; the newly built in camera should be justification enough to dig into your pockets for this latest addition to the iPod family.

Voice Over

Talks you say? That’s right, when you press the centre button on the new earbuds, a voice will say the track name and artist of the song you are currently listening to. Then, holding the centre button in for a couple of seconds, it will start repeating the names of your playlists and by tapping the centre button when it mentions a playlist, will take you to that specific playlist.

As super cool and futuristic this may all sound, without actually testing it myself, I have no idea if it actually works as well as Apple say it does. Then again, this is Apple we are talking about, so my money is on it being a success.

The new iPod shuffle comes in 2 colours, black and silver and has a 4GB capacity that can carry around 1000 songs. It connects to your Mac or PC via a USB cable that plugs into the earphone port much the same way as the previous iPod shuffle did. Playback time is around 10 hours when fully charged, which is pretty decent considering its size!

No news just yet on when the new iPod shuffle will be hitting our shores, but be sure to stay tuned as I’ll have a full review of when the shuffle when it does!