It’s an epidemic, really. When most people put on their earphones, they become dead to the outside world. The cyclist can’t hear the car honking at him. The runner can’t hear the person screaming, “Look out!” We’re not about to give up our music any time soon, so what do we do?

SafeSound products has come up with an interesting solution called AIRbudz. These aren’t a separate set of earphones; instead, they work with your existing set to let you simultaneously listen to your tunes and hear the ambient sound around you. The concept is actually really simple: AIRbudz effectively replaces or supplements the silicone insert that you’d normally slip onto your earphone. There are specially designed air channels that allow outside noise to creep in, while still letting the music come through.

This isn’t exactly ideal, but neither is getting side-swiped by traffic when you go out on your jog. You can find AIRbudz on Kickstarter. A minimum pledge of $10 lands you ne of hte first packages of AIRbudz, including a Kickstarter-exclusive carrying case. They’re seeking $22,000 in funding and have until June 9 to do it.

[Source]

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You’ve already seen the crazy MacBook Pro Touch concept, but what if Apple were to extend the touch to some of its other products. Not to be confused with the iPod touch, what you’re looking at here is a concept for the next-generation iPod nano. More specifically, it’s being touted as the iPod nano touch for obvious reasons, but it’s even smarter than that.

Coming by way of designer Enrico Penello, the concept device naturally comes with a touchscreen display. The UI appears to be somewhat similar to the current clippy and touchy iPod nano, but the shape has been extended into a longer stick, not unlike the shape we used to have with the old iPod shuffle. The concept is smarter, though, coming with Wi-Fi, a FaceTime-ready front-facing camera, and a new weather app. Yes, Nike+ support is there too.

With the longer body shape comes a longer clip on the back. Rounding out the specs are the trusted home button and a couple of volume buttons, as well as the power button on top. I’m not sure I like the idea of the extended clip, but I think I can get into the extended touchscreen interface and Wi-Fi capabilities. This is totally an unofficial concept, though, so who knows if Cupertino is paying attention?

[Source]

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We have the right device for those of you who have a thing for tiny MP3 players. The music player pictured above, the Kube2 from Singapore technology company Bluetree Electronics, is not as thin as the latest generation iPod shuffles, but it’s being claimed by the makers as the “world’s smallest touch mp3 player”.

The Kube2 MP3 player, which is the successor to the company’s “Kube” released two years ago, measures in at 1″ x 1″ x 1″ and comes equipped with a touch sensor for navigating through the screen and menu.

The sensor will allow your finger to do the talking. Just a quick swipe with your thumb along the faceplate and the player switches to the previous or next track. You just have to place a finger at the top or bottom of the player to raise or lower the volume respectively. And the proper diagonal movements pauses playback or gives you the shuffle mode.

Unlike the first generation device which was made out of plastic, the Kube2 features an aluminum body. You will also get to play with a range of removable stickers for customizing the look of your device.

Its lithium-polymer battery provides six hours of continuous play and it can be fully charged via USB in an hour.

The microSD card slot supports cards of up to 32GB, which should allow you to store about 8000 songs. But the 4GB card (around 1,000 songs) that is available in the package might just be enough.

The kube2 comes with a price tag of approximately $35 and is currently only available in Singapore. It will be shown off at CES 2012 in January prior to its release worldwide.

[via DesignBoom]

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Just when you thought the iPod Nano has already come to the end of the line, think again! The hardware refresh this week adds a multi-touch capability to the iPod family. The nano sports a 1.54” color TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 240 (220 ppi).

The new and improved nano now comes in seven different colors and can display up to 16 various clocks, perfect for snapping on your wrist. It is also offered in 8GB and 16GB capacities which are pegged at $129 and $149 respectively.

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I like music, and I like it loud. That might explain why my hearing isn’t as good as it used to be. That also might mean it’d be a good idea for me to consider the Philips GoGear Muse 3. Yes, standalone music players still exist and some people prefer them over using smartphones for music. Or they don’t have a smartphone.

In the case of the GoGear Muse 3, you get something called the SafeSound function. Basically, it monitors the sound level of Marilyn Manson and Def Leppard, alerting you if the volume is probably a little too high for your eardrums to handle. You could heed this warning and lower the volume yourself, or you could let SafeSound automatically adjust the volume for you.

Your sense of hearing will probably thank you, but it kind of takes the fun out of rocking out with super loud music. Even so, if you still want to be able to hear in 20 years, lowering the volume is likely a good idea. This PMP will even pump out daily and weekly overviews of your listening patterns, making sure that you’re still in sound health. Other specs include the SoundPersonalisation graphic equalizer, 3.2-inch touchscreen, noise-isolating in-ear headphones, built-in speaker and plenty of format support (including video). The 8GB and 16GB models are on sale now for about $175 and $223.

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They seem to be putting these pico projector things in all sorts of products these days. We’ve already seen them in digital cameras, for example, and now they’re infiltrating the portable media player market too with the Sceptre Luna.

That’s the more interesting part of the news. The product itself looks very generic with a grey box and some basic media controls. However, there is no on-board display whatsoever, keeping you guessing as to the tunes pumping into your ear. The projector part can be used to show videos and slideshows, but that’s not all that useful when all you want to do is see your playlist… especially in public.

Running through the rest of the specs, you find no internal memory at all. Instead, it comes with a 2GB microSD card, which can then be upgraded up to a 32GB card should you feel so inclined. The projector itself can make for an image up to 50-inches across the diagonal from a distance of up to 99 inches. The other downside? The battery will only last an hour if you want to use the projector, not even giving you enough to get through a regular Hollywood movie.

Sure, the Sceptre Luna is an interesting idea, but its execution still leaves a lot to be desired. Check it out for $170 at QVC, Amazon, Walmart, NewEgg, Target, Sears, and K-Mart.

[via Sceptre]

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The iPod shuffle is pretty small, but it doesn’t do you much good when you want to go for a dip in the pool with Michael Phelps. For that, you may be much more inclined to check out the UWaterG2 from Fitness Technologies, Inc. They’ve developed the world’s smallest 100% waterproof MP3 player.

From what I can see, it offers a similar clip-like mechanism as the iPod shuffle, but it can head into up to ten feet of water without skipping a beat. It doesn’t appear to be quite as thin, but you could easily clip the player to your goggles or headband. Naturally, you’ll want to make the UWaterG2 with a suitable set of underwater headphones too. It comes with some extendable (12-40″) stereo waterproof earphones, plus four sets of silicon ear-tips and an armband.

Available in five different colors — black/yellow, black/red, black/blue, black, and ice white — the UWaterG2 waterproof MP3 player comes in your choice of three capacities too. Prices start at $59.95 for the tiny 2GB player, but you can upgrade to the 4GB or 8GB model if you prefer too. From what I can gather, it doesn’t have a conventional display (like the iPod shuffle), but it does have a “highly visible multi-color LED mode control” (unlike the shuffle).

I can’t imagine the UWaterG2 replacing your main MP3 player any time soon, especially if you’re the type to use your Android phone or iPhone for that purpose, but it looks like an interesting option for the swimmers or other water sport individuals. Just make sure your silicon ear tips provide a good seal; otherwise, you won’t be able to tell the difference between Annie Lennox and Lenny Kravitz.

[Fitness Technologies]

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When it comes to digital cameras, it usually pays to stick with the bigger names in the industry. You can feel a little better with a Canon or Nikon in your hands, because they’re trusted and true. Even so, the Poco Pro camera from Iain Sinclair might turn a few heads with its credit card-sized footprint and slew of features.

Sure, it’s not as thin as a credit card (what’s with that weird bulge in the middle?), but it’ll easily slip into your pocket. The spec sheet calls for a 14MP sensor, but based on the size of the lens, the sensor itself is probably really tiny. More megapixels, as you know, do not equate to better picture quality. The same sensor can be used for 1080p HD video recording.

Running through the features, we find a 2.4-inch AMOLED display, touch-sensitive controls around the bezel, haptic feedback, a mechanical shutter (for that satisfying sound you normally only get out of SLRs), MP3 playback (yes, really), built-in speakers, microSD slot and twin LED flash. There’s no optical zoom to be had, though.

Iain Sinclair’s Poco Pro digital camera is projected to sell for 200GBP ($307), but it won’t be hitting any retail channels until June of next year. That’s assuming if it ever makes it to market at all. This is the same crew who’s making that credit card pocket knife.

[ Iain Sinclair Design]

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This tiny player does not come with a touchscreen like the iPod touch or iPod nano. Instead, it has a regular 2.4-inch QVGA color display, accompanied by a (capacitive) touch-sensitive touchpad below it for all your musical navigation needs. They say this way you can have a touchscreen-like experience “without obscuring the device’s viewable area.”

Other specs include the FM radio, microSD expansion slot, video playback capabilities, 24 hour battery life (for music), and your choice of at least five different colors. The SanDisk Sansa Fuse+ is being offered in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB flavors for $79, $89, and $119, respectively. They’re available now.

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Copy Red Fingernail Mp3 Player

I’m not really sure what to make of this thing, but I guess you could say that it is the next natural progression for the MP3 player. Sure, many people use their smartphones as music players, but many others like having a separate unit for that purpose.

But this doesn’t really have any buttons. What you see here is the newly revealed Coby Micro MP3 Player and it’s a polished piece of plastic. The minimalist design is reminiscent of the Creative Zen Stone, but it goes so much further.

How the heck do you control this player? It’s possible that it works like the iPod shuffle and it just bumbles its way through your playlist as it pleases. On the other hand, it could take another page out of the shuffle playbook by placing the controls in the headphone cord. Your guess is as good as mine.

For the raw specs, you can expect to get 2GB of internal memory, USB connectivity, and a mere five-hour battery. Coby isn’t forthcoming with launch price or a release date, so we’ll just have to sit and wait. Painting our nails.

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