http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/303 Microsoft has made no attempt to hide which trendy little MP3 player lay in the sights of the recently released Zune HD: Apple's iPod Touch. Apple turned the market upside down when it released the Touch back in 2007, and while Microsoft let its own Zune line languish for two years before responding, the silver bullet Microsoft has finally offered up has clearly been engineered to drop Apple. But will it succeed? With both players in hand, we ran down the key advantages of each to determine which truly makes the ultimate portable video device....Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/298 Taking your music with you used to be as easy as popping the cassette out of your home tape player and into your car, boombox, or Walkman. Not so any more. Though the rise of the MP3 has made it possible to download albums in seconds, share them with your friends, and fit millions of songs in a single box, the actual process of getting it from off a desktop hard drive and playing it somewhere else has taken a step backward in simplicity. But that's quickly changing, as a plethora of services and gadgets have sprung up to fill the void. Leave Bon Jovi at home no more. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can get your music off your desktop.Living RoomUnless you home computer happens t...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/130 How many times have you come across a really cool tech product, only to discover it's not available here in the good old USA? Sure, you can buy a kabillion run-of-the-mill MP3 players if you want, but zip on down to the local Mega Mart for a toothbrush-shaped video camera that takes up close and personal footage of all your nasty cavities, and you'll come up empty every time.Due to a variety of circumstances, Americans miss out, at least temporarily, on a lot of great stuff. From economical subcompact cars to robots, we lag behind. But why? Let’s take a look at many of the specific high-tech arenas where the United States chases behind other countries, and then get to the bottom of its technologically stunted growth...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/284 Face it – with well over 120 million units sold, no company even comes close to touching the extraordinary success that Apple has enjoyed with its iPod-branded portable media players. Between classic, nano, shuffle and touch models (not to mention nearly 35 million iPhones sold to date), the almighty iPod has become all but synonymous with MP3 players in just a few short years (and perhaps the first "Kleenex" or "Frisbee" of the 21st century). But commercial success doesn't necessarily mean the...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/205 Full disclosure: Any roundup of MP3 or portable media players that claims to be a definitive "best of" collection isn't a roundup you should be reading. The truth is that there's simply far too much product variety in this category for any one critic – or legion of critics – to authoritatively rate them all, especially given the subjective way in which different features connect with different types of user. So instead, we offer the following – a showcase of ten key players that, by virtue of simplicity, sophistication, innovation or cos...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/104 Full disclosure: Any roundup of MP3 or portable media players that claims to be a definitive "best of" collection isn't a roundup you should be reading. The truth is that there's simply far too much product variety in this category for any one critic – or legion of critics – to authoritatively rate them all, especially given the subjective way in which different features connect with different types of user. So instead, we offer the following – a showcase of ten key players that, by virtue of simplicity, sophistication, innovation or cos...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/196 Pushing aside the logistics of securing power and Internet connectivity for your travelling circus of electronics, keeping them safe from accidents, evildoers and the forces of nature can also present a challenge. With water, gravity and greed all conspiring to take away the gadgets you love dearly, you’ll need to invest in the right equipment to keep them safe. Here are a few essentials:Bags and CasesSure, you could toss your laptop and MP3 player into your gym bag between a spare pa...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/24697/ Let’s just face it; Bluetooth technology is taking over. Just about all the new eletronic audio devices are incorporating Bluetooth technology into their design, allowing the user to talk on the phone, stream music, or perform other various tasks. This “Bluetooth fever” has also been leaking into the car audio industry for a little while now, but has recently exploded with all the different uses that Bluetooth can offer. Bluetooth car stereos are the way of the future, and manufacturers provide several different options to bring this convenient technology into the vehicle. The majority of these Bluetooth head units allow the driver to answer phone calls and steam music via a Bluetooth enabled music device such as a MP3 cell phone, iPod, or laptop. The most popular option is to have hands-free calling in the car. Let’s look at the KD-AVX44 from JVC and the MEX-BT5000 from Sony. When someone buys either of these units, it will come with Bluetooth technology built-in to the car stereo . The microphone is right on the faceplate, and the Bluetooth transmitter is already installed. All the driver had to do is pair his or her Bluetooth enabled phone to the unit and start... Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:37:29 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/104 It takes some pretty spectacular deals to pry Americans out of their recliners late every Turkey Day and send them out into blistering cold parking lots to camp for hours, but retailers have it figured it out with Black Friday. And if you’re looking to score a big-screen TV for half of what it normally runs for, get a printer bundled with your camera for free, or pick up an MP3 player for the cost of a cup of coffee, you’ll be out there too. With the economy forcing consumers to pinch their pennies even more this year, and retailers trying even harder to open those cautiously held wallets, the deals are ripe for the picking. Here are a few of our favorite picks for this year.  ...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/153 Apple might still dominate the MP3 orchard with its new iPod Touch and Nano models, but thanks to increasing competition from forward-thinking digital music player manufacturers, several new rivals don’t fall far from the tree. Better still, many up the ante with fun features like built-in FM radio tuners, voice recording options, expandable memory and wireless file transfer capabilities. Read on to find out which make both great stocking stuffers and easily justified gifts for that special someone (i.e. yourself). Frees...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/23595/ Do you find yourself having to change the volume levels on your Sansa MP3 player everytime the song changes?Are you turning the volume up to hear soft songs, then getting blasted by louder ones?Luckily, there's a great little utility called MP3 Gain that does lossless volume analysis and adjustment, as well as allowing for the volume of entire albums to be processed. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:30:04 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/23596/ Are you so in love with music you can't imagine life without your ten-thousand favorite songs? Are you a little bit of a control freak? Do you obsess over song order when composing your over-mulled playlists? Most importantly, are you getting married soon? If you answered yes to all of the above, have I got an idea for you! It may be time to consider an MP3 player as your reception DJ instead of the typical human variety. My upcoming nuptuals are quite a while away, so I have sufficient time to plan a 4-hour playlist of songs that really speaks to me and my fiance. I've read about this concept in bridal magazines, and this is a great new trend that even acts as a money saver. Why do such a thing, you ask? First and foremost, it really works best for smaller parties of your nearest and dearest, who don't need gimmicky games hosted by an obnoxious DJ to entertain themselves. The company of loved ones is really the best game you can play at a wedding. Secondly, I am a major control freak. Everytime I heard a song that I loved I penciled it down and said... Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:00:09 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/150578 Add external storage to your TiVo, beef up your Xbox 360, rip DVDs to your media player, play your iTunes purchases on any device, and use your standard cable remote to skip commercials. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/23648/ I travel some and have a hard time hearing my music and videos on the airplanes. What I have found is that with a simple Portable Audio Amplifier I can amplify and enhance the sound quality to a much better level. There are a couple of different options when it comes to Portable Headphone Audio Amplifiers. One is the Boostaroo , which has the ability to will double the available volume from your audio player and separate the audio signal into individual stereo channels to drive 3 separate sets of headphones or speakers. Naturally it will depend on the ohm rating of your headphones, but the Boostaroo can increase the volume of your player by 100% with no more than a 0.3% harmonic distortion. If you are watching or listening to something that two or tree people want to hear I highly recommend the Boostaroo . If you are looking for something that improves the sound quality for MP3 MP4 Players Computers or Mobile Phones when using earphones or headphones and not so much into sharing the audio with others and are wanting a more quality for an awesome personal listening experience right between your ears I recommend the FiiO... Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:45:09 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/257 Last week the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Dell was again looking at the MP3 business and that I was involved in the effort. I’ve been fascinated with the success of the iPod for some time now and the fact that even though it is very clear how Apple took the market, there has yet to emerge a truly serious competitor to Apple’s leadership. This is primarily because no one wanted to match Apple on all aspects of their program initially, and now that Apple is dominant, matching alone won’t do it anyway.On the other hand, just like Apple moved around the comp... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/126 Solio Magnesium Edition $199.99 Set in a compact, sturdy magnesium-alloy casing, solar panels soak up the sun's energy and pump it back out into your phone, MP3 player, camera, or other gadget. You can also charge it up via AC power, and you can get extra tips for just about any device -- even that finicky iPhone. (www.solio.com)  ... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/21993/ Windows Media Player is a media player for all your digital media (audio, photos and video) for computers running Windows XP and Vista. It is available as a downloadable application for Windows XP directly from Microsoft or via Windows Update and ships with Windows Vista as its default player. It is also available on Pocket PC and Windows mobile based devices. In the following sections, I will show you the basic interface, library management, ripping/burning audio cds to the library and how to sync your media to a portable MP3 player. This article focuses on Windows Media Player 11. The Interface Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) is the latest version on Microsoft's Media Player. It has undergone a complete overhaul from previous versions and sports a slicker user interface. It is pretty simple to navigate and access your media by just a few clicks of the mouse. You can use it to share media with other pcs, media streaming devices (XBox360, PS3, Netgear EVA8000, etc.), to rip and burn cd's to and from your library and sync your media to/from portable media players (both audio and video). There are 5 main buttons on the interface, they consist of the "Now... Fri, 16 May 2008 11:15:06 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/144836 Want to save power, paper, printer ink, and--oh, yeah--the earth, too? These simple hints will make your computing life more eco-friendly--and cheaper. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/20578/ Since the invention of the Walkman in the 1980s, music lovers everywhere have been able to take their music wherever they go. The introduction of the iPod MP3 player in the year 2001 has refueled the portable music craze, and taking music with you is easier now than it's ever been before. With this newest revolution comes an onslaught of music download sites offering listeners a seemingly unlimited selection of music and audio choices. One of the most popular sites in the downloading wars is Apple’s iTunes . iTunes Defined iTunes is software that enables users to add, organizes and listen to a digital music library, both on a computer and with a portable listening device such as an iPod. iTunes has transformed the way consumers buy and listen to music and other downloadable content. Brilliant in its simplicity, iTunes offers much in the way of variety and flexibility. Easy to download and use, it works a lot like other music playing programs, and plus it can be used on both Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Standard Features The iTunes jukebox offers a variety of user-friendly features including audio file playback, streaming music, internet radio, modest graphics capabilities, and—when available—will... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:00:05 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/21197/ Virtually everyone uses these various audio formats. Who hasn’t heard of iTunes or RealPlayer? Whether we realize it or not, this is good information for all of us to know. Let’s cover the basics, shall we? MP3 Created by a contingent of European engineers in the early 90’s, MP3 (aka, MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) has become something of a household name in today’s world. With MP3 players galore, and iPods everywhere, most everyone uses or at least knows of the MP3 audio format. But do you really know what MP3 is? In one sentence, the MP3 audio codec compresses the number of bytes used to store an audio file without noticeably lessening the sound quality. But, how does it do that? It uses a compression algorithm. And what is that? How does it work? All good questions – let’s find out. An algorithm is simply a fancy-schmancy word meaning a set of rules created for solving a specific problem, in an outlined – and preferably small – number of steps. Therefore, a “compression algorithm” can be adequately described as a problem solving equation used to compress a file size. In the case of MP3, it is also meant to maintain... Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:45:06 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/140742 If it's Presidents Day, it must be time to get serious about buying a new digital camera. For this and other advice about buying mobile electronic devices, read on. Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/20259/ Ask any teenager what the "must have" gift on their list this holiday season is, and you will undoubtedly have the majority suggesting the MP3 player. The Sony Walkman of today, MP3 players offer the convenience of portable music in a very small package. A Little Background At the heart of the MP3 player is a music file. Similar in some ways to a compact disc, which stores digital music in a disc format, the MP3 also stores digital music. The one big difference is that MP3 files are compressed to a much smaller size, which enables the player to store more files. The wonder of the whole operation is that the quality of the music does not suffer as a result. What makes an MP3 player different than the Walkman of the past is the fact there are no storage devices that need be inserted (such as a CD or tape) into the unit to play music. The player is essentially a mini computer that stores a digital file. When called upon, the file will play music. In addition, the player is much smaller, with most flash players similar in dimensions to a credit card. The components of a... Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:00:15 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/19529/ Wireless technology is fast becoming a necessity rather than a desired application on some of today’s hottest gadgets. We are developing into a society that expects to receive information or become connected wherever we happen to be at the time. With this desire is an influx of wireless gadgets to keep us in-touch, entertained and connected whenever we desire to do so. The following list represents the top ten most popular wireless gadgets for today’s techno savvy consumer. 1. The Apple iPhone - The Apple iPhone was the must have gadget of the summer of 2007 and still holds the allure of today’s gadget crazy consumer. The iPhone can be best categorized as a cell phone on steroids. The unit provides multimedia capabilities, including the functions of Apple’s iPod, a PDA and web browser. The iPhone also offers a camera function, email interface and instant messaging. The iPhone originally retailed for a whopping $600, however it can be purchased now for around $400 (for the 8GGB model). 2. Apple iPod Nano - The Apple iPod Nano (third generation - 4 GB), continues to refine the ever-popular iPod technology. Retailing for under $200, the Nano not only allows the user to ... Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:15:06 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/19445/ Your monstrous collection of compact discs has gotten a little out of hand. Billions upon billions of them are scattered throughout your home. They used to be the top-of-the-line in sound quality. Times have changed. MP3s have taken over. And now you have no idea where to put all your CDs or what to do with them. So what do you do? Well, there are about as many options as CDs in your titanic accumulation. But let’s take some time to cover the most popular—and arguably most effective—ways to do this. CD Changer One option, which was popular a few years ago (and still holds its own), is to purchase a large capacity CD changer. I actually bought a fifty-one CD changer back in the day (mid-1990s) as a means to better organize my moderate mass of compact discs. The stereo system was state of the art back then, and I was on top of the world. Today you can purchase gargantuan 500+ disc CD changers for fairly reasonable rates, allowing you to keep your CDs well-organized and niftily consolidated. However, you'll still have to keep track of your CDs somehow. Pros: Provides storage for CDs Keeps CDs well-organized and ... Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:30:05 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/216 Picking a Portable Media Player:  Going Non-iPod and the Improved Zune IIFor the last several years, I've often wondered if the companies competing with Apple in the MP3 player space were blind, deaf, and dumb.Apple products weren't just better – they generally slam-dunked the products that competed with them.  One of the most disappointing efforts was Microsoft's first Zune. While MS did a good job with accessories, stores and product specifications, well… let's just say the actual product wasn't very attractive, and my first reaction upon seeing it was that it wouldn't sell very well. (I'm actually understating my reaction, and I'll likely use this as an example of... Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0400