The iPod Nation

Philips’ Wake-up Light is than your traditional alarm clock, it is a “dawn simulator.” It uses light to ease you out of bed gently instead of jolting you with an annoying loud buzz. Their latest version of the Wake-up light includes an iPod dock. Not only does it wake you up, it can charge and play music from your iPod or iPhone, it also includes an FM radio and choices of four natural wake up sounds: a relaxing beep, morning birds in the forest, soft wind chimes or the sounds of the Afican jungle (lions and hyenas?). The light wakes you up by gradually intensifying the light to 300 Lux over a span of 30 minutes before your set wake up time. There is also a “dusk simulation” feature that gradually dims both lights and sound to help you drift off off to sleep. Check out the Wake-up Light HF3490 at the Philips site. Oh and it still includes a good old fashioned snooze button.

-Ray

Inspiretech recently released their new iPod touch 2G Slim Fit polycarbonate cases. Made exclusively for the iPod touch second generation, they’re made out of highly durable polycarbonate for a long lifespan and is less likely to crack like other iPod touch cases. The iPod touch 2G case protects the back and side edges of the second generation iPod touch while still giving full access to the touch screen, camera and ports while protecting your iPod touch from scrapes or falls. Inspiretech includes a full one year manufactures warranty. The slick looking Inspiretech Slim Fit cases come in eight colors: black, dark silver, pearl white, dark blue, baby blue, purple, red, pink and fuchsia.

-Ray

[Source: iPod touch 2G case ]

Kenwood released their I-K50 car head unit that features support for Apple’s iPod and iPhone with its front-mounted USB port. The Kenwood I-K50’s CD can play MP3, WMA and AAC filed. The USB front-mounted USB port lets you plug in flash memory with music on them as well. The best feature is that you can plug in your iPod or iPhone and control it with the head units controls instead of from your iPod with other auxiliary head units. You can search your music collection and play or skip songs without ever looking at your iPod making it safer for drivers. Kenwood is planning on releasing the I-K50 in January and will go for about $260.

-Ray

[Source: ipodnn]

Christmas is hurtling towards us and this year’s black friday did not really produce a lot of great deals. WIth that said, we here at iPodnation are sure there are still some of you ripping out your hair trying to think of that perfect Christmas present. The perfect Christmas present in this economy not only means that the recipient will like it, but the giver’s wallet should like it too! Introducing the Inspiretech Portable Fold-Up Speaker. It might not make your significant other happy she married a cheapskate like you but at $20, you actually get quite a lot. We recommend the Inpsiretech Portable Fold Up Speaker as the perfect present for an office secret santa or for the casual aquaintance of whom you are attending his/her Christmas party.

-Derek

Scandyna Speakers have just introduced their new retro-inspired speakers for the Apple iPod, called the iPod Pink Dock Pack. The iPod Pink Dock Pack will sell for $300 and it features 2 x 15-watt Class T amplifiers, stereo line output, a pair of Micropod SE speakers, dock insert for all dock-connecting iPods, a Kevlar bass/midrange driver, a soft dome tweeter, a remote, and pink paint. Unfortunately, there is no word on whether it will come in different colors. Customers can find the speakers at Sak Fifth Avenue and 800 different audio/video stores in 30 different countries. So if you are looking for some good retro-inspired iPod dock speakers, this is what you have been looking for.

- Geoff

[Source: Engadget]

Tired of tangling cables when connecting your iPod to an audio system? Audioengine may have the given us a great solution to this issue. Audioengine has just introduced their new AW2 wireless iPod adapter. It features two main pieces: a wireless transmitter that connects to your iPod or MP3 player via dock and a USB-based receiver with a 3.5-milimeter auxiliary jack. The wireless iPod adapter works on a Wi-Fi signal and Audioengine promises that you won’t experience any dropouts, static, or interference from CB radios. The AW2 wireless iPod Adapter has a retail price tag of $169, so prepare yourself to drop a few stacks of $1 bills for the pleasure of going wireless.

- Geoff

[Source: Engadget]

The iPanda may be taking advantage of the popularity of Kung-Fu Panda and the iPod but it sure is cute! The panda shaped iPod speaker dock features four speakers as well as a 4” subwoofer good for 25 watts of sound. They also have a feature called “360° sound distribution” for improved listening. To turn up the music all you do is touch the Panda’s left ear and lower the music by touching the right. The iPanda includes a remote and works with iPods and iPhones or any MP3 player with a standard 3.5mm jack. The iPanda goes for $140.

-Ray

[Source: gizmodo]

Optoma has launched their mini Pico projector in Japan already but word is it may be coming to the US very soon. The PK-101 is a 480×320 resolution projector with 9 ANSI lumens and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. It gets up to two hours of battery life and includes a small .5 watt speaker. The projector itself is very tiny as seen in the image above. No release dates have been announced but the Pico projector should go for about $400. This is great for students who need to give presentations or business professionals that need to update the boss with the latest sales figures. Stay tuned for the official release date.

-Ray

[Source: engadget]

Waterproof MP3 speakers have been available for quite some time, JVC’s SP-AW303 waterproof speakers are a little different however. They feature plastic wrap to keep your MP3 player nice and dry. The plastic barrier holds your iPod or other MP3 player in place so you can still its buttons to play your tunes. The battery powered JVC speakers will give about six and a half hours of play time. The JVC waterproof MP3 speakers go for $80 and are available in blue, pink and white.

-Ray

[Source: gizmodo]

Do you want probably the most expensive headphones for your iPod? Westone Music products has just announced their new Westone 3 triple-driver in-ear headphones. These in-ear headphones boast three balanced armature drivers and includes a three-way crossover network that gives the earphones superior sound. They also include braided cables, inline volume control module, and has a frequency response of 20 Hz to 18 kHz. The in-ear headphones comes in a kit that includes 10 different eartips and a 1/8″ and 1/4″ plug adaptor. The headphones will be available on November 28 and has a whopping price tag of $399. With a price tag like that, these better be the best headphones ever and then some. I expect a full body massage with these headphones.

- Geoff

[Source: iLounge]