Mp3 Player Zone

Anyone willing to spend the money for a deliciously decadent iPod Touch should automatically be willing to invest in a protective cover. Not only do they make sure that your carefully guarded iPod doesn’t suffer from nasty bumps and drops, but they can be stylish as well.

Take Speck Products PixelSkin, for example. With a nice tight fit around the iPod Touch, it offers ample protection from the accidents of daily life while being appropriately attractive. The rubberized square design is eye catching while offering a non-slip feel in the hand that’s a bit more secure than traditional cold metal.

There are easy access flaps for any connections that require extraneous plugs. Offered in a variety of colors, the PixelSkin is a smart, low budget buy that could potentially save plenty of dollars in the long run. They may look a little too odd for some people, but this is going to be a personal preference. The thing is, you really should have *something* to protect your investment. So why not something with a little bit of style?

That’s where the PixelSkin comes in – offering a little style with your protection. It’s not the style for everyone – that’s for sure – but if you’re a little different or you just want something unique to protect your MP3 player, this product from Speck is going to be right up your alley.

If you have one, send us a photo of it in use! We’d also like to know what you think about it – whether you like the PixelSkin from Speck or you hate it.

That’s about all there is to say about this simple (yet cool) device. If you can think of anything else to say about, let us know!

Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android

Meet the Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android (500GB). This may be the ultimate music machine on the market at the moment. To be honest, the image here doesn’t really do this MP3 player justice. It’s really a lot more than an MP3 player. Even more than the Apple iPod Touch maybe. It’s run with Google Android, which is a powerful new OS for smartphones and internet tablets. Yes, just as netbooks are hitting the scene, there’s something new called an Internet tablet.

With a LARGE touchscreen (high resolution) and a whopping 500GB of storage, this may be the king of MP3 players this holiday season. While it does have Google Android and it touts itself as a full Internet tablet, there are those who say it’s better as an MP3 player than a full-blown Internet tablet. That said, it’s still a pretty amazing piece of MP3 machinery when you think about it.  (Especially if you remember the super expensive 256M (yes, MEGABYTE) MP3 players that first came out years ago.

If you’re looking for one of the best MP3 players on the market this year, the Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android just might be the best choice for you.  Not all Google Android apps are supported and the GPS can be hit or miss for some people in some areas, but that aside, there are many who are really digging this new MP3 player. Will it replace the Apple iPod touch as king of MP3 players? Only time will tell. If you’re looking for something a little different, though, you might give it a look.

If you have a Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android, we’d love to hear your experience with it. Leave a comment below and let us know whether you love it or hate it. Thanks and keep rocking!

Nowadays, both mp3 players and docks for them come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. The Vestalife Ladybug Portable Speaker Dock for iPod is just the latest example of this trend, sporting the shape and style of a rather irritated looking insect that definitely catches the eye. When folded up, it looks more or less like a ball – the black speaker grills acting as wings, the drivers as eyes, etc. It’s abstract enough not to be in your face, but just present enough to make the whimsical smile.

When you open the unit, you reveal the iPod dock itself, with snap on adapters for various iPod models. The back of the unit holds most of the special features – a subwoofer, an AV out jack, and even an auxiliary line input so you can use the Ladybug with non-iPod mp3 players. The battery option makes this speaker truly portable, which is a nice change from a lot of iPod docks that promise portability and forget details like power.

For the relatively low price, the sound quality is not bad at all. While it’s not the best audio you’ve ever heard, it’s generally of fine quality for the casual listener. The bass can be a bit off-putting and the harder genres of music get a bit messy in translation, but in otherwise, it’s certainly an improvement over similarly sized and priced products.

The design is the real seller here – clever and cute, with plenty of options, seeing as it comes in four main color schemes plus an extra two “stylized” options with a little more flare. For the iPod savvy teen or the occasional adult who likes a touch of the fanciful in their décor, the Ladybug is a good speaker option at a great price.

If you like your stereo systems to look industrial, sleek, and black, the iHome iP1 is definitely up your alley. Both sizable (weighing about eight pounds) and modern, this iPod dock is a decent addition to both your media library and your mod décor. As an added bonus, it also works with iPhones, allowing you even more usability options.

A standout feature from your standard iPod docks is the AV output for iPod videos. The ability to turn the iHome into a stereo system for your movies is a neat little trick that significantly boosts the audio of most televisions – though if you’re a surround sound snob, this is definitely not a feature that would appeal.

As with all speakers, make sure to test out multiple locations for the iHome iP1 to get the best sound results. Acoustics are a tricky thing, but with some adjustments, you should be able to get a fairly impressive, in-your-face kind of sound that really shines with upbeat, harder music genres. The tones for softer music is admittedly not great – if your music taste leans more toward folk than futuristic, you might want to keep shopping around. It makes the soft sounds a little too sharp, sometimes even distorting the tone of the music in an unpleasant manner. But with electronica, rock, and anything with a great beat, the amped up bass and treble this unit offers really makes the music shine.

The real hang up here is the price tag – retailing at about $300, this unit seems to leave a lot wanting for the money you have to fork over. There’s no alarm clock function or radio option, and while the AV output is a neat feature, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra coin. Leave me a comment and try to change my mind.

In the continuing struggle to keep up with the behemoth that is Apple, Microsoft has updated their much derided Zune. The newest incarnation, the Zune HD, proves that good things comes to those who wait. The most noticeable and immediate change is the look – gone are the days of a laughable, mud colored mess from what seemed like the stone age. The new design is straight out of the new Star Trek movie – glossy, high tech, and hard to tear your eyes away from.

Thankfully, the changes don’t stop there. The remarkable 3.3 inch touchscreen is easy to use and has beautiful, 480 x 272 pixel resolution that makes pictures truly HD. Beyond just radio support, the Zune HD offers HD radio support, which allows the user even more freedom and variety of use. What’s more, with a newly extended battery life that beats its competitor, it’s hard not to be tempted to rage against the machine and drop your iPod Touch for the Zune HD.

While certainly a valid option, there are also some key drawbacks to the Zune HD worth paying attention to. Most notable is probably the fact that the Zune HD, for all its shine and high tech allowances, is still just a media player through and through. None of the multitasking features that Apple is so renowned for are present here, and for some it might be a refreshing change. For others, it’s just another piece of machinery to have to carry around.

The other drawback, surprisingly, is the price. While the initial cost of the Zune HD is certainly lower than the iPod Touch, its nearest competitor, there’s a rather substantial catch. In order to access the full capabilities and advantages of the Zune HD, you need a Zune Pass, which adds up to a rather staggering extra $180 a year. Sure, going without is an option, but then you’ll also be without a lot of the standout features of the Zune HD. Ultimately, it’s a great option if you’re absolutely against Apple…but given the choice, I’d probably still pick up the iPod Touch instead.