ipod

While we've always loved the design and sound quality of Tivoli Audio products, the company isn't exactly known for its bargain pricing. Case in point: its new iPod/iPhone dock, The Connector, will run you $124.99. But it does match up nicely with Tivoli's existing line of tabletop radios.

As the company says, "The Connector looks beautiful next to any Tivoli Audio product. It keeps your iPod or iPhone charged, and the included remote lets you control many functions including volume, next/previous track, and playlist selection. And if you watch movies on your iPod, … Read more

Apple iOS 4.2, which will bring multitasking to the iPad, improved performance to the iPhone 3G, and features like AirPlay and AirPrint to all, may arrive as soon as this Friday.

According to MacStories, an "inside source at AT&T" said that the update will be available for download on Friday, November 12, at 10 a.m. PT. And prior to that (possibly tomorrow), Apple will release iTunes 10.1. 

Further evidence comes from iPhone Help, which cited the German blog iPhone-Ticker's discovery of Vodafone and O2 configuration profiles containing updated network operator settings … Read more

The iPod is a phenomenon, and it has clearly elevated the state of the art of portable music players. But it's not a bona fide high-end device. It's good for what it is, but I've always been a bit frustrated by the iPod's inability to sound great with some of my favorite full-size headphones.

Earlier this year I reviewed the Hifiman HM-801, and dubbed it "the Hummer" of portable players. The HM-801 made my iPod sound feeble by comparison.

The HM-801 was conceived as an audiophile player, so non-sound-oriented features are scarce. Instead of a hard drive, the HM-801 uses 32GB SDHC cards, which can store 20 24-bit-96 kHz FLAC "albums," or 50 CD-quality albums. Obviously, you can bring a bunch of SD cards with you so capacity isn't an issue. The player retails for $790.

That's expensive, but the best stuff always is. The HM-801 is about to be joined by another Hifiman player, the HM-602. Priced at $439, it's a good deal more affordable, and smaller than the HM-801; it's just 2.4 by 4 by 1 inches. That's nearly the same size as an iPod Classic, but more than twice as thick.

I prefer the HM-801's bold styling, but the new player's ergonomics are better. Neither is as easy to use and navigate as an iPod, but I got the hang of the HM-602's functions in a few days. It also plays 32GB SDHC cards. Like the HM-801, the HM-602 plays 96-kHz sampled FLAC files, but reduces 24-bit resolution to 16 bit. It also plays WAV, MP3, ACC, OGG, and APE files. The new player has 16GB of built-in flash memory; the HM-801 has just 2GB.… Read more

Among headphone manufacturers, Urbanears can certainly count itself as one that creates some of the most stylish sets on the market. Unfortunately, the high-fashion look associated with the company's Medis and Plattan headphones came at the sacrifice of sound quality.

While I don't expect much of an audio improvement from the Plattan Plus headphones, iPod and iPhone owners who place more emphasis on looks than function might be pleased with Urbanears' latest offering. The Plus 'phones keep the style of the Plattan and add an inline mic and playback controls for the ubiquitous Apple devices. Unlike many competing … Read more

Cut the Rope is an inventive, addictive, and extremely polished arcade puzzler, in which you interact with increasingly complex, physics-based puzzles to get a piece of candy into the mouth of a cute monster named Om Nom.

Cut the Rope's interface starts out simple: you just swipe your finger to cut a rope, which drops an attached piece of candy into Om Nom's mouth. Soon, you're cutting multiple ropes (occasionally more than one at a time, using multitouch), trying to maneuver the plummeting piece of candy to pass over stars on its way to Om Nom (between … Read more

Attention, Angry Birds fans! According to the game's maker Rovio, Angry Birds: Halloween should be hitting Apple's App Store tonight at midnight your local time.

The game is exclusive to Apple's iOS platform, with a regular version for iPhones and iPod Touches at 99 cents, and an HD version for iPads for $1.99.

It's not an add-on, but a stand-alone game with 45 levels, new elements, graphics, and sounds. And don't worry about future Angry Birds updates, Rovio has pledged to keep adding new levels to the regular game, which I've beaten, with … Read more

Here's one of the weirder (but cooler) deals I've seen lately: When you buy one of six iPod Touch models from Best Buy, you get a free GPS. (Shipping runs about $6, and you'll probably be on the hook for sales tax as well.)

The iPods are second-, third-, and fourth-generation models in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB configurations, with prices ranging from $179.99 to $399.99.

I think your best bang for the buck is the 32GB third-gen Touch ($229.99), followed closely by the fourth-gen version (with the built-in cameras, etc.) for $299.99.

Whatever … Read more

Getting to the bottom of the Chevy Volt fiasco, beaming your iPod screen on your dash, the littlest Aston Martin gets a green light, and the world's most advanced driving simulator.

• Is the Chevy Volt a fraud, or just unfairly parsed?

• iPhone as radar detector

• The Prius will get a bigger sibling

• 10 concept cars that got lost in translation

• Pioneer shows laser-based HUD

In our latest CNET Prizefight, two clip-on MP3 players (the Apple iPod Nano and SanDisk Sansa Clip+) battle to determine which one is best suited to be your ultimate fitness-friendly audio distraction.

Apple pretty much wrote the book on tiny clip-on MP3 players, but SanDisk has been a quick study. The Sansa Clip+ doesn't have the brand recognition of the iPod, but it's been quietly racking up rave reviews for its ample features and ridiculously affordable price.

Based on the opinions of three CNET editors, which of these pinching players will prevail in a five-round battle royale? Click through … Read more