radio

With the holidays right around the corner, here's something to consider stuffing in that stocking. The Vamp from Inter Active Toy is a great gift for kids age 8 and up. It's essentially a radio-controlled flying bat that can be used indoors and outdoors.

Six AA batteries power the remote, which in turn charges the Vamp via a small plug. A full charge--around 15 to 20 minutes--should give you about 8 minutes of flight time. The Vamp retails for $59 and is exclusive to Radio Shack in the United States and Circuit City in Canada. It is expected … Read more

Despite the impending sale of Sanyo's cell phone division to Kyocera, handset sales are still trucking along according to schedule. The Sanyo S1, for example, is a slim candy bar phone for Sprint that is available now via RadioShack. It seems to be a pretty simple device, with Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and access to Sprint's Vision services. RadioShack is getting a tremendous head start here, as the Sanyo S1 won't even go on sale via Sprint until January of next year. By then, the phone might be renamed the Kyocera S1, for all we know. Stay tuned … Read more

With a few honorable exceptions, car stereo manufacturers are reluctant to build satellite radio tuners into their products, preferring instead to flog you clunky--and expensive--proprietary add-on modules to go with your XM or Sirius subscription.

Perhaps realizing that this model wasn't in the interests of increased adoption of its service, XM has just released the Audiovox XM Direct 2, a (relatively) streamlined, universal adapter that works with nearly all satellite-ready car stereos, irrespective of their manufacturers. In addition to its car compatibility, the device can also be plugged into XM-ready home audio products and XM2go portable radios. According to … Read more

Given the growing trend of people spending their entire lives in the bathroom, it makes sense that there's been a proliferation of waterproof LCDs, speakers, phones, DVD players and even remotes. But a radio that goes under water?

We're not talking about one of those music players for swimmers either. The "Aqua Radio" floats on the surface while submerging a corded speaker so you can "create your own underwater world with awesome deep-sea sound effects." Right.

Just for the record, the radio will play above the waterline as well, so the $15 you paid … Read more

I love listening to any kind of radio--terrestrial, satellite or Internet--while going about my daily Internet pleasures.

But I have no patience and little time to search for cool new stations. I end up relying on the typical standbys and random recommendations from friends or colleagues.

Enter Iheard.

Fusa Capital launched a new search engine on Tuesday that brings the thousands of Internet radio stations out there to one Web site.

The engine includes both Internet-only stations, as well as simulcasts offered by AM and FM radio stations online.

Unlike Radio-Locator, which started from "MIT's List of Radio Stations on the Internet", … Read more

Generally speaking, my love for satellite radio is nonexistent. Sorry to say, I just don't see a reason to spend that kind of money ($12 per month) to listen to a host of shows that can usually be heard on the radio and music that copies what we hear on local radio for free. Now for some, the prospect of missing Howard Stern may be too much to handle, so they go out and pay for Sirius. But XM doesn't have a show like that and more often than not, you'll find yourself working your way through dreck just to get to MLB or other exclusive offerings.

But alas, this hands-on isn't about XM programming as much as it's about the XpressRC. And for all of the faults I find in XM programming, they can't compare to just how nice the XpressRC is.… Read more

Just the thought of being in a swimming pool with Homer Simpson is enough to make anyone cringe. But if the situation is inevitable, it's probably best to have him in a supine position. The best feature of this floating Homer radio, aside from the sight of it alone, is the beer can on his belly: It serves as a volume or station control, depending on how his legs are positioned. On the other hand, it might be asking for trouble to have him involved in anything that requires electricity and water.

Following the release of HD Radio-compatible products from Sony and Dual this week, JVC today released details of what it calls the industry's first plug-and-play HD Radio receiver. The KT-HDP1 is an transportable AM/FM/HD Radio multicast tuner that can be used as portable device or can be permanently installed in a car. The KT-HDP1 is the second HD Radio-capable device from JVC, following its in-dash KDR-HD1 car stereo that we saw earlier this year. The portable tuner is on its way to Best Buy stores now, where it will be on sale for around $130 excluding installation … Read more