Creative released the Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes ($150) this week , which allows music to be wirelessly streamed from a computer to the wireless adapter, using only USB dongle. According to a press release from Creative, the system works with virtually any music source, not just iTunes, on both Macs and PCs.
Creative's Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes promises to stream music from any computer to any speakers.
(Credit: Creative)The Sound Blaster Wireless looks similar to Logitech's discontinued Wireless Music System for PC in that it enables you to stream audio from your PC using a simple USB transmitter. The transmitter, which appears to be about the size of a thumb drive, promises to work with any music software and service, including iTunes, Windows Media Player, Rhapsody, Pandora, and Last.fm. You can then stream music to the included receiver, which comes bundled with the device, and has both a headphone and left/right speaker outputs. The transmitter is also compatible with the Creative's own GigaWorks T20W speakers with built-in wireless receivers.
Instead of Wi-Fi, the Sound Blaster Wireless utilizes Creative's proprietary 2.4 GHz technology. We've had some trouble before with non-Wi-Fi wireless systems, but Creative insists that the Sound Blaster Wireless will work up to 100 ft away. The system also comes equipped with Creative's X-Fi sound enhancement technology and software that "enables individual control of music in up to four specific rooms equipped with Creative Wireless Receivers," according to the press release.
This Creative Sound Blaster Wireless is similar to the Bose SoundLink system we wrote about earlier this week, promising to stream any audio source using the "USB audio output" as a workaround. We're not exactly sure how the remote will handle different software and streaming Web services, so we'll need a hands-on test to see how it works.
(Credit:
Creative)
If you're finding that your notebook is pulling double duty as productivity machine and audio server in your home, Creative has a new tandem of products that may hold some appeal: the Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook sound card and Wireless Receiver.
The $90 Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook sound card fits into an ExpressCard slot and, on its own, promises to restore details to compressed audio files. It also delivers an approximation of surround sound to gamers using headphones.
Add the Creative Wireless Receiver to the mix, and you can broadcast your iTunes library or other audio files stored on or streamed from your laptop to other speakers in your house.
The receiver communicates wirelessly up to 100 feet to the X-Fi Notebook sound card and ships with a remote control. You can connect the receiver (via the included RCA cable) to a set of powered speakers or an audio receiver. You can use up to four Wireless Receivers with the sound card. The Creative Wireless Receiver will cost $70 when it starts shipping later this month.
If you already own a home theater receiver, speakers, and a laptop, the X-Fi Notebook sound card and Wireless Receiver(s) present a more affordable route to a multiroom wireless audio arrangement than the admittedly more complete Sonos product.
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| EPISODE 105 |
iDrum--making beats on the iPhone and iPod Touch
Eton P’9120 Porsche Design Clock Radio looks fast while standing still
Rubik’s cube/subwoofer mashup from Elac
BLOCK ROCKER: portable PA system for iPod
Zune Bug MP3 nightlight lulls or excites, depending on your music library
Sony IP Music Player takes retro approach to touch-control interface
Orator Briefcase PA System lets politicians make speeches anytime, anywhere. Oh, great...
What the hell!?
The Ghetto Blaster Tote with working speakers
Kill me.
Contact lens jewelry for your eyeballs: Ouch!
Hello Kitty Watch (DJ edition!)
Hello Kitty won’t stop breeding
Thanks, Azizul AND Shalin
Just make sure you grab the toy gun and shoot the designated target.
... Read moreIt's hard to imagine an iPod-related fashion statement bolder than the Lasonic i931 boom box. Pair this monster iPod speaker system up with a pair of British Knights, a cut-off Alf T-shirt, a flux capacitor, and the soundtrack to Breakin', and you might just rip open a time portal to the 1980s.
With all the high-fives and retro street cred you're likely to attract using the Lasonic i931, you probably don't care if the $200 boom box is actually any good. If you just have to know, you can check out our review.
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Creative Technology)
Being obsessed with gadgets doesn't equate to hardware handiness. In fact, some of us at Crave are loath to remove the back of a computer for fear of the havoc we might wreak--a sorry state for upgrades.
Creative Technology has a solution in at least one category, sound cards. It has just released its "Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1," which allows dolts like us to upgrade audio quality by just plugging the device into a USB port. The small box, which goes for $60, could be a good solution for casual gamers and music lovers who don't want to mess with the innards of their desktop or laptop.
Nerf Vulcan EBF-25, the Maxim Gun of foam dart warfare.
Hasbro showed off its entire upcoming Nerf line at Toy Fair, including more about the fabled Nerf Wii blaster revealed last week. No longer just a photo and some passing speculation, the Nerf-branded Wii peripheral now has a name and even more details.
The Nerf Wii blaster is officially called the Switch Shot EX-3, and is part of the Nerf N-Strike line of blasters. The Switch Shot EX-3 functions both as a Wii remote Zapper-like gun peripheral and a Nerf dart blaster, thanks to a removable dart module that clicks into the remote slot. The lower half of the barrel stores two additional Nerf darts, and holds a Nerf N-Strike accessory rail. While it doesn't come with any accessories, the Switch Shot's N-strike rail makes it compatible with the Nerf Recon blaster's red dot sight or the separately sold N-Strike tactical light. The Nerf Switch Shot EX-3 is scheduled to ship in Fall 2008, and will retail for about $13 to $15. The blaster will also be shipped with the upcoming Nerf N-Strike game for the Wii, although Hasbro hasn't announced final pricing or packaging yet. EA and Hasbro are also developing a Nerf N-strike game for the Nintendo DS, though it's not yet known if it will ship with the Switch Shot blaster.
Hasbro also showed off the Nerf Vulcan EBF-25. While it doesn't double as a Wii accessory, the Vulcan stood out as one of the most extreme examples of Nerf warfare yet. The Vulcan is a tripod-mounted, motorized Nerf machine gun that uses an ammo belt and storage box to fire up to 25 Nerf darts without reloading. It runs off of 6 'D' batteries, and it also features an N-strike clip for using additional tactical lights, scopes, or sights. The Vulcan already seems like a fearsome Nerf gun, but its motorized system and pivoting tripod practically beg for some enterprising toy modder to drill, cut, and solder on some servo motors and make their very own Nerf sentry turret. The Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 ships in Fall 2008, with a retail price of $40.
(Credit:
Shacknews)
When it comes to plastic toy guns, two names tend to come to mind: Nerf and the Zapper. Thanks to the new partnership between Electronic Arts and Hasbro, those two are about to collide. Kotaku and Shacknews have reported that EA Hasbro has revealed Nerf N-Strike for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems, along with a Wiimote-based Nerf blaster.
Wii Zapper clones aren't exactly new. Nyko's Perfect Shot offers a satisfyingly gun-shaped alternative to the Zapper, and CTA Digital's torrent of inexplicable gun grips give even more choices. Nerf's Wii blaster puts a new spin on the Zapper by making it double as a functional Nerf dart gun. The Wiimote can pop into the Nerf-themed gun grip to function as a game controller, or you can pop in a Nerf blaster module to fire foam darts at your friends and enemies.
The Nerf N-Strike games and blaster are scheduled to ship in fall 2008. Hasbro will likely unveil more details about the games at next week's Toy Fair in New York.
Somebody call Turbo! Crave is ready to throw a non-stop breakdance competition.
(Credit: Lasonic)In a move that just might reignite Mr. T's breakdance career, Lasonic has announced plans to update their classic '80s full-size boombox design to meet the demands of the iPod-toting modern world. That means no more flipping tapes over between headspins and popping routines. It also means that you can fit the soundtrack to Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo and several Africa Bambaataa mixes onto your Nano to keep the party rockin' 'til the break of dawn.
Wondering if this thing has a mic input so you can bust your rendition of "Rapper's Delight"? Of course it does. It can also load music directly from USB thumb drives or Flash memory cards. Super fresh.
Here's the original Lasonic TRC-931 boombox in all its cassette-flipping glory.
(via Listening Post)
(Credit:
DealExtreme)
As recently noted by Will Greenwald, one of Crave's resident gaming experts (not to be confused with Resident Evil), the "Wii Zapper" wasn't exactly what virtual gun slingers had anticipated. Perhaps that's why others are seizing the opportunity with alternative shooting controllers like the "Wii Blaster," which looks a little more convincing.
Coolest-Gadgets says you work it by using the Wiimote as the barrel, attaching it kind of like a bayonet but on the top of the pseudo-weapon, while the Nunchuk slides into the handle. It's not bad for a little over $16, but we still think something better will come along. Perhaps manufacturers should take a cue from the makers of the marshmallow cannon.
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Uber-Review)
Gaming chairs are great, especially when they're combined with bean bags, but there's only so much they can do in the way of performance--especially where sound is concerned. That's apparently why Pyramat, which makes its own line of chairs, is extending its offerings to include the "Lap Blaster" sound booster.
The device promises to turn any laptop into a "personal home theater experience" by connecting it to two full-range speakers housed in a flat surface that lies under the computer, according to Uber-Review. With an ergonomic design, it can double as a writing desk and, more important, can help keep the computer from overheating--an especially good thing if it's literally sitting on your lap.
In fact, is it just us, or is anyone else discomforted by the name "Lap Blaster"? It seems like an unfortunate juxtaposition, to say the least.
