December 14th, 2009 4:30 PM | by Christen da Costa
What in God’s name is this? No, it’s not a flash drive but an actual MP3 player with speakers and a 1.1-inch OLED, yes OLED screen, called the Rad Blaster. While I can’t get the word ‘vaporware’ out of my head, it includes a 3.5-inch headphone jack, a speaker that pops off to reveal the USB interface (it can double as a 2GB flash drive), mic, 7 EQs and is compatible with at least MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, and AAC codecs. You can grab it for $60.
While I’m not so sure on the design aesthetic, the Chinon Avi is a techy eye catcher nonetheless. It features a 7-inch LCD monitor with a built in TV tuner, a clock, a radio, iPod dock, remote and the typical iPod controls. All this can be yours this holiday season for $200.
I think it might be fair to say that Altec Lansing has gone of the freakin’ reservation with their MIX Boombox. While I appreciate is versatility and utilitarian approach, something about it seems so 80s to me. Maybe its the word ‘boombox’, or the stylings of a time passed?
This beast includes a set of 5.25-inch side firing subwoofers, dual 1-inch tweeter, dual 3-inch mid range drivers and of course the quintessential iPod/iPhone dock. Hidden on top is a slot for the carabiner inspired remote control and two 3.5mm input jacks for adding two more audio sources, or iPods as their marketing pictures depict. Jamming in 8 D battery will get you up to 30 hours of continuous playback time and despite its rugged looks the MIX Boombox isn’t spec’d for the beach or any outdoor activity.
The MIX Boombox will be available this September for $299.95
While it’s far from a ‘game changer’, JVC introduced a new HiFi stereo system with a flip out iPod Dock, today. Called the UX-LP5 it features a front facing USB input, 70 watts total power, 2-way bass reflex speakers, digital tuner and a video out for playing back movies and TV shows on a connected TV. The JVC UX-LP5 is available now for $149.95.
Buy.com has a low for the ILIVE IH328B 2-CD Home Music System with Dock for iPod. It’s $130 – $49 instant savings + free shipping = $71 shipped! Features of this system include an iPod dock, dual disc CD player, FM radio, motorized doors, digital clock and more.
BuyNow Inc, via Amazon, has the Logitech 930-000054 Squeezebox Boom All-In-One Network Music Player with Integrated Speakers. It’s $273 + Free Shipping = $273 Shipped!
Features:
All digital amplifier and big sound in a small box
Built-in WiFi and Internet radio stations, alarm and SqueezeNetwork