Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

I had the chance to review the ZoFunk iPod Video Cases today, and I hadn’t even gotten one of them fully unpacked before my wife grabbed it and slapped it on her 30GB video iPod.

“Finally!” She exclaimed excitedly, “Something to protect my screen from scratching every time you drop it!”

I have to admit that I have wrought some damage to her iPod since buying it “for her” for Christmas 18 months ago. I’ve busted the cool white earbuds, gone through two iPod Car Conversion Kits, and the iPod screen itself is barely visible after I got tired of the previous neoprene case we had as protection and (stupidly) removed it.

But now I have hope. These cool new silicon-based iPod protectors from ZoFunk are ultra slim (only 1mm thick!) and you can barely tell that your iPod is even in a case. Unlike what was not the case with my previous bulky case, your iPod will still be stylin’ in your choice of Red, Pink or Blue.

With their thin profile, all of the plugins and ports still remain very accessible, and you can even use your docking station without removing the cover. I didn’t have any problems plugging in our car adapter or the earbuds. In fact, most control adjustments to the iPod were as easy to do with the case on, as they usually are without a case. The click wheel is surprisingly responsive, even though it is covered. As I usually “over-track” when using the wheel, the ZoFunk case actually made my navigation more controllable.

The ZoFunk iPod cases come with a screen protector, color-matching caps for your earbuds and a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. I definitely recommend wiping your screen down well prior to putting on the screen protector, as any grain of sand or dust will not allow you to squeeze all of the air from out under the protective film.

Zofunk iPod video cases are available online directly from ZoFunk or through Amazon for only $26.99. Looking back, I wish that this iPod protector was available when we purchased our iPod. It would definitely be in much better condition today.

Well, it’s a Mini-theater, actually. With the recent launch of the Altec Lansing iMV712 Digital Mini Theater for iPod, you can enjoy your iPod Video content on an 8.5 inch screen instead of the much smaller 2.5 inch standard iPod video screen.

With an 8.5 inch LCD screen, a 4-inch subwoofer and two three-inch speakers, the new iMV712 delivers crisp video and crystal-clear sound suitable for everything from your kid’s room to your kitchen counter.

Features include:

• High Quality Audio
  3-inch Neodymium speakers and built-in 4-inch subwoofer
• SFX Technology
  Altec Lansing’s Stereo Field Expander that boosts the sound field to give the user an immersive stereo sound experience
• Crisp, Clear Video
  High-resolution, widescreen 8.5 inch LCD Screen
• Apple Universal Dock
  Let’s you dock & charge iPod models with the standard 30-pin connector.
• Wireless remote
  Controls both the iMV712 (volume, treble/bass and mute) and iPod (pause, menu, play, stop, forward/reverse).

The Altec Lansing iMV712 Digital Mini Theater will be available in May in retail stores and online for an MSRP of $349.95.

Camcorder Manufacturers have traditionally put the everyday consumer in a bind — they created a great way to capture high-quality video of everyday events, but haven’t made an easy way to unlock that video from the videotape to watch it or share it with friends and family.

Pure Digital today unveiled Flip Video, a new line of digital camcorders designed to make it easy for everyday consumers to shoot and share video.  Retailing for between $119.99 (30 minutes) to $149.99 (60 minutes), the new camcorder is available at over 9,400 retailers nationwide.

Flip Video is looking to address the portability issues traditionally found with camcorders, letting you share videos as easily as digital pictures. The built-in software allows videos to be uploaded via USB directly to popular Internet video sharing sites, including YouTube. If you want to do more, you can also edit clips, make custom movie mixes, add your own music, or even capture still photos from video.

“With Flip Video, Pure Digital has created a brand new category of camcorder that puts the power to instantly capture, edit, and share video in the pocket of everyday consumers,” said Jonathan Kaplan, Chairperson and CEO of Pure Digital Technologies. “Flip Video has the potential to forever change the way people use this increasingly popular medium.”

Announced Features include:

• One-touch recording with 2x digital zoom
• 1.5 inch color playback screen
• Built-in software for instant viewing & editing.

Pure Digital is perhaps best known for the “disposable camcorders” that allow you to take video and trade in the camcorder for a DVD at your neighborhood drugstore. Flip Video is their play into a market where a physical DVD is getting less and less important in this day and age of online video, especially for the all-important teen market.