Speaker satellites for the iPhone

There's clearly no shortage of speaker sets for the iPod, but what about its call-happy brother the iPhone? In fact, since it uses the same proprietary 30-pin connector as its phoneless counterparts, the iPhone works with many of the sound systems that were designed with the iPod in mind. However, none of those speakers have integrated technology to prevent electromagnetic interference. That's where the new DLO Portable Speakers for iPod come in. (How's that for creative naming?)

The speakers, which cost a reasonable US$49.99, offer an interference-free amplifier. The unit also comes with two orbiting speakers that can be placed in any configuration around the base, which can hold the iPhone--or iPod touch, for that matter--in either portrait or landscape orientation. As such, there's no dock connector, and the iPhone/iPod won't be charged in the base. You can, however, use the 3.5mm connection to connect any audio device. The speaker can be powered by the included AC adapter, or by four AAA batteries, making it quite the versatile unit. Plus, each speaker snaps onto the base to create an enclosed, six-inch ball for easy transport. Neat!

Via Crave CNET

Lenovo's Olympic laptops go on the block

As promised last summer, Lenovo has opened its first auction for its special laptops bearing the "Cloud of Promise" theme to commemorate this year's Bejing Olympics.

The eBay auction, the first of a series to be held online, began in the UK with a limited-edition Lenovo 3000 V2000 laptop autographed by Olympic medalist and badminton star Gail Emms, according to Pocket-lint. The proceeds are designated for the Lenovo Hope Fund charity.

Via Crave CNET

Lenovo readying MacBook Air competitor?

If you asked geeks which manufacturer would be the first to take a shot at the MacBook Air, Lenovo probably would not be at the top of the list. Yet, a rumored update to the manufacturer's X series line of ultraportables could do just that.

Gizmodo is thanking Best Buy for spilling the beans on the ThinkPad X300, which will reportedly replace last year's ThinkPad X61s. The ThinkPad X300 is said to feature a 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit display, full-size keyboard, and 64GB solid-state drive. (Sound familiar?) Even better, the laptop is expected to include an integrated optical drive, three USB ports, and an ExpressCard slot--plus Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN, and possibly GPS, and WiMax connections--in a case that weighs as little as 2.5 pounds. (Though its thickness supposedly tapers from 0.9 inch to 0.73 inch, which if you want to split hairs--literally--would make it thicker than the MacBook Air.)

Of course, all that awesomeness would cost some dough: Best Buy lists a price of US$2,744.

Frankly, this report doesn't seem all that unbelievable, given the recent news that Lenovo and Fujitsu are readying systems that take advantage of the small-form-factor CPU developed by Intel for the MacBook Air. It is about time for the X series to get a refresh, if only to switch to a wide-aspect display. It's just that, while I heart ThinkPads, I wouldn't have expected to be throwing the solid black box into the arena with a fetish-inducing Apple product.

Sadly, Best Buy didn't blab about the ThinkPad X300's release date, so this is all mere speculation. While we wait for the official announcement to come down (or not), tell me: Could this rumored ThinkPad X300 beat the MacBook Air in hand-to-hand combat?

Via Crave CNET

Carlos Rossi's "jugcoustics" sound system

We know there is more than one way to skin a cat, but hats off to Carlos Rossi vineyards for conceiving possibly the world's first Jugology-based speakers. The Sangria Sound System is definitely one of a kind designed ground up using the company's glass wine jugs. In this case, old salvaged loudspeaker components are stuffed into a collection of custom-cut 4-liter and 1.5-liter Rossi jugs. Six of these are mounted on a neon tube which doubles as a speaker stands, complete with a soft under glow for that extra special touch and bling.

Satisfaction is apparently guaranteed, too. This is what Carlo Rossi has to say about its 5.1 6.1 (are you people drunk?) loudspeakers. "Thanks to the Sangria Surround Sound System, whether you're watching an action movie or getting down with your bad self on the living room, you're sure to feel the bass in your face while enjoying the subtle, fruity waft of Sangria in the air." This seems to be one of its many jug design showpieces which includes couch, TV console and bookshelf. Too bad, we seriously doubt you will find one of these on sale anytime soon.

Via Bornrich.org | Photo credit: Carlos Rossi

Nokia trials N95 as traffic monitor

What impact does it have on you? None, for now. But the potential of a recent field test in Union City, California, could be far-reaching. The experiment involved 100 UC Berkeley students who drove a 10-mile stretch of freeway using cars issued with a GPS-enabled N95, Bluetooth headset and special traffic-monitoring software. "As the students drove the freeway, the phone sent data about each car's speed and position back to the company's research facility," wrote Erica Ogg from News.com who was on the ground.

Of what use is this to the average commuter? Lots. Traffic patterns can be monitored and also relayed to them via their cell phones even before they set off on their journey. So instead of relying on a fixed sensor infrastructure, the traffic data system makes use of a collective effort similar to how Wiki operates: Everyone contributes.

That said, this concept isn’t the first of its kind. For example, Vodafone and TomTom in October 2006 collaborated to create a commercial traffic data system using the signals between cell phones and base stations to monitor real-time traffic conditions. The difference is Nokia's experiment makes use of a ubiquitous device, the cell phone.

There are pressing issues such as privacy, but if these concerns are addressed and eliminated, the collective system could be a much cheaper way to monitor traffic. For now, the Finnish phone-maker is looking to increase the number of participants for the trials and include more realistic test environments.

Although I don’t think such a system will take flight in the immediate future because there aren’t that many GPS-enabled handsets in the market (external Bluetooth GPS units aside), if the project gains traction, it could be something really useful for commuters. Another alternative that can be explored is using cell phone location data (something which is already collected by base stations) to provide a locality-based information, so commuters know which areas to avoid. But, for now, it's all great ideas waiting to go someplace.

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