it’s all about audio; for the home, car and b-boying

The Gadget Zone

By James Careless –

The Gadget Zone, it’s all about audio; for the home, car and b-boying.

Are you tired of waking up to the overhyped screams of local FM, screeching through a clock radio with the sound quality of a cat in heat? Then consider getting the Teac SR-L280i AM-FM Radio/CD Player from C Crane (www.ccrane.com). The SR-L280i (who comes up with these names, anyway?) is an All-In-One combo iPod dock, CD player and AM/FM radio. You can plug in your iPod or iPhone to play the tunes you want, or pop in a CD. The CD player can also play MP3 and WMA audio files, allowing you to pack in 200 songs on a single disk. Add tuned-port stereo speakers for Hi-Fi sound and a remote control, and the Teac SR-L280i can make mornings a little less painful; audio-wise, at the very least. More at www.ccrane.com/radios/am-fm-radios/teac-sr-l280i-stereo-cd-radio.aspx

Does your car audio system have a USB port? Have you plugged in a conventional USB stick, then broken it off as your hand moves around the dash in traffic? If so, then you definitely need the Verbatim’s Store ‘n’ Go Car Audio USB Drive. This is an 8 GB USB 2.0 drive that is extremely low profile: The section that sticks out from the dash is about as thick as 2-3 loonies. But despite the fact that the Verbatim Car Audio USB Drive is very small, it can still do whatever a regular USB memory stick can. Just plug the Store ‘n’ Go into your computer, load it with songs, then stick it into your car’s USB port for instant access to your tuneage. For the record, 8GB is equal to about 2,000 MP3s. Find it at http://www.verbatim.com/prod/usb-drives/everyday-usb-drives/car-audio-usb-drive/

Finally, are you an aspiring b-boy/b-girl who needs to preserve your head while practicing in relative silence? Then check out the Headphone Beanie Hat from www.thinkgeek.com. This is a head-protecting toque that comes with headsets and a headset connection cable built into the back. Just put it on, plug in your iPod, and start breakin’! You can even do it in the library – as long as no one objects to your moves.