Sound & Vision Magazine - Ultimate Gift Guide (part 3)

AirClick iPod remote / naviPro eX iPod remote
A lot of people would look at these two similarly priced iPod remotes and think, “They’ve got to be pretty much the same, right?” Wrong. Both use a small receiver that plugs into the top of your iPod and includes a pass-through headphone jack for patching the player into your system — but that’s where the similarity ends. The biggest difference between the Griffin Technology AirClick ($40) and the Ten Technology naviPro eX ($50) is control. Both remotes can handle play/pause, next/fast forward, previous/rewind, and volume, but the naviPro goes a step further, providing access to the player’s playlist, album, chapter, shuffle, and repeat functions. Then there’s compatibility.

ugg5_airclick_remote200 Both work with fourth-gen iPods and the iPod photo, but the AirClick can handle third-gen models as well. (Ten Technology’s $50 naviPod can also handle third-gen models but is limited to the same basic functions as the AirClick.) Another difference: the AirClick’s RF remote can send signals through walls, while the naviPro’s IR remote can only handle line-of-sight commands. (Both remotes are also available in iPod mini versions, tapered to match the mini’s body.) Keeping track of which model has which features can be a pain, but it can also lead to an iPod remote that’s a perfect fit for your — or your recipient’s — needs. — Michael Gaughn
griffintechnology.com
tentechnology.com

iHome iPod alarm clock
Add “alarm clock” to your list of must-have iPod accessories. Whether you want to wake up or fall asleep to the Cure, the Crüe, or — if you’re truly inspired by the glossy white design — anything from The White Album to the White Stripes, iHome’s iH5 is a dream machine. For $100, you get room-filling sound (even at high volumes), an AM/FM radio, and compatibility with all current iPods (first- and second-gen ’Pods and the shuffle have to be plugged in; all other models sit in the iH5’s cradle). A sleep timer lets you drift off to slumberland knowing your iPod will turn itself off automatically. Even without bass and treble controls and with the optional $20 remote’s limited range, it’s still iHome sweet iHome. — Drew Thompson
ihomeaudio.com

Logitech iPod wireless headphones
Here’s a foolproof gadget for every iPod lover on your list. Charge the small transmitter (not shown) and wireless headphones, turn them on so they can establish a Bluetooth connection, plug the transmitter into the top of a third- or fourth-gen iPod, iPod mini, or iPod photo, and you’re ready to listen. No more getting cables caught on everything in sight, yanking the buds from your ears. And no more having to stay tethered to your ’Pod. The signal is good for at least 30 feet with a clear line of sight (about half that if you walk into the next room and the signal has to go through the wall), and the phones have volume and basic iPod controls built right in. If you’ve got a first-rate pair of earbuds, though, don’t toss them just yet — the sound from the Logitech headphones ($150) is a little muddy. But for hassle-free casual listening, they can’t be beat. — Michael Gaughn
logitech.com

iM7 iPod minisystem
Monitor Audio’s iDeck has the upper hand when it comes to quality and volume of sound, but for about a hundred bucks less, Altec Lansing’s iM7 ($250) will give you enough clear highs and decent lows — thanks to a side-firing 4-inch woofer — to easily fill a smaller room. The iM7 is nicely self-contained — the 16.75-inch-wide tube is really all there is to it — and setup is simple. Just plug it in, slide your third- or fourth-gen iPod, iPod photo, or (using the supplied adapter) iPod mini into the compartment on the front, and you’re ready to go. (The included 3.5-mm audio cable lets you jack older iPods, the shuffle, or the nano into an auxiliary input on the back.) There’s also a battery compartment (eight Ds) for portable play, a tiny, wafer-thin remote, and even composite- and S-video outputs so you can use your TV to check out shots from your iPod photo. — Michael Gaughn
alteclansing.com

TuneStage iPod wireless transmitter
Another must-get gift for every heavy-duty iPod user. There are all kinds of cables and docks out there for jacking a ’Pod into your main system, and most of them work just fine. But all of them mean having to trudge over to the player every time you want to see what’s on the diminutive readout. Belkin’s TuneStage ($180) solves that problem by using a Bluetooth signal between the receiver, which you plug into your system, and the small transmitter atop your third- or fourth-gen iPod, mini, or photo. Thanks to the TuneStage’s 30-foot range, you can keep your ’Pod nearby so you can scroll through playlists or change player settings. And the strong Bluetooth signal ensures clean, uninterrupted sound. — Michael Gaughn
belkin.com

Drive + Play iPod car system
Driving 65 while fiddling with an iPod’s Click Wheel and trying to read the tiny type on its readout is a recipe for disaster. Harman Kardon’s Drive + Play ($199) takes the hazard out of your musical fun by putting iPod control safely within reach and sight. A backlit text display goes on the dash or windshield so you can see what’s playing without taking your eyes off the road. And you mount the lighted joystick-type control knob, which mimics all the functions of the iPod’s Click Wheel, between the front seats so you’ll always know where it is. You can plug every kind of iPod (except first- and second-gen models and the shuffle) into the small Electronics Center using the player’s docking connector. (You can jack in those other iPods — as well as MP3 players — using a minijack, but you won’t be able to use the control knob or see the readout info on the Drive + Play’s text display.) Once you’ve placed the Electronics Center anywhere in the car’s front compartment, you can either feed its signal through the radio using its wireless FM transmitter or use an optional kit to make a wired connection. The system isn’t exactly plug and play, but it beats fumbling for your iPod as you drift over the center line.
harmankardon.com

— Michael Gaughn

iDeck iPod minisystem
Do we have a Bose killer here? For many, that company’s SoundDock represents the best sound you can coax from an iPod minisystem, but Monitor Audio’s iDeck ($349) gives it a pretty good run for about the same amount of money. Anyone who finds the Bose sound a little too warm might prefer the iDeck’s British reserve. (Monitor is an English company, after all.) And if you feel confined by the SoundDock’s single speaker panel, the iDeck’s two speakers, tethered on 4-foot cables, will provide welcome flexibility. For the best possible sound, you’re still better off using something like the Belkin TuneStage to feed your iPod through a full-fledged system. But the Monitor rig will produce plenty of volume for a bedroom, dorm room, office, or other small space. Setup is idiot proof (the iDeck accepts third- and fourth-gen iPods, the photo, and the mini), and it includes a flat little remote with basic playback controls. — Michael Gaughn
www.ideckusa.com

Virgin Mobile Slider Sonic cellphone
Other cellphones might have more corporate cachet, but do they come with kung-fu screensavers or a Tony Hawk’s Underground game? Kyocera’s Virgin Mobile Slider Sonic ($250) is definitely pitched toward teens. Beyond basics like good call quality with almost 4 hours’ talk time, compact size and weight (just under 4 ounces), a Web browser, and a 300,000-pixel flash camera with 30 seconds of video capture, there’s some funky fun to be had. Check out the superphonic — “real music” — ringtones (and there are scads more to download), the all-important AIM to do your mobile messaging, exclusive downloadable content from MTV and Comedy Central (“crank call,” anyone?), one-button access to the resident MP3 player, and a 32-MB TransFlash memory card to expand your onboard capacity. Maybe the most youth-friendly feature is the calling plan: Virgin offers "pay as you go," which avoids the hassle and long-term commitments of a contract. Live for today.
virginmobileusa.com — Shannon McCarthy
kyocera-wireless.com

Ojo videophone
No, this isn’t another high-tech false alarm. Every year, some company announces it’s achieved the long-elusive goal of a real videophone, and every year we end up with something that makes people look like they’re characters in an old Charlie Chaplin short. Well, the future is finally here, in the very stylish form of Motorola’s Ojo ($800). The 16:9 screen — a generous 5.625 inches (diagonal) — produces sharp, colorful pictures free of herky-jerky motion, and the tiny built-in camera captures an equally impressive picture for whoever you’re calling. But that’s the first hitch — for this Jetsonian exercise to successfully play out, the person on the other end has to have an Ojo, too. (Web and cellphone cams need not apply.) Not surprisingly, you also need a cable-modem or DSL connection to handle all that video bandwidth. (You’re not obliged to broadcast your mug when using the Ojo, though, since you can use the 6.25-inch-long handset — which snaps out of the support and functions like a typical cordless phone — to make traditional voice-only calls.) The Ojo is more indulgence than bargain, but if you’re solvent and savvy enough, you’ll have yourself a ball. — Michael Gaughn
broadband.motorola.com

Cellphones are rapidly morphing into multimedia powerhouses, and Sprint offers solid choices at two different price levels.
— Shannon McCarthy

Sprint/Samsung PCS Vision multimedia cellphone
ugg5_samsung400 The MM-A880 ($330, left) comes with all the basic features you’d expect, like flexible ways to handle contact info (a 500-entry phonebook and assignable rings from a library of 18 polyphonic tones), a decent 1-megapixel camera with 15-second video capture, and a Web browser. But it’s the extras packed into its compact (3.375 x 1.75-inch) yet sturdy (4.75-ounce) frame that make this cell really shine. The battery is good for 4 hours, the excellent voice-recognition software lets you do everything from dial numbers to launch applications, and the Video On Demand button lets you jack into video and audio offerings from the Sprint TV service. There’s no infrared port or Bluetooth, but the MM-A880 does have an often forgotten cellphone function: good sound quality when you make a call.

Sprint PCS Vision Treo 650 cellphone
ugg5_treo400 Palm’s smart phones boast a fan base of over half a million users, and its latest object of desire, the Treo 650 (right, $600), will surely attract more converts. The screen offers four times the resolution of its predecessor, the Treo 600, so the 16-bit color and graphics really pop and dazzle (great for watching Sprint TV). The keyboard is bigger and backlit, and the stylus makes it easy to explore the touchscreen. What’s inside this 6.375-ounce baby is just as impressive — a fast 312-MHz processor, an MP3 player, and 32 MB of data-saving memory. While the camera’s 0.3-megapixel resolution could be higher, the 15-second video capture is smoother than on other camera phones I’ve tried. There’s no Wi-Fi but there is Bluetooth for wireless headsets and other Bluetooth-enabled devices, and the swappable battery slot lets you keep going beyond the default 4.5 hours of talk time. The sound quality while you’re talking is great — comparable to using a land line.
sprint.com