It may not be exactly what people were clamoring for at Steve Jobs’ most recent media hypevent, but the Apple iPod Hi-Fi  ($349 direct) is now part of Apple ‘s steadily growing repertoire of iPod accessories. I got my hands on one and took it for a spin in the PC Magazine audio lab, and I’m very happy with it. The one-piece three-way combination speaker and iPod dock looks a lot like a center-channel speaker from a home theater system, with horizontally set drivers. Though it costs about $50 more, it can thump, sing, and squeal with a lot more power than the Bose SoundDock, plus it’s portable. I’m glad Apple included a combination analog and S/PDIF optical digital input, but a video pass-through for outputting photos and video to a TV would be convenient.The well-built Apple iPod Hi-Fi possesses excellent sound quality for a one-piece system, and it has lightning-quick controls, particularly when using the bundled remote control. It’s also visually appealing and includes design features such as a built-in power brick, handles, and battery operation. A digital (S/PDIF) line-in and a complete set of dock adapters round out the positives.

The tech specs alone are pretty meaty: two 80-mm midrange drivers and a 130-mm woofer with dual voice coils, sealed double-walled enclosure, separate chambers and front-panel isolation for the two midrange drivers, a rated maximum sound pressure level of 108dB (at 1 meter) when it’s running on AC power, and a frequency response of 53Hz to 16kHz plus or minus 3dB. It can run on AC power without a huge brick (thanks to the internal power supply) or on six D batteries, though both of these mean the speaker is pretty heavy, at 14.5 pounds without batteries and 16.7 pounds with alkalines. It measures 6.6 by 17 by 6.9 inches (HWD)—perfect for a bookshelf or even a desk. It has dual integrated handles on either side, so it’s easy to move around, but it’s definitely not the kind of thing you’d throw in a backpack and take to the beach. The enclosure is a sturdy white resin, and the black speaker grille is easily removable if you want a brighter sound.Measuring 43.2 x 16.8 x 17.5 cm it’s not a small system but then it will still sit on an average bookshelf, plus with its double shielding and rubberised feet being in a tight space shouldn’t affect the sound too much either. The musical delivery is courtesy of two 80-mm midrange drivers and a 130-mm woofer with dual voice coils, this is fairly high end, high power stuff for an iPod speaker system, it delivers a frequency response of 16khz up to 53khz. There are no other outputs so don’t be expecting to hook up your 5G iPod for video replay, the only place you are going to see Video when sitting in the HiFi’s dock is on the iPod’s screen, it would have been nice to have a Video out guys!

Although Altec Lansing was never a strong competitor to Logitech and other dedicated speaker manufacturers in terms of innovation, the company has managed to stay afloat due to affordability of the products it produced. However, Altec Lansing seemed to have changed its presence recently. The company is surely not the affordable manufacturer it once was, but it is moving rapidly towards becoming one of the innovative consumer electronics companies in the industry. It has proven that with the surge of specialized speaker units made specifically for Apple’s iPod. As a new edition to its previous inMotion series of products, Altec Lansing has added unique capabilities to the latest inMotion iM7.From the outside, the inMotion iM7 is surely a speaker unit like no other. Altec Lansing’s latest edition to the product line proves to be innovative and an overall desirable match for Apple’s iPod portable music player. The design features a tube-like structure with the connectors situated vividly in the back, and the iPod cradle in the center of the front panel. The product appears to have an impressively clean outlook overall and is compatible with the iPod Mini, and 3rd and 4th generation of regular sized players.

As previously noted, two video output ports on the iM7’s rear enable the device to be used as an accompanying audio piece for iPod photo slideshows – a first-of-kind feature. Cables aren’t included, but composite video cables are common enough that you’ll likely find one of them already connected between the DVD player or VCR of any television where you take the iM7.The 16 3/4 ” long Altec Lansing iM7 has a 4″ side-firing XdB subwoofer that vents on each end, two 3″ neodymium midrange speakers and two 1″ neodymium tweeters. It can run on AC using the included universal world power adapter (not a huge brick) with prong set for several countries including the US or it can run on 8 D batteries which increases the unit’s weight significantly. The iM7 isn’t light at approximately 7 pounds, but the integrated rubberized carry handle makes toting it a bit easier.The 16 3/4 ” long Altec Lansing iM7 has a 4″ side-firing XdB subwoofer that vents on each end, two 3″ neodymium midrange speakers and two 1″ neodymium tweeters. It can run on AC using the included universal world power adapter (not a huge brick) with prong set for several countries including the US or it can run on 8 D batteries which increases the unit’s weight significantly. The iM7 isn’t light at approximately 7 pounds, but the integrated rubberized carry handle makes toting it a bit easier.

Reigncom has announced a new version of its necklace-type player the N11.From the outside the N11 looks similar to its predecessor, the N10, but there are some small improvements including an FM radio and longer battery life, it has been extended to 13 hours.iRiver is releasing a new player targeted specifically at women called the N11. The new iRiver N11 comes with a Swarovski Crystal embedded on the front of the facing and can be worn around your neck similar to a necklace.iRiver N11 is the name of the equek for the eye catcher iRiver N10. Its unique “hang-me-around-your-neck-as-a-jewelry” design caused more than a few tyo glimpse at it and it seems iRiver was quite satisfied with the result. The only thing it has done with N11 is tuned the player a little. Slightly better battery time(2h more), FM-tuner and support for OGG Vorbis etc. The player is exopected to arrive during September and replace the older N10.

It can play MP3, Windows Media Audio, Ogg and ASF files and also record MP3 files. It has a four-line OLED display that shows track data and other information.Humans are naturally visual creatures. Simply put, we are attracted to pretty and shiny things. And exactly that’s N11, it’s visually appealing with its compact size (it’s only 22 grams and has dimensions of 13.3 x 27.2 x 49.8 mm), shiny surface, sleek corners and very sexy display. No wonder iRiver markets it as a fashion accessory for women. And would Swarovski even think of putting their crystals on the N11 if it weren’t attractive enough? Yes folks, the N11 has a Swarovski Crystal embedded on their player.Expect 3 different sizes: 256mb, 512mb, and you guessed it, a 1gb. It also comes in three different colors and sports a display. The device is decently small at 22 grams. The iRiver N11 is apparently virtually unchanged from its predecessor, and includes similar features such a radio, radio recording, a timer, and a mic for recording verbal notes or ambient sounds. It connects via USB and has a reported 13 hour playback battery life.

After appearing in Asia in the early months of summer this year, the iRiver U10 has finally made its U.S. debut. The distinctive flash-based player comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities–at $199.95 and $249.95, respectively–and is packed with features. Its compact, miniature TV-like design also represents a departure from not only previous iRiver products but also MP3 players in general. Although we’d like to see a lower price point and higher capacity options (for example, a 4GB version for $249.95), we have to admit that we’re enamored with the sleek and stylish iRiver U10. Both early and late adopters, not to mention design heads, will fall in love with the iRiver U10′s futuristic industrial look. The compact player measures 2.7 by 1.8 by 0.6 inches, weighs 2.5 ounces, and features a bright and colorful 2.2-inch display with a resolution of 320×240 pixels. While there are a few buttons on the sides, users navigate the interface by pressing on the four sides of the display itself. Referred to by iRiver as the D-Click, this tactile control method, combined with graphical arrows pointing you in the right direction, is both intuitive and logical. Indeed, compared to previous iRiver interfaces, the U10′s is refreshingly simple and easy on the eyes. It reminds us of the Olympus M:robe 500i’s, except that the iRiver U10 is much smaller and does not have a touch-sensitive screen–a good thing. The one downside to the overall interface setup is that, while one-handed operation in possible, two-handed operation is ergonomically preferable and causes less screen smudging.

As an option, iRiver is also offering a cradle pack. This separate accessories bundle includes an IR remote, a retro-looking docking cradle, a USB cable, and a minijack-to-minijack cable for line-in recordings, which are possible with only the dock. Once you pop the iRiver U10 into its bright white cradle, the whole thing ends up looking like a mini TV, complete with built-in speakers. There’s even a snooze button on top for the onboard alarm clock. On the back, you’ll find line-in and line-out jacks as well as a mini USB port. If there’s one complaint we have about the cradle, it’s that the pass-through on the back is a standard mini USB port, meaning it requires a different USB cable than the U10′s. And given the U10′s price tag, it would be so much sweeter if the cradle were a bundled accessory.Beneath the simplicity of the interface and design of the U10 lie a number of features, making it one of the most capable players on the market. As for the music, the iriver U10 provides support for MP3, OGG, and WMA file types—including DRM-10 protected files purchased from online services such as Napster. But too bad, there’s no support for unprotected AAC files, and OGG tracks need to be navigated to separately from the rest of the music via the browse menu.

For those of you who remember the sweet sound of analog will really appreciate this product. The Sonic Gear i-Steroid 2.1 speaker system looks sweet as hell but I am worried that they are selling to the wrong crowd. It seems that over 70% of iPod users were born years after black and white TVs, A-tracks, record players, cassette tapes, thus they certainly do not know what a vacuum tube is. Enclosed in a wooden speaker box is a tube-based amp to provide the rich sound that came before CDs, MP3s, and iPods. The i-Steroid also has a FM Radio tuner, and it comes with a remote control.
Sonic Gear’s latest speaker system for the iPod is different from the rest as it comes enclosed in a wooden case that houses a retro-looking valve tube amplifier as well. Features include a built-in FM radio and an aesthetically pleasing infrared remote control. This speaker system is compatible with all iPods and is more than capable of bringing the house down with its 50 watts RMS power output.It also includes an iPod dock with adaptors and cables for most iPods. There’s also a remote control for the dock, so you can control your iPod from across the room.The black wooden casing of the speakers and sub-woofer was supplemented by red detailing on the speaker cones. There’s even a mock red clickwheel on the sub, which doesn’t rotate but has buttons at the top, bottom, left and right. Having the controls on the sub-woofer/amplifier is inconvenient, given that it sits on the floor. However, the i-Steroid does come with an infrared remote control.