Music Information

Liberate your iPod


When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the Sony Walkman all of his colleagues at the thought he was completely insane. The general consensus was that people wouldn't want to walk around the streets wearing headphones. Everyone thought the idea was ludicrous and that it would never catch on.

That was in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s Morita's vision had proved inspirational. The Sony Walkman became the iPod of the day and it was hard to walk down a street, travel on a train or sit in a waiting room without seeing someone with a pair of headphones on. And this wasn't just restricted to trendy young things. Middle aged people and elderly people also got the Walkman bug.

Quarter of a century later and headphones haven't changed that much. The current craze, started by iPod, is for white in-ear ones, but if you look closely enough you'll still see lots of other colors and varieties adorning people's ears.

But what happens if you want to hear your music without the aid of headphones? What if you want to share your music with the world at large, or maybe just your friends and family?

Well, thanks to a burgeoning band of accessory manufacturers you can now get speakers (and other gadgets) to cover almost every possible situation. Whether you want to use your iPod as the audio focal point of your party or just want to enjoy some Puccini on the beach - there is sure to be something to suit your specific needs and requirements.

At the very top of the tree, in terms of price, is the SoundDock from Bose. Since the 1980s Bose have really made a name for themselves for making high quality small footprint speakers, and their offering for the iPod is an extension of this philosophy. At a touch less than $300 this might not be an affordable option for everyone, but if you have the money to spare and top class sound quality is important to you then the SoundDock is certainly an option worth considering.

If portability is important to you then iSoundz have several options worth a closer look. The iSoundz Wallet offers a practical solution that incorporates a rechargeable speaker and a place to store your iPod whilst on the move. All of this is in a neat leather wallet. The unit comes with all the necessary cables and will cost you less than $50. The sound quality is distinctly mediocre and so this might not be the right solution for serious music lovers.

Altec Lansing offer several options under the inMotion label. These provide superb quality sound at a price that is not the cheapest, but won't cause too much damage to your credit card. Like the Bose SoundDock, the Altec Lansing InMotion system will also recharge your iPod whilst you listen to music.

Speakers are not the only alternative to headphones. You could also consider buying an FM transmitter. These will allow you to transmit the audio from your iPod directly to any nearby FM radio.

Probably the most popular of the current batch of FM transmitters for the iPod is the iTrip from Griffen Technology. This is a very small unit that plugs directly into the headphone socket on your iPod. Select the frequency you wish to transmit at via the iPod display and then just tune in a radio to listen. It takes its power directly from the iPod itself so be warned. If your batteries are not charged or your unit is not connected to a charger you will run out of power quicker than usual.

The iTrip is not the only option. You'll find quality FM transmitters from Belkin, Kensington and many other accessory manufacturers. Prices range from around $20 up to about $100.

I hope the above information will help to release you from the confines of your headphones. Listening to music needn't be a solitary occupation. Using any of the tools above you can liberate your ears and share the contents of your iPod with friends, family, colleagues and anyone else within earshot.

Ivan Gregor is the founder and webmaster of the popular and highly informative the-ipod.com web site, which specializes in all things iPod related. If you are thinking of purchasing an iPod or want to get the most from your existing iPod visit http://www.the-ipod.com today.


MORE RESOURCES:

Los Angeles Times

Spreading the gospel music
Los Angeles Times, CA - 3 hours ago
"Written music is constrained to the notes on the page. We want to make the song our own." Tonight, before an audience of thousands and a panel of gospel ...
San Jose gospel choir wins regional competition San Jose Mercury News
all 11 news articles


Music: Sandy City Orchestra makes music accessible
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 6 hours ago
By Celia R. Baker You don't have to know a lot about classical music to appreciate the elegant sparkle of Mozart's music, the emotional tug of Tchaikovsky's ...
Orchestra starting season Deseret News
all 3 news articles


Carey arrives to face music in Miami
NEWS.com.au, Australia - 10 hours ago
By Peta Hellard FALLEN AFL star Wayne Carey has arrived in the US ahead of a court hearing for allegedly assaulting two police officers in a drunken brawl ...


Music: Rock Band Live: You've played the game, now see the real bands
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 6 hours ago
These "instruments" are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen. The game has sold nearly 4 million copies since its ...


Contactmusic.com

MARK WAHLBERG - WAHLBERG: 'NO CHANCE' FOR MUSIC COMEBACK
Contactmusic.com, UK - 2 hours ago
He says: "I just felt like I wanted to do music early on and then when I started acting I had to wait until I could do another record anyway. ...


CNET.com.au

Music fans 'risk losing hearing'
BBC News, UK - 32 minutes ago
One in 10 people with personal MP3 or CD players could suffer permanent hearing loss because their music is too loud, according to an EU study. ...
Did you hear? MP3 players threaten hearing loss International Herald Tribune
Report: MP3 players threaten users' hearing CNET News
all 5 news articles


BBC News

Music fans back legal downloads
BBC News, UK - 1 hour ago
Music pirates can be deterred by warnings from their internet service provider (ISP), suggests a survey. Almost 75% of music pirates would stop if told to ...
Survey sees hope for music against pirates guardian.co.uk
all 2 news articles


Music video highlights: NLCS Game 2
MLB.com - Oct 11, 2008
MLB.com/Entertainment is all over Rocktober, with daily videos featuring the best baseball highlights of October set to music by stars including Santana, ...


News 8 Austin

Gruene Music & Wine Festival packs the town
News 8 Austin, TX - 1 hour ago
This year we had over 30 wineries participate." You can still catch the Gruene Music and Wine Festival until 10:30 pm Sunday.


Music cruises unite performers and fans
Seattle Times, United States - 17 hours ago
I'm living a music lover's fantasy. This cruise — dubbed "Cayamo: A Journey Through Song" by its promoters — lured nearly 2000 passengers to spend seven ...

Music - Google News

home | site map
© 2006