The average universal remote is $150 so the price isn’t too bad, but at the same time, it does utilize the iPhone’s touchscreen and hardware to power the remote (read: shouldn’t it be cheaper?). The RedEye remote may be a solid option for those who are already looking for a universal remote and don’t already have one. At the same time, at a lower price point, I could see this going from a nice-to-have for iPhone owners to a must-have, given the quality of the device.

I’m still putting the RedEye through a variety of well-thought-out (not) and rigorous (not) tests, so we’ll hold off for a full review. For now, hit the jump for more pictures and impressions.

RedEye was previously in private beta for testing purposes only, but is available for purchase as of today at their website.

The RedEye device itself has great design, and I was impressed with the quality of the hardware. It probably shouldn’t be stuck in the middle of a living room wrestling match, but it could probably handle an accidental ass-squishing or two. Unless of course your 300 lb. Aunt Edna decides to take a seat on it.

First impressions: I’m happy to say the device works – which is, well, fairly important. It connects to your iPhone via Wi-Fi and doesn’t seem to have any significant latency from pressing the button on your iPhone to firing a signal off to your TV/DVR/Blu-Ray player. That said, I’ve only tried it on Dish Network’s awful set-top box thus far, which already has a ridiculous lag time. Setup was a bit difficult, but that’s to be expected given that it’s a universal remote. The RedEye definitely has great potential, and as long as it delivers on some core universal remote features, it may just be worth the hefty price tag. Check out the pics and promo video below.

If we applied Moore’s law to the art of DJing, we would probably get something like Amidio’s Touch DJ app. Gone are the software DJ’s who replaced the original vinyl DJ’s. Now you can spin beats on your iPhone or iPod touch without listening to them. Wait, what?

Touch DJ utilizes a innovative new method of mixing that they call visual mixing. Essentially, the app displays the waveforms of the two tracks side by side, and separates the bass pulses from the rest of the track. This way, you can see where the beat lands and sync your songs without having to hear them beforehand.

You get everything else you would want from DJ software, live sampling, looping, pitch bending, tempo control, etc. It has a separate MP3 / M4A library from iTunes, meaning you have to import your tracks into the app before you can use them. But Touch DJ equally sets the volume level across each of them based on RMS power. It’s available now from the iTunes store.

The Lint Boys only got three hot photos of the device because the guys at the Apple store were scared of getting placed into the special Education Room in the basement of every Apple store.

Short Version: As the owner of an iPod touch (2G), I was happy to give this case/stand a spin on my recent trip over to Ireland. Generally speaking, the case provided adequate protection of the touch (albeit leaving the top and bottom slightly exposed), was very handy for watching videos on the plane, and worked great for transforming the touch into a bedside alarm clock. With a MSRP of $34.95, I’d love to see the price come down a touch (zing!), but overall, the idox Traveler Series is a respectable case/stand combo choice.

Longer Version: As anyone who regularly flies the not-so-friendly-skies knows, airplanes seem to be caught in some sort of infinite “shrinking” vortex. I swear. Every time I get to my assigned seat, it’s smaller than the last flight…

Anyways, we’re here to talk about something more important than the failing flailing airline industry – a new iPod case from idox. Known as the Traveler Series, the case/stand is available for the iPhone (3G / 3GS – $34.95), iPod nano (4G – $24.95), and the iPod touch (2G / 3G – $34.95).

Construction: Think of the case as a hard plastic portfolio, of sorts, for your iThing. The construction of the case/stand is very solid, providing more than adequate protection for the screen and device in general when traveling inside a pocket/briefcase/backpack/etc. The touch sorta snaps into place and stays there thanks to the embedded rubber design. When transformed into a stand, there are some nice rubber stoppers on the bottom to prevent the whole thing from sliding off your tray table (or other flat surface).

Cons: The idox Traveler Series is definitely not perfect. For starters, the snug-fitting case is rather difficult to pry open. Yes, PRY. The lid snaps into place very securely, but is challenging to open without torquing the bottom (or top) corner. (In the grand scheme, this isn’t a deal breaker since it errs on the side of over protection.)

Another downside is the exposed top and bottom of the iPod touch. The way the case is designed (above) allows for easy access to the iPod dock connector, headphone jack, and the top power switch. However, because of the nature of the design, the exposed areas could potentially be damaged.

It is also important to note that the physical volume controls on the side of the Pod are rendered useless while in the case. Although, this is not that big a deal since there are onscreen touch volume controls, but still can be annoying in certain situations.

Finally, it would be really nice if future generations could include multiple angle options for better and more adaptable stand use. While on the plane, when the guy in front of me put his seat back, I would have loved to be able to change the angle on the stand to compensate for my new viewing situation.

Pros: With all that said, the idox Traveler Series does have some nice things going for it. For one thing, it is actually made pretty well. The case’s solid construction provides adequate protection for the screen, sides, and back of touch. Also, the touch stays securely in place once you “snap” it in.

Although I complained about “the snug-fitting” case above, there is a definite plus side to this attribute as well – the touch inside the case fits in my jeans pocket with no trouble. And finally, the fact that it is an all-in-one case/stand, which offers both protection AND more comfortable video viewing, is clearly the biggest selling point here.

Conclusion: After all is said and done, the Traveler Series case/stand definitely has its utility and some redeeming qualities. At $34.95 it’s definitely not priced very attractively, but I have to say, having any kind of stand for the iPod touch on a long flight really makes all the difference in the world. If it happens to protect the screen and still fit in my pocket as this idox case does, then that’s not such a bad thing either.

iPhone case/stand

iPod nano case/stand

AppleInsider is reporting “that although the Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, the TomTom application will only work with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G – even with the dock connected to a first-generation iPhone or iPod touch.”

You’ll recall that the hardware dock features its own built-in GPS chip and speaker to amplify GPS signal strength and the volume of turn-by-turn directions, so it appears that if you were to dock an iPod touch or older iPhone that you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those enhancements. Basically, you’d have a $120 car charger.

AppleInsider further reports that “When asked whether the application could be updated to allow it to work with the iPod touch and first-generation iPhone, a company spokesman simply said that TomTom has not made any ‘public announcements.’”

It doesn’t seem like it would be rocket science to add the extra compatibility, and TomTom would theoretically benefit from the expanded hardware base of potential customers but, suffice to say, it’s best to hold off for now.

TomTom Car Kit, navigation software will not work with iPod touch [AppleInsider]

Short Version:

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate iFrogz’s Timbre headphones w/mic and their iPod touch 2G & 3G Luxe case. In a nutshell, the Timbre headphones (which work with both the iPhone and iPod touch) provide decent audio playback, a reasonably comfortable fit (thanks to the three different ear bud choices), and the convenience of a built-in microphone for voice memos, Skype, etc albeit for the slightly higher than desirable price of $49.99. As for the Luxe, it is mediocre at best with a suspect design and very little going for it, especially considering it runs $29.99.

Timbre headphones w/mic:

Let’s start with the better of the two products, officially known as the EarPollution Timbre with Mic, first. As a non-audiophile (i.e. someone who can appreciate good sounding from bad, but not amazing from almost amazing), my review will be short and sweet.

These “noise isolating” earbuds feature a “natural wood-chamber” design, supposedly to create better sound. In my brief test, I found the earbuds to be generally comfortable (once I swapped out the default rubber bits for one of the other sizes – 3 included). They produce relatively clear audio, albeit a bit on the “bright” side of things. I definitely didn’t notice any “richer” or “more vibrant” sounds due to the gimmicky wood “chambers,” but overall I think the headphones sound pretty good.

The real draw of the Timbre is the built-in microphone. Since iPhone OS 3.0 brought voice functionality to the iPod touch 2G, having headphones with a mic inline has become all that much more useful (they ship with the iPod touch 3G standard). Being able to record voice memos and make Skype calls over Wi-Fi has been incredibly helpful during my recent travels. That said, my brief testing has revealed the Timbre to be a capable set of mic-equipped earbuds. Generally speaking, there is not much extraneous feedback when using the mic, although figuring out exactly how to position it, and where, for the perfect voice pick-up was a minor challenge.

Conclusion:

The EarPollution Timbre with Mic will run you a moderately hefty $49.99. I’d recommend only splurging on the Timbre (or any other earbuds with a mic) if you plan on using the buds for both music and voice apps. If you just want a pair to use for Skype/VoIP, the $29.99 Apple buds with mic (or most other budget ‘phones w/mic) will certainly do the trick.

iPod touch 2G & 3G Luxe case:

Ah, the Luxe case for iPod touch. Where do I start. The case is made out of molded plastic and “features” a under/over “button” design (see the “button” above). The actual feel of the case is kinda nice…its got a sort of grippy-yet-smooth thing going for it (much like my preferred case, the $5 less Griffin Wave). Also, the case features a faux suede-like “pad” on its inside, that sits between the back of the iPod and the case itself.

The real problems with this case are twofold: first, its enclosure method, i.e. the button-thing on the back, is very difficult to line up and snap into place (unlike the previously mentioned Wave, which has a similar design, but is much, much easier to put on and take off) making it one of those “once it’s on, it ain’t coming off” kinda deals. And second, It costs $29.99 when, at best, it should be around $20, or even less. In its defense, the Luxe does come with a free screen protector.

Conclusion:

Overall, I am not a fan of the Luxe. Something about it has been a turn off, right from the start. It feels OK in the hand, but its build quality is questionable and its poorly designed “enclosure” makes for a very disappointing experience. When combined with its unnecessarily steep price tag, the Luxe just falls short.

Do you have an iPhone? Would you like to play Myst for free? You can, sorta! What used to be the Myst demo is now called Myst FREE [iTunes link]. You can explore Myst Island, but that’s about it.

Meanwhile, this post is, shall we say, bare, because I’ve never played Myst. I have no idea what it’s about, other than that it was/is a big adventure game. I also don’t have an iPhone (or iPod touch) so I’m SOL on this one.

The full game [iTunes link] is $4.99.

You probably know by now that at least some of us here at pretty high on the Zune HD—look at the lengths I went to get it up and running!—but I recognize that not every Mac owner is going to jump through hoops just to be able to use the device. But maybe, just maybe, Microsoft is finally ready to do what so many people have asked it to do: make a Mac version of the Zune software, thereby enabling all the Mac owners out there to use the portable media player a little more easily.

The deal is that Microsoft is “evaluating a lot of options in terms of platforms.” So it told ZDNet at some sort of open house it hosted yesterday. (I was gonna go, but I stayed home and watched Dream 11. I’m not joking.) In plain English that means, yeah, Microsoft is looking to make it so that you can the Zune HD without having to be tethered to Windows.

And if that happens, you can kiss the iPod’s hegemony over.

What’s the top of the line iPod these days, the iPod touch? Yeah, it’s a neat device, I guess, but I think it’s safe to say that most people gravitate that-a-way because of all those damn Apps. That is to say, people aren’t necessarily flocking toward the iPod touch because it’s the better portable media player, just that it so happens to have FitBuilder or City Transit on there.

I remember, back when the iPod was still newish (2003/04), people would defend the iPod’s high price as saying, “Yeah, maybe it’s more expensive than Random MP3 Player, but its user interface is so good. That’s what I’m paying for.” And, if you were a Mac user, you also had the iTunes Music Store.

Today? I dare you to compare the iPod touch’s user interface to the Zune HD’s. It’s just night and day better. I often just flip through my Zune HD while at my desk because 1) it’s fun to do so, given the amazing UI and 2) I’m a huge dork.

Both players have music stores, yes, but if the future of the Internet is all about social this, social that, then the Zune HD’s store wins again. I can see what songs my dumb friends have been playing right from the device, preview said songs, and, if I have a Zune HD music subscription (I don’t because, well, I really have no use for it). The days of “squirting” music are long gone. (And really: who the hell thought “squirting” was a good word to use? I can almost hear Steve Jobs’ laughter.)

I don’t know, I just think that, given a fair shot, a heck of a lot of people would pick up a Zune HD. If you’re an iPhone user, well then that’s a totally different story.

Then again, both Apple and Microsoft could go bankrupt tomorrow, making all of this moot.

Last Christmas I got my 14-year old sister-in-law a Zune 80 over an iPod touch or classic. She got the Zune because it offered more storage than the flash-based touch, but had a bigger screen than the iPod classic. Plus I’ve never had a Zune act funky or die on me, which is something I can’t say that about an iPod. But then her birthday rolled around and we wanted to get her a speaker dock. Yeah, there are five speaker docks on the market and either they sound like poo, or they are made by Kicker and therefore out of our price range. She ended up getting a 2.1 computer speaker set with a y-cable.

The issue I have is that I like all the extras you can do with these devices. I have an Onkyo iPod dock along with a Belkin RF car dock that I used to use all the time with the iPod Mini. I expect to have the same capabilities with my new purchase, but I don’t think I can get that with the Zune HD.

Right now the Zune HD has a $90 docking kit that includes a remote, cables, and of course a dock. That’s cool, but will A/V companies produce their own dock that utilize digital transport for the audio and controlled by the receiver’s remote? Or will car audio companies make head-units that can control the Zune HD? Or even when will the first speaker dock be available because the five for the older Zunes aren’t 100% compatible. All these unknowns and are holding back my Zune HD purchase.

But really the same concern about 3rd party accessories for the device can be translated into the App world as well. Right now there isn’t a clear-cut way for developers to release applications for the Zune Marketplace. But there are billions of apps waiting for me Apple’s App Store. To be honest I don’t care that much about this facade, but it’s still on my mind.

If I lived a headphone life, I would have already purchased the Zune HD. I’m sure of that. But I sit at my desk where I have wonderful Polk Audio RTi150 speakers hooked up to an Onkyo receiver. I only breakout headphones during my kid’s naptime and even then, they are used via the receiver. I want the new portable device primarily for around the house with my various A/V setups (I’m an audio nerd), for in-the-car music listening, to entertain my 2 year-old son with classic Donald Duck shorts, and for the occasional plane ride.

I still don’t know which one I’m going to purchase. Available accessories are an important feature in my mind and the iPod wins that point by a mile, but the Zune HD is just so eff’n cool. IDK.

So now it seems that the iPod touch firmware now only costs $4.95 now, down from $9.95. WTF, right? It would have been nice of Apple to tell us. What else are we missing? A mini robotic dinosaur included in the box with every 64GB touch?

When iFixit tore apart the new iPod nano, there was nothing surpising. But that’s not the case with the new iPod touch. It seems that the Broadcom BCM4329 chip found at the heart of the portable supports 802.11n WiFi and FM transmitting. But they also found something a bit more interesting related to the rumored camera.

Even the iPhone 3GS doesn’t have these features but we’re sure most users would love to have them. No one would turn down faster WiFi or the ability to stream music to a FM radio without an adapter. Both features would open up even more possibilities from the App developers.

Although it should be noted that an included FM transmitter would kill off more than a few products from 3rd party companies that pay hefty royalty fees to Apple and Apple likes its money. Now just because the chip supports these features, doesn’t mean that they will be enabled anytime soon. But I guess there is always the possibility.

Besides those surprises, the folks at iFixit also noted that there seems to be enough room above the Broadcom chip for a small camera supporting the well documented rumor. After all, we saw cases after cases meant for an iPod touch with a camera, but maybe that rumor of component shortages was actually true and it caused Apple to push back the announcement – or delay it permanently.

[iFixit via Giz]

There’s not much for us to say about either of these models. While it’s absolutely incredible that they crammed 64 GB into this razor thin iPod Touch, there’s nothing beyond that for us to touch on that can’t be said for past models. The other significant changes (50% speed boost and the addition of OpenGL ES) aren’t things we could test on the spot; while it certainly felt faster, we didn’t throw down with a stopwatch.

The “Special Edition” iPod Shuffle is quite stunning in person. That stainless steel is ..well, it’s a mirror. It gleens, it glistens. Unfortunately, the only thing it catches more than the light is fingerprints. Really – the demonstrator had to wipe it down with his shirt 4 times in the period of about a minute.

And of course there’s the expected price drop: 8GB for $199, 16GB for $229, 32GB for $299, and the brand new 64GB for $399. Plus, the 64GB is “50% faster” — although we know what that means when Apple says it. It does now support OpenGL|ES, which should improve game performance even further. Now, if only it had a D-pad…

I don’t know if I trust Ubisoft to really make something great out of Assassin’s Creed, since that game relied so much on the rich world you inhabited. But hey, it looks pretty awesome for what it is: a sort of simplified 2-D version of the game. Here are a couple screens:

Then you’ve got Riddim Ribbon, which looks like Audiosurf, and Nova, a first person shooter where, in a shocking twist, you play a space marine! And Madden for iPhone, which I won’t dignify with a screenshot.

Here are a couple hands-on shots of the 64GB.

We’re all pretty surprised at the lack of a camera. It would have been a lot of fun, but maybe they just couldn’t find the space? After all, the iPod touch does have a different circuit layout than the iPhone and it may have been too difficult to incorporate the hardware changes they already were planning as well as a camera.

Short Version: If you’ve never purchased a charging dock for your iPhone or iPod Touch and you’re without an alarm clock then the Kensington Nightstand is a perfect alternative for you, friend. Being able to check on the weather first thing in the morning is an added bonus. The $40 price tag might give some of you sticker shock considering the Rise & Shine app is free from the App Store, but a quick look around to other iPhone/iPod accessory vendors quickly reveals that the Nightstand is actually a good deal. If you’re looking to buy a charging dock that is.

Extended Version

I won’t lie; my gut reaction was that the Nightstand wasn’t worth $40. I mean, the Rise & Shine app works without the hardware and any number of combinations would allow me to recharge my iPhone while I slept. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If, and only if, you didn’t already own a charging dock of some sort for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Some may argue that the tiny brick provided by Apple with the purchase of a new iPhone is sufficient enough, but we could go in circles on that one.

The point is that the Nightstand does a good job of converting your iPhone into a nightstand and works great with the Rise & Shine app. It even works in portrait mode but it’s not as stable when it’s standing straight up. To accommodate those with cases, Kensington extended the connector, but there’s no way of knowing which cases it will and won’t work with.

But is it really worth $40, which includes the dock with a USB cable attached and an AC adapter? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Kensington Nightstand Charging Dock for iPhone [Product Page]
Rise & Shine [iTunes link]

Looks pretty real. Of course, these things almost always turn out to be fake, and let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be that hard to drill a hole in the back of an iPod and put an iPhone camera in there. Why does it even matter, really? We know the camera is real, what does it matter if there’s one floating around out there? I’m having an ennui attack here. I’d better get some dinner, I think I have low blood sugar. It might be Apple fatigue, though.

[via Engadget]