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Gizmag: iLuv, one of a number of manufacturers of Apple accessories, has added three small and portable speaker options that provide high quality sound while eliminating cable clutter. The three speaker options include a mini clip speaker, a portable speaker bar and a pair of newly designed cube speakers, all powered by USB to reduce cable clutter on the desktop. All three speaker designs work with Mac or PC.

The iSP130 Mini Clip Speaker has a built-in hanging clip for mounting on just about any monitor, putting your music at ear level.

The iSP150 Portable Speaker Bar complements any device with a 3.5mm jack, such as an iPad, iPhone, iPod, laptops and other portable audio devices. It can be operated on four AAA batteries or via USB, and is great for portability and travel.

The iSP170 Cube Speakers measure only 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches in size, making them ideal for laptops. They feature loud and clear sound and built-in volume control.

“We feel that computer-users now want solutions that feature USB power options, minimal cables and are small in size,” said Howard Kim, iLuv marketing manager. “To meet the everyday speaker and space needs of Mac, PC and laptop users, we designed these three peripheral solutions in an effort to meet that growing demand.”

The iSP130, iSP150 and iSP170 are available online for US$19.99, $34.99 and $39.99 MSRP.

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Engadget: Your USB-based DJ-ing options aren’t exactly all that limited these days, but there’s few rigs out there quite as eye-catching as this new Spin controller developed by Vestax and Algoriddim.

Designed for Mac users only, this one packs two touch sensitive jog wheels front and center, along with a full multi-channel audio system complete with the requisite sliders, mic input (and included microphone), audio output, and of course that USB connection, which also eliminates the need for a power adapter.

On the software side of things you’ll get Algoriddim’s djay 3 mixing application, plus some out-of-the-box integration with iTunes to let you easily pull tracks for your mix.

Sold? Then you can snag this one right now for $250 (€167).

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Macworld: The NPD Group’s quarterly Digital Music Monitor reveals in its latest issue that Mac users are much more likely than PC users to pay to download music online. What’s more, Mac users are more likely to buy CDs and are more likely to watch videos and listen to music on their computers and MP3 players.

Thirty-two percent of Mac users reported purchasing CDs in the third quarter of 2007, compared to 28 percent of PC users. Thirty-four percent of Mac users have uploaded music to MP3 players, while only 16 percent of PC users have. And 56 percent of Mac users have listened to music files on their computer, while only 31 percent of PC users have, according to NPD’s data.

Russ Crupnick, vice president and entertainment industry analyst for The NPD Group, cites a “cultural divide” between Mac users and the rest of the computing world. “Mac users are not only more active in digital music, they are also more likely to buy CDs, which helps debunk the myth that digital music consumers stop buying music in CD format,” said Crupnick in a statement.

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Engadget: Perhaps it’s a positive thing that wireless internet radios are really past the point of feature overload and are really fighting it out on looks and price these days. Take the Revo Blik WiFi for example.

It’s not going to blow anybody’s mind with the MP3 and WMA streaming capability, the internet radio compatibility, or that FM tuner and line-in port, but it’s still a bit of a looker, and the price is decent at €139. You can naturally use the unit as an alarm clock, and streaming is compatible with PC and Mac.

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Engadget: According to a recent patent filing in the US, Apple engineers explain how a mysterious “mobile phone” could be used to control your Mac (and specific applications like iTunes) via built-in Bluetooth, and the wording even mentions specific software that would be tailored to the Mac and handset in order to make it all happen.

More specifically, consumers could “use the directional controls on the mobile phone to change listing volume, skip forward and backward, play / pause, etc.,” and while no mention of the forthcoming iPhone is directly made, the allusion here seems to be fairly clear.

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Gizmodo: Mac users keen on mastering their own Blu-ray movies can finally get started thanks to MCE’s internal Blu-ray drive. It supports 50GB dual-layer discs and ships now for $699 (around €540).

The drive also includes Roxio Toast 8 Titanium, which enables you to write Blu-ray discs from both Finder and Toast itself.

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Bloomberg: Apple is unveiling a new store design to add more show room for their iPod players and Mac computers and stations where shoppers can get technical help for their products.

The new stores will have an  “iPod Bar” and Studio where artists and musicians will offer advice on creative projects, said Ron Johnson, who runs Apple’s retail operations. Apple stores already have “Genius Bars” for repairs and questions on Macs.

The new design puts twice as many Macs and iPods on display and should speed customer service, Johnson said. More than 10,000 people visit each store a week. Apple, which opened its first outlet in May 2001 to fuel sales of Macs, said revenue from the retail stores rose by almost a third in the latest quarter.

The new design is modeled after Apple’s New York store on Fifth Avenue, which opened in May. It includes stainless steel walls, Italian stone floors, illuminated displays and larger tables for showcasing Mac and iPod models.

Apple is starting with two new US stores in Providence, Rhode Island, and Columbia, Maryland, bringing the total to 164.

Apple’s redesign comes as rival computer maker Dell Inc. is experimenting with retail stores. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell opened its first retail showroom in Dallas on July 25, a 3,000- square-foot center featuring 36 products. The store doesn’t carry any inventory, so customers have to order products online for delivery.

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Engadget posted pictures of the new products and services Steve Jobs announced today. Biggest surprise being “iTV”, the Apple home entertainment device that will ship early 2007. It looks like a small Mac mini and features wireless networking, USB, HDMI, component video and several audio connections.
We can’t spot a slot for DVD, HD DVD or Blu-ray discs and it is unclear if these devices will have an internal hard disk for recording?

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