I've been a great fan of good home iPod speaker systems which boost the quality of music played by my iPod however, if you've been using one, you would know that one of the major drawbacks of most of them is that the remote control that comes with the unit offers only limited control of your iPod. You stick the iPod in the speaker's dock and you can do little more than skip forward and back through tracks (and possibly playlists), raise and lower the volume, and pause and play audio.
If you're lucky, the speaker has a display that's big enough for you to be able see what track is playing from more than a few feet away. Most don't, as they rely on the iPod's screen to display the relevant track and navigation info. Which brings me to George, the high-end iPod music system from start-up Chestnut Hill Sound. The George solves the interface problem in much the same way that Sonos does for media-streaming devices: it builds a remote into the system that essentially mirrors the display of the iPod. But the smart usability solution will cost you a pretty penny--the George retails for $500.
Cosmetically speaking, George's appearance is pretty polished. Weighing 10 pounds and measuring 4.5x14.1x8.6 inches (HWD), it's slightly bigger than your average table-top radio and features removable speaker grilles, as well as interchangeable side panels that allow you to customize the look of your unit. The company says it will offer different "skins" (in cherry, walnut, or black oak) for around $99 each. Colorful speaker grilles will also be available for $29. Like many iPod music systems, there's a dock built into the top of the unit that recharges your iPod when it's inserted (and George is plugged in). The system comes with the typical assortment of plastic sleeves or universal adapters that are designed to make your particular iPod model fit snugly in the dock. But what's unusual about the George is that the dock module itself is removable, and Chestnut Hill has said that it will eventually offer an optional HD Radio module that includes a new iPod dock and a small accessory that will clip onto the back of the unit.
The Good, The bad, the Bottom line and the Price ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )
As everyone knows, nano technology will eventually cure every disease and solve every problem known to man, and then create a race of super robots that will enslave us all. But before it does, it looks like we’ll be able to benefit from extended periods of all sorts of mobile gadget use.
According to lead Stanford researcher Yi Cui, this increased storage capacity could also make Li-ion batteries an attractive option to electric car manufacturers and solar power aficionados. “It’s not a small improvement, it’s a revolutionary development.”
You bet it is. Imagine, we may finally be able to listen to all 40,000 songs Apple says the iPod can hold on a single charge! Not to mention the 100 hours+ battery life we’ll get from Apple’s super-secret, not-yet-announced, ultra-portable, ultra-hyphenated, flash-based MacBook!
From ScienceDaily.