iLounge

It looks like IK Multimedia has been pretty busy leading up to the 2012 International CES; it had three brand new iOS-compatible audio products to introduce at this year’s show. iRig Mic Cast ($40) and iRig Mix ($100) are both scheduled to be released this month. The former is a monaural condenser mic specifically made to record speech, and is designed to be especially useful for interviews and podcasts, somewhat unusual given the quality of the microphones in Apple’s devices these days. It connects to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch’s headphone port and comes with a stand. iRig Mix, on the other hand, is a DJ mixer made for use with two iOS devices. The accessory gives you full mixing control, allowing for complete turntable replication. It works with IK’s free iRig DJ application, as well as many of the other popular DJ-related apps in the App Store.

Finally, there’s iRig Stomp; the company’s billing it as the first stomp box guitar interface for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. It’s a pedal version of the iRig and interfaces with the AmpliTube apps. It’s designed for live performances, and will ship in April at a cost of $70.

Our official Twitter account has been sharing all the Apple-related news from the Pepcom Digital Experience event at the 2012 International CES. Here are some of the highlights:

iRobot at #CES is showing its AVA prototype robot, which uses an iPad as its “head”. Controlled via iOS app. twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Some really cool Disney book apps, including Marvel titles narrated by Stan Lee #CES twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Belkin at #CES is showing its new Wemo home automation module. Works with a free app over Wi-Fi. $50, summer. twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Monster’s Power Control app and hardware help you monitor and control electricity use in your home. #CES twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Savvy, a cool new iOS app for saving money on recent purchases: Snap a photo of a receipt, get notified of reduce drops twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Contour wearable video camera for sports enthusiasts, full HD recording to SD card, iOS app for preview and control. twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Intuit just unveiled the new version of its free credit card swiper. Offers hardware encryption and more. #CES twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

Energizer inductive charging. Prices are stupidly high for these $60 pads (& $35 cases). All they do is charge phones. twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

New Monster diamond headphones. Very unique design alongside other female-focused options. twitter.com/iLounge/status…

— iLounge (@iLounge) January 10, 2012

As usual, iHome is making a major splash at CES, expanding its traditional lineup of speakers and clock radios to include a major new Bluetooth keyboard, new AirPlay models, and additions to its ColorTunes family of glowing speakers. Most striking are new introductions to the iW AirPlay series: beautiful white with silver chrome versions of the previously announced iW1, iW2, iW3, and iW4, as well as a totally new model called iW5.

While iW2 and iW3 were originally shown at last year’s show, both have undergone significant internal improvements, with the iW2 now clearly serving as a $179 miniature version of the iW1 without a battery, and the $199 iW3 re-engineered to add a rechargeable battery pack like the iW1’s. iHome also is showing multiple beautiful fabric color options for the new models, which could conceivably let users swap off the fabric speaker grilles for different decor-matching looks. Each unit is now being shown with an optional iPod/iPhone charging dock. A new version called iW5 is being previewed as well, smaller than the rest and simpler with swappable front speaker grilles.

The iDM5 Executive Workstation is an all-in-one iPad-focused Bluetooth keyboard with speakers, a microphone, and charging ports built in, capable of playing music, handling FaceTime/VoIP calls, and letting you type on an Apple-style chiclet keyboard. It’s expected to debut in March for $130. Additionally, a low-end portable speaker extension to the ColorTunes family of color-shifting LED units caught our attention: tiny pocket-sized speakers that glow in their centers, at a very low price point.

It looks like Scosche has been busy lately, as the company had plenty of new products to introduce at this year’s International CES. Up first is railKASE, the company’s aluminum and silicone hybrid case for the iPhone 4 and 4S. The contoured metal frame is designed to offer superior protection and comfort, while the rubber skin helps protect from bumps and scratches. It will be available in the first quarter of this year for $60.

Next up are the company’s charging solutions—the reVOLT h2, reVOLT c2, reCOIL II, and reviveLITE III. The reVOLT h2 is a dual USB wall charger offering 2.1A for fast charging of two iPads simultaneously, while the reVOLT c2 packs the two ports into small cigarette lighter adapter-sized body. The reVOLT c2 will be available in the first quarter and will sell for $25, or $35 packed with a cable; pricing and release information for the h2 has yet to be announced.

The reCOIL II is a 2.1A car charger featuring a retractable, three-foot, magnetically locking 30-pin cable, while the reviveLITE III is the latest generation of the company’s combination night light and docking charger, with a side 2.1A USB port for charging an iPad.

Finally, the company is showing off a new range of headphones and earphones, including the REALM RH656md on-ear headphones and REALM IDR676md earphones. The RH656md headphones feature 40mm drivers, copper voice coils, neodymium magnets, leather ear cushions, and ported sound chambers. The IDR676md are a new set of earbuds with 11mm drivers. In addition to the claimed audio quality, the buds are unique in that there’s a bass level slider on the side of the three button remote and mic. The earbuds are priced at $130 and are expected to ship second quarter of 2012; pricing and availability for the RH656md headphones has yet to be announced.

At the 2012 International CES, CableJive is showing its redesigned DockStubz 30-pin pass through adapter and charge converter for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad, which features a thinner dock connector and a micro USB pass through. In addition, the company informed iLounge that it is currently working on redesigned version of its dockXtender dock connector extender cable with a more tightly tailored male end for greater case compatibility.

XtremeMac is showcasing a number of new products at the 2012 International CES. Included in the mix is the Tango TT, an audio charging dock for the iPod, iPhone, iPad featuring a flexible 30-pin dock connector, that allows the device to be docked in landscape or portrait orientation, a sliding back support that raises and lowers the device for multiple viewing angles, multi-directional speakers, an auxiliary input, and a companion app. It will be available this summer.

Also being shown is the Soma BT, a portable combination Bluetooth stereo speaker and battery pack for the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and other compatible devices. It features a 2W x 2 speaker setup with a passive radiator for improved low-end performance, an internal 1150mAh battery that provides up to six hours of playtime and can be used to charge a separate device over USB, a high-power microphone for hands-free calling, and a line-in jack for connecting non-Bluetooth audio devices. It will be available in the second quarter of 2012.

Available in Duo Plus, X3, or X5 versions—signifying the number of devices that can simultaneously be charged. There is a Dock Connector plug for each, so that they may stand in an orderly line and no additional cables are required. Pricing for the Duo Plus has yet to be announced, while the X3 and X5 will sell for $100 and $150, respectively. All three charging stations are expected to hit the market in Q1.

The company is also showing a 3-in-1 USB Mobile Cable that offers micro USB, mini USB and 30pin tethered tips, the InCharge Boost, a portable battery pack with a 2300 mAh lithium polymer battery, an integrated 30-pin connector and USB connector, an integrated carabiner, a dedicated on/off switch, and LED status indicators, and the InCharge Micro Boost, a 500 mAh battery pack, which also features an integrated carabiner, 30-pin connector, and LED status indicator lights. All three will be available in Q1; pricing on the 3-in-1 cable has yet to be revealed, while the InCharge Boost and InCharge Micro Boost will sell for $50 and $25, respectively.

Finally, the company is showing a variety of cases, including options for the iPad, iPhone, and MacBook.

At the 2012 International CES, House of Marley is showing two new bag-style Bluetooth speaker systems, Block Party and Nomad, as well as One Foundation, a high-end tabletop speaker system. Block Party is a two-channel Bluetooth audio system, featuring two 3.5-inch woofers, two one-inch tweeters, a ported speaker chamber, a built-in rechargeable battery, an interchangeable bag, and 20 watts of total power. It sells for $249. Nomad is also a two-channel Bluetooth speaker system, offering dual 2.5-inch woofers, two 2.5-inch passive radiators, the ability to run off AC power or alkaline batteries, a built-in bag, and 10 watts of total power. It is priced at $200. Finally, One Foundation is a high-end system, offering an iPod/iPhone/iPad dock, AirPlay support, two 5.25-inch woofers, two one-inch horn-loaded tweeters, a ported speaker chamber, wooden baffle, RCA and 3.5mm auxiliary inputs, an included remote, and 200 watts of total power. It will sell for $600; release dates have yet to be revealed.

Dexim will be showing off its Click Stick Bluetooth remote package for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Package consists of a flexible-leg adjustable device mount, a small, matte-black Bluetooth remote shutter control, and a companion camera app that works with the remote and also offers various filter, editing, and sharing features. Click Stick will be available in late February and will sell for $40.

Previously known for audio accessories, ION Audio attempted last year to branch out into Apple gaming add-ons with the release of iCade, a joystick and eight button set mounted inside an iPad-sized arcade cabinet, relying on Bluetooth wireless to send commands to the tablet. Though Apple’s lack of official iOS software support thus far for game controllers has limited the number of developers willing to add peripheral support to their titles, a small number of companies have released iCade-compatible games, inspiring ION to expand the iCade range with three new versions.

iCade Core cuts the original model down into an angled iPad-ready platform with the same joystick and eight button configuration, losing the oversized and needlessly expensive cabinet-style housing. No pricing has yet been announced. Next is iCade Jr., which looks like the original iCade, but shrunken to fit the iPod touch and iPhone 4/4S, with only four buttons alongside the joystick; it will sell for approximately $50. Like the first iCade, neither of these units is designed to be portable.

Finally, there’s iCade Mobile, a joypad-based controller that is expressly built for portability. An interesting design enables either an iPhone 4/4S or iPod touch to be rotated within a central housing from portrait to landscape mode, while the joystick and buttons remain in their hand-grippable positions. This $80 model has both face and rear buttons, further raising questions about what sort of buttons developers are supposed to expect from iCade device to device.

At this year’s International CES, Supertooth is following up its win for Car Accessory of the Year in our 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide with the introduction of two new products.

The first is Disco2, which will be available at the end of the first quarter of this year for $99. A nicely designed Bluetooth speaker, Disco2 is portable and rechargeable, and can be used alone or in a pair for a stereo setup. Next up is Crystal, a car speakerphone. Made to clip to a sun visor, it allows for handsfree calling and supports voice features such as Siri. It will be available for $69 around the same time as Disco2.

One of the products Altec Lansing has announced at the 2012 International CES is its LIVE 5000 Wi-Fi Music Speaker, which will sell for $500. The speaker uses existing 802.11 b/g/n wireless networks to stream and control content from the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or computers. Inside the unit are dual three-inch mid-range drivers, two tweeters, and a four-inch subwoofer. 

We’ve confirmed with the company that it is not leveraging AirPlay, but rather its own system that also allows access to Internet radio stations and relies on your computer as the media server for everything else. A free LIVE Controller iOS app will give you control over the content. Alten Lansing has not yet announced a release date for this speaker.

Withings is known for its lineup of iOS-compatible health products, and its new Smart Baby Scale—just introduced at CES—is no exception. Coming out in the second quarter of this year and costing $179, the device does exactly what the name would imply: weighs babies, and toddlers too, up to age eight.

For the smaller ones, there’s a removable basket. The free app that accompanies it tracks weight, height, and other information over time, allowing the user to keep track of progress.

Modular iPhone 4/4S cases seem to be a trend at this year’s International CES, and Nuu’s ClickMate Power Plus is among them. Shipping in March for $70, the battery is part of the company’s ClickMate Series based around a standard Foundation Case—one of the shells is included with Power Plus.

It has a 1600mAh capacity, which is right around the average for battery cases, and allow simultaneous charge and sync via the passthrough port. The twist here is that additional pieces, including a card holder, a belt clip, and eventually a Bluetooth keyboard, will be offered as alternative plug-ins relative to the battery.

Well-known for its innovative accessories, Griffin is taking a more iterative approach at the 2012 International CES, debuting many logical extensions of existing product lines alongside at least one genuinely awesome idea. The company previewed several new kid-focused products from its collaboration with Crayola, including two new entries in the MyPhones line of volume-limiting headphones. Crayola MyPhones Earbuds ($15) are available in a variety of colors, and come in a crayon-shaped case that also houses additional silicone tips. For those looking for an on-ear solution, there’s Crayola MyPhones Headphones ($25). Coming in either pink/purple or blue/green combinations, each set comes with stickers and markers, allowing children to customize the design. They’re both volume-limited so as to avoid damage to young ears.

Also part of the collaboration are two new cases. Crayola Crayon Classics for iPod touch 4G ($25) are simple hard shells that feature one Crayola crayon color a piece—purple pizzazz, cotton candy, caribbean green, and blue berry. There’s also Crayola Color Clickers for iPod touch 4G ($25), a polycarbonate shell that’s recessed in the middle, allowing users to customize the design with 28 included color strips.

Griffin also showed off three new apps. Crayola Lights, Camera, Color! HD ($2) allows users to take a picture or use one already on the device, drain all the color from it, and then color it in with Crayola’s color pallet. Crayola Silly Face Swaps HD is also a coloring pages type app, but this one allows you to insert your own face photos into coloring pages. It will cost $2 when it’s released in the Spring. Finally, there’s Crayola Case Creator. The app itself is free, but it’s made to work with a case and inserts sold by Griffin. Users will be able to design their own cases, print them onto the inserts, and slide them into an iPod touch case akin to the previously-released Reveal. The set will retail for $30 in the Spring.

Travel accessories are also a big part of the new lineup, including PowerBlock Reserve. Now with a larger, 2,000mAh battery and a complete redesign, the unit maintains its flip-out charging blades. An Apple-specific version shipped with a Dock Connector cable will cost $60, while a cordless version is priced at $50. They’ll be available in Spring. The company also showed off two new mounting solutions: WindowSeat 3 HandsFree ($40) is the newest iteration of the car phone holder, now redesigned to accommodate pretty much any smartphone with a three-point adjustable security bracket, and also now featuring a levered suction cup for added security. That accessory is becoming available now, while Tray Table Latch Mount will be coming at some point later in the quarter. It allows for an iPhone, iPod touch, or e-reader to be mounted on the latch of an airplane’s tray table. The idea is genuinely cool and much needed, we can’t wait to see it in action. No price has been announced yet.

We also saw some new iOS music accessories from the company. MIDIConnect ($80), available this Spring, simply provides MIDI input and output ports to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. StudioConnect ($150) takes that a few steps further, adding an iPad resting and charging dock, wall power, and audio in through a mono 1/4” plug or the stereo 3.5mm input. It has RCA ports for output, and there’s a very nice glowing-rimmed volume control on the top. StudioConnect will be available very soon.

Our favorite new product from Griffin at this year’s show is one that looks like it’ll be genuinely awesome. Twenty is a digital amplifier for Apple’s AirPort Express, and it’s really a first of its kind accessory. On the top of the device is a dock for the router; simply plug it in, hook up a pair of speakers, and you have an AirPlay system ready to go. As a neat touch, there’s a brushed aluminum volume dial on the top of the unit. Without pricing or date information, however, Twenty is being shown only as a “sneak peek” to CES attendees, and it’s really unclear as to when it will be out.

iLuv has rolled out its new Mo’Beats Wireless Stereo Speaker Stand for the iPad and other portable devices. Mo’Beats is a tube-shaped speaker featuring Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming, a high-fidelity speaker on either end of the tube, a built-in rechargeable battery for wireless operation, an auxiliary input for other audio sources, and a front cradle that can accomodate both encased and bare iPad and iPad 2 units, as well as other tablet-sized devices. iLuv’s Mo’Beats speaker stand for iPad is priced at $100 and is listed as “coming soon”.

iHome has announced that it will debut three new alarm clock speaker systems for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod next week at the 2012 International CES. Headlining the lineup is the iW4, the company’s first AirPlay-compatible clock radio system. In addition to Wi-Fi and AirPlay compatibility, the iW4 also offers compatibility with the iHome Connect, Sleep, and Radio apps, upgradable firmware, Ethernet connectivity, dual programmable alarms, the ability to wake and sleep to AirPlay devices, a docked iPad, iPhone or iPod, FM Radio, or alarm tones, SRS TruBass sound enhancement, a gradual wake feature, and a remote control. It is expected to sell for $270.

Also included in the new lineup is the iP18, a LED-powered color changing system featuring a top-mounted iPhone/iPad dock, four color modes, four wake-up modes, a Reson8 speaker chamber, and compatibility with the company’s iHome Sleep and iHome Radio apps. It will sell for $70. Rounding out the offerings if the iD50, a new app-enhanced clock radio that takes some design cues from the company’s award-winning iA100 system, an offers Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming, an AM/FM radio, a top-mounted, iPad/iPhone/iPod-compatible dock, dual 7/5/2 alarms, a speakerphone with built-in mic, SRS TruBass sound enhancement, a line-in jack for connecting other audio sources, an included remote control, and compatibility with the company’s iHome Sleep and iHome Radio apps. It is expected to sell for $170.

Iconic.am has launched its new sports case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Designed to take advantage of the handsets’ built-in HD video recording capabilities, the Iconic.am system includes a watertight case, a wrist-strap mount, and a free app that uses the device’s accelerometer to allow for control without needing to physically touch the phone. The case is made from clear polycarbonate, and features a shock-absorbing structure on the inside for increased impact protection, a touch-through cover for the screen, as well as three locking latches and a silicone O-ring for IPX5 water resistance. The Iconic.am case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is available now and sells for $70.

Ahead of the 2012 International CES, Soundmatters has announced its newest product: foxLO. Billed as the world’s first palm-sized, hi-fi subwoofer, it is designed primarily to add a significant level of bass to Bluetooth speakers such as the company’s foxL v2 series, and Jawbone’s Jambox, both of which use similar audio hardware.

Users can connect directly to the unit from a iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC, and it has a full pass-through to connect to a speaker system. The subwoofer offers 25 watts of amplification, and also has a USB charging port. It will sell for $149 when it’s available in Spring 2012.

Pioneer Electronics has announced the release of two new AirPlay-enabled networked audio players. Part of the company’s Elite brand, the new N-30 and N-50 players include both AirPlay and DLNA 1.5 wireless technologies providing iTunes and iOS users with the ability to stream music and other audio content wireless from their iTunes libraries or portable devices. Both models include an Ethernet port for a wired network connection; users can purchase the AS-WL300 wireless LAN converter or AS-BT200 Bluetooth adapter separately to provide additional connectivity options for streaming from a Wi-Fi network or A2DP capable Bluetooth device.

The two models also include vTuner Internet radio for streaming music from a selection of over 16,000 Internet radio stations worldwide. The systems support playback of standard compressed audio formats as well as Apple Lossless audio via AirPlay and include a ful-color 2.5” LCD screen for displaying track information and album art. An optional Pioneer ControlApp is also available on the App Store to allow users to control the unit from an iPhone or iPod touch. The higher-end N-50 model provides an armoured chassis for noise resistance and gold RCA jacks for better audio connections along with additional audio features such as Advanced Sound Retriever and Sound Retriever AIR to enhance the quality of compressed audio files. The N-50 also features twin EL transformers to reduce interference and a 32-bit conversion processor for an improved audio experience. Both players are available now from major electronics retailers, with the N-30 and N-50 priced as MSRPs of $499 and $699, respectively.

Ballistic will unveil its new LS Smooth case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S at the 2012 International CES. The LS Smooth is made from TPU, and features silicone “Ballistic Corners” for increased shock protection, push-through coverage for the volume and sleep/wake buttons, and open access to all other ports, controls, and cameras. Ballistic’s LS Smooth case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S will be available later this month and will sell for $30.