Last year we reported that Livespeakr, an innovative set of speakers for iPhone, would soon begin looking for a manufacturing partner. In the latter portion of the year, we were suprised to learn that the Livespeakr would begin shipping as soon as January 2009 -- which they did. We now have our hands on this awesome portable speaker system for iPhone/iPod, and it doesn't disappoint.

The Design
The Livespeakr features what the creator call a "super cradle" that will fit not only the original iPhone, but also the iPod Classic, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch and iPod Touch 2G. This cradle rotates 180º to enable both landscape and portrait usage from the iPhone/iPod touch. Behind the super cradle lies the male audio jack which plugs into your device. The cradle can be popped off to reroute the cable for either iPhone or iPod use.

When you rotate the cradle 180º the speakers will expand so that the cradle is not blocking the speaker grilles. When you return it to the 90º position, the speakers will retract back into place.

The top of the Livespeakr is plain, only offering an on/off switch, small LED, and mini-USB port. The Livespeakr is made out of shiny black plastic that resembles the 5th generation black iPod (with video). On the back you will find a small flap that pops out -- this is actually the stand. While you can't adjust the height with the stand, you can adjust the angle that it swings back or forward. The metal stand has rubber feet so the unit won't slide while you use it.

What you get with Livespeakr
When you order a Livespeakr, you'll get not only the Livespeakr itself, but also a USB-to-AC adapter that will allow you to charge the unit on the go. You'll also get a USB to mini-USB cable, and a carrying case for the speakers and the charger.

Functionality
These speakers greatly improve on the built-in speaker that is on the iPhone. When I plugged in the speakers for the first time, I was astonished that such a big sound was produced by such a small speaker system -- it reminds me of having a miniature iPhone boom-box. While these speakers are a little light on the bass side of things, I found that by adjusting the equalizer on the iPhone/iPod, I could drastically improve on the sound quality.

The nice thing about the Livespeakr is that the speakers themselves are shielded against RF (Radio Frequency) noise. So, you can listen to your tunes without either switching the iPhone into Airplane Mode, or having to hear your iPhone search for a 3G signal and getting the incessant buzzing sound associated with it.

The Livespeakr features a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery that I had very good luck with. In my testing, I was able to squeeze a week of 1-2 hour per day uses of it.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed using the Livespeakr and seeing how far it has come along since I first looked at the schematics of it last year. I could definitely see taking the Livespeakr on vacation to the beach, or just a swim at the pool. In addition, this small speaker set can be used as a speaker phone on your desk.

While some might say the $129.99 (US) price tag is a little high, I would have to disagree due to the portability and usability of the speakers. The Livespeakr is actually on sale right now, so you can actually get them $30-off for a sale price of $99.99(US).

You can check out the speakers in a little more detail on the Livespeakr website; you can also order them from their site. Be sure to check out our gallery of pictures of the Livespeakr.

In its "Let's Rock" event today, Apple introduced three new iPod touch models, all of which are available today.

$229 will get you 8GB of storage, $299 will buy 16GB, and $399 scores 32GB. That's knocking $70 to $100 off the price of each.

The form factor is very slightly thinner, and has a similar tapered back as the iPhone 3G, as rumors suggested. It will also include an exterior volume control and a built-in speaker for "casual listening." There is no microphone built in, but the touch will work with new Apple headphones that include a microphone on the cord. The new headphones are sold separately for $79.

The new models all come with version 2.1 of the iPod touch firmware, which includes the Genius recommendation service mentioned earlier in the presentation. The software also comes with Nike+ built-in, so all you have to buy is the shoe sensor/transmitter. No more dongle.

For those with a current-model iPod touch, the software update is free for those updating from 2.x, and $10 for those upgrading from 1.x.

The new iPod touch models also are more environmentally-friendly, and are constructed with arsenic-free glass and BFR-free, mercury-free, PVC-free, and highly-recyclable components just like the new nano.

[Photo via Engadget.]

As an entertaining Friday afternoon aside to our discussion earlier this week about how to recover data from a dying hard disk, it turns out there's plenty of uses left for the ones that have finally stopped pining for the fjords.

• With this tutorial from HacknMod, you can turn your hard disk into a grinder or sander.

• You can make a windchime and a keychain out of the parts inside the hard disk. Classy!

• You can turn it into a speaker.

• Years ago, my dad used to make clocks out of the huge 14-inch disk platters he used in old HP 3000 minicomputers. Turns out you can do this with the smaller drives of today, too.

• Finally, if you acquire enough expired hard disks, you can make a huge domino set out of them.

Practical? Probably not. But hey, it beats throwing them away.

As many of our readers have noted, the iPod HiFi is no more. Goodbye little (big?) Apple speaker, we knew ye not very well. The original release of the thing was a "bit of a letdown" in the first place, and the combination iPod dock-slash-speaker system never really took off. Anyone who was willing to spend that much on a speaker already had one that was better, or didn't listen to tunes straight from their iPod at home anyway.

Not that it was a bad device-- I have a friend that bought one, and it sounded great and worked perfectly in her apartment. But it looks like Apple's $349 boombox didn't make the cut today-- it's off of the online store, and likely gone from the retail stores as well. Bye bye, Apple HiFi.

Mother's day is just around the corner. Why buy roses when you can pick up a limited edition pink hoody iPod speaker for a mere 120 bucks? It's practically the same color as that old Mother's Day standby red geraniums, but it's way cuter. Unfortunately, when I say "limited" it means that they are only selling about thirty of these things. Also, I can't tell from the picture which kinds of iPods are supported. Still, it's exactly the sort of present to please and surprise a Mac Geek Mom on Mother's day.

Okay Apple fans, prepare yourself for the avalanche of new iPod accessories that will be revealed at Macworld. This iPod docking speaker and radio system has an interesting feature which sets it apart from the rest: a detachable remote that duplicates iPod functionality. With the remote you can leave the tabletop unit on the the other side of the room (where it will presumably sound better), and yet still access your iPod music with the familiar interface as well as tune radio stations. The main downsides are the price (~$550) and the rather silly name: George. Nonetheless, check out the somewhat over the top video on the Chestnut Hill Sound site, and check out the unit itself next week at Macworld.

[Via electronista]

Feeling like something's missing from the digital age of music, with our lists of albums and artists in iTunes and tiny deck-of-cards sized iPods that fit our entire music collections in our pockets? The I-Deck might just be the fusion of old and new school for you. The album art you see is actually a touch screen that allows you to browse your library, right down to flicking the screen to skip a song, and spinning it to fast-forward - all while giving your music's album art the face time (and space) it deserves.

We received tips of this at the cool hunter, but there aren't any details on this being an actual product for sale; they simply end their post with "contact us if you require designer's contact details", so we have no idea if the I-Deck will appear in Apple Stores and Targets near you.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in

This is brilliant. Absolutely awesome. Simon realized that begging for an iPod Hi-Fi probably wasn't going to get him anything but scorn and pity from his friends, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Armed with two ceiling speakers used for sorround sound systems, two original Mac cases, and some powertools, Simon went to work on one of the coolest Mac mods I have seen in a very long time.

A few hours, some cans of white spray paint, and you have the two coolest desktop speakers ever. Complete with battery power, line-in, and carrying handle, the new iPod Hi-Fi mini will be the rage all all of your summer parties.

Photoset and "Product Page"

Via Cult of Mac blog

It's good to be frugal. Waste not, want not, right? If that's your credo, then check this out. Basically, it's a tiny, box-shaped speaker that fits just beautifully inside an iPod box. Just connect your iPod to the speaker box with an audio cable and enjoy the heart-pounding mono sound! You can pick one up for about $38US...if you're in Japan.

Darn.

[Via Engadget]