Archive for July, 2010

JBL On Stage Micro II for iPod

Saturday, July 24th, 2010
JBL On Stage Micro II for iPod

Here’s an iPod docking system from JBL called the On Stage Micro II. Simply drop your iPod into the slot and listen to the funky tunes from the unit. It’s currently retailing for a snip under $100 at Amazon, so if you’re keen here are the specs on the the iPod dock from JBL

* Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3GS
* Four neodymium-driven Odyssey and slipstream port design provide full-range, accurate sound
* New RF remote provides reliable control from distances up to 50 feet
* 3.5mm auxiliary input for external audio devices such as iPod shuffle, MP3 players, etc.
* Power with included power supply or four AAA batteries for portable use

Whilst all sounds good for the On Stage Micro II, a review over at PCMag gave the unit only three stars out of five with audio performance a negative and portability a positive. Unfortunately with audio performance the most important criteria for docking units this has put a damper on the JBL’s On Stage Micro II, yet a customer review on Amazon (four stars) rates the Micro II’s performance and only dislikes its volume or lack of.

If you’ve played with a JBL On Stage Micro II iPod system, let us know what you reckon.

HP Mini 210-1142CL netbook

Thursday, July 15th, 2010
HP Mini 210-1142CL netbook

HP have added a new model to their Mini 210 netbook range with the 1142CL. The unit sports over 9 hours of battery life from its 6-Cell lithium-ion battery and has a 10.1 inch WSVGA LED display. Here are the full details on the latest HP Mini 210.

* Product Number XA523UA#ABA
* 1.66GHz Intel Atom Processor N455
* 1GB DDR3 System Memory (1 DIMM) max
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
* 250GB (7200RPM) HDD
* Multimedia Drive
* 10.1” diagonal WSVGA HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1024 x 600)
* Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
* 802.11b/g/n WLAN connectivity
* HD Audio
* stereo speakers
* integrated microphone
* 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
* 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
* 1 VGA (15-pin)
* 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
* 1 Headphone-out/Microphone-in combo jack (compatible with 3.5mm 4-conductor jack with stereo audio and mono mic)
* 10.55 in (L) x 6.9 in (D) x 0.9-1.11 in (H)
* 2.99 lbs
* 6-Cell 66.6WHr Lithium-Ion Battery

The upgrading of the Mini 210 from HP shows the competitiveness of the netbook market. If you want to win you’ve can’t afford to fall behind, as each manufacturer tries to squeeze more bang for buck from their models. The 1142CL Mini 210 will set you back $370 (list price) and certainly sports the features you’d expect from a new netbook.

We could only find one online review of this new Mini 210 over at PC Mag where they gave the 1142CL 3.5 stars out of 5. They stated a dodgy touchpad, badly placed memory slots and its looks as negatives whilst the Mini 210’s fast HDD, large battery and competitive pricing as positives.

If you have managed to have a play with HP’s latest Mini 210 do let us know what you think of it.