Gadget store Fancylogic sent as the Box2s Music Station portable MP3 Player stereo speakers for a quick review.

The Music Station has a folding design making it a small package to transport. Folded the speakers measure 110×60x60mm. Via the audio miniplug cable any mp3 or other music source can be connected. As you can see in the photos below most MP3 players can be put in the place in the middle of the speakers. The drawer is adjustable in depth to accommodate different players.

The portable speakers can either be powered with 4 AAA batteries or via DC 6V plug. The Music Station speakers come with a USB to DC cable to power the speakers via the USB port of a PC or notebook.

The sound quality is good, not overwhelming but definitely usable. The output power is high enough to start a party. Verdict: It is not a Bose SoundDock, but then it is way cheaper and also works with any MP3 player. There are tons of low-cost portable speakers out there and this is one of them.
The Music Station speakers sell for $42.50 (batteries not included).

It’s holiday time and if you’re one of the lucky ones to own an iPod, then Belkin has the way for you to take your tunes on the road with you.

Here’s where an iPod really shines – not that it doesn’t shine otherwise. If you’ve ever wondered whether it was worth it to buy a device with 20, 30, 40, 60 Gb or storage capacity Belkin’s TuneCast II, TuneDock and Auto Kit will provide the answer.

On a long drive or an extended camping trip you can fully utilize the storage capacity of your iPod and listen to your tunes or an audio book through your FM radio. You’ll never have to worry about recharging the iPod because Belkin’s Auto Kit takes care of that – just plug it into the cigarette lighter or power dock in your vehicle.

The TuneDock is a device used to mount your precious iPod securely in the cup holder of your vehicle. Several different sizes of cups are available and you can screw the holder into whichever one fits your vehicle’s cup holder. The sucker built in to the TuneDock holds your iPod solidly in place so you won’t have to worry about the device rattling around the car. There’s a little tab on the top of the sucker that you tug to release the iPod – you’ll have fun getting the iPod off the TuneDock without releasing the pressure by pulling the tab – the iPod is VERY well secured in place. The TuneDock costs under $40CAD and is widely available.

The Belkin Auto Kit keeps your iPod fully charged so you won’t have to worry about running the batteries down – crucial if you want to listen to the DaVinci Code on audio book. I wouldn’t go anywhere without this charger – for under $60CAD you too can get one of these chargers.

The key to the whole system (other than your iPod of course) is the TuneCast II from Belkin. The TuneCast II is the most expensive piece of the Belkin travel hardware I tested at about $70CAD, but you won’t hear a thing without it. The TuneCast II uses two AAA batteries for power and it is the device that lets you play whatever is on your iPod through your FM radio. The sound you’ll get through your radio isn’t as good as the sound you’ll get though earphones or headphones, but who cares? You’re able to play your music or listen to a book through your car stereo with more than just acceptable quality. You set the FM frequency on your FM radio and then set the same frequency on the TuneCast II and you’re in business – it’s pretty well that simple to use.

PROS: Being able to get even more use out of an iPod. On long drives you can listen to your music or books when radio reception is poor .

CONS: You need an iPod. There is a fair amount of equipment involved when you buy all three parts , so you might need a bit of extra room in the front of your car .

canada.com

Mobile phones with built-in MP3 players are starting to form the mainstream of the cell phone market, with all products introduced by Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Pantech & Curitel this year equipped with an MP3 function. Industry insiders expect that over 70 percent of the 15 million units of old and new handsets to be sold in the Korean market will be MP3 music phones. LG Electronics said “We are predicting that MP3 phones will account for more than 80 percent of our sales this year.”

The memory size and functions of MP3 phones have developed to approach the level of proper MP3 players. Samsung Electronics has released handsets with a 1.5-Gb HDD (hard disk drive) through KTF in February and plans to launch a ’super music phone’ with 3 GB of storage. Users can store up to 500 tunes with 1.5 GB and 1,000 with 3 GB.

LG has recently released a “Real MP3 Phone” with an exclusive chip for MP3 playback whose more powerful high and low registers offer users a crisper sound. It also provides equalizer effects, and a “multi-tasking” switch lets users to do multiple jobs simultaneously, such as sending text messages while listening to music.

Pantech & Curitel have released a necklace-style MP3 phone.

Domestic mobile telecom providers are also pushing the trend by opening music portal sites, with SK Telecom¡¯s MelOn, LG Telecom¡¯s MusicOn, and KTF¡¯s Dosirac opened in the months since November. “The market share of music phones will grow as they are increasingly becoming a personalized fashion accessory and fashion trend, while mobile operators are expanding their music business,” an LG official said.