NOTE: WE HAVE CHANGED BLOG LOCATIONS. CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW AND IMPROVED CYGNETT BLOG.

We already know that the GrooveTransmit is popular with our customers, but now the biggest technology news sites are realising it too.

CNET Australia have listed their top three FM transmitters, and our GrooveTransmit is there! Journalist reviewer Derek Fung says:

Not all iPod FM transmitters are created equal — some have dodgy cradles that fling your iPod around the cabin, others roll over at the first sign of interference. We pick three of the best, so you have your tunes everywhere you drive.

No matter how good an FM transmitter is, it will never be a match for a direct connection to your iPod or MP3 player, but if your car’s sound system lacks an auxiliary input or USB port, and you’re not willing to rip it out and install a new unit, then it’s the easiest option.

‘If you need a cradle for your iPod and a few more pre-sets the Cygnett GrooveTransmit is a worthy choice.’

MacWorld UK agree, with Nick Spence saying:

‘The Cygnett GrooveTransmit is a FM transmitter for iPhone and iPod that gives you the freedom to play your favourite tunes, audio books and podcasts over your car’s stereo.

Out the box a little assembling is required to attach the dock to the rather stiff but sturdy gooseneck arm. Plug the gooseneck into your car’s cigarette lighter adaptor, adjust the arm for comfort and usability and slide your iPhone or iPod into the padded rubberised cradle. Once you have connected your device to the iPod dock connector you can squeeze the cradle’s adjustable arms to ensure a tight fit for travel. The unit comes with a separate cigarette lighter support collar with rubber ring for an extra secure fit.

A switch on the back of the adaptor, although facing you, activates the unit. It doesn’t require any additional power or batteries other than your car’s cigarette lighter adaptor. The front of the cradle offers some basic but intuitive controls for frequency up and down and comes with four memory presets along with a frequency display.

If you are familiar with FM transmitters set up is fairly straightforward via your car’s radio and the unit’s controls include a handy auto-scan function. Cygnett promises the optimum sound possible by finding the best FM frequency and in our tests playback was impressive. Sound reproduction depends both on audio bit-rates and the quality of your car’s stereo.

The Cygnett GrooveTransmit automatically charges your iPhone and iPod when docked so you can enjoy a long journey without your batteries suddenly dying. The dock’s rubberised cradle should ensure your iPod doesn’t get marked or scratched with constant use.’

NOTE: WE HAVE CHANGED BLOG LOCATIONS. CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW AND IMPROVED CYGNETT BLOG.

CNET Australia have nominated their favourite iPod Speaker Docks, and the Maestro speaker dock has been chosen as the best value option. Here’s what CNET.com.au’s Alexandra Savvides had to say:

‘There’s a smorgasbord of speaker docks available to iPod (and iPhone) owners that choosing one from the pack can be a little tricky. Some will sound like your music is echoing out of the cardboard box the player came in, while others will sound excellent but cost a small fortune.

…The Maestro does a lot of things right for its AU$189.95 asking price. It produces good sound and is cross-compatible with a range of iPods and iPhones…’

It seems that they love the Maestro in Australia. Australian magazine ZOO Weekly also gave it a glowing review:

‘The lovely staff at Cygnett sent ZOO Man the very first pair of speakers to hit Australia to test out over the weekend, and test he did. With a massive house party planned we were skeptical as to whether such a small speaker box could create enough wattage to satisfy our loud rock cravings, but the Maestro speakers blew us away. Hell they were even louder than my actual house stereo – which has now been returned to the back shed.

The Cygnett Maestro speakers are so small you can move them from room-to-room with no hassle whatsoever, the dock has size plates so no matter what iPod or iPhone you have you’re sorted, but the most impressive thing about these speakers is the fact that it can be run off of mains power or by plugging in 4x AA batteries. Like most battery powered speakers we were expecting the speakers to fade after an hour of loud volume, but the speakers and batteries lasted out the whole long weekend and haven’t dropped in quality whatsoever.

These have to be the most portable, loudest, most affordable, coolest mp3 speakers on the market. They’re easily the loudest/best portable speakers we’ve ever come across.’

and

World’s Ugliest iPhones Cases Round Two

and

World’s Ugliest iPhone Cases Round Three

here’s another installment…

The 'Attempt At Peaceful Cloud Swirls That Looks Nothing Like Real Clouds' case

The 'Unidentified Lame Superhero With A YinYang Sign On His Forehead' case

The 'Bumpy Nodules On The Inside Of The Case' case

The 'You Can't Go Wrong With Pink Glitter No Matter How Much You Use' case

The 'It Must Be Classy If It Has Both Roses And Jewels' case

and

World’s Ugliest iPhones Cases Round Two

here’s another installment…

The 'Video Game Rip-Off' case

The 'Louis Vuitton Rainbow Vomit' case

The 'Disco Chick' case

The 'Britney Spears Innocent And Cute But What Will She Turn Into?' case

The 'Less Is More Unless By Less You Mean Two Tigers And A Dragon And Whatever Else You Want To Put On It' case

Enjoy…..

The 'Dame Edna (man dressed as woman)' case

The 'Paul Frank Goes Redneck Series' case

The 'Jim Carrey as Mediocre Joker Nowhere Near As Good As Heath Ledger' case

The 'Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake attempt' case

The 'Look At Me I'm Rich And Famous No Not Really Just A Little Bit Sad' case

So there is the first 5, but we have plenty more to come in the next few days. Keep checking back, or subscribe to our feed for more ugly iPhone cases…

]]> http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/worlds-ugliest-iphone-cases-round-two/feed/ 4 samuelcooney IMG_3761 IMG_3752 IMG_3769 IMG_3754 gold back&front http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/music-speakers-mayhem/ http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/music-speakers-mayhem/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:23:56 +0000 samuelcooney http://cygnett.wordpress.com/?p=614 ]]> I just checked out the range of speakers we offer for iPods and iPhones, and the total currently stands at 17. 17! Have a look:

See, I wasn't making it up... 17 different speaker models!

As you may be able to see, five of these are brand new – just released or about to be released. Let’s have a closer look at each of the new speaker systems – give them each a chance in the spotlight.

‘Maestro’ portable speaker dock

'Maestro'

Created especially for the iPhone, this modern & minimalistic speaker offers full-spectrum acoustics and superb clarity of sound with a dedicated subwoofer & twin mid range speakers which deliver powerful base & vivid mid tones. When a call comes through on your iPhone the music fades automatically.

Read a review of the Maestro here

‘Tempo’ speaker dock for iPhone & iPod

A speaker and alarm clock dock that sets your music free. Extremely versatile, the Tempo wakes you with your choice of music, entertains you during the day, and eases you to sleep with sleep setting and screen dimming. The slimline remote lets you Wirelessly operate the dock and your iPod/iPhone. Whether you’re in the bedroom, at your desk or in the kitchen you can take charge of your listening.

‘Micro’ mini rechargeable speaker

Take your music with you. With 3 hours of music anywhere with the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, you can have music anytime – lying on the beach, relaxing in the garden or soaking in the bath.

Unison i-TS premium tower speaker system

Elevate your iPhone or iPod music to a whole new level of listening with the Unison i-TS. A strong statement of powerful and precise performance, this freestanding vertical speaker system allows simple docking of your iPhone or iPod for powerful and authentic sound for every song on your personal music playlist. Designed to provide a complete acoustic experience, the Unison i-TS has a vertical construction that provides the best possible tonal balance found in music. With two midrange speakers, dual dome tweeters and a five-inch subwoofer, the detail and depth of sound will fulfil your every expectation.

Harnessing the expertise of audio professionals, this freestanding speaker system retains a striking presence. Conventional speakers normally use large volume cabinets to achieve a satisfying bass level. Unison does the same inside the slender confines of the i-TS by using heavy components house in a solid membrane. The Unison i-TS ensures precision performance with minimum distortion, with an assurance that you are getting an honest and pure reproduction of your music. Without taking up valuable space on shelves or benches, instead fill your room with full-spectrum sound. Hear every piano key, every whispered lyric, every individual bass beat.

‘Sonata’ multi-function speaker dock

Boost your tunes with stylish speaker dock. Boasting powerful twin speakers, the Sonata offers clean, crystal-clear sound to your playlist without distortion. Add to this the alarm clock and FM radio functions, and this portable iPod & iPhone dock becomes the complete package. Features include the in-built FM radio with preset memory function for 10 stations, dual smart alarm feature – wake up to iPod music or FM radio, tweakable bass & treble for full acoustics control, and fully adjustable LED display to control the level of brightness.

We know sound technology. We love music. We combine them both in all of our speaker products.

]]> http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/music-speakers-mayhem/feed/ 0 samuelcooney Picture 1 maestro_3q_classic logo TempoAngle-RNano logo Micro_nano5 i-ts0 UnisonLOGOrgb 2 sonata1 http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/best-logos-of-2009ipod/ http://cygnett.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/best-logos-of-2009ipod/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:14:07 +0000 samuelcooney http://cygnett.wordpress.com/?p=626 ]]> Thanks to FrancescoMugnai, who have posted their top 40 logos of 2009. Here are a few examples:

It seems that simple is best, yes? FrancescoMugnai have some more colourful and complex logos here, although again, the more minimalist the better we reckon.

Looks like there are plenty more videos on the way as well. Keep an ear to the ground.

Ranger (a brother company to Cygnett) have announced their latest range of laptop sleeves, cases and backpacks. They’re obviously designed to protect your goods, whether you’re climbing the stairs at work or climbing a mountain (apparently). Here a couple of examples:

They’ve also revamped their website – check out the fanciness here

Our Maestro speaker dock is available now.

Without a sniff of over-enthusiasm, this is truly one of the best products we’ve ever offered. This might sound far-fetched or just like bull, but we worked on the development of this speaker for months, so that now we have a powerful and dynamic sounding portable speaker that is very affordable. It has both of Apple’s ‘Made for iPod’ and ‘Works with iPhone’ licenses. ZOO Weekly are the first to review it: “These have to be the most portable, loudest, most affordable, coolest mp3 speakers on the market. They’re easily the loudest/best portable speakers we’ve ever come across.”

BubbleBag laptop case.... perfect for the upcoming Apple Tablet?

We posted something on our new BubbleBag laptop case last week, and have had some great responses about it. Lots of people have suggested it might be perfect to protect the rumoured and up-and-coming Apple Tablet, hopefully released early next year. Some possible names include the iProd, or the MacBook touch. We also had a post about the Apple Tablet a while ago, and would love to see a product of the sort sitting on our desks.

Wired.com reports that Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn is getting ready to ship 300,000 – 400,000 units of the new Apple Tablet, and that it will feature a 10.6 inch screen display. CNET seems to confirm its existence, revealing that a patent application ‘looks suspiciously tablet-like’. Mirror.co.uk and other news sites have broken the news that former Apple employees claim that the tablet was actually planned and developed before the iPhone, but it cost too much to make and was not of a high enough standard. Check out all the differing news yourself – there’s plenty of people out there talking about it.

All in all, it’s been the usual busy schedule for us around the offices. Look out for more product announcements and special deals.

BubbleBag - orange

Here is our new BubbleBag laptop sleeve. It’s like nothing else out there.

The BubbleBag has a funky contoured exterior that is both sleek looking and very durable, meaning your laptop is well protected in a case that will keep looking new. The interior of the BubbleBag is lined with ultra-soft fleece to prevent scratches or marking to your laptop. Two bubble zipper pullers provide easy access, and the entire sleeve can be carried on its own or inside another bag.

BubbleBag - grey

The BubbleBag comes in two sizes (for 10″ and 13″ laptops) and in three colours (orange, grey & black).

Bubbles are the best.

Thanks to Viddler