Gillian Shaw
Sun
1 The LPS-5 lets people connect a Bluetooth-enabled phone or music player to a hearing aid. The loopset fits around your neck, letting you take and make calls or listen to music that is transmitted wirelessly to your hearing aid. It has a vibrating alert and single-button call handling. One hour of charging gives up to 8.5 hours of talk time. The LPS-5 is available by special order through Wireless Wave or Telephone Booth. www.nokia.com PEN E-PL1 camera, Olympus, $ 650
2 Olympus has launched a contest around its new PEN E-PL1 portable camera inviting people to submit their vision of what they would produce with the PEN on a $ 5,000 budget. Contestants submit video proposals to www.youtube.com/getolympus. Twenty semifinalists will be selected in voting by the online community. From the finalists, six winners will be chosen by an Olympus panel of judges and the YouTube community. The six winners will get a PEN, plus the cash to turn their proposals into reality. A small camera, the PEN E-PL1 has one-touch HD video, offers interchangeable lenses and has Live Guide, a feature that lets you see the impact of numerous photographic effects and choose before you take the shot. www.getolympus.com Cerulean TX+ RX, $ 150 US
3 This bundle includes both the Cerulean wireless stereo Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. Certified for use with powered speaker systems, the RX allows the speakers to get audio transmitted wirelessly from a Cerulean TX-equipped device or from Bluetooth on the iPad, iPhone, iPod or computer. The Cerulean line also includes the RX wireless Bluetooth receiver as a stand-alone at $ 40 and the F1 stereo Bluetooth headset as a stand-alone device for $ 100. There’s also a F1+ TX bundle that sells for $ 150. www.iskin.com Amplitude iRig, IK, $ 40 US
4 Who needs a band when you can plug your guitar into your iPhone to jam? The iRig combines an instrument interface adapter that you plug into your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad with free downloadable AmpliTube software. Plug in your headphones and it gives the user an entire guitar/ bass rig with three simultaneous stompbox effects, amplifier, cabinet and microphone. It includes a tuner and metronome. www.amplitube.com/irig
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun