iPod

High Resolution Technologies makes some of the very best and most affordable digital-to-analog converters on the market. The company's newest model, the MicroStreamer, is a tiny thing, just 2.5 inches by 1.2 inches by 0.4 inch, and since it's USB-powered it doesn't have a power supply or require batteries. It works as an external sound card for computers, tablets, and some smartphones. It's also a high-quality headphone amplifier. It was designed in the U.S., and the little guy's circuitboard's components are mounted in Southern California. The aluminum case is made … Read more

I'm usually a sound-first guy, but when it comes to evaluating headphones, comfort is a very close second. So even when I love the sound of a headphone, if they start to hurt my ears after a half an hour, that's a deal-breaker.

That's why I'm happy to report on a remarkably comfortable and great-sounding headphone, the MrSpeakers' Mad Dog. That's an odd name for a headphone maker, but MrSpeakers' Dan Clark started out as a speaker designer. Now he extensively modifies Fostex T50RP headphones, a headphone that I've never cared for. Clark transforms … Read more

Smartphones are so common now that it's easy to forget criminals will steal them if you give them the opportunity.

Apple device thefts in New York have gotten so bad that the New York Police Department created a team dedicated to recovering stolen iDevices, the New York Post reported today.

The team works with Apple to obtain ID numbers -- known as International Mobile Station Equipment Identity numbers -- for devices to help track down the stolen goods.

The number of thefts of such devices in the city soared last year, according to a report from the NYPD. The … Read more

iPhone and iPad owners who jump to iOS version 6.1.2 can still jailbreak their devices courtesy of Evasi0n.

Just a few hours after Apple released its latest iOS update yesterday, the Evad3rs team was out with Evasi0n version 1.4 designed to work with iOS 6.1.2 devices. An Evad3rs team member tweeted the news late yesterday.

Even the prior version of Evasi0n seemed unaffected by the iOS 6.1.2 update, at least according to preliminary testing. But Evasi0n version 1.4 makes it official.

IDownloadBlog has posted a page with step-by-step directions on how to jailbreak your iOS 6.1.2 device … Read more

Opinions on the alleged Apple iWatch are all over the place. Some people see it as a sign of Apple jumping into a hot space. Others question just how many people will feel the need to wear Apple on their wrists.

Apple iWatch rumors have been floating around like people in blue shirts at an Apple Store. We've gotten a report that Apple has a small army of 100 people working away to create the smartwatch, but we're still short of any real evidence.

The whole wearable tech market is buzzing right now, so it's not too … Read more

Apple today quietly put out new variants of its Lightning cable and its in-ear headphones.

The new Lightning cable is a half a meter long, half the length of the one that ships with Apple's latest iOS gadgets, and that's currently Apple's top seller. Despite the shorter length, both cables cost $19.

The other change is a bit more minor, with Apple adding its larger, fat-finger friendly remote to its $79 in-ear headphones. Apple changed up its design on that remote with its EarPods last September (see CNET's review of those here).

It's not unusual … Read more

To be honest, I've never heard a Bluetooth speaker I liked, because better sound was available from wired speakers, like the AktiMate Micro model. They're sold in pairs for $499, so you get true stereo sound, a rarity even with higher-end Bluetooth and most other wireless alternatives like the $600 Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air, $600 Bose SoundDock 10, or $399 Sonos Play:5. Those three are perfectly fine for what they are, but wired stereo speakers from Audioengine, Emotiva, and AktiMate sound better, much closer to what I hear from traditional hi-fi speakers. True, they're not … Read more

Just days after its release, one of the most high-profile iOS jailbreaks turns out to be the fastest to be adopted too.

Evasi0n, which gives iPhone, iPod, and iPad owners deeper access to the software on their devices than Apple allows, has been downloaded and used by nearly 7 million people since its release on Monday, Forbes reports.

To put that figure in perspective, Apple last month said that it had sold more than 500 million iOS devices cumulatively, and that 300 million of those were running iOS 6 -- its latest major release.

The 7 million tally comes from … Read more

Mailbox, a mail client that delivers Gmail messages to the iPhone, went live in the iTunes store today, but not everyone is going to have access right away -- the service is filling reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.

The app is designed to make for a mobile-friendly experience. To archive or trash, users can simply swipe the messages. If they want to look at an e-mail later, users can send e-mails back to the in-box with a tap. There's also a push notification.

Reservations can be had by downloading the Mailbox app. You'll need a reservation code … Read more