Kontrol Surface DJ MIDI Controller   

Gadgets, February 20, 2012
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Do you live, breathe and eat all things deejay? Well, if you have answered in the affirmative and want something to keep yourself occupied during your spare time, you might want to look into the £1,999.99 Kontrol Surface DJ MIDI Controller. I know, it can be rather pricey, especially in these uncertain economic times where austerity measures are being mulled over by many governments across the globe to the disdain of their constituencies. Still, this unique MIDI controller is one special way to stand out from the rest of the crowd, especially when you want to lay the smack down with your brand of sound.

I need not tell you that this was specially designed to wow the crowd even before a single button has been pressed, and not a beep of sound has emanated from it. It boasts of a multitouch control surface that will function like your everyday mixing desk. The 22″ touchscreen display will certainly come into its own when all the lights have been turned down. It even comes with an Emulator Modular software that allows you to move buttons, sliders, circular knobs and jog wheels.

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Ron White: Death Penalty in Texas   

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In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it. If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back.

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Jim Gaffigan: Gym Teacher Aspirations   

Jokes, February 19, 2012
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You think when gym teachers are younger, they’re thinking, ‘You know I want to teach, but I don’t want to read’?

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BrailleTouch lets the blind text   

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Modern smartphones come with touchscreen displays – which is not a bad thing at all, really. Just take a look at the kind of apps and games that have been written for the platform to date and tell me that it isn’t revolutionary in any way. However, while the hard of hearing can always enjoy the use of a smartphone or featurephone because they can see, how about the visually impaired? Georgia Tech believes otherwise, and has come up with BrailleTouch – a Braille-like texting app.

This prototype app for touchscreen mobile devices intends to be the complete solution to all our modern day texting problems, without having to even look at the device’s display at all – which would also bode well for the visually impaired, of course. Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the project’s principal investigator says, “Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them.”

You can check out just how BrailleTouch works in the video that you see below, and it might also help normal folk to bridge the gap with the visually impaired, since this free open-source app incorporates the Braille writing system. Initial studies that surround BrailleTouch alongside visually impaired participants who are proficient in Braille typing have shown that they are able to input at least half a dozen times the number of words in each minute when compared to other research prototypes that also have the same end game objective in mind – that is, eyes-free texting on a touchscreen display. These users were extremely proficient, being able to reach up to 32 words per minute with an accuracy level of 92%, now how about that? Imagine what kind of speed and accuracy can be achieved when the prototype app is finally polished.

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BrailleTouch lets the blind text   

Gadgets,
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Modern smartphones come with touchscreen displays – which is not a bad thing at all, really. Just take a look at the kind of apps and games that have been written for the platform to date and tell me that it isn’t revolutionary in any way. However, while the hard of hearing can always enjoy the use of a smartphone or featurephone because they can see, how about the visually impaired? Georgia Tech believes otherwise, and has come up with BrailleTouch – a Braille-like texting app.

This prototype app for touchscreen mobile devices intends to be the complete solution to all our modern day texting problems, without having to even look at the device’s display at all – which would also bode well for the visually impaired, of course. Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the project’s principal investigator says, “Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them.”

You can check out just how BrailleTouch works in the video that you see below, and it might also help normal folk to bridge the gap with the visually impaired, since this free open-source app incorporates the Braille writing system. Initial studies that surround BrailleTouch alongside visually impaired participants who are proficient in Braille typing have shown that they are able to input at least half a dozen times the number of words in each minute when compared to other research prototypes that also have the same end game objective in mind – that is, eyes-free texting on a touchscreen display. These users were extremely proficient, being able to reach up to 32 words per minute with an accuracy level of 92%, now how about that? Imagine what kind of speed and accuracy can be achieved when the prototype app is finally polished.

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Brian Regan: One Eye Set Higher   

Jokes, February 18, 2012
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My eye doctor told me this, I’m not making this up. He goes, ‘You know you have one eye set a little bit higher than your other eye?’ ‘No, I didn’t know that.’ He goes, ‘It’s no big deal; it doesn’t affect your vision or anything. I just thought you might want to be self-conscious for the rest of your life.’

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World Press Photo 2012 Winners   

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The World Press Photo Of The Year Contest is one of the most prestigious annual events for press photographers. You loved our World Press Photo Of 2011 series and these are the winners in 2012. There are some powerful images amongst this year’s winner. Read the descriptions underneath each image to find out more about the setting and the photographer. Which is your favorite?

PHOTO OF THE YEAR: Samuel Aranda. A woman holds a wounded relative in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen. October 15th, 2011.

ON REVOLUTION ROAD: Rebels in Ras Lanuf, Libya. For weeks, rebels held out against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the hope that the world would come to their aid. Defiance faded as the dictator’s planes and tanks began to retake what had been dubbed Free Libya. Yuri Kozyrev, March 11, 2011.

MARIA: Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles, Brent Stirton. A drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukraine. Maria injects drugs on a daily basis and sees many men every week but claims she remains HIV negative. She says she need the money to support herself, her drug habit and her nine-year-old daughter. August 31st, 2011.

RHINO WARS: Nature, 1st prize stories, Brent Stirton. A four man anti-poaching team permanently guards a Northern White Rhino on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. July 13th, 2011.

CLIFF-CLIMBING POLAR BEAR ATTEMPTING TO EAT SEABIRD EGGS: Nature, 1st prize singles, Jenny E. Ross. A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs. This bear was marooned on land and unable to feed on seals–its normal prey–because sea ice had melted throughout the region and receded far to the north as a result of climate change. July 30th, 2011.

AFGHANISTAN: Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize singles, David Goldman. Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Ben Vandandaigue plays the drums on Forward Operating Base Sperwan Ghar, overlooking the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan. June 24th, 2011.

INTERROGATION ROOM: Portraits, 1st prize stories, Donald Weber. Inside an interrogation room, Ukraine. April 1st, 2010.

DANISH AND IRANIAN CULTURE: Portraits, 1st prize singles, Laerke Posselt. The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011. Taking the leading role as a villain in the spy drama ‘Fox Hunting’, she learned firsthand about the culture of her native country: following a regime-approved script, she was required to wear a head scarf in all scenes, forbidden from swearing, and learned to show that she was in love with a man without telling him or touching him. May 4th, 2011.

NORTH KOREA: Daily Life, 1st prize singles, Damir Sagolj. A picture of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang. October 5th, 2011.

STRELKA: Sports, 1st prize stories, Alexander Taran. Student Artem Eronin, 19, during a fight. In the amateur street fighting tournament known as Strelka in Russia, fighters compete on sand with no time limit, breaks or rounds, and the fight only stops with a knockout or a fighter’s surrender. The matches are held in the back lot of the abandoned Soviet factory Krasnoye Znamya. July 23rd, 2011.

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Sports, 1st prize singles, Donald Miralle, Jr. Triathletes swim over a school of fish at the start of the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship at Kailua Bay in Kona, Hawaii, considered one of the most grueling races in the world. October 9th, 2011.

TSUNAMI: People in the News, 1st prize stories, Yasuyoshi Chiba. Nozomi Sabanai (L), together with her sister, looks at a catamaran sightseeing boat that was thrown by the tsunami onto a two-story building, at Otsuchi town, Iwate prefecture, Japan. April 16th, 2011.

THE FURY OF THE TSUNAMI: Spot News, 1st prize stories, Koichiro Tezuka. A powerful tsunami surges toward the Japanese coastline, swallowing business and residential areas in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture. The deadly wave arrived one hour and ten minutes after a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region of eastern Japan. March 11th, 2011.

BATTLE FOR LIBYA: General News, 1st prize stories, Rémi Ochlik. An opposition fighter rest under a rebellion flag in the middle of the battlefield oil town Ras Lanouf in Libya. March 11th, 2011.


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Smartphone Toothbrush? Really?   

Gadgets, February 17, 2012
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There are just certain things that I feel need to remain “old school” my bathroom habits are but a few of them, I mean, I really don’t care what new fangled way they come up with… to do, well, whatever it is we do in there. I’m not having it. I don’t want to try it. I don’t want to hear about it, and writing about this next gadget is as close as I’m gonna get. Of course you all know that this is just the beginning, the Smartphone is officially encroaching on our bathrooms, be forewarned.

What we have here is the worlds first high tech toothbrush, called The Beam. It is a non-motorized toothbrush that will connect to your android device via Bluetooth. Bluetooth? even that seems a bit off, ya think? Anyhow, this device functions as a timer, making sure you brush your pearly whites for the optimal period of time, it starts timing when you start brushing and provides data when you’re done.

But wait! That’s not all, it can also track up to four “brushers” (Hopefully not on the same toothbrush) and will give you a high tech graphical analysis of every-body’s tooth brushing for the entire week and seamless wireless uploads. I knew I was missing something in my life, I just didn’t know what it was until now. Sigh.

All joking aside, I guess I can see some practicality of this device being marketed towards children, If I had a dollar for every time I had to march my daughter back to the bathroom for a second brushing I’d be rich. Having a little printout and a reward system does have some merit, especially in a larger family… I don’t know if that’s the plan,  but like I said, I’d just as soon keep high tech out of my bathroom, It was my last bastion of privacy and relaxation…I’m afraid of what comes next. Really I am.

The Beam will be available in Blue and pink and probably run you about 50 bucks.

source

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Brian Posehn: Having a Baby   

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I was just surprised when my wife told me we were having a baby. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. You’re going to make a great single mom.’

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Animal Sculptures Made From Shattered CDs   

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If you’re as talented as Australian artist Sean Avery, you could turn your old CDs into incredibly intricate animal sculptures. Avery, who is both a sculptor and an illustrator, takes old cds and shatters them to create these shimmering works of art.


Via: DeviantArt


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The C-String – Not your Mama’s Underwear   

Gadgets, February 16, 2012
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Okay, I get the problem, I really do… You’ve got the perfect dress and not even the skimpiest thong can be hidden beneath it, failing to give way to that smooth bunch -free appearance. Let’s face it, to even an inexperienced eye, one can tell if you’re going commando or not. Panty lines, or no panties? Which is worse? We shall weigh in on this later, in the meantime check this out:

The C-String. There. I said it. This fanciful twist on G-string undergarments is a masterpiece of modern engineering, touted as sexy, comfortable, full of form and function. The C-String promises to end your underwear “issues” and doubles as a *gasp* bathing suit? You know, one that won’t leave tan lines. Seriously? With its flexible internal frame, you just slap it on and go. I’m trying to picture myself in this thing, and trust me when I tell you, the visual isn’t what I hoped it would be!

To be fair, when doing my research, I had the opportunity to read quite a few reviews for the C-String, and they were overwhelmingly positive. It seems everyones biggest fear was that it might fall off. Of course if you were walking around in one of these tiny little patches in the first place, would explaining what you just tripped over be your primary reason for embarrassment? I think not.

So all this being said, there are some girls out there that think this little number is fantastic. They find themselves liberated from side strap issues and visible lines beneath their smooth skirts, they enjoy an (almost) all over tan without being encumbered by traditional bathing suit bottoms. So maybe I’m missing something here. My curiosity is getting the better of me, I’m going to grab one of my headbands and see if I can simulate the look and feel of the C-String.

If you’d like to try one for yourself they come in small and medium for about 24 bucks, they are available in select stores or online at www.cstringdirect.com and by the way…. What ever you do, DON’T try the headband thing! You just have to trust me on this…

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Bonsai Tree Houses by Takanori Aiba   

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Japanese artist Takanori Aiba has created this fantastical sculpture called Bonsai-B. Using materials that include stone clay, epoxy putty, copper line, plastic, and resin. He constructs sprawling miniature communities that wrap around bonsai trees, lighthouses, and amongst the cliffs of nearly vertical islands.


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Shattering Porcelain Figurines by Martin Klimas   

All Pictures, February 15, 2012
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For his project titled “Porcelain Figurines”, German photographer Martin Klimas dropped various porcelain figurines onto the ground from a height of 3 meters and set up a camera to capture photos triggered by the sound of the crash. The result are razor-sharp images of exploding figurines frozen in time — “temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography”.


Via: petapixel


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Roadkill Toys – They take Guts to Play with… Literally   

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I spent my Sunday at the Toy Fair here in NYC, and while I have quite a few things to share with you, (and I will) for some reason these toys are the ones I can’t seem to forget about! They were adorable, cartoon-y, then shocking, hysterically funny and I couldn’t help but smile all day, they were thought out down to the last detail, super professional and as it ends up, I just have to have one! I mean, I’ll get one for my daughter, yes.. that’s it, that’s my story.

Meet Roadkill toys, they embody every single characteristic of a warm and fuzzy, collectable, super cuddly plush animal, of course one that has been run over… perhaps more than once… and their crucial internal organs are hanging out, but rest assured that their entrails can be tucked back inside and zippered up for the more squeamish among us. Complete with body bags, toe tags and a suitable for framing certificate of death, these suckers are what kids dreams are made of… um nightmares? Well, anyway, lets just say they should have some sort of sleep issues with these adorable little dead things.

These little guys have great back-stories that include the way they died, like Twitch the raccoon who evidently missed his mark with a late night road crossing, and Grind, (my personal favorite) a cute little gray rabbit who had a very unfortunate meeting with the tires of an 18 wheeler. Smudge, a cheeky little squirrel who also failed to yield with disastrous consequences. Roadkill toys is poised to introduce us to some other dead animals soon, including Fender the fox and Splodge the hedgehog. (one can only imagine)

So if a cuddly little cartoon-esque animal with an enlarged spleen, displaced intestines, protuding bloodshot eyes, gaggling tongues and a few tire marks are right up your alley You need to be on the lookout for Roadkilltoys.com Actually, you probably need a lot of things… like to talk to a professional… what are you waiting for? Go. Now!

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Lewis Black: Oral Olympic Sport   

Jokes, February 14, 2012
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Oral sex should be an Olympic sport because it’s harder than curling, and if you’re good at it, you deserve a medal.

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Laura Kightlinger: Holidays for the Lonely   

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It goes: Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Is that fair to anyone who’s alone? Those are all days when you gotta be with someone. And if you didn’t get around to killing yourself at Christmas or New Year’s — boom! there’s Valentine’s Day for you. I think there should be just one more holiday after Valentine’s Day, just for the stragglers — and it should be called, Who Could Love You?

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The Living Wall by Nikita Nomerz   

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Russia based graffiti artist Nomerz has a way with faces. Transforming structures into massive portraits, Nomerz changes the urban landscape into unexpected faces that reimagine their surroundings into giant pink faced expressions of joy, anger, excitement, and contemplation. More work by Nomerz after the jump.


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NASA TV – Reality TV goes Sci-Fi on your Smartphone   

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Okay, I’m not proud of it, and there seems to be so much of it you cant help but watch it sometimes. I’m talking about reality TV. I don’t watch anything in particular, but for some reason if its playing in the background while I’m working, I get sucked in.. I haven’t seen more than one or 2 episodes of any show, and I never tell anyone I’ve seen even a single episode, but I have… there’s almost no way around it.

How how about THIS kind of reality? Two Russian cosmonauts will conduct a five-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, this Thursday,Feb 16th, in order to continue outfitting the International Space Station and, NASA Television will broadcast this spacewalk beginning at 7:45 a.m. CST. And best of all, the action can be viewed right on your computer, iOS or Smartphone.

Russian Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenkoand Anton Shkaplerov from Expedition 30, will be moving one of the two Strela cranes from Pirs, the oldest Russian airlock and docking module, to the newer Poisk docking module. The 46-foot boom will be used for future assembly and maintenance work. The duo will also install five debris shields on the Zvezda service module and, if time permits, a small experiment on the forward section of the module, an experiment sample pack on Poisk and support struts on the Pirs ladder.

Both spacewalkers will wear Russian Orlan suits bearing blue stripes and be equipped with incredibly awesome NASA helmet cameras. They will emerge from the Pirs airlock at about 8:15 a.m. This spacewalk will be the 162nd for the purpose of space station assembly and maintenance. The last spacewalk occurred Aug. 3, 2011. For Kononenko, it will be his third spacewalk following two in July 2008 during Expedition 17. His two previous spacewalks lasted a total of 12 hours and 12 minutes. It will be Shkaplerov’s first spacewalk and the only one scheduled during Expedition 30.

I don’t know about you guys, but this kind of reality TV sends real shivers down my spine…of course I can almost guarantee that no one is going to drink too much and start throwing things or quit… but one can dream…

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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Scosche introduces bassDOCK for both iPads   

Gadgets, February 13, 2012
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Bass is definitely the base line for songs, and even though I am musically deaf and the only kind of keyboard which I am able to ‘play’ with is the computer keyboard, I do appreciate the deep bass tones in songs, especially compositions that have a guitar or two in them as well. Having said that, most of the modern portable devices we own such as notebooks, netbooks, smartphones, portable consoles and tablets do come with built-in speakers, but when it comes to the performance of its bass levels, they are really suspect.

Scosche Industries, the award-winning innovator of consumer technology, intends to remedy the situation by announcing the availability of the new spanking Scosche bassDOCK. This particular speaker dock will cater for iPads from both generations, although I am not quite sure whether Scosche has inside information on the next generation iPad which is said to roll out sometime in early March this year, and will it be forward compatible? Only time will tell.

This particular adjustable speaker dock can tilt and rotate for both landscape and portrait viewing angles, while bringing a 2.1 sound system with 40mm stereo speakers wherever you go in order to deliver smooth mids and brilliant highs. Not only that, Scocsche has also thrown in a 3″ subwoofer that delivers rich and powerful bass. According to Kas Alves, Executive Vice President of Scosche Industries, “The bassDOCK transforms the iPad into a complete entertainment system. It provides the power, sound system and flexibility to make your movies, music and games come alive.”

Not only that, bassDOCK users are able to juice up their iPad or iPad 2 as they watch, play games or listen. The dock delivers 10 Watts (2.1 Amps) for the fastest charge possible, and if you are interested, you can pick it up for $149.99. Sure, this is definitely not the most affordable iPad speaker dock at all, but I am quite sure your ears will appreciate those MP3s and movies even more once it is plugged in.

Press Release

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Scosche introduces bassDOCK for both iPads   

Gadgets,
1 Point2 Points3 Points4 Points5 Points6 Points7 Points8 Points9 Points10 Points (No Ratings Yet)

Bass is definitely the base line for songs, and even though I am musically deaf and the only kind of keyboard which I am able to ‘play’ with is the computer keyboard, I do appreciate the deep bass tones in songs, especially compositions that have a guitar or two in them as well. Having said that, most of the modern portable devices we own such as notebooks, netbooks, smartphones, portable consoles and tablets do come with built-in speakers, but when it comes to the performance of its bass levels, they are really suspect.

Scosche Industries, the award-winning innovator of consumer technology, intends to remedy the situation by announcing the availability of the new spanking Scosche bassDOCK. This particular speaker dock will cater for iPads from both generations, although I am not quite sure whether Scosche has inside information on the next generation iPad which is said to roll out sometime in early March this year, and will it be forward compatible? Only time will tell.

This particular adjustable speaker dock can tilt and rotate for both landscape and portrait viewing angles, while bringing a 2.1 sound system with 40mm stereo speakers wherever you go in order to deliver smooth mids and brilliant highs. Not only that, Scocsche has also thrown in a 3″ subwoofer that delivers rich and powerful bass. According to Kas Alves, Executive Vice President of Scosche Industries, “The bassDOCK transforms the iPad into a complete entertainment system. It provides the power, sound system and flexibility to make your movies, music and games come alive.”

Not only that, bassDOCK users are able to juice up their iPad or iPad 2 as they watch, play games or listen. The dock delivers 10 Watts (2.1 Amps) for the fastest charge possible, and if you are interested, you can pick it up for $149.99. Sure, this is definitely not the most affordable iPad speaker dock at all, but I am quite sure your ears will appreciate those MP3s and movies even more once it is plugged in.

Press Release

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