TrulyObscure

Welcome to Truly Obscure!

Hi! Thanks for visiting San Francisco’s best print and online magazine focused on news and reviews of the latest, greatest, and strangest. We’re in the process of looking for writers- if you’re interested (or think you might be), email us!

As always, article ideas, neat sites, and review suggestions are more than welcome- just use the contact form.

Latest

Happy, Loud New Year with a Smart, Fully-Featured iPod Dock

Who doesn’t like an iPod dock? Perfect for parties, easy recharging of your MP3 player, good sound. But so many docks leave out features- they lack good radio reception, or can’t play CDs, or don’t have good controls.

Luckily, there’s the Cambridge Soundworks i765. With more capabilities than you can shake a stick at, it lacks only true support for the iPhone and HD radio. But it can do just about everything else, and pretty well, making it the best dock we’ve used- it even handles DVD video playback and MP3 CDs, as the unit can actually work as a replacement mini-home stereo with it’s video-out options.

For starters, it’s fairly large- the largest dock we’ve tried. The i765 is more of a super-dock or mini-home theatre in a box, but the size means that it also delivers the best bass of any iPod-related device we’ve used, and is capable of delivering it at unreasonably loud volumes. It can fill a mid-size room with ease, though you won’t get the channel separation or surround sound of a true multi-speaker system.

The unit is also highly adjustable, with individual control of treble and bass, and a handy remote that makes everything fairly easy to use. There are even dual alarm settings, with decent alarm options (though no weekday or weekend settings) and a wonderfully large LCD display. If you don’t own an iPod, you can use the line-in for other devices, and the built-in radio offers excellent reception. There is even support for Radio Data Service information, which can be quite handy. The shielded speakers, large mute/snooze button, and connectivity were good, even if the DVD playback suffered a bit on our test discs.

All in all, the i765 performed better than expected in most areas, with all newer iPod models. We had some issues with the remote, and really wish that it had ethernet connectivity for network playback. But those are minor issues- anyone in the market for a large, multi-function dock would do well to consider the Cambridge Soundworks i765. With the recent drop in price from $500 to $300, it’s a pretty good deal as well.

Available directly from their site (or grab an open-box unit for a bit less)- and they offer free shipping as well.

Recent

Two Boxes Expand Your Entertainment Horizons

Popcorn Hour may sound like an excuse to visit the movie theater, but they actually make a mean media box. And Neuros sounds brainy, but is the manufacturer of one sexy open source media player. Each has their uses, and we tested out both over the holidays to see how...
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Sniftag Monitors Your Pet... and Offers Pet Social Networking!

You can’t see the world through the eyes of your dog or cat- but with the new Sniftag, you can at least see what they’ve been up to. It sounds like a gimmick, but it seems perfect for gadget-loving pet owners, especially those in cities. In essence, the Sniftag allows your...
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Holiday Thanks, and Coffees for Christmas

On this, the last day before Christmas, in the last week of 2008, we’d like to offer a TrulyObscure toast to all of our readers, sponsors, and partners. And an extra special “Happy Holidays!” to all of the companies that have been featured within our site in our third year....
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Cut Your Phone Bills With Ooma

We confess- we didn’t have a landline. It just doesn’t seem worth it, since we use our cell phones everywhere. Thanks to Ooma, we don’t need to worry about the terrible cell signal in the office. Their Core VoIP Phone System frees you from phone bills- call anywhere in the United...
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DreamKeeper and SleepTracker: Better Rest Through Technology

We reviewed the original SleepTracker a while back, and now can offer a look at the new SleepTracker Pro, as well as a device that seems similar on the surface actually is quite different- the HBI DK-400. The SleepTracker Pro is an improved version of the original, offering 12 hours of...
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Flip Mino Puts Video in Your Palm, One True Media Sends it Out

Video has hit the masses- if YouTube hasn’t made it clear, witness the Flip Mino videocamera. Small enough to fit into your hand, with enough battery life to make it through a day, and shooting decent enough video to impress the family, the Flip Mino is one device that is...
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Celebration of Tea

If anyone doubted our commitment to tea, take a look at our prior coverage. This season, we bring you our largest meta-review yet, of three different tea companies, and over a dozen types of tea. We’ll start with the biggest collection, from Stash, who sent us a seasonal sampler of six...
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$2700 for Headphones? Yes, Indeed!

Beyerdynamic’s Headzone Surround Sound Home is a product out of reach for most consumers- pricey enough to deserve an article away from all of the other audio equipment we’ve looked at recently. First question- what do you get for your hard-earned cash? Well, you get some of the best-sounding surround sound...
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Neater, Handier, More Productive... in the Shower, with simplehuman

In a time of infinite choice in your hair salon products, bath soaps, and loofahs, you may accrue more products than your shower or bath allows for. In my case, my boyfriend accrues delicate, high-end soaps like a Lush Sea Vegetable soap, a Lush Jasmine and Honeysuckle soap, and perhaps...
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Wireless N USB Adapters- Now Inexpensive, Fast, and Tiny

Many laptops, even those bought within the last year or so, don’t offer wireless-N built-in. That’s because the final specification isn’t out, and the standards aren’t completed. Still, with wireless-N routers now becoming more common, and the drastic improvements in bandwidth possible from them, you might want to look at...
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