The unique concept behind the OTTO Wireless MP3 Player Headset is that it combines an mp3 player and headphones into one compact device, eliminating the wire from earpiece to mp3 player. For most people, carrying around your entire music collection in your mp3 player is overkill. 10,000 songs in the palm of your hand is great for long vacations or business trips, but not necessary for your commute or trip to the gym. Otto embraces this fact and has developed an mp3 player that has a useful form factor with the following specs:

• Supports MP3 or WMA files
• Windows XP or Vista (No Macs)
• USB 2.0 for fast downloading
• Rechargeable battery with 8 hours of play
• 512 MB memory (about 100 songs)
• Multiple equalization modes

Interface and Controls

The controls, shown below, are very simple, with no LCD screen. Available buttons include play, pause, forward, reverse and volume. Red and green LED lights display the player’s status. The tracks play in the order you loaded them. There is no shuffle, which seems like a glaring oversight. It took me some time to trust that I was pushing the right button, but once I got the hang of it, I had no problems.

Charging and Downloading

The unit connects via USB, which serves as the battery charging cable and transfer cable. It took me just under 5 hours to charge a dead unit. Plan on charging your unit overnight. Not a big deal but it would be nice to have a quicker charge. An optional AC adapter is available for purchase but is not included with the headset.

The headset also requires you to use at least Windows Media Player 10 (no iTunes) to manage and sync your music. To me this is frustrating, especially since I had never used WMP 10 before. The instruction manual with the headset assumes you are familiar with Windows Media Player 10. At least it does not have its own proprietary software.

I wish the unit functioned more as a flash drive and allowed you just to drag and drop files. Overall, this is not that big of a deal and is certainly not worth worrying about. With the relative size of the player’s storage, you won’t be managing your entire library of digital music anyway.

Who Should Buy It

The OTTO Wireless mp3 Player Headset is really targeted at people who want to listen to music for a short duration, like while commuting or exercising. If you are interested in carrying around your entire music collection, the OTTO player is probably not for you. It certainly is not a replacement for a 30gb iPod. I personally would use it during work-outs or while running.

So, should you buy it? This product is all about being wireless. If that appeals to you, than by all means, go ahead and get one. There certainly is a coolness factor to the player. The design was a hit in my office with my co-workers marveling at its simplicity.

If you are looking for a general mp3 player that is lightweight, I think there are better options. The OTTO player executes the wireless part well but there are drawbacks, like having to use WMP 10 and limited file support. Also, at a cost of $79.95, an iPod shuffle is almost the same price with double the memory.

This article originally appeared at www.zatznotfunny.com.

This week’s version of the round-up focuses a lot on Joost. Is it me or does Joost seems to be everywhere in the online world right now? The marketing job being done has been tremendous.

• Joost on a set-top box - How will Joost bridge the gap between the computer and televisions?
• BabelGum - Joost might also have some competition
• InternetVue PC2TV - One way to get Joost to your television
• Use the Wii as a media center - The Wii controller might make a nice remote
• Apple Updates Front Row for Leopard - Vista Media Center still looks better to me
• Comcast promises 800 HD Channels - Are there even 800 SD channels?
• FCC and Internet TV - The FCC is looming large with July right around the corner.

Check out these videos too:

• Awkward interview of Spelling Bee Champion - Title says it all. Can’t believe I actually watched a spelling bee.
• Paris goes to jail music video - Definitely THE story of the week
• NASCAR Busch Series Live
• ESPN Fantasy Sports -I am a big fantasy sports fan and would love to see more content in the media center interface.
• ESPN NBA Videos - The NBA Finals are terrible so check these videos out.

Rocketfish, Best Buy’s internal brand, offers a unique solution to eliminate wires in your living room or den: the Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit (which sells for $99 at Best Buy). From Rocketfish’s website:

With the new Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit and your “home theater in a box” or component home theater system, you can enjoy full, enveloping surround sound with fewer wires. This affordable system lets you wirelessly connect almost any rear-surround speakers to any home theater receiver, allowing you to place your speakers for optimal surround performance while maintaining a clean, organized appearance.

The kit comes with a small wireless transmitter unit that connects to the AV receiver rear speaker outputs, and a larger black box that houses the wireless receiver and amplifier. The receiver must be plugged into a wall outlet for power. The picture below provides an illustration of the advantage of the wireless speaker kit.

The wireless speaker kit is a great idea for apartments or situtations where you cannot run wires through the walls. Several months ago I went to a Superbowl party at a friend’s apartment who had a surround sound system not set-up because the wires would have to run across two door openings. His plasma TV was definitely lonely.
With the Wireless Speaker kit in hand I went over to his apartment last week. We set-up the system in about 10 minutes. The receiver and the transmitter are linked at the factory so there is almost no set-up required. Connect the speakers to the wireless units and turn on your surround sound receiver. That’s about it. Below is a picture of the wireless transmitter.

The wireless speaker kit does have some limitations, espcially since it is not entirely wireless. Both rear speakers connect to the wireless receiver, which also must be plugged into a power outlet. This means there are still three wires running in the back of a room.

The set-up I tested had the couch almost against the back wall, which offered a place to hide the receiver and the speaker wires. The kit may not work as well in larger rooms in which a couch is not against a wall. In some ways, the system would be better if the rear speaker receiver was split in two, one for each speaker.

One thing to keep in mind is the latency delay between the rear speakers and the front speakers. Since the rear speakers are connected wirelessly, there may be a slight delay. Although we did not experience any noticeable delay, most surround sound receivers should be able to compensate with the right settings.

Overall, the Universal Wireless Speaker Kit is a very convenient and practical product that eliminates cable clutter with a very little downside. The Universal Wireless Speaker Kit is something both you and your significant other can enjoy. During our set-up we were joking that the kit could save a lot of marriages.

For a price of $99, the kit is relatively cheap. In the right situation, this product is almost a no-brainer, especially in apartments. My friend was very excited to have surround sound after almost a year of not having it.

• 2.4GHz wireless laser mouse provides precision performance with laser tracking
• 3D flat scroll panel provides smooth and silent scroll operation with notebook trackpad-like touch feeling
• Compact microreceiver along with push-push design allows for easy storage when not in use
• Converts from travel/storage to use mode with a quick and simple twist
• Flat, slim mouse fits in your pocket for portability

This mouse, which is almost the size of a Motorola Razr phone, has a lot of small features that make using it a joy. First off, it is completely wireless, using a USB microreceiver that slides into the body of the mouse for easy storage. Very cool (but hard to properly explain, see picture below). Second, the mouse is automatically turned off, saving your batteries, when the microreceiver is placed in that storage compartment. The mouse and microreceiver fits nicely into a small pouch provided with the mouse. Third, the flat panel scroll is a nice touch, though I think I like a scroll wheel better.

The twisting action of the mouse is mostly a gimmick since the mouse is already pretty small. The mouse can twist flat for travel, and then twist back into a more ergonomic shape for use. There is a certain cool factor with this mouse. I showed of the twisting and the receiver to my co-workers, and everyone came away impressed.

Most of the negatives of the mouse stem from the fact that it is a “travel” mouse. This is not a desktop mouse. If you have large hands, the mouse can be hard to use and, in general, it is not very ergonomic for those with larger hands. I actually got use to the small size though I would not recommend it as an everyday mouse.

If you are looking into a buying a mouse for your laptop, I would definitely consider Rocketfish’s Twister Mouse. The compact size of the mouse makes it the perfect travel companion. It originally retails for $44.99, which I think is a little steep. I did notice that Best Buy has the mouse on sale with a $15 reduction in price.