Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[American Eardrums Under Attack]]>http://www.switched.com/2007/04/26/eardrums-under-attack/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/26/eardrums-under-attack/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/26/eardrums-under-attack/#commentsFiled under: ,

With Sanjaya Malakar no longer the force he once was, it seems the tender eardrums of America's youth are once again safe from unnecessary harm. But sadly, that's not the case, reports NPR.

Today's 'Morning Edition' broadcast spotlighted Dr. Sharon Kujawa of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and her crusade across Boston's school system to inform young people about the dangers of listening to music too loud.

A study by the CDC estimates that 12.5 percent of American kids between six and 19 years-old show signs of noise-induced hearing loss. That's more than five million nationwide. However, what's particularly alarming is the fact that the study is from 2001 -- years before iPods and other digital media players were as commonplace as they are in 2007.

But, kids are a tough audience to win over. So, to help her get the message across, Kujawa travels with Ben Jackson, a twenty-something kid who gets up and actually raps a song about hearing loss. His song is called "Turn it to the left," and encourages youngsters to turn their volume dials down (and to the left). According to NPR, the kiddies go nuts for it.

Jackson's diddy goes a little something like this:

"The number one risk around,

Is when the volume goes up when it should go down,

So be aware of the sounds that you're listenin' to,

And when it gets too loud, you know what to do:

Turn it to the left, turn, turn it to the left..."

Admit it. You're dying to listen for yourself (halfway down the page).

From NPR

SwitchedAmerican Eardrums Under Attack originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aacEarbudsearshearinghearing lossHearingLossiPoditunesmp3Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:24:00 EST<![CDATA[iPod Stops a Bullet]]>http://www.switched.com/2007/04/06/ipod-stops-a-bullet/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/06/ipod-stops-a-bullet/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/06/ipod-stops-a-bullet/#commentsFiled under: ,



The Apple iPod. Cultural icon. Technological revolution. Life saver...? Yes, according to Kevin Garrad, an infantryman deployed in Iraq. While on patrol in Iraq, he turned a corner and found himself face to face with an AK-47 wielding insurgent. Both fired and both took hits. The insurgent died, but Kevin was lucky enough to to have a 20 gigabyte iPod in his chest pocket in addition to his body armor. The iPod nobly took the round, its (scratched) metal backing slowing the slug before letting the armor finish the job of stopping it short of causing him any damage. The device is of course ruined now, but here's hoping Apple is good enough to send Kevin a replacement player. We might recommend a matching Kevlar carrying case.

From Flickr (via Engadget | Photo Licensing)

SwitchediPod Stops a Bullet originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BulletiPodIraqSoldiersFri, 06 Apr 2007 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Oh Snap, New D-Snap from Panasonic]]>http://www.switched.com/2007/04/05/oh-snap-new-d-snap-from-panasonic/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/05/oh-snap-new-d-snap-from-panasonic/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/05/oh-snap-new-d-snap-from-panasonic/#commentsFiled under:

Panasonic's D-Snap line of products has always taken minimalist styling and flaunted it, resulting in some seriously nice looking but understated portable audio players. Their latest has been unveiled, the SV-SD850N, and it looks just as lusciously simple. Weighing just 45 grams and fitting into a svelte 91x35x12mm package, it's similar in size and weight to an iPod Nano if a bit thicker. With compatibility with all the popular music file formats (MP3, WMA, and ACC) it should play your music regardless of what format you store it in. It also sports a slot for SD and SDHC memory cards, meaning you can expand it all you like and never run out of storage. The player is shipping in Japan on April 30, but no word on whether it will officially hit U.S. shores or not.

Gallery: Panasonic D-Snap SV-SD850N



From Akihabaranews.com

SwitchedOh Snap, New D-Snap from Panasonic originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>D-LinkPanasonicSV-SD850NThu, 05 Apr 2007 08:28:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhone Definitely Coming in June]]>http://www.switched.com/2007/04/02/iphone-definitely-coming-in-june/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/02/iphone-definitely-coming-in-june/http://www.switched.com/2007/04/02/iphone-definitely-coming-in-june/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Could it be that Apple fans finally have a date to mark on their calendars? According to Engadget (via CNET), that may be the case. AT&T, the mobile provider formerly known as Cingular, has officially confirmed an unofficial release date of June 11th. Normally we wouldn't put much weight behind announcements like this, but given that June 11 just happens to be the same date as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, there looks to be truth here.

If you've not been under a rock or imprisoned, you already know that the iPhone is Apple's foray into the embattled cell phone market, where it hopes to do to phones what it did to the MP3 players with the iPod. The iPhone will have a touch-screen display, built-in camera, and will of course play tunes and videos. For now AT&T will be the exclusive provider of this phone and will sell a 4 gigabyte version for $499 and an 8 gigabyte version for $599 (each requiring a two year contract).

From Engadget [via CNET]

SwitchediPhone Definitely Coming in June originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleattcingularfeaturesiphoneipodMon, 02 Apr 2007 07:31:00 EST