Apple is a brand that’s known for creating products that mix impeccable design with superb function.  But as much as we love Apple, there are instances where the functionality falls a bit short of what it could be.  Case in point:  the iPod shuffle. The smallest member of the iPod family, the shuffle is geared directly to athletes, offering a compact, clip-on, go anywhere design that lets you listen to your favorite music without getting in your way.  There’s only one problem:  if you’re an athlete, you’re probably going to get wet, whether it’s rain, sweat, etc.  Furthermore, there are a huge number of sports that take place in the water, further limiting the shuffle’s usefulness.

Waterproof iPod Shuffle Swimbuds Bundle

Enter Underwater Audio.

They take a conventional 4th generation Apple iPod shuffle, and they transform it into what it should have been in the first place:  waterproof.  You can wear it swimming, surfing, in the shower, or any other place you can imagine.  And the best part?  There’s no ugly cases that alter the shuffle’s sleek design – Underwater Audio’s waterproof shuffle looks, feels and functions identically to a standard iPod shuffle.  It’s just awesome.

As an endurance triathlete training for my first Ironman, I can tell you firsthand that I spend long amounts of time both on land and in the water, and if it wasn’t for music, my workouts would not be even the slightest bit enjoyable. Music helps to keep my mind off of the endless circles I’m running around the track in the winter and the three hours I’m spending in the saddle on my trainer. The problem was that before my Underwater Audio shuffle, the only thing music didn’t get me through was my swim workout (which is perhaps why most triathletes consider swimming their weakest sport).  No one, no matter how dedicated you are to the sport, enjoys staring at the bottom of the pool with nothing but your thoughts for an hour.

It was during one of my hour long swims that I noticed the girl I was sharing a lane with had an iPod shuffle attached to the back strap of her goggles. After she finished, I couldn’t resist quizzing her on exactly what it was and where I could get one, and she introduced me to Underwater Audio. Three days later, my very own waterproof iPod shuffle arrived. Even after seeing one in person I was a bit skeptical at first, as when it arrived, it felt and worked exactly like an iPod shuffle, including the original Apple packaging.  I actually questioned whether or not they forgot to waterproof mine, so I gave it a quick test in the sink to make sure it was ready for the pool.

Still playing perfectly after a quick dip in the sink,  I created a custom swim mix in iTunes and synced the shuffle, which works identically to any other iPod you already have. The days workout called for a straight two-mile swim, no stops, no breaks, just keeping my head in the water for a little over an hour. After giving it a final dunk test in the pool, I clipped my shuffle to the back of my goggles, pressed in the Swimbuds Sport headphones with the tree earbuds and started swimming.

Immediately I was amazed at the clarity of sound, and the comfort of the earbuds. Throughout all of my flip turns, the earbuds stayed in place with no sound variation at all. At 1:01 into my workout, I was shocked when my watch alerted me that I had finished my two miles – four minutes faster than my normal time. I didn’t feel like I had exerted extra effort in my workout, I had just gotten lost in the music and the tediousness of a silent, hour-long swim in the pool was gone.

Waterproof iPod Shuffle

After seeing how well the Underwater Audio performed on a long swim, I was anxious to see how they’d perform in a master swim session with sprints and lane sharing. Even with the increased speed and wake from sharing a lane, the earbuds again stayed in place with no water leaking in or sound distortion, and the shuffle stayed clipped and out of the way on my goggle strap the entire time with no adjustments necessary.

Dozens of swims later and the waterproofed shuffle works just as it did the first day it arrived, no corroding, no sound distortion, no glitches. The only thing that has changed during my pool workouts is that I actually enjoy them now, as I’m no longer just staring at the bottom of the pool counting laps and waiting for my time to be up.  They’ve completely changed my swims, and made them a hundred times more enjoyable than what they were before.

In shopping for a waterproof iPod shuffle from Underwater Audio, you’ll see that you can choose from a few different bundles, which I highly recommend.  Not only will you save money over buying the pieces individually, but you’ll get an assortment of headphones that are great for different activities, while  the different earbud options will ensure you get the perfect fit. For those of you that already own a 4th generation iPod Shuffle, you can also send yours in and they’ll waterproof it for you and send it back ready to get wet, although you’ll still want to pick up some of Underwater Audio’s waterproof earbuds as well.

Waterproof iPod Shuffle Swimbuds Bundle

Bottom line, Underwater Audio has taken a beautifully designed product in the Apple shuffle and given it functionality that makes it the ideal workout companion, especially for water lovers. Swim sessions have never flown by the way that they do now, and while it sounds like an overwhelmingly positive review, I’d like to point out that, no, I’m not in anyway getting paid to tell you this – they’re simply that awesome. If you spend anytime in the water, even if it’s just running in the rain and don’t want to worry about your iPod getting wet, the waterproof iPod from Underwater Audio is a must, as it will change the possibilities of listening to music during your workouts.

I’m a huge fan of new technology.  Phones, tablets, computers, cameras, you name it.  But as much as I love innovation and the benefits innovation brings, there’a a byproduct of technology that I absolutely hate:  cords.

I simply can’t stand them.

And yet every time I buy a new piece of technology, I’m once again forced to add to my cord collection.  It’s as if companies think about every element of their new product’s design and feature set, and yet never consider how to eliminate the one thing everybody wishes wasn’t there.

And then I met Libratone.

Libratone is a Copenhagen-based company whose self-described purpose is “to liberate sound.”  How do they do it?  By combining kick-ass sound quality in a gorgeously designed package.  Best of all, however, is that they deliver sound wirelessly.  So if you have a piece of Apple hardware (computer, iPhone, iPad, etc.), any music or media you listen to on your device can be streamed wirelessly to your Libratone speakers, no cables required, with superb sound quality.  It’s as simple as that.

I met Libratone when I picked up their Libratone Lounge – a large, five-speaker soundbar that I use for my television as well as my iTunes library.  I loved the Lounge so much I picked up the Libratone Live, which is a smaller, more portable speaker set, still with awesome sound in a smaller package.  I’m going to share my thoughts on each, detail how they work and tell you why you need one.

Read on and find out how to enjoy unadulterated wireless audio bliss.

The Libratone Lounge ($1,299)

My first forray into the world of Libratone was the Libratone Lounge, the largest of Libratone’s offerings.  I purchased it for the simple fact that I hate the look of conventional surround sound setups, but I wanted more than the standard audio my television could produce.  The Libratone Lounge was the perfect medium, a beautifully designed speaker that offered superb audio quality without the distraction of a full surround setup.

At one meter long the Lounge is substantial, but it’s designed in a way that makes it an accent to your home’s style, as opposed to a distraction.  With key design elements including a fine Italian cashmere wool cover and a piano finish, the Lounge looks more like a piece of furniture than a speaker.  You can mount it on a wall (with the included wall mount), set it on a bookshelf, media center, etc., and because it’s available in five color options (which are user changeable), you can make it blend in or stand out from your home’s style as much as you want.

Audio wise, the Libratone Lounge is brilliant.  Inside, five dedicated amps power one 5-inch 50W bass, two ribbon-based 1-inch 25W tweeters and two 3-inch 25W mid range speakers, combining to offer 150W total.  From there, Libratone takes audio quality a step further thanks to their patented FullRoom technology.  Unlike conventional speakers that beam sound in one direction, creating a so-called “sweet-spot” in each room, Libratone’s FullRoom technology sends the sound waves multiple directions, bouncing them off walls and creating superb audio throughout the entire room.  Libratone calls it 360-degree listening, and it’s fantastic at enveloping the room with sound, even in different positions.  For more fine tuning, there’s even a Libratone app that lets you adjust the sound from your various mobile devices.  Simply input a few basic pieces of information about the Libratone’s positioning as well as the type of music you’re listening to, and sound quality is enhanced even more.

And then there’s the wireless functionality – the single greatest feature that makes the Lounge (and other Libratone speakers) so awesome.  Thanks to Apple’s AirPlay, any device that uses AirPlay can stream sound through the Libratone Lounge.  Setup takes a minute or two at the most, and once completed, you can select to play sound through the Lounge on any device that supports AirPlay (which is a feature built into iTunes).  For me, this includes my iPhone, iPod, iPad, and both Mac and PC computers, and all have worked flawlessly.

Best of all, it’s not just iTunes that utilizes AirPlay –  there’s a wealth of apps that incorporate AirPlay, so you can send music from apps like VEVO, YouTube, and iHeartRadio straight to the speakers.  On my Apple devices, browsing mp3’s online works through the Libratone wirelessly.  And on my newer Mac computers, I can even opt to set audio to output to the Lounge, so all sound from the computer is sent to the speakers wirelessly.

In short, if you have an Apple device and want to listen to music wirelessly, it’s not going to get better than the Libratone.  Every source that I use to music through my Apple device works with the Libratone speakers; they’re just significantly more awesome now that there’s no wires necessary to use them with my speakers.

Of course, should you wish to listen to music with wires, you can do that too.  Both the Lounge and Live include a minijack, meaning you can also choose a wired analog or digital connection.

The Libratone Live ($699)

I love my Libratone Lounge, but the one thing it doesn’t offer is portability.  At a meter long, it’s not exactly easy to transport around the house.  That’s where the Libratone Live comes into play.

Take all the great features of the Libratone Lounge, put them in a smaller, more portable package, and you’ve got the Libratone Live.

Whereas the Libratone Lounge notes a long, rectangular design, the Live boasts an upright design, making it substantially easier to fit into a variety of spaces (its exact dimensions are H 18.5 in. x W 7.7 in. x D 6 in.).  And like the Lounge, the Live boasts a gorgeous Italian cashmere cover in five color options, meaning it fits perfectly into both modern and classic home settings.  I use mine in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and office, and it fits everywhere easily (and looks great at the same time).

Inside, the Live boasts specs similar to that of the Lounge.  Five dedicated amps provide power for a 5-inch bass unit, a pair of 1-inch ribbon-based tweeters and a pair of 3-inch midrange drivers, offering up a total of 150W.  In terms of sound quality, the Live again offers exceptional sound from a single unit.  Bass and clarity are both fantastic, as is the ability to listen anywhere in the room with little deterioration in quality.  This again is thanks to Libratone’s patented FullRoom technology, which like an acoustic instrument, bounces soundwaves off walls and throughout the room, as opposed to in a linear path like other speakers.

And like the Lounge, you can also fine tune the sound of the Live with Libratone’s free app.  Enter the details of your Live’s positioning in the room as well as the type of music you’re listening to, and sound is delivered based on your unique configuration.

Lastly, there’s the wireless.  The glorious, glorious wireless.  The defining feature of the Lounge is wireless, and the same holds true for the Live.  Any AirPlay capable device works brilliantly with the Live, whether it’s your Mac/PC, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Apple TV, etc.  Your entire music library from iTunes can be listend to wirelessly; apps like YouTube, VEVO and iHeartRadio can be listened to wirelessly; and any websites offering up mp3’s online can be listened to wirelessly.  Chances are, if you’re listening to it on your Mac or other Apple device, you can send it wirelessly to your Libratone Lounge.

Want music throughout your house?  You can even combine multiple Libratones speakers (both the Live and the Lounge) on the same network, and control each individually through iTunes.

Libratone Lounge and Live Conclusion

Ultimately, if you’re looking for superb audio quality in a gorgeously designed and crafted package, the Libratones need to be at the top of your list.  They look exceptional in any setting, bass and clarity are excellent, and the wireless functionality means you can listen to music from an incredible amount of sources wirelessly.  There simply isn’t an easier or better looking way to bring superb quality into your home wirelessly than the offerings from Libratone.

You can check out both the Libratone Lounge and Live in the gallery blow, or head over to the official Libratone website to check out the full lineup of Libratone products.

Taking its digital reach to the next level, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has introduced the Mercedes-Benz MY ’12 CLS-Class iPad App. This application is the first of a series of MY ’12 product apps and is available now through the Apple App Store for free. Users can find the app by searching “Mercedes-Benz 2012 CLS.”

The new CLS-Class iPad App puts a spin on traditional communications by providing a media-rich, eco-friendly channel for prospects to learn more about the CLS-Class. Although this app has been created as a tool for dealership sales associates, it can easily be obtained through the Apple App Store by consumers as well.

Through logical placement and smart navigation, the app provides a smart, user-friendly experience that includes virtual tours of the interior and exterior of the vehicle, as well as an “Explore” section that allows users to customize the CLS. The app also offers a wide selection of videos that demonstrate the groundbreaking technical innovations of Mercedes-Benz.

Additional apps for MY ’12 vehicles will launch throughout 2011 to coincide with the retail release dates.

The first iPad app from smart can now be downloaded from the iTunes store. smart is presenting an interactive history of great visions and visionaries entitled “Ideas in motion”. And the name also says it all about the app itself: it is always in motion. iPad owners can add their own contributions and continue writing the story together with smart. In this way the eBook will keep growing and new updates will be added for users to read on their iPads.

The world is driven forward by pioneers who think outside the box; opinion makers who don’t just talk but act, and idealists who defend their ideals against all resistance. smart is presenting some of these people. There are stories about visionary people and revolutionary events in 17 subject areas. The wide topics range from society and politics to philosophy, science, lifestyle and communication. Film, fashion, architecture, environment and mobility – iPad users can write their own contributions in all the areas that move people and the world and they can share their thoughts, opinions and convictions with others. In this way an eBook will be created that reflects the ideas that move people today.

“We want to use the new smart iPad app to create a platform where people can examine the world in a creative way, write down their views and share and discuss them with others. This will create a unique kaleidoscope which reflects the diversity of people and their ideas”, says Dr. Annette Winkler, head of smart.

The eBook will be updated and new contributions published every two months.

The smart iPad app “Ideas in motion” is now available free of charge at http://store.apple.com/.

Of recent product launches, few have garnered the tremendous hype generated the Apple iPad, which led us to think:  wouldn’t it be great to give away an Apple iPad in one of our eMercedesBenz Giveaways?  Of course it would be, so that’s exactly what we’re doing.  We’ve got on hand one 32 GB, Wi-fi and 3G enabled Apple iPad (retail price:  $729), and we’re giving it away to you, our lovely readers, with the same simple rules that you’ve come to expect from all our eMercedesBenz Giveaways.

To enter, first leave a comment on this story telling us you want one (one comment per account please). It’s as simple as that. Once you’ve left a comment, you’re good to go.  We pick the winner completely at random, and if we pick you, an email will be sent to the email address you used to register your eMercedesBenz account.  We’re also giving you an optional two additional entries in the giveaway. First, “like” eMercedesBenz on Facebook, and leave a comment on the Facebook entry for this story telling us you want one there as well. Secondly, follow eMercedesBenz on Twitter, and re-tweet this article with the title “Apple 3G iPad Giveaway @eMercedesBenz”. The one stipulation is that you must comment directly on this story to be registered – you can’t use just Facebook or Twitter. If you do use additional entries on Facebook and/or Twitter, feel free to let us know in this comment section – as it makes our job searching the additional entries a little easier. The deadline for entering is Sunday, June 20th at 12:00 pm midnight, and we’ll announce the winner on or before June 23rd.

As always, best of luck to everyone that enters. And before I go, a bit of legal to avoid potential lawsuits:

*No purchase necessary. This giveaway is void where prohibited by law. The winner(s) will be chosen at random by a member of the eMercedesBenz editorial staff. Taxes if applicable are the responsibility of the winner. 3G and wi-fi service costs are the responsibility of the winner.  eMercedesBenz is not liable for anything relating to this giveaway.

Update:  Entries for the eMercedesBenz 32GB 3G Apple iPad giveaway are now closed.  We’re going to go through each of the Twitter and Facebook entries and add them to the list, and we’ll announce the winner in the next day or two.  To everyone that entered, a huge thank you, and if you don’t win this time, stay tuned, as we’ve got fantastic giveaways coming up all summer (including a new phone you may have heard about).  Best of luck to everyone that entered.

If you’re one of the millions of consumers that have jumped on the Apple iPhone and/or iPad bandwagon, the Mercedes-Benz Museum has just launched a new iPhone and iPad app that’s worth checking out.  It’s called the Mercedes-Benz Super Sports Car app, and it features technical information on a variety of historical Mercedes models that were on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum last month in their special “Super Sports Car Exhibition”.  Select models highlighted include the 1929 Mercedes-Benz SSK, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupé, the 1976 Mercedes-Benz C 111 II-D and the 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster, to name a few.

Unfortunately, I dropped my antiquated 1st generation iPhone last week and am still iPhoneless, so I haven’t had a chance to download it for myself and can’t comment on its functionality or coolness factor.  Nevertheless, for those of you looking to add a little more Mercedes to your favorite Apple device, it’s free, so it doesn’t hurt giving it a test run to see what you think.  To download the Mercedes-Benz Super Sports Car iPhone and iPad app, you can head over directly to the Apple App Store and grab it for yourself.

If you haven’t figured it out, we’re pretty big geeks here at eMercedesBenz, which may explain in part why we’re bringing you another story related to the new Apple iPad.  But if you’re not into the iPad, don’t worry – this story is less about the iPad and more about the wondrous service is Netflix.

If you’re unfamiliar with Netflix, the service is pretty straightforward.  You pay a monthly fee, and in return you get to watch movies via one of two ways.  You can 1) watch movies via traditional means (i.e DVD or Blu-ray), or 2) watch movies via their instant-streaming service.  To watch DVD or Blu-ray movies, you select how many you’d like to watch at one time (1, 2, etc.), go to the Netflix website and pick the movies you want, and Netflix will mail them to you.  Pricing is $8.99 for one movie at a time, $13.99 for two movies at a time, and it goes up from there.  There’s also a $3.00 additional fee if you want Blu-ray movies.  Once you’ve watched the movie, you simply put it back in the prepaid Netflix envelope, pop it in your mailbox, and you’re done.  There’s no late fees, hidden charges, or anything else.  Once Netflix receives the movie you watched, they immediately send out the next movie on your list.  Based on my experience, if I send out a movie Monday, I receive the next movie Wednesday.

Your second viewing option, and the option that led me to become a member of Netflix, is the instant streaming option.  Included in the aforementioned pricing (starting at $8.99), you can watch an unlimited number of movies via the instant streaming Netflix service.  That doesn’t mean you can watch every Netflix movie – the instant streaming library is significantly smaller than the list of available DVD and Blu-rays – but there is plenty of content to keep you entertained – somewhere around 20,000 movies and television shows.  All you need is a high speed internet connection and a Netflix streaming device (I use a Sony PS3), and you have the full Netflix streaming library at your disposal.  Both the DVD/Blu-ray and streaming Netflix services work beautifully and exactly as advertised – I’ve never had a single problem with either.

Now that you’re familiar with Netflix, on to the Apple iPad.  Up until now, your options for streaming Netflix were limited to either your television (via Netflix compatible streaming device) or your computer (assuming your computer runs a compatible operating system).  While that’s fine for home use, out in public you can’t always pop open your laptop.  Thanks to the new Netflix iPad app, however, Netflix just got a whole lot more portable.  It works just as it does on your home devices, meaning you have access to some 20,000 movies and tv shows, but it’s the first truly portable version that will actually be easy to use in public. The best part: the Netflix iPad app is completely free, meaning all you need is one of the unlimited $8.99 or $13.99 packages to start using it.

If you were one of the first to grab an Apple iPad and want to either connect an existing Netflix account to it or test drive Netflix with a free trial, you can find the full details of the Netflix iPad app in the iTunes store.

Whether you’re a die-hard tech aficionado or you just dabble with the occasional electronic device, you’ve no doubt heard the news that Apple is launching their version of a tablet computer in the form of the iPad.  It’s got a high-resolution 9.7″ LED backlit display, touch screen interface, and built-in 802.11n and 3G wireless connectivity, all in a package that’s only 1.5 lbs and 0.5″ thick.  You can browse the web, manage your email, view photos and videos, and perform many of the other functions you’re currently carrying out with your Mac.  But here’s the best part:  starting today, you no longer have to read about the Apple iPad – pre-orders are officially live, meaning you can be one of the first to have your hands on when it launches next month.  Pricing starts at $499 for the 16-gig iPad up to $829 for the 64-gig 3G enabled model.  To grab one for yourself, head over to the Apple Store and have at it.