Radio

It just seems fitting that radios have a retro look to them. I mean come on, it was as early as 1960 when Sony introduced its first transistorized radio and that was way before ghetto blasters, CD players, MP3 devices and of course, way before the invention of the iPod. This Evoke-1S from Pure Digital embodies retro-chicness with an abundance of modern flair. Showcased on CrunchGear, these radios come with an auxiliary input for your iPod, station presets, a clear OLED display and a charge pack ready for 24 hours of portable listening between charges. The encasing is real wood and made out of EcoPlus products which are designed and manufactured to minimize their environmental impact. Choose from cherry veneer casework or real maple like the one shown here. They will be available this September for around $200.

We certainly expect something like the iPhone to have revolutionary touch capabilities, but what about a retro radio? Bush has just come out with this shiny black DAB digital radio with matching handle which features touch buttons instead of standard push buttons, giving it that perfect mix of vintage and modern tech.

The TR04DABBLK, which was displayed on engadget has ten DAB and FM preset stations and shows two line LCD scrolling text with a blue LED display. Each costs around $90.

I'm not willing to drop $600 for a Swarovski crystal DS Lite cover, but I am willing to throw down $14 for the Dragon NDS Lite FM Radio Converter. The converter features a LCD display and stereo sound signal with full range of FM radio frequency, new compact design. It plugs straight into your DS so you don't need any additional batteries or power.

The adapter is available from Hong Kong importer DP Mega, but the company sells their gear on eBay so it's pretty easy to get a hold of and you don't need to worry about translating the website. I rather like the idea of rocking out to my favorite morning radio show with my DS Lite.

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I don't know about you but I can get a bit carried away with my fitness gadgets, I definitely like to think that I give geeksugar a run for her money. The problem is that a lot of times I just don't want to walk around with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, music player and more dangling from my body.

This is why I was thrilled to learn about the Oregon Scientific MP3 Player/Pedometer($155.95). This little device combines a waterproof (yup- waterproof!) and shockproof design with 512MB of memory, integrated FM radio, built-in rechargeable battery and a built-in pedometer. How cool is that? Long gone are the days of juggling all your crap at the gym (or pool). When you buy the player you'll also get waterproof stereo earphones, USB cable, belt clip, carrying pouch and an armband. The only thing that would make this gadget cooler would be to integrate a heart rate monitor into it too, but I would integrate a heart rate monitor into anything if I could.

Buy it from the SwimOutlet.com.

Jane Pratt, founder of women's magazines Sassy and Jane, is set to launch a weekly radio show on Sirius satellite radio this fall. Called "Jane Radio," the three-hour live program will feature everything from current events and discussions on popular music to a segment called "Jane Needs Help" in which Pratt solicits the advice of her listeners.

According to the press release, Pratt wants this show to be like a girlfriend dish session, in which women can speak candidly as though no men are listening. She immediately goes on to say, however, that she hopes men will be listening — and will learn a thing or two.

I had a near-religious devotion to Sassy, and I still have fond memories of the early issues of Jane so I'll probably tune in for Pratt's show. For more details, read more

Are you bored with your old stereo? Fed up with the overwhelmingly confusing plethora of ugly looking internet radio stations? Ever thought about using a rabbit instead? Okay, so you probably haven't, but Nabaztag is a wifi rabbit that acts as a messenger and alerts you to everything that's going on in your online world and now it even works with your online radio.

The little bunny has just one wire, for electrical power, but it is constantly scrutinizing the net to provide the services you have requested, accomplish the missions you have assigned, give you real-time info, transmit any messages your friends have sent you. Now, you can pick up your friendly, sexy Nabaztag/tag, say, "Radio," and out pops some streaming NPR radio for your listening pleasure. Maybe it's the pretty package, but it was love at first sight for me.

When using the rabbit you program it to pay attention to your e-mail, favorite websites, local weather and so on, and it lights up, shakes its ears and sings or talks to get your attention. It stays connected to the internet via WiFi, so you can place it anywhere in your home or office. For a gallery of adorable rabbit images, read more

I've been a huge fan of the public-radio storytelling series "This American Life" for years. I'm so obsessed with the show's personal essays and quirky fiction that I used to record the broadcasts to cassette. (Now I just download the podcast). Once when I was in college in Chicago, I even walked out of a theater next to the show's nerdy-cool host, Ira Glass, and was too starstruck to say anything.

Naturally, I'm super-excited about two pieces of "This American Life" news: First, that the long-awaited TV show based on the radio stories will debut on Showtime on March 19, according to Entertainment Weekly. And second, that Ira Glass and the others have signed a deal with DreamWorks to develop movies based on the show's stories.

Granted, last year's Unaccompanied Minors, based on the show's story about kids stranded at a Chicago airport over the holidays, wasn't exactly a hit. But I think lots of other stories could make good movies — say, maybe this one about the stolen parrot?

Any other "This American Life" fans out there? Which episodes do you think would work on film?