The Q2U supports both XLR and USB cables, letting you plug it into basically any machine you have in your house. Now you can break glass, stomp on light bulbs and do whatever it is those crazy sound recording artists do to get effects to seem more exciting than they actually are in real life. It also has a 3.5mm headphone port so you can listen to what you're recording while you're recording it. [Samson via Engadget]

The Price

$80

The Verdict

Mikey is a nice, solid-feeling little mic for the iPod or iPhone. When used as a voice notes recorder, holding it up to your mouth, the standard setting of sensitivity doesn't offer much of a difference versus the built-in mic. The ability to set the sensitivity for other uses, however, makes a big difference.

Setting it on a table to record an interview or conversation, for example, results in distant-sounding and quiet audio using the built-in mic. With the Mikey set to the most sensitive setting, however, the audio comes across clearly and loudly. For louder recordings, such as concerts, it'll do its best to keep things from getting overblown. If you use that low-sensitivity setting for normal use, of course, you won't be able to hear a thing.

At $80, it's tough to recommend for casual users, but for people who want to turn their iPod or iPhone into a more versatile portable audio recorder, it's pretty great.

And a note: while the Mikey isn't certified for use with the iPhone, and will prompt you to put it into airplane mode if you plug it in to an iPhone, it works just fine. Blue Microphones tells me that the next version will be certified for iPhone and will lose the prompt. [Mikey]


Sensitivity settings work great for various types of recordings

Looks and feels really solid

$80 is too expensive for an accessory like this

It's a single input, stereo output device, offering 24-bit audio between 44.1 and 48KHz sample rates in a package around the same size (though thicker) than an iPhone. Apogee's putting emphasis on the built-in mic (they even offer a stand so you can treat the whole thing like a handheld mic), though it's got one input for instruments or your own mic. That input is coupled with a preamp, customizable using the ONE's controls.

The ONE is designed to work with Apple's range of audio software, including iTunes, Garage Band, Logic, and Final Cut, though we don't imagine it would have trouble working with non-Apple software as well. It remains to be seen whether the built-in mic is everything Apogee claims; on such a small device, we're skeptical but remain hopeful. It'll be available sometime in "late July" at a pretty reasonable $250. [Apogee]

The accessory is also compatible with the 120GB iPod classic (claims its product page), and should be a decent way to conduct interviews or surreptitiously record your coworkers in the adjacent stall. What kind of person takes a dump while on the phone with the credit card company? [USB Fever via Get USB]

Essentially, the M.I.C. is a nice microphone for Rock Band/Guitar Hero, but it also has all the necessary Xbox 360 buttons built in. This means you don't need to use both a mic and a controller to play. Awesome! Is it $60 worth of awesome? Eh, probably not, but if you're a seriously hardcore Rock Band singer with some extra coin to toss around, you'll probably like the functionality. Head over to Kotaku to read their full impressions. [Kotaku]

The Gadget: Belkin Podcast Studio is an advanced attachment for your iPod to add high quality recording capabilities. Dual XLR and 1/4-inch channels offer a solid range of recording options. A built-in mic and speaker are powered by their own battery, saving your iPod juice better used for listening to your genius later.

The Price: $100 this June

It's better than other headphones since it supports the mic, and with the mic you can talk softly while still being heard. Which is great, since playing Nintendogs on the subway really gets you that authentic fresh urine smell. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Turtle Beach via Gadgetell]

Classic Microphone [via Red Ferret]