Donald and Jasmine discuss Pandora 2.0 and the new Slacker app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Also on deck: a bit of info from the NAMM show and a little good-natured ribbing at Haier America’s expense. Oh, and we poke some serious fun at Microsoft…prepare for your ears to bleed a little first, though.

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Originally posted at MP3 Insider

Will 2009 be the year when frivolous, ’80s-throwback iPod boomboxes go huge? Don’t hold your breath.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CBS Interactive)

CES 2009 delivered a surprising amount of MP3 player-related product announcements compared with last year’s show. No, I didn’t see any “iPod killers” out there, but …

Originally posted at CES 2009

Jasmine and Donald talk about their favorite portable audio discoveries from the 2009 Macworld Expo and the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This episode is recorded live from the CNET stage at CES 2009.

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Originally posted at MP3 Insider

Ion …

Originally posted at CES 2009

Blue Microphone's Mikey iPod accessory was a surprise find at Macworld 2009.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

The Macworld show floor can induce deja vu for habitual attendees. From a hardware perspective, often it’s the same vendors offering the same products, with slight variations from year to …

Shure's new SE115 headphones are as tough as they are pretty.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Shure unveiled its new SE115 line of in-ear headphones today at Macworld 2009. Aside from being colorful (offered in red, blue, or pink), the SE115 share the same design as the SE110 …

Click to see the Cowon S9 photo gallery.

(Credit: Nate Lanxon/CNET U.K.)

Cowon’s S9 touch-screen MP3 player has arrived, bringing the expected music, video, and photo playback, and extras such as FM radio, Bluetooth, voice/radio/line recording, a Flash player, and a text reader. So far, I’d say the S9′s design is spot-on, with a slight curved back and a bright 16:9-formatted OLED screen set at a 480×272-pixel resolution. The user interface is also quite impressive, combined with Cowon’s choice of a capacitive touch screen, the onscreen control is about as attractive and responsive as you can get without investing in an iPod Touch.

The Cowon S9 comes in 8GB and 16GB capacities priced at $199 and $239, respectively. The cost could be worth it if you’re a real stickler for sound quality, as the S9 is Cowon’s first player to include the suite of BBE+ sound enhancements. The BBE+ suite improves on the already impressive BBE effects included in CNET faves like the D2 and iAudio 7, adding more than 30 presets in addition to a five-band EQ with independent bandwidth control.

Now for the bad news. The first drawback I’ve noticed on the Cowon S9 is that it just feels kind of cheap–which is a complaint I rarely have with Cowon. Unlike the glass and steel design of the iPod Touch, the S9 uses an all-plastic design that–though lightweight–has a hollow and flimsy feel. Even the all-plastic Samsung P2 feels a little more durable and substantial.

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Click for Baylis Revolution photo gallery.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

I know it’s unforgiveably anachronistic to have a hand-crank slapped on the side of …

Beats for your brain.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

In the final MP3 Insider of 2008, Donald and Jasmine discuss Dr. Dre’s super stylish in-ear headphones, a way-too-pricey iPod dock from DLO, some touch-screen alternatives to the iPod Touch, and a gaggle of gear for the Creative Zen family.

Plus, find out how to follow Jasmine and Donald while they cruise around CES 2009.

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Originally posted at MP3 Insider

Originally posted at MP3 Insider