Music
Latest Walkman phone provides 8GB music storage
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February 11, 2008 In more news from Sony Ericsson, the latest addition to Walkman line has been unveiled. Available in Q3 of this year, the W980 Walkman phone boasts distortion free stereo sound and 8GB of internal memory (or up to 8000 songs) in a clamshell "Walkman on Top" design that replicates the Walkman controls on the outside of the phone for quick navigation through your music library. Read More
Ultra-soft earphone tips promise comfort and clarity
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February 5, 2008 Made from a "memory foam" 30 times softer than the silicone rubber used to make most earphone tips, Comply™ pitch their Foam Tips as an affordable and simple solution to customizing earphones and enhancing noise reduction in a market where the "one-size-fits-all" mantra definitely does not apply. Read More
Eric Buell designs for a different kind of shredding
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February 1, 2008 In an unusual move for a sporting motorcycle design engineer, Eric Buell has turned his eclectic eye to faster frets and pumping pickups for a brand new custom Peavey electric guitar, the MS-1. Read More
Retro digital radio: Roberts MP-SOUND 41
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January 24, 2008 The UK-based Roberts Radio Company has been producing portable radios since the 1930’s and one of their latest offerings is the MP-SOUND 41 digital radio. With its retro looks you could be forgiven for thinking it’s an old-fashioned analogue radio but with Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) capability, Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) technology and the ability to record up to 8 hours of radio onto a SD card, it has nearly everything required for the 21st Century. Read More
Blaupunkt Velocity 2Go: portable speaker system AND car subwoofer
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January 17, 2008 Blaupunkt has revealed a headphone-jack portable stereo speaker system that can be converted into car audio subwoofers. The Velocity 2Go speakers can connect to any device with headphone output jacks, and when used in a car, deliver deep, clean bass to complement the basic four-speaker audio system. Read More
SanDisk double the capacity of Sansa portable media players
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January 15, 2008 They haven't even reached their first birthday but SanDisk Corporation has announced capacity increases for two of its Flash-based digital media players at CES 2008. The diminutive Sansa Clip moves from a top capacity of 2GB to 4GB, while the Sansa View jumps to 32GB from a previous top capacity of 16 GB. Both units include a built-in microphone for voice recording, built-in FM tuner and support for MP3, WMA, WAV and Audible audio book formats. Read More
3D Radio records and analyzes multiple radio stations
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January 10, 2007 3D Radio, the
Tivo-like technology that allows users to record and playback content from multiple radio stations, has made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The system can record AM, FM, Satellite and HD radio signals, as well as any audio on upcoming Wi-Max and 700 MHz radio stations. It digitizes and records in real-time, allowing instant pausing, rewinding and playback. Read More
Gibson's stunning Robot Les Paul tunes itself in seconds
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January 10, 2008 Some of the best guitarists have an amazing ability to pick out which of their strings are out of tune and adjust them mid-song – for the rest of us, the tuning process can be an annoying time-waster – particularly on stage. We've written before about Transperformance's bolt-on self-tuning systems, but Gibson has recently become the first company to release a ready-made axe with the ability to adjust itself perfectly to a number of common tunings at the touch of a button. The Gibson Robot Guitar, which just received the NEWSTIPS "Best of Show" award at CES, also makes replacing strings and setting your intonation an absolute breeze. At US$2499, this intelligent Les Paul deserves to be a huge hit. Read More
Philips SHB9000 Bluetooth headset
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January 10, 2008 A full headset designed to deliver high-end sound quality to audiophiles listening to music via their mobile phone, Philips new SHB9000 Bluetooth headset allows users to seamlessly move between music and incoming calls and uses digital signal processing to filter out background noise and echo and automatically adjust volume in response to outside noise. Read More
U2 in first ever 3D concert beamed live to a cinema near you
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Everyone is probably aware of the early attempts at 3D on the cinema screen using the flimsy cardboard goggles with the red and blue plastic lenses for each eye. This, while being a valid execution of the stereoscopic principle that is necessary to create the illusion of three-dimensional perspective, was in practice a monochromatic, uncomfortable and generally disappointing viewing experience. But the technology is now being dragged into the 21st century as Irish supergroup U2 follow film-maker James Cameron’s lead in embracing state-of-the-art digital 3D technology, with plans for a concert to be filmed live in 3D and then streamed in real time to digital cinemas around the world. Read More
Pimp my axe: the carbon fibre guitar
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December 11, 2007 Carbon fiber is somewhat of a wonder-material in the auto industry, where its light weight and excellent strength makes it an ideal choice for body panels and the like. The same properties theoretically make it a great material to build acoustic guitars from as well – and that's exactly what Blackbird have done. The Blackbird Rider uses the strength and resonance of carbon fiber to result in an acoustic guitar 30% smaller, tougher and much lighter than a wooden one, but with a comparably large sound and resonance. And while carbon fiber may not offer the tone and 'soul' of a beautiful piece of wood, the Rider will surely find a market among traveling musos who'll appreciate how hardy and portable it is. Read More
Genius BT-03l Bluetooth headset
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December 6, 2007 The Genius BT-03l touch Bluetooth headset is the first headset in the world to feature a capacitance touch panel with slide control which allows the volume to be adjusted by simply sliding the bar using the touch sensor. Designed to compliment Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and PDAs, the BT-30l supports A2DP hands free so users can take a call or listen to music which is automatically muted when receiving an incoming call. Read More
Clarion’s latest touch panel controlled in-car multimedia unit
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November 30, 2007 Clarion has released their latest in-car multimedia unit, the VRX578RUSB, which offers navigation and control of a range of audio and multimedia functions through a fully motorized 7” touch panel control that glides effortlessly upon command from its single DIN housing. An optional iPod control and built-in Bluetooth connectivity enables listening to music and streaming voice calls via a mobile phone and the unit also supports DVD R/DVD RW, CD R/CD RW, MP3, WMA and AAC file playback, as well being an Official DivX Certified product capable of playing all versions of DivX video including DivX 6. Read More
Bowers & Wilkins Spiral Diffuser tube offers enhanced car audio
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November 28, 2007 Sound and speaker specialist Bowers & Wilkins has developed a new Spiral Diffuser tube that will help vehicle manufacturers increase sound system performance within the limited package restrictions offered by the in-car speaker format. The diffuser is designed to remove unwanted sound resonance in vehicle interiors by replicating a technique used in home sound system set ups. Read More
Belkin TuneStudio for iPod
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November 16, 2007 An attractive option for bands chasing a simple, portable solution for capturing jam-sessions or podcasters aiming to enhance audio quality, Belkin’s 4-channel audio mixer enables the recording of high-quality digital sound directly to iPod. Read More
V-MODA’s Vibe Duo headset
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November 15, 2007 Mobile phones and personal media players are all about entertainment, communications and increasingly, fashion – and any good fashion statement needs fashionable accessories. Designed with assistance from Apple, V-MODA’s noise isolating Vibe Duo headset takes this approach seriously with high-definition sound and a discrete microphone rolled into a slick all-metal design. Read More
MUON: Seven-foot tall, ultra high-end audio loudspeaker
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October 19, 2007 Standing at nearly seven feet tall, the spectacular MUON loudspeaker is the product of a collaboration between the engineering team at KEF and leading industrial designer Ross Lovegrove. The MUON recently made its debut in the U.S. and just 100 pairs are to be made available in ten select cities world-wide, but audiophiles will have to dig deep to snare a set of these extraordinary speakers with the price tag set at US$140,000 per pair. Read More
World first technology optimizes in-car acoustics
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October 9, 2007 When automotive designers create car interiors, acoustics are not the number one priority. From glass to carpets and seat coverings, cars contain many materials that obstruct and degrade audio quality - add to this the uneven positioning of speakers in relation to the listener and you have a recipe for less than ideal listening environment. No correction system has been able to overcome them but Alpine Electronics claim that its new IMPRINT technology has the ability to solve these problems and optimize sound reproduction to fit the specific vehicle. Read More
USB tape deck converts cassettes to digital format
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September 26, 2007 The TAPE2PC USB Cassette Archiver from ION Audio is designed as a solution for those of us with a massive tape collection of eighties classics sitting in the garage gathering dust. The dual cassette deck system includes recording software that takes your music collection and converts it via your PC into MP3, WAV or WMA digital files or simply copies it to CD. Read More
Blaupunkt ditches the CD player in latest car stereo release
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September 24, 2007 CDs could be headed the way of the near extinct cassette tape when it comes to in-car music playback if this latest release from Blaupunkt is any indication. With MP3 players already replacing cumbersome and easily scratched CDs as the format of choice in automobiles, the Melbourne SD27 car radio embraces our new consumer habits and completely by-passes the CD to enable direct playback via an SD/MMC card as well as from portable audio players. Read More
Belkin update TuneBase FM transmitter for iPods
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September 20, 2007 iPod accessories continue to multiply exponentially, and why not with over 110 million iPods sold to June 2007 according to Apple. The latest add-on to catch our attention is Belkin's updated model of its TuneBase FM transmitter which includes new Clearscan technology - a feature that automatically seeks out the clearest FM frequency through which to relay your music.
Diminutive Microkey MP3 player from Zicplay
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September 13, 2007 The phrase "portable music player" has been seriously redefined over the last decade and the tiny Microkey is further proof of just how far we've come. One of the smallest MP3 players we've encountered, the device was displayed at the recent IFA in Berlin by Swiss electronics company Zicplay. The Microkey MP3/WMA player provides up to 1GB of storage space and measures just 43mm long and 15mm wide. Read More
Rip CDs onto your MP3 player – no PC required
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September 12, 2007 The Micoder is a simple device that converts audio CDs into MP3 format and transfers the music-files directly to an MP3 player or USB mass storage device. You can have a CD fully transferred to an MP3 player within 5-7 minutes, without the use of a computer, and without any technical knowledge whatsoever. Read More
NOXON iRadio offers 10,000 stations
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September 11, 2007 The proliferation of internet radio stations has led to the creation of numerous devices to free internet radio from your computer and make it mobile. This offering from TerraTec, the iRadio, grants you access to 10,000 stations as well as your own music library. Read More
Sleek Audio adjustable in-ear earphone system
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August 31, 2007 MP3 players are available in almost all imaginable sizes, shapes and colors, but when it comes to tailoring headphones to our individual needs, variation is somewhat limited. Sleek Audio has designed a new type of inner ear headphone that gives users the ability to tweak the levels to find their “audio fingerprint” - the specific configuration of bass and treble levels that will deliver the best possible sound for an individual's ear. Read More
ZAGG RockStic portable speaker for iPod
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August 21, 2007 We’re now used to carrying our music library in our pocket but usually it’s a library that can only be listened to by one person at a time. The Zagg RockStic is a new take on portable speaker design. Specifically aimed at iPods but compatible with most MP3 players, the compact cylindrical unit aims to maximize portability, giving users the ability to share (or inflict, as the case may be), their taste in music on a wider audience. Read More
IASUS Mobile Amp provides portable audio boost
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August 13, 2007 Ever shrinking portable music players often sacrifice sound output for portability so the audio boost provided by tiny 1.4 by 2 inch IASUS Mobile Amp could be a welcome addition to the pocket of many audiophiles. Its diminutive stature makes it the world’s smallest and lightest hi fidelity amplifier for mobile devices – but it also makes an impressive difference in music quality, providing up an extra to ten decibels while suffering only 0.3% distortion. Read More
Waterproof iPod case features built-in speakers
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August 8, 2007 Waterproof housings for MP3 players are nothing new – we’ve seen H2OAUDIO’s waterproof casings for iPod and iPod nano, iriver’s H2O Audio SV i700 and the SwiMP3 player from Finis. All of these products utilized water proof earbuds but now there’s a variation on the theme with the introduction of the EGO iPod Waterproof Sound Case from Atlantic - a waterproof case that also includes built in speakers. The unit features a waterproof click wheel membrane which allows access to the controls without removing the iPod, adjustable stand for viewing videos and can be used with some other MP3 players. Read More
Two New USB Turntables
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July 17, 2007 A recent Gizmag survey found that everyone in the world has at least two large boxes of old records in the garage that they can’t play but also can’t bear to throw away (it was a small sampling). Two new USB turntables from Ion Audio will go some way to unleashing all that music, as they represent the latest generation of vinyl-to-MP3 devices. The US$150 iTTUSB05 and US$250 iTTUSB10 turntables are the next generation of the iTTUSB first released in 2006, and come with EZ Vinyl Converter software, a new program by MixMeister that quickly converts vinyl tracks directly to iTunes. Other new features include a dust cover to protect the record; built-in pre-amps eliminating the need for an audio receiver with phono-in jack; integrated RCA cables; and 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM playback speeds. Read More
The great newspaper giveaway ... and why the music industry is still brain-dead
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July 1, 2007 We admire people who have the consistent ability to think outside the square and the artist formerly known as Prince has a history of innovation, in not just his music. His latest stroke of business model remodelling genius is priceless because despite being guaranteed massive sales of his next album, he has decided to give the entire album away FREE inside a British Sunday newspaper, severely upsetting the music industry. The industry has only just begun to acknowledge how counter-productive its greed and lack of vision (e.g. suing its customers) has been, so it’s remarkable they cannot see the benefits of this incredibly savvy move. Read More
Sony's wireless streaming boombox: the wi-fi hi-fi
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June 28, 2007 If your PC holds your master music collection, you've either got to listen directly to the speakers it's connected to, or transfer tunes onto a portable device. But what if you just want to head out to the front porch, or spend some time working in the garage? Sony's got an answer: the VAIO WA1 is a wireless boombox that streams music from your PC to anywhere around the house. The WA1 is compatible with SonicStage, iTunes, Windows Media Player and suitable for Internet radio... and it looks pretty sexy, too. Read More
Pacemaker puts a DJ rig in your pocket
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June 5, 2007 We've seen iPod DJ solutions like the Numark iDJ before, but now the next logical step has arrived. The Pacemaker is a 120 GB portable music player that doubles as a fully functional DJ setup, giving it the somewhat bizarre title of the world's first pocket-sized DJ rig. Read More
AVLabs releases new high-end wireless Bluetooth speakers
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May 30, 2007 Wires are rubbish - and yet most of us still have great tangles of cords and cables sticking out of the backs of our PCs. This beautiful set of high-end Bluetooth speakers gets rid of one more wire from your rig - and you don't have to have a bluetooth-enabled PC to enjoy their silky wireless tones. Read More
The UAD-Xpander - Universal Audio's UAD-1 finally goes mobile
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March 3, 2007 - Universal Audio launched the UAD-1 back in January 2004, and it quickly became the DSP system of choice for a staggering amount of music producers. It wasn't the fact the UAD-1 cards took the processing load off the CPU that made the system so essential - it was the Universal Audio plugins, meticulously modelled after vintage compressors and equalisers, that once heard, immediately justify the price tag, and once used in your own mixes, simply cannot be lived without. Obviously tired of seeing so many of their users spending big bucks on a Magma external PCI chassis in order to use their UAD-1 cards on the road, Universal Audio have finally released the UAD-Xpander - an external UAD-1 solution which connects via ExpressCard, the now ubiquitous laptop expansion bus that offers six times the bandwidth of FireWire 400. Read More
Steve Jobs on DRM (Digital Rights Management)
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February 7, 2007 With the big four record companies making a majority of their profits from completely insecure CDs that can be turned into MP3s and uploaded onto the Internet in less than half an hour, when does it become ridiculous for them insist on locking up their digital sales with restrictive DRM that hinders the rights of the paid user, while doing nothing to hinder piracy? Steve Jobs is the latest to throw his opinion in the ring - and coming from the only success story of the digital music era, his words are sure to turn heads. Read More
