Music Player
In the 1870s, Heinrich Beck founded what would eventually become Beck's Brewery. At about the same time, Thomas Edison was hard at work on creating the first phonograph. It's a safe bet neither man thought the two products would ever merge, but when the New Zealand branch of Beck's wanted to promote a new record label project, the company turned to design agency, Shine Limited to do exactly that. The designers concocted the Edison bottle, a simple glass beer bottle inscribed with music that can be played like a 19th-century phonograph cylinder. Read More
If you're a mobile music lover who also happens to be the active or adventurous type, you've probably been cursed with an earbud or two falling out, interrupting your rhythm or breaking your concentration while you try and shove it back in place. Even if your buds stay put, danger can lurk on every street corner and at every curb thanks to the immersive passive isolation resulting from a snug fit. These are issues that users of the ITreq Micro Audio Player shouldn't be troubled with. Whether you're at the gym, riding a bike, skateboarding, or just aggressively gardening, the device should stay in place behind one ear, leaving your other one on alert for potential hazards. Read More
SOUL ships feature-packed Party in a box P910 portable wireless entertainment system
Florida's SOUL Electronics, probably best known for its SOUL by Ludicras premium headphones, has announced the immediate availability of its Party in a box P910 boombox. Originally launched way back at CES 2012, the multi-speaker wireless music streamer features a built-in iPhone/iPod/iPad dock, has an FM radio, both USB and aux inputs, and can also be used as an instrument and vocal amp, a karaoke machine and PA system. It also sports twin analog VU meters, so that party guests can see exactly how much sonic oomph this baby is pumping out. Read More
BassNation Audio unleashes BlackBox Speaker System
Like the just-released Hanwell from Marshall, the BlackBox speaker system from BassNation Audio has the look of a guitar amp but delivers its quality audio amplification payload for a fraction of the price. Any device sporting either a 3.5-mm jack or RCA phono outputs can be used as an audio source (TVs, games consoles, smartphones and music players, for example), and multiple units can be stacked on top of each other for increased volume ... and some extra points in the cool department. Read More
Composers who want to know what their hand-written sheet music will sound like may soon have a new tool at their disposal. Using a hand-held device hooked up to their tablet or laptop, they could “play” that music in real time, wherever they were – even if a piano or other instrument was nowhere in sight. That’s the idea behind the Gocen, a prototype device being developed by a team from the Tokyo Metropolitan University. Read More
Pioneer shows off industry first Wi-Fi enabled DJ multi player
Pioneer is rolling out a new addition to its family of CDJ multi players for professional DJs. This new model, called the CDJ-2000nexus, is the first in the industry to include Wi-Fi connectivity. Pioneer has a long history of making CDJ players, which are designed to mimic some of the control options that vinyl provides from a CD or digital music file. Read More
In the days before CD, MP3 or iTunes, when Sony's Walkman was just about the only mobile music player worth having, hip young music lovers engaged in the painstakingly intricate process of recording a 45-minute-per-side compilation of favorite tunes onto an audio cassette tape. A kind of forefather to today's MP3 playlist, the mix tape was about creating a unique musical identity, an expression of personality that could be shared with those near and dear. Technology marches relentlessly on and tapes are now all-but extinct, replaced by digital files on smartphones and media players. The essence of the compact cassette mix tape has now been given a modern update by the folks from the MakerBot Industries Applications team in Brooklyn, New York, with the launch of the 3D-printed Mixtape do-it-yourself music player kit. Read More
Summer in the northern hemisphere this year has so far been a bit of a disappointment. Mobile music lovers can at least look forward to a new batch of Walkman digital music and video players from Sony while we wait for the sun to shine. The new additions include three 7-mm (0.275-inch) thin models and new flagship series players that run on the Ice Cream Sandwich flavor of Google's Android operating platform. Two feature Bluetooth technology for wireless connection to headphones or speaker docks, and there's one that benefits from noise-canceling circuitry. Read More
If an amphitheater provides a robust sound for audiences, then it would seem to follow that an audio dock with a similar half-circle shape should also provide a nice sound. Pure's 20-watt Contour 100i audio dock for iPhone, iPad and iPod is such a device. It consists of a set of 3-inch speakers, and a revolving cradle that recedes flush with the speakers when not in use. An auxiliary input allows for connection to an MP3 player or other audio device. Read More
Many people like to listen to tunes when they’re at the pool or beach, which are both environments where electronic devices could potentially get wet. While waterproof music players do exist, lots of folks now use their smartphone as their own little personal stereo. That’s the reason for the existence of Grace Digital Audio’s ECOXPRO Waterproof Speaker Case. It houses the user’s smartphone – along with some other odds and ends – while playing its music library through a full-range three-inch front speaker. Read More
