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MP3 Player News & Headlines
Motion-Detecting Earphones Offered by Sony Ericsson
(NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Sony Ericsson is giving consumers a way to talk and bee-bop to their favorite song. The handset maker has developed motion-detecting earphones that allow mobile-phone users to listen to music and take mobile calls by placing and removing earbuds.
Venezuelan Dudamel takes over LA Philharmonic
(Reuters)
Reuters - Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel became music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Wednesday at the age of 28, deploying digital tools to draw a younger and less elite audience to classical music.
Sony Ericsson Unveils Motion-Activated Headphones
(PC World)
PC World - Sony Ericsson may soon make the play button a thing of the past with its new motion-controlled earbuds. The handset-maker on Monday unveiled its MH907 headphones that allow you to play your music and answer phone calls just by inserting the buds into your ear or taking them out.
Gemini Announces iTrax iPod DJ Mixer
The iTrax joins the Numark iDJ, to allow users to mix the output of two iPods, with basic dj functionality.
Apple Intros 8GB iPod nano Red
Apple today announced a new 8GB model of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition. The new 8GB iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition holds up to 2,000 songs and is available for $249, joining the 4GB model priced at $199.
Apple Intros iPod Phone
Apple today introduced iPhone, a new device that combines a state-of-the-art mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching and maps—into one small and lightweight handheld device.
Griffin Intros Hi-Way Case for iPod Hi-Fi
Griffin Technology today announced Hi-Way, a versatile, custom fit, roadworthy carrying case for the iPod Hi-Fi compact stereo.
MP3 Tech Commentary
Spotify Brings Music Downloads to Its Users The music service, Spotify, which streams music has revealed in its blog that users will now be able to download tracks. The new service will only be available to Spotify premium subscribers, who will be able to use a special 'offline mode' to store up to 3,333 tracks on their computer's hard drive. Spotify explain in their blog that a user's online playlist is synchronized for offline usage by downloading the necessary tracks - even if you have no Internet connection the music will still be accessible. The big question still to be officially answered is, "Does the music come with any DRM copy protection?" In Spotify's FAQ section, offline mode is restricted to three device and tracks can only be stored offline while you continue to pay a subscription. The other restriction mentioned on their website is that you need to login to your account at least every 30 days to ensure you are still subscribed. These set of restrictions could indicate DRM copy protection, but there's no official word on this at present. Currently Spotify is available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Spain, and the UK. According to a BBC News article, the service is due to roll out in the United States by the end of the year. Related Articles:
Free Music Downloads This Week Our music discovery slot this week features another set of free music tracks that you can either stream or download. By listening to these full-length tracks, you will hopefully get a better feel for the following artists/bands music before deciding to purchase their albums. The free music downloads on offer this week are:
The track, Teknique, is a great example of the electro house genre that has recently become so popular in the electronic dance music scene. The British producer, BURNS, has just released his Teknique EP (2112 Records) which is now available to download via Beatport.
- I Was a Desert (3:37)
- I Am Paleontologist (2:32)
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New Sony boombox looks like a saucer The ZS-E5, available next month for an undisclosed price, is said to be Sony's most personalized and least expensive boombox to date. It sports a compact body, four body color choices (pink, blue, red, aqua) and a rather unique design compared to more expensive devices in this category.
Features of the ZS-E5 include a built-in analog AM/FM tuner, an integrated CD player that supports CD-R/RW playback, and a line-in jack for digital music players. This is on top of the large LED display. More details, when available, can be found at the Sony Web site.
Photo Credit: Sony
The boombox, despite ever popular MP3 players such as the Apple iPod, will continue to remain a favorite for at least some. That is why Sony continues to trickle new models out – the latest being the rather saucer shaped ZS-E5.
New netbook can double as touchscreen portable media player The Touch Book is notable because it sports a detachable keyboard and 3D touchscreen user interface. This design choice, in effect, allows this netbook to become a touchscreen only device which can work as a standalone portable media player or handheld gaming machine. The screen size is 8.9-inches and it can run for up to 15 hours on its rechargeable battery.
Key features of this multi-form factor netbook include storage done by a micro SD memory card, built-in speakers, a headphone jack, multiple USB ports and open source software. It is said that the Touch Book will be available in late spring for a starting price of around $300. More details can be found on the Touch Book Web site.
Photo credit: Always Innovating
Netbooks – smaller, inexpensive laptop computers primarily designed for light functions such as Web browsing and checking email – are becoming extremely popular, especially in this downtrodden economy. Innovation is something possible in this category at the moment, and a small company by the name of Always Innovating is attempting such a feat with its new Touch Book netbook computer.
YACHT Celebrates New Single With Free Album In celebration of the release of their new digital single, Psychic City, YACHT have released an instrumental version of their See Mystery Lights album for free download. The special instrumental album has been release under a non-commercial Creative Commons license. This enables their music to be used for a wide range of purposes such as Karaoke, soundtracks for student films, and other non-commercial applications. If a free album isn't enough, then YACHT's souvenirs section on their website has a good selection of goodies including some freebies near the bottom of the page. To quench your appetite for a remix, there's also a special version of Psychic City that you can listen to or download from Rcrdlbl.com Related Articles:
Do You Have The 'Audacity' to Make Your Own Ringtones? Instead of purchasing and downloading pre-made ringtones using one of the many services on the Internet, why not make your own for free? You may remember a while ago that we covered how you can Create Free Ringtones Using iTunes. But what if you don't use iTunes? Thankfully there are quite a few free audio editors that you can download to enable you to make MP3 ringtones. One of the most popular of these is a multi-platform audio tool called, Audacity. All you'll need is your existing music library and a little investment in time. It can be very rewarding to make your own free ringtones and you'll also save a lot of money too. If you've been frustrated by not being able to find the free ringtones you want on the Internet, then why not follow our tutorial on How to Create Ringtones Using Audacity. Related Articles:
Product Preview: Philips GoGear Opus - A New Portable Media Player The upcoming Philips GoGear Opus digital audio/video player is certainly no exception to this rule of potential innovation. The company has tossed a number of useful functions into this device...read more
The Philips line up of GoGear portable media players has churned out over the years a steady stream of quality devices known for their sleek looks and easy to use interfaces. These forward thinking products also tend to come with new audio enhancements from Philips, itself a major player in the larger consumer electronics market.
Free Music Downloads This Week In our music discovery mission this week, we showcase another selection of free promotional tracks that cover a wide range of genres designed to broaden your musical horizons. The free music downloads are:
The free promo song, The Foxes, by Erin McKeown is an interesting fusion of rock, pop, and an element of Jazz. Her newest album, Hundreds of Lions is due for release Oct. 13 (Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records).
- Skin Orders (2:53)
Related Articles:
- Top 5 streaming music sites
- Free music download services
- How to use iTunes to listen to thousands of free radio stations
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