Crave

The Vestax Spin gets spun.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

There's never been a better time to get into DJing. Gone are the days when DJs had to break their backs hauling turntables, record crates, and heavy analog mixes. Today, just combine a laptop, a USB DJ control surface, and a hard drive full of MP3s, and get ready to set the roof ablaze.

That said, professional DJ control surfaces aren't exactly cheap. Two of my personal favorites, the Vestax VCI-300 and the Numark NS7, hover around the $1,000 mark.

For those looking to dip their feet into digital DJing, but not quite $1,000 deep, the Vestax Spin ($249) offers a ton of bang for the buck. A stripped-down version of the Vestax VCI-300, the Spin delivers on the DJ dream of two (virtual) turntables and a microphone, powered by Algoriddim's Mac-only DJay software.

Vestax Spin (photos)

Beyond the requisite smattering of knobs and faders, the heart of the Vestax Spin are the twin, weighted platters used to control song playback. The top of each platter includes a metal surface that acts as a capacitive touch control to stop and manipulate audio playback with uncanny responsiveness. Having used the more expensive VCI-300, I can tell you these are the exact same platters. However, the Spin does not include the individual tension adjustment knobs.

Existing VCI-300 users shouldn't cry themselves to sleep over paying four times as much for their version, since there are some considerable drawbacks to the Spin compared to its higher-priced cousin. For starters, the outputs are RCA only, you can't insert multiple cue points, you can't route in external audio sources (beyond the mic), and the overall construction is far less rugged. Most importantly, the Spin is permanently married to the bundled DJay software--which is a fine program, but lacks PC support and doesn't include the outstanding waveform display of Serato Itch.

Pro DJ gripes aside, the Vestax Spin represents one of the better values in the amateur DJ market. It is currently sold exclusively through the Apple store.

For a closer look at the Vestax Spin, check out our Crave photo gallery.

Like an underwater-themed Bejeweled, Big Kahuna Reef offers puzzle fun...for free!

(Credit: Amazon)

I'm back! Miss me? I missed all y'all so much that I'm kicking off this week with two, count 'em, two great freebies.

Amazon is offering a free download of Big Kahuna Reef, a Bejeweled-style puzzle game for Windows PCs. (The product page shows only XP, but it's running fine in Vista.)

Better still, when you "buy" the game, you'll receive a $5 credit good for any Amazon MP3 purchase(s). In other words, you get five free songs or $5 off any album. (I highly recommend Brendan Benson's new one, "My Old, Familiar Friend." Awesome stuff.)

Big Kahuna Reef is by no means a new title (it debuted in 2005), but it's still a great little puzzler for fans of casual games (and, um, fish). Check out GameSpot's extremely positive review.

You will need to have an Amazon account already set up to take advantage of this deal, and you'll need to install Amazon's Games and Software Downloader to grab the game.

Other than that, there are no catches to this splendid pair of freebies. Let me know how you like the game and what music you're going to download with your credit.

Like music? Like free music? You may remember my previous post about the mammoth library of free MP3s at Amazon (which is now nearing 1,000 tracks).

Don't stop there. Music-marketing and -discovery site ReverbNation is offering 1,000 free song downloads. No strings, no software to install, just a big fat library of free tunes.

It may take you a while to download all 1,000 free tunes, but at least the price is right.

(Credit: ReverbNation)

Though sponsored by Microsoft, the giveaway makes tracks available in both M4A and MP3 format--there's not a WMA in sight. Certainly no DRM.

The songs span seven genres, including alternative, pop, jazz, and hip-hop. You can filter the list by genre or alphabetically by artist, but there's no search option. What's more, you can't download the full library at once or even batches of it; you must download each track individually.

Also, don't expect to find any Kings of Leon or Raconteurs here; the collection is largely of indie artists.

Still, free is free, and if you're looking to stock your iPod with some fresh tunes, look no further.

(Credit: Cowon)

Long before the Sony X-Series stole the OLED portable media player spotlight, 2008's Cowon S9 blew us away with its gorgeous 3.3-inch touch-screen display, Bluetooth audio, and extensive audio and video codec support. But the gadget's fanatic attention span can only last so long before a perfectly good MP3 player just feels like yesterday's news.

In an effort to rekindle our collective fascination with the S9, Cowon has announced a new "ceramic white" color option, currently available only in Korea. To be fair, Cowon has also released a steady stream of firmware updates for the S9 since our original review, improving video playback format support and adding gapless audio playback.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming CNET Prizefight between the Cowon S9 and the newest kid on the block, the Sony Walkman X-Series.

(Via DAP Review)

Yes, Last.fm--like CNET--is owned by CBS, but it's also pretty awesome.

In a world teeming with increasingly similar tech products, Apple is one company that seems to have no problem churning out standout products. This might be attributed to sleek designs, fun features, and friendly interfaces--or maybe you want to chalk it up to good ol' marketing tactics. However, in the case of the iPhone and the iPod Touch, there's one attribute that undeniably separates these devices from the masses: the ever-expanding cadre of third-party applications. You can find everything from cookbooks and weight-loss trackers to games and productivity tools, but the area in which the iPhone and iPod Touch really excel is music, and there are hundreds of applications to choose from in this category.

To help you sort through the mass of options, we rounded up five of our favorite iPhone music apps. To keep things simple, we limited our scope to free selections that have a heavy focus on full music playback. Not everything included here will be a perfect fit for every iPod user, but you're sure to find something that will float your boat.

Top 5 free iPhone music apps

The Allen & Heath Xone 4D is some serious tech for DJs who mean business.

(Credit: Allen & Heath)

With the upcoming release of the video game DJ Hero set to retread the path of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, you can bet on seeing a surge in amateur DJing. But unlike guitars, most people are pretty clueless when it comes to DJ tools. Strings, frets, and whammy bars are one thing, but crossfaders, EQ kills, and cue points are a different beast.

Local music stores have been doing a brisk business selling electric guitars and drum sets to ambitious Guitar Hero and Rock Band prodigies, but the game-to-reality upgrade path for DJ Hero isn't as cut and dry. Two turntables and a mixing deck is a nice start, but most DJ Hero graduates will want to launch samples, create loops, and see their music library in the familiar context of a laptop screen.

Fortunately, digital DJ rigs have really hit their stride in recent years, offering tons of cool features at increasingly affordable prices. Some of these digital systems are meant to retrofit analog turntables, while others replace turntables altogether using jog wheels or imitation vinyl.

Hit up our slideshow for our top digital DJ picks.

Best 10 digital DJ rigs

Peggle for iPhone: now just 99 cents.

I couldn't pick just one deal today, so here are five to jump-start your weekend:

Much as I'm loving the iPhone version of Peggle, I think it's a little pricey at $4.99. Good news: Right now it's on sale for just 99 cents [iTunes link]. No-brainer. Buy it. Thanks to reader Harold for the tip!

I'm not loving Amazon MP3's current selection of $5 albums, but there's one standout: Holst's The Planets, one of my all-time classical favorites. ("Mars" gets all the attention, but "Jupiter" is really the crown jewel of the collection.)

Ready for a home-network upgrade? Newegg has a D-Link DIR-615 Draft-N Wi-Fi router and DWA-642 Notebook Adapter for $39.99 shipped. Needless to say, that's cheaper than most 802.11n routers alone.

Get a new netbook for just $150 shipped!

I can't say I'd recommend a Netbook with a 7-inch screen, but check out this deal anyway: ZipZoomfly has an Asus Eee PC 701SD with Linux and an 8GB SSD for $149.99 shipped. And it's new, not a refurb!

Want to stock up on cheap entertainment for the weekend? Head to your local library. Every time I come home with an armload of free books for the kids, free audiobooks for me, and free DVDs for all, I have to pinch myself. Thank you, Andrew Carnegie!

Napster's new deal: 7 million streaming tracks and 5 keeper downloads, all for five bucks a month.

(Credit: Napster)

If you routinely buy at least five songs per month, here's good news from Napster: A new subscription plan nets you five DRM-free MP3 downloads and unlimited streaming for just $5 monthly. In other words, it's like buying the songs you were buying anyway and getting unlimited streaming for free.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's because Microsoft recently added 10 "permanent" downloads to its $14.99 per month Zune Pass subscription. Obviously, the Zune plan is costlier, though it does include unlimited "temporary" downloads to your desktop or Zune player, not just streaming.

Best Buy-owned Napster still offers a $14.95 per month To Go plan for folks who want to stuff their portable players or cell phones with music, though it's unclear whether that plan has been upgraded to include the five MP3 downloads.

Anyway, back to the $5 deal. To me it's a no-brainer as I typically buy a handful of tracks from Amazon each month. For the same money I get unrestricted access to Napster's 7 million-plus song library, along with 60 commercial-free radio stations and 1,400-plus prefab playlists.

The truth is, I spend most of my day at a desk, so I'm actually more interested in the streaming than the downloads. As much as I despise all things subscription, this is too good to pass up. Agree? Disagree? I'm all ears.

SIDE DEAL No. 1: While we're on the subject of music services, Rhapsody is offering a free, no-strings attached MP3 download every day of the week. Recent offerings included a track from Green Day's new album, a Bon Jovi classic, and the latest Lady GaGa single. It kind of makes iTunes' obscure-freebie-of-the-week seem downright, well, weak.

SIDE DEAL No. 2: If you're in the market for an MP3 player to go with Napster, Rhapsody, or whatever, Creative has the 8GB Creative Zen (refurbished) for $64.99--far and away the best price I've seen yet on that model.

Are there any sweeter words in the English language than "free music?" (I know, "free pizza" runs a close second, followed immediately by "free beer," "free chocolate," and "free Tibet.")

If you're looking to stock your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Zune with some fresh, new tunes, you can find a mountain of free stuff if you know where to look. I'm talking legal free stuff, not the "free" tunes you pilfer from P2P services. Bad user, bad!

Rhapsody generously offers a free MP3 every day of the week.

As you probably know, iTunes gives away one song every week (gee, wow, thanks). Head to Rhapsody, however, and you can score a free song every day. And not just obscure tunes from little-known artists: Green Day's new "Know Your Enemy" was a recent download of the day (ahead of the new album's release, even), and yesterday's selection was Poison's classic power ballad, "Every Rose Has Its Thorns." (Couldn't...help...myself.)