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The PS3 version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock includes a wireless Les Paul.

(Credit: Buy.com)

It's a great day to be a PlayStation 3 owner: Buy.com has the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle for just $18.67, plus $3.99 for shipping.

The package includes a Les Paul wireless guitar controller, meaning you don't have to worry about tripping over a cord while, um, getting your Slash on.

The game itself features 70-plus tracks from the likes of Aerosmith, Heart, Guns N' Roses, and the Rolling Stones.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, GameSpot's review of Legends of Rock praises it for having "the best tracklist of any Guitar Hero game to date."

I've never really been into the whole Guitar Hero scene, but for 20 bucks I'd almost certainly grab this bundle--if I owned a PS3. Alas, the Xbox 360 version still runs around $50.

I realize there's a fairly small audience for this deal, so check back later--I might just have something with more universal appeal.

In the meantime...rock on!

These days, there is a plethora of audio content available to stream over the Internet. Even traditional terrestrial radio often offers content streamed over the Web, diversifying the choices for how consumers can enjoy music and other audio. Although the legality is questionable, there are--and will always be--ways to record these streams. Streamed audio recordings for music are not going to offer the same sound quality as a ripped CD or even a purchased MP3, but it's a good option for talk programs and mixes that might not be available in other formats. This tutorial will show you how to record streamed audio as an MP3; just be sure to read the usage rules for any recording source before beginning.

Editors' note: This tutorial was completed using Windows XP.

Cost: Free

Time commitment: Varies

System Requirements: Windows

How to record streaming audio

(Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

Do you feel like you need one more music game for the holidays? It's getting pretty strained, isn't it, between The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero, and now this very family-friendly-oriented spin on Harmonix' franchise, Lego Rock Band. Taking two gaming hits--games based on Lego, and Rock Band--and combining them sounds like a slam dunk, but how does this all work out? We played it and have our thoughts.

Good news: you won't need new instruments. Lego Rock Band uses the same drum/mic/guitar compatibility system that's finally starting to become an industry norm. The other fun thing about Lego Rock Band is its weird, whimsical settings and sense of humor. All the Lego games, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars, have shared a Charlie Chaplin-ish winking humor with frequently cute/bizarre overtones, and the rock "battles" aboard pirate ships and other settings makes for music videos worth watching in the background. Other than that, it's standard Rock Band stuff. The game is developed by TT Games, the group responsible for all the other Lego titles, so it feels consistently similar to what you might be expecting, except with a Rock Band engine attached.

Lego Rock Band gallery

Bad news: 45 included tracks span pop and mainstream, and the game will also access the online catalog of Rock Band DLC tracks--but only ones that are considered family-friendly. That means some songs won't make the import cut. The censorship is annoying, but the Lego versions of rock stars almost make it worth it. ... Read more

Start your own Fab Four with The Beatles: Rock Band.

(Credit: Target)

If you're a fan of A) music, B) The Beatles, C) Rock Band, or D) looking silly (I kid, I kid), you've no doubt had your eye on the recently released Beatles Rock Band bundle.

It normally sells for $159.99, but Amazon is offering The Beatles: Rock Band Value Edition for $99.99 shipped. It's available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The bundle includes the game itself, natch, along with three "instruments": guitar, drum set, and microphone. You can optionally add two more microphones and sing three-part harmonies, which sounds pretty cool.

However, much as I love the Beatles (who doesn't?), I don't really get into games like this. Of course, they obviously have their audience, and GameSpot positively loved The Beatles: Rock Band.

Walk into any Best Buy, Target, or the like, and you'll pay full retail price for this bundle. Shop online and you may be able to find it for as low as $130. Needless to say, $99.99 is a mighty sweet deal. Definitely worth considering as the holidays grow near.

(Credit: The Beatles)

No, the digitally remastered Beatles catalog hasn't come to Apple's iTunes. But it has come to an apple-shaped USB device.

Retailing for $279.99, the collection will be released December 8 in North America, three months after the September 9 release of the remastered set of the band's albums (as well as The Beatles: Rock Band video game). The apple shape is in reference to Apple Corps, the Beatles music publisher--which in the past, you may recall, sued tech giant Apple in a trademark dispute.

(Credit: The Official Beatles Shop)

When the release of the remastered Beatles catalog and Rock Band game were announced for September 9, 2009 (the band has a song called "Revolution 9"), speculation arose that a concurrently scheduled Apple Inc. announcement might bring the catalog, still unavailable for digital download on the Web, to iTunes. That didn't happen. But with the release of the USB collection, the albums are available in non-CD digital form for the first time.

In addition to MP3 and FLAC versions of 14 stereo titles, according to a release, the 16GB device contains "all of the remastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes."

Correction 10:45 a.m. PST: This story initially misstated the release date. It is December 8 in North America. Also, the type of lawsuit Apple Corps filed against Apple Inc. has been corrected. It was a trademark dispute.

(Credit: Supermarket)

The music may be horrible, but if you rub a tape head over these ties you can actually hear jumbled sound collages recorded from the NYC metro system. This is possible because the ties are 50 percent audio cassette tape.

If you have $90 to spend on one of the ties, and you are willing to sacrifice an old Walkman for the project, you can make this a fixture of your formal wardrobe. Of course, walking around with a broken Walkman asking every one to rub you with it is not recommended.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

As the music games genre overflows with add-on packs for Guitar Hero and Rock Band (and too many plastic guitar variations to count), consumers might be feeling a little gun-shy about adding a turntable to the mix. Smartly, however, Activision has countered the skepticism by adding what might be the best video game soundtrack of all time to DJ Hero.

Ninety-three tracks (double the amount on The Beatles: Rock Band) of unique mashups and remixes from some of the world's most renowned DJs are not only great listening, but each one takes two excellent source songs to make music with. That's actually 186 songs floating around somewhere in this game.

Scott:
The turntable in DJ Hero almost feels like an afterthought compared with the track selection, but it's solid and thankfully compact, with a free-spinning platter that's extremely smooth. The plastic buttons, crossfader, and other knobs feel a little jiggly, but the rubber feet beneath will make sure the controller stays put on a table.

To make music in DJ Hero, a very similar-looking "notes approaching" interface is repurposed to resemble a spinning record. Three different note-tracks are controlled by pressing colored buttons on the plastic turntable, just like Guitar Hero or Rock Band. You can also scratch the notes by pressing and turning at the same time.

On the left side of the controller, the crossfader is activated during certain zig-zaggy cues in the track, and alternates the two tracks. Above that is a "euphoria" button that is DJ Hero's version of "star power." Beside that is also a knob that either controls pitch effects during some sections, or selects sound effects in another portion of gameplay. As you can imagine, it starts to get complicated. DJ Hero might have one knob too many, but it adds to the feel of deck manipulation, and keeps your hands pretty busy. The end result--awesome hip-hop--is worth the effort.

Months ago, we were skeptical about DJ Hero--we worried that it was shameless music game exploitation. We were wrong. The effort has been exceptional, and that level of incredible musical talent should earn DJ Hero serious consideration this fall, perhaps even over the latest Rock Band and Guitar Hero entries.

Jeff:
The real star of DJ Hero is without a doubt the music. The game boasts 93 mashup tracks that are sure to appeal to music tastes of all kinds with some of the most renowned DJs in the business lending their talents to the game.

So how does it play? DJ Hero is an interesting beast as its wireless turntable controller must be played on flat surface. We found success laying it on an ottoman while sitting on a couch behind it. For the most part, the tapping, crossfading, and scratching works, but you may have a problem with the button closest to the center of the faux record. Since it's anchored so closely to the center, it's tougher to scratch than the outer buttons. Regardless of how you orientate the controller, that last button may give you a problem.

The crossfader is also tough to master as its center position is not as easy to detect as you might think. During songs you'll have to switch it left and right, but we wish the center was more noticeable just by feeling its position--a definitive notch here would have helped.

DJ Hero may have less of an appeal to the more mainstream Guitar Hero franchise fan; it's a different demographic that this game is trying to reach. That combined with the intimidation of finding room for yet another plastic accessory and its $120 price tag may turn off prospective buyers.

Dan:
We've spoken before about the threat of guitar game fatigue, with semiannual installments of music games vying for consumer's increasingly stretched dollars. Successfully injecting a little new life into the genre, DJ Hero is the biggest sea change in music games since the addition of drum kits.

(Credit: Lullabelly)

I do not have kids. At this point it's looking unlikely that I ever will. And that might be a good thing for everyone involved, because I'm a horrible person. At least I do horrible things.

Take the Lullabelly, the Buzz Report's Gadget of the Week. It's a prenatal music belt with a built-in speaker that will play music to your baby in the womb. An expectant mother puts an iPod, smartphone, CD player, etc., into the belt's compartment and plugs it in to play soothing music for her baby. The idea is that nine months of this makes the baby smarter. I buy the theory, but I'm not the type to do things the right way.

(Credit: Lullabelly)

If I had the Lullabelly I would not load it up with Mozart. I would not bombard my unborn baby with Bach or Beethoven. If I had a Lullabelly it would offer a brand new use for my 2GB of Slayer MP3s. My baby would be the toughest baby on the block.

But that's me. I'm sure responsible parents would actually use this as intended in hopes that they bear pitch-perfect offspring. There's actual science behind the idea, after all. So I'm not discounting the product, I'm just saying it's maybe not for everybody. Like me.

The Lullabelly comes in several polka dot patterns and sells in standard and deluxe packages ($49 and $55, respectively). The former includes a speaker for the baby only and the latter tosses in a dual earphone adapter and earphones with volume control for Mom.

Looking for a compact, feature-packed MP3 player that's as good for the car as it is for the gym?

Newegg has a refurbished 8GB Zune player for $69.99 shipped with a free leather case and Microsoft Zune Car Pack.

So let's do some math. A new Zune 8 player sells for $128. The Car Pack costs $70. Add around $30 for the leather case and you're up to around $230.

With this deal, your out-the-door price is $70. Nice!

A quick refresher course in Zune goodness: This flash-based player offers a 1.8-inch screen, an FM tuner, Wi-Fi file sharing and syncing (which is truly awesome), and compatibility with Microsoft's underrated Zune Marketplace music-subscription service.

Normally $69.99, the Zune Car Pack comes free with your purchase of a $69.99 Zune.

(Credit: Microsoft)

The Car Pack includes a charger and an FM transmitter, which can broadcast music from your Zune through your car stereo.

The transmitter will automatically select the best available frequency, which eliminates a lot of the hassles of traditional FM-radio gizmos. It also offers two presets for easy switching between commonly used stations.

There's even a dashboard "grip pad" so you can lay your Zune on the dash and not worry about it sliding all over the place. (A windshield mount would be better, but beggars can't be choosers.)

Newegg doesn't offer any details about the leather case, nor about the Zune's warranty, which we'll assume is 90 days.

Bottom line: mighty nice deal. A refurbished iPod Nano would cost you $30 more, and you wouldn't get Wi-Fi, FM, a car kit, or a case. Might not be a bad little stuffing stocking stuffer.

By the way, if black's not your color (or it sells out), you can also get the Zune in blue or pink.