musical

A few years ago we may have asked, "How did we ever live without cell phones?" Now we ask the same question about text messaging. It was indeed a lifesaver last week at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. With live music ringing throughout the city 24/7, it was hard to find a quiet spot to make a phone call. So, along with thousands of others, I found myself obsessively texting to stay in touch with my cohorts about great shows (and to find ways to escape the bad ones). Cryptic messages such as &… Read more

It seems strangely appropriate that an item named the "Bling Player" would be found on a site called Shiny Shiny. Or maybe it's just redundant. Either way, we're suckers for all that glitters so here it is.

The self-proclaimed "iced-out" player from MediaReady tries to live up to its moniker with a skull-and-crossbones design encrusted with crystals (how original). But like the Average Joe who tries to compensate for his shortcomings with expensive clothes, the $200 Bling is rather ordinary inside with 2GB of memory, an FM tuner and voice recorder to go along … Read more

A panel named Reinventing Payment Models for Digital Music sounds pretty boring, doesn't it? In fact, the SXSW panel was infinitely more entertaining than the Ultimate Music Recommendation Smackdown. Shocking, I know. But the entire audience was cracking up for the majority of the session. It's rather hard to get the comedic interactions of the panelists across in this medium, so you'll just have to bear with my relative lack of humor as I try to relay the meat of the information.

The gist is that the majority of artists make very little from music downloads because … Read more

If phones and media players are indeed destined to evolve into a single device, as fellow Craver Jasmine France fears, then we should be prepared to see an onslought of accessories like this. Sony Ericsson has made these Snap-on Speakers to go with its handsets, according to Cool Gadgets Zone, "perfect for that party moment." The design-conscious company has made the MPS-75 speakers in colors to match the handsets, but we still think it the attachment looks a little weird. (Is anyone else reminded of The Fly ?) It could be worse, though: Sony Ericsson could have outsourced them … Read more

No fashion accessory seems immune to the trend of built-in speakers, from toolboxes to bowling bags. But the fanny pack?

The "Sound Box Waist Bag" not only carries your personal effects but also blares music from its sewn-in speaker. And if that's not enough reason to draw attention to your midsection, Red Ferret notes that it comes in bright orange. But we can't get past its name, which sounds disturbingly medical.

If you're curious about the new portable device made to work with the Slacker Personal Radio service, check out our slide show of the Slacker Portable Player, where I've posted a handful of up-close and personal shots as well as some more info about the player. And if this particular device doesn't float your boat (it is awfully large for a flash player, after all), you'll be pleased to note that Slacker is talking to other device manufacturers about making both its free and premium services available to non-Slacker portables. How freakin' sweet is that?

When I first found out I would be coming to SXSW this year, I was a little worried I'd be wandering around solo, looking more than slightly sad and losery. Namely, because I wasn't certain any of the tech reps I work with would have any reason to be here. As it turns out, my fears were for naught, as several digital-music entities that I work with are out in force in Austin, including Zune, Lala, and Rhapsody. (Yay! Friends!) Today, Rhapsody is hosting a six-hour day party replete with live acts, and the good news is that … Read more

You know, I consider myself to be a pretty nice person. I try not to dis anyone...well, except maybe the iPod (of course, that's a thing and not a person). But seriously. Who could make a SXSW panel with the title The Ultimate Music Recommendation Smackdown boring? I'll tell you who: representatives from Pandora, Last.fm, iLike, and MusicIP. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure these guys are perfectly nice--even cool--people, but sheesh. Actually, I should really blame the person who wrote the description for the panel. Allow me to paste that description here: "… Read more

Why should skull music be enjoyed only under water? We don't think so either.

Just as aquatic products send soundwaves directly through the cranium for swimmers, Thanko Japan's "Vonia" headband gives runners a similar experience while on terra firma. (It's supposedly waterproof too but doesn't look like it was meant for swimming, especially with a Shuffle tucked in the side.)

The "bone conduction" device works like its seagoing counterparts, tickling the auditory nerves with melodious vibrations. That, according to Newlaunches, means you can blast your tunes without blowing out your eardrums and … Read more