Music

OK, we're officially depressed. First, we hear about the air guitar T-shirt. Bad enough. Then came the USB electric guitar. But a guitar that plays through your car stereo?

As Red Ferret reports, owners of new Volkswagen Golfs, Beetles, Rabbits and Jettas will get a complimentary guitar with their purchase. Why? Here's an explanation from First Act GarageMaster, which makes the guitars: "Owners of new VW models can transform their cars into mobile amps, with a newfound freedom to rock in the driveway, play at outdoor parties, or shred in the beach parking lot. New rockers will … Read more

If we didn't know better (and we don't), we might think that Ferrari was actually trying to overexpose itself. It may not be long before the company comes out with its own fragrance line.

It's one thing to do a laptop and even a nav device that could be mistaken for an Etch-A-Sketch, but the latest instance of branded mania isn't even something you could use on the road.

"Art.Engine" is a $20,000 audio system that bears the Ferrari nameplate across its base. The device looks like an individual tower speaker but … Read more

More good news for Beatle-niks: EMI and Apple Corps have released the entire Love album online for free as part of the lead-up to its official release on Tuesday in the United States. To listen, you must log in on The Beatles site with an e-mail and share your location. The site is plotting a map of everyone in the world who has listened online to the album, which is a reinterpretation of the Fab Four's work. Fans can also view a film with interviews of Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono, George Harrison's widow, Olivia, and producer George Martin.… Read more

With everything getting smaller and smaller these days, it's refreshing to see a company buck the trend and make a big statement.

Intempo Digital's Stereo Tower does just that, in grand style. Despite its sleek modern design, this MP3 stereo is actually a throwback to the days of enormous music systems, with speakers the size of the Sears Tower. Tech Digest even describes it in '70s-era terms, as a "surround-sound Hi-Fi system."

If we didn't know better--and hadn't seen iPod stuck in the middle of it--we might expect quadraphonic speakers to go with this … Read more

Samsung has been pretty consistent with putting out quality MP3 players, but its two newest devices--the YP-K5 and the YP-T9--really take the cake in my book. They're super sleek, packed with features, and sound fantastic. That's why both players top my holiday wish and gift lists this year. And it looks like I just got lucky: Samsung recently dropped the MSRP of both players. The YP-K5 has gone from $260 to $229 for the 4GB version and from $210 to $179 for the 2GB. The YP-T9 has dropped from $199 to $179 4GB and from $149 to $… Read more

When I was growing up, my friends and I didn't use headphones to listen to music at home. No, we preferred to blast out our parents with songs laced with teenage angst. Headphones were relegated to Walkmans. If I had chosen to give my parents a little sanity though, I would've wanted these Panasonic RP-HTX7 retro-style headphones. The style is the perfect blend of old and new, with a perforated leather headband, painted earcups (in a choice of five colors), and brushed metal furnishings. The 'phones come with a suitably long cable (1.7 meters plus a 2-foot … Read more

iPhone rumors in the states are hardly new--commonplace, to be exact--but this one's at least slightly different because it's coming from overseas.

A Chinese newspaper is reporting that Apple has awarded a contract to build the elusive iPhone to Hon Hai, a contract manufacturer based in Taiwan.

The Commercial Times says Apple has ordered 12 million iPhones from Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, with an eye on a first-half 2007 unveiling. It was hard to find a direct link to the Commercial Times story, but outfits like Bloomberg and Forbes picked up the story, as did a … Read more

If there's a sudden surge in the number of iPods seen in ATM lines, this may explain it.

A criminal gang in the U.K. was able to steal confidential banking data by bugging ATMs with an MP3 player, The Times of London reported in its online edition Thursday. The gang reportedly targeted freestanding cash dispensers and would tap the phone line between the ATM and a wall socket by placing a two-way adaptor on it and connecting an MP3 player.

The digital music device would record the data traffic, which sounds like the noise a traditional computer modem … Read more

Enough already with the combo clock-weather stations. They've become as commonplace as the $6.99 digital alarm clocks behind the counter at Walgreens, next to the batteries and razor blades.

This uber-clock, by contrast, gives you the stuff you really want to know when you wake up: stock news, traffic bulletins, the Monday Night Football score and the latest on Britney's divorce and sex tape scandal. And you can set your MP3 tunes or Internet radio for the alarm. As its name implies, the award-winning "WidgetStation" displays your custom widget feeds on one of its two … Read more