Music

This little guy is worth keeping around the house as a conversation piece if nothing else: You can keep your friends guessing its use for hours until you turn it on.

It may look like a toy, but this "Nano Head" is actually a powerful amp, according to distributor Zachary Vex. And not just any amp, he says, but the "world's smallest production tube amp."

This could come in particularly handy if you're trying to get just the right tone for your riffs. Because, let's face it, you'll need all the help … Read more

Given our slothful nature, we miss those individual jukebox controls that used to adorn booths at diners and other fine restaurants we frequent. At most places now, you have to get up and walk at least 10 feet to drop a couple of quarters in the slot. Irritating.

The French understand this, and they've responded with an innovative solution in the form of an SMS Jukebox. Orange France is testing a service that lets patrons send a text message to the jukebox without leaving their seats. Red Ferret says the designated song would then be played in seconds, but … Read more

As any regular partygoer can tell you, mobile phones are an essential part of the nightlife experience. You can use them to text-message from noisy dance floors, quickly grab the digits of cool new people you meet, and even find out where all your friends are thanks to social networking services like Dodgeball. But with a new service called PartyStrands, you can use your cell phone to actually shape the party.

Last Thursday night, I had the opportunity to hang out at the TechCrunch 8 Meetup party at BED (see photo), a pretty cool nightclub in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood. … Read more

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