Music

The Vibez looks more like a case for Prada sunglasses than it does an MP3 player. And considering how many of the devices are on the market, that's not a bad thing if you want to get noticed.

The slim stainless-steel player from Germany's Trekstor has a 1.5-inch color screen and a 20-hour battery, but video playback and FM tuner are separate. As Trekstor's first player with a hard drive, it comes in 8GB, 12GB or 15GB storage sizes and tops out at $280. Engadget, where we first saw the device, says Tekstor claims it will … Read more

Snapping digital pictures while snorkeling has been a reality for some time with underwater casings for cameras, but what about being able to listen to music while surfing?

H2 Audio has made underwater casings for the iPod available for $90 from Jack's Surfboards.com or directly from H2 Audio. That's pretty reasonable considering an underwater casing for a point and shoot camera starts at around $200.

The H2 Audio casings (Click here for CNET review) come in sizes for the iPod video, the Nano, the original Shuffle, the iPod mini and the iPod 4G. H2 Audio does not … Read more

If this trend continues, handlebar stereos could become the next must-have accoutrement for bikers. Just the other day, we wrote of a frame-mounted MP3 player that's designed to withstand the elements. Then we saw a Ministry of Tech item about some handlebar-fastened portable speakers from Jisan Hitech. (One reader suggested that open-air music is preferable to headphones for reasons of safety and etiquette.)

As more gadgets are designed for bikes, the handlebar real estate is becoming a precious commodity. At this rate, bike handles may soon begin to resemble a jet instrument panel.

(Photo: Ministry of Tech)

Almost anyone who's tried to use the "shuffle" functionality to create automatic playlists can attest that randomizing song lists or libraries is no easy task. I always seem to get one or two songs that appear far too often and some artists who never show up at all.

Enter The Filter (download it at CNET Download.com), a Windows plug-in for iTunes backed by musician Peter Gabriel. The Filter uses artificial intelligence and the All Music Guide database to manufacture custom iTunes playlists based on a variety of user inputs, such as a few songs of your … Read more

We've always had a secret desire to be a concert pianist, but there was just one problem: We never learned how to play the piano. The reason, of course, was that it's just too difficult to turn the sheet music and play at the same time.

If only one of these hands-free page-turners from Hammacher Schlemmer was available when we were kids. Not only does it solve the multi-tasking conundrum, but this digital tablet also doubles as a library that can store thousands of scores and display them on its 12-inch backlit LCD. It even has an MP3 … Read more

TiVo may be falling under the superficial spell of techno-fashion with its Glo Remote, but competing gadgets know that beauty is only clamshell deep. Take, for example, the InVoca voice-activated universal remote, which supposedly recognizes up to four voices and 25 commands for your TV, VCR, DVD player and other devices. It also has a charging base--shouldn't all products have those by now?--and a hands-free surfing function (we're not sure exactly how that works). The InVoca's name reminds us of an Italian scooter, but we've already gotten over that. If it works as billed, we … Read more

As new iPod cases are churned out all the time, everyone is trying to outdo each other with increasingly gaudy designs. But iPodMods, as Uncrate points out, is clearly going in the opposite direction.

Taking a cue from classic skeleton watch designs, iPodMods' iVue Crystal Case shows off the beauty of the media player's internal mechanics--exhibiting an unabashed appreciation for the true geek asthetic. Sometimes, less is indeed more.

(Photo: iLounge)

At the risk of being called an Apple fanboy, a Microsoft basher and a dog kicker, I gotta say the Zune does not impress me.

Microsoft recently sent an emissary to CNET with three Zunes to demonstrate Redmond's new offensive against the Apple/iPod juggernaut. While the Zune certainly has some interesting features, such as Wi-Fi capability and a decent-sized screen for a front-pocket device, the overall theme of the day appeared to be that this should be a considered a first-generation device that nails the basics and is easily expandable through software to learn new tricks.

Fair enough, … Read more

As one of our fellow Cravers reminded us yesterday, bikers are often neglected in the gadget realm (as in mountain bikes, not Harley choppers). So we did a little digging and came across this gift for your cycling loved ones: a frame-mounted bicycle MP3 player from Hammacher Schlemmer. Waterproof and detachable, it comes with headpones, a built-in speaker, 1GB of memory and a USB port. Depending on your bike model, there may even be enough room left over for a GPS device and garage door opener.

(Photo: Hammacher Schlemmer)