Music

Look what we got in the mail today from Apple! What could it be?

Hmmm, let's open it. Wow. What a pretty linen box! And look--a blank tag. Is this a present for someone? For us? Something to give to our moms this holiday season?

Glory be, it's a blue iPod Nano. The new one, 4GB. But wait, there's more...the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, an armband, and a power adapter. Oh, and a $25 iTunes gift card. That's, like, cash!

Lemme get the calculator. This adds up to approximately $314 worth of iPod goodies, not … Read more

Although they're cute, I'm not really sure who would want these. Someone working in middle-management at Sabrett?

Still, the Stereo Squealers, as they are officially called, are more visually interesting that the tan speakers I'm staring at right now.

The pig speakers take four AAA batteries, putting out 1.6 watts per set of nostrils, and have a pigtail for a volume control.

They operate as regular desktop speakers that will work with any laptop, desktop or portable media player.

As Ubergizmo reported, they are available for about $29 online in the U.S.

(Photo: Stereo Squealers)… Read more

One thing I noticed while making the holiday gadget demo rounds a few weeks ago is that a whole lot of tech manufacturers are putting their press kits on USB flash drives or SD cards rather than CDs or (heaven forbid) paper. To a member of the media, the smaller size and electronic format are extra convenient. And then, when you're finished with the press kit, you have yourself a free new flash drive!

Could we be seeing the same trend with music? CrunchGear reported that the British band Keane, one of those decent pseudo-indie rock groups (i.e. … Read more

Turns out the name of Microsoft's upcoming music player, "Zune," sounds a lot like a Hebrew word--and, um, it ain't shalom. A Macworld article notes that the music player's moniker is taking some Hebrew speakers aback because of its resemblance to the word "zi-yun," which, translated into English, has four letters and starts with an "f."

Hebrew linguists are divided over the name Zune, the article says, with some calling it unacceptable and others saying the one-syllable gadget name is unlikely to be mistaken for the two-syllable obscenity.

Still, you gotta … Read more

Attention, babies: Forget about that played-out wind-up lullaby music. Instead, demand a veritable sound system for your crib.

Tell Mommy and Daddy about the iCrib Sound System. Brought to us by the good folks at Munchkin Inc., the award-winning battery-powered stereo system mounts on the railing of most cribs and works with most MP3 players, including the iPod shown here. In addition to the built-in volume limiter, the $30 iCrib features a soothing night-light that changes colors and a 15-, 30-, or 60- minute timer. Oh, to be a baby once again!

Source: Babygadget

With a name like DoPi Karaoke, it's hard to resist poking a little fun. But if you're really into karaoke--or know someone who is--this system could make a decent gift. Actually, you don't even need to purchase any of DoPi's hardware to take advantage of the site's karaoke music store; all you need is a video-capable iPod or any other MP3 player that supports MPEG-4 files (though, obviously, a decent-size screen is preferable). The store has hundreds of video files that offer the instrumental versions of popular karaoke songs along with synchronized lyrics. Each song … Read more

You slackers haven't even begun your shopping for the holidays this year, right? Well, we're already busy gathering info on gadgets you're gonna want next year. That's right, Best of CES for 2007. So if you build gear, get your boss to enter your company's greatest awaited gizmo.

The Zen Vision:M shown here was Best of Show at CES in 2006 and drew hundreds of comments. The biggest complaint? Not enough advertising for the product.

Here's the entire winner list from Best of CES 2006 in Las Vegas, as well as videos. Among … Read more

I know, I know. We are all getting sick of this "the real video iPod is coming" rumor. To reiterate, this much-rumored iPod is supposed to be a touch-screen model with a design-dominating wide screen much better suited to the videos now sold on iTunes. But I find myself compelled to pass on that TrustedReviews is reporting that a "well-informed exec" has the inside scoop on the 6G iPod. The source purportedly works for a third-party vendor that makes products with the "Made for iPod" logo, and he claims to have access to this … Read more

Beware: Your new iPod may have shipped carrying the RavMonE virus.

Apple has released info on its Web site that describes the discovery of a Windows-based virus, traced back to its contract manufacturer. Fewer than 1 percent of iPods with video (5.5G) sold after the September 12 launch could be carrying the worm, which can affect only Windows machines. Neither the new iPod Nano nor the iPod Shuffle (not yet released) are affected.

In addition to an apology, Apple has posted a tutorial on how to get rid of the virus. The statement adds: "Because this Windows virus … Read more