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MyStrands updates, adds party hosting features, Napster integration

MyStrands provides event goers with an easy way to interact with their surroundings using their mobile phones. The derivative of PartyStrands got a substantial update this week. The service (which we covered in November) has rolled out a few new tools for users to host similar features in their own homes.

MyStrands now lets you pull from Napster's music library to host music for parties. Users can browse through Napster tracks using the MyStrands app and play any full song for free up to three times, without actually having to use Napster. There's also an indie-artist radio player, … Read more

Digital pets for the dateless

If music-sharing Zunes are getting off to a slow start in the United States, they may face an even tougher go of it in Japan because of some unlikely competition: a digital pet.

The "Otoizm," which Tokyomango says is like a Tamagotchi but less needy, can beam an infrared signal to find others of its kind nearby and "determines whether you'd be a good match with another based on similar tastes in music."

And if you can't find a new friend that way, Konami's Otoizm will keep you company as it evolves from &… Read more

Obsidian: More than a mouse--it's a statement

We're really didn't need--or want--another item about another mouse this week. But as is the case with so many things we see on Shiny Shiny, we just couldn't resist. After all, who could look past something named Obsidian? It sounds like a designer fragrance. ("Obsidian, by Calvin Klein.') Now that's marketing, people.

To be honest, though, this tart could have been named the DC430-ZX (Series 1), and it still would have turned heads. The wireless mouse from Saitek--which really does look as if it's made of obsidian--isn't just a pretty face either, … Read more