Most un-Goth item in Hot Topic, coming soon
Nothing delights the tortured teenage soul more...
...than using adorable keychain fobs to discover the title of their favorite Morrissey song.
It's a good thing teenagers are attracted to ironic fashion statements like a moth to light. MusicMarker, purveyor of the too-adorable Tamagotchi-like MusicMarker song-identifying keychain fob, will soon be selling their product at America's one-stop solution for disenchanted suburban youth--Hot Topic.
The MusicMarker helps people identify songs they hear by recording a short audio clip into its memory and then uploading that data to the MusicMarker Web site when it gets plugged into a computer USB port. The data then gets analyzed and (ideally) reveals the song information and where to buy it. A number of people have been using this technology for quite a while as either software (Tunatic is one example) or with a handful of MP3 players and cell phones.
To be fair, Hot Topic actually makes sense for this product. I mean, come on, teenage hipsters are unmatched in both their ravenous appetite for new music and their terrifying fear of not being able to name-drop cool bands. Plus, if they can get away with selling Rainbow Brite T-shirts and Hello Kitty seat covers, then a little egg-shaped USB toy should fit right in. Price should be around $15.
Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs.
