Sunday, February 7, 2010

Record Your Own Records With Gakken's Gramophone Kit [Vinyl]. Sure, anybody with ears can agree that something is lost when records are converted and compressed to digital files. But if you really want to walk the walk you can't just listen to vinyl, you have to record your own. Gakken's Gramophone kit can play records of any size, using a bamboo needle to belch crackling analog goodness out of its nickel-plated iron horn. Playback speed and tone are adjustable, and the player is powered by a hand crank. We wouldn't want to spoil your old-school integrity with batteries, now would we? But the most fun part of the Gramophone kit is the ability to record your own music directly to vinyl. To record your own records, sing into the horn and the bamboo needle cuts the grooves into a new piece of vinyl. OK, it's probably not going to sound as good as Garage Band but it's a fun experiment nonetheless. It'll cost you about $170 to import this sucker from Japan Trend Shop and some assembly is definitely required, but if you're an analog enthusiast and looking for a good project, Gakken's gramophone kit might be the ticket. [Random Good Stuff] [Gizmodo] 9:18:32 PM    Any comment? []

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Nice concept, can I scratch with it? May I Have the Linos USB Vinyl Record Player to Go, Please? [Concept]. This prettyful simple bar is not a spare part from a Wipeout racer, but the Linos Portable USB vinyl record player. How does it work? Quite simply, it seems. The bar has two parts. Take out the bottom base, place the long play album or single on top, and then sandwich it with the overarching top. To start playing, move the player arm into position. If it weren't just a cool concept, I would definitely get one. [Pyott Design via TrendLand] [Gizmodo] 12:22:17 PM    Any comment? []

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Music Business Heads Into Virtual World. Apple[base ']s purchase of the start-up Lala is bringing more attention to streaming music services as a replacement for songs on your computer. [NYT > Technology] 4:17:20 PM    Any comment? []

Monday, February 1, 2010

How the iPad Will Change Mobile Computing (PC Magazine). PC Magazine - Those who were disappointed by Apple's recent announcement aren't seeing the big picture. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 1:23:12 PM    Any comment? []

Sunday, January 31, 2010

DACport USB Amp and Digital to Analog Converter for Audiophiles On the Run [Audio]. If you're serious about your music and are looking for a portable DAC that will keep your digital audio sounding crystal clear even when you're out and about, the USB-powered DACport might be just the ticket. Does the mere thought of listening to MP3s makes your ears hurt? But do you still like to enjoy your music on the go? Then the DACport is a combination headphone amp and digital to analog converter to check out. It natively plays 24-bit/96 kHz, powers over USB, and is fully plug and play compatible. The $500 DACport claims that it will eliminate the cable jitter and background noise that is typical of USB DAC devices. If you're still with me, you can check out a thorough review at Head-Fi or check out the manufacturer's site for more info. [CEntrance via Technabob] [Gizmodo] 11:44:18 PM    Any comment? []

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Ailing music industry eyes revenue in streaming (AFP). AFP - At its annual French Riviera gathering this week, the ailing music industry considered whether legal streaming services that offer millions of tracks via the Internet might offer a breakthrough. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 10:20:04 PM    Any comment? []

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Apple iPad: Books, Magazines, Movies and Music [Pple]. We said it long ago: The Apple iPad will redefine newspapers, textbooks, magazines. Were we right? Is Apple bringing a media revolution? Oh, it's coming. Books, Books, iBooks We've had an iTunes store and now we've got an iBook store with content from Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette book group. We'll browse this content on a bookshelf-like page and add to it using a purchase system similar to the App store's. The pricing we're seeing during the presentation resembles what we've heard before with a price point of $14.99. While Apple uses the ePub format, we don't have confirmation about whether you can import your own books into the iBook library[~]though odds are in favor of that freedom. Newspapers With an Upgrade While the New York Time's iPad application allows for playback of video clips and other enhanced content, we're not really getting anything that we couldn't get on the NYT website. The point is that now there's not only motivation for publishers to push online or app-based subscription models, present more enhanced content, put out their own apps[~]just as they did for the iPhone[~]but now there's an device which screams that it's ideal for the job. [Gizmodo] 8:21:50 PM    Any comment? [] The Apple iPad. After nearly a decade of rumors and speculation, Apple's finally unveiled the iPad. Apple says there's room for a third device between the smartphone and the laptop, and that it has to be better at tasks like browsing, email, photos, e-books, and videos than both -- netbooks, says Steve, "aren't better at anything." Developing... check out our ongoing Apple keynote coverage in the liveblog! Continue reading The Apple iPad[Engadget] 7:20:58 PM    Any comment? [] Is music part of Apple's tablet hoopla?. On the eve of Apple's expected Tablet launch, many in the music industry were wondering what kind of music features--if any--the new computer will offer. [CNET News.com] 12:39:41 PM    Any comment? []

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Motz Mini FM Radio Is a Serious Choking Hazard [Portable Media]. Who cares about FM radio right? But what if the FM radio came in a wooden box that's really, really tiny? The Motz is all that and an MP3 speaker as well. Still nothing? Well, maybe you can tape it to your hamster so it looks like he's carrying around an '80s style boombox. Of course, it will have to be Korean hamsters only until this thing gets imported to the US. [EarlyShop via Technabob via DVICE] [Gizmodo] 10:44:23 AM    Any comment? [] HP partners on music download service in Europe. PC maker will distribute U.K. music provider Omnifone's MusicStation service on computers sold in 10 European countries. [CNET News.com] 10:35:44 AM    Any comment? []

Monday, January 25, 2010

Is The World Ready For The Successor of the MP3?. A leading technology company is set to launch a new digital music file format which will embed additional content for fans including lyrics, news updates and images in what could be a successor to the ubiquitous MP3 file. [Wired Top Stories] 9:01:37 PM    Any comment? [] HP launches digital music venture in Europe (AP). AP - Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday it was partnering with U.K. mobile music startup Omnifone Ltd. to launch a subscription music service on its personal computers in Europe, moving into a market dominated by Apple Inc.'s iTunes. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 8:57:38 PM    Any comment? [] Clear Channel interested in signing Howard Stern (AP). AP - Clear Channel Communications is interested in signing radio shock jock Howard Stern. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 8:56:07 PM    Any comment? [] MP3 pioneers launch 'deluxe' file. A music file format, which can include lyrics, videos and artwork, is unveiled by some of the people behind MP3s. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition] 12:43:43 PM    Any comment? []

Friday, January 22, 2010

Tech group to launch digital music file successor (Reuters). Reuters - A leading technology company is set to launch a new digital music file format which will embed additional content for fans including lyrics, news updates and images in what could be a successor to the ubiquitous MP3 file. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 4:52:48 PM    Any comment? []

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