Music

Control your music using gestures with Toones for iPhone

Looking for an easier way to control the music on your iPhone? If you like gestures, you'll love Toones, though there is a small catch. And that small catch is the app is free and ad-free, but two key features -- search and shuffle -- cost 99 cents to enable.

After you launch the app for the first time, you'll notice that it has accessed your music library. When you tap to play a song, album art fills the screen. Notice the lack of buttons or any sort of control. Hidden beneath the album art are different zones … Read more

Mixing audio streams with the reference Traktor Pro for Mac

Traktor Pro for Mac is a popular and highly regarded DJ mixing app for Mac OS X. It is available from many sources, and after the 30-day trial you have to pay $229 USD to buy a license. Traktor Pro for Mac installs easily.

While the price may seem high for a DJ mixing app, Traktor Pro has long been a standard for serious professionals and amateurs alike. Traktor Pro for Mac offers a two-deck interface that lets you cue up audio from two different sources and manipulate a virtual mixer to keep a constant stream of music playing. You … Read more

Yahoo China quietly shutters its music service

Yahoo has announced that it is terminating its music service in China as of next month, according to The Next Web.

Apparently the closure comes as the Web giant looks to rework its product strategies.

"Thank you all for your continued support of Yahoo's products," a statement posted on the Yahoo China's music search portal read, according to The Next Web. "As part of an adjustment to our product strategy, we have decided to stop providing the Yahoo [China] Music service starting January 20, 2013."

With new CEO Marissa Mayer on board, Yahoo has … Read more

Best Buy offers $100 iTunes gift card for $85

Best Buy is once again offering a deal on iTunes Gift Cards.

The brick-and-mortar retailer's Deal of the Day is a 15 percent discount on an iTunes gift card. For $85, Best Buy's online customers will receive a $100 iTunes gift card, which can be used for music, movies, television shows, apps, and other digital goods available in Apple's marketplace.

Best Buy offered a similar deal in June, offering a 15 percent discount on its full range of iTunes gift cards. The company did the same last month for holiday shoppers.

This time around, Best Buy's … Read more

Make beats with DJ Music Mixer

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars in expensive equipment to be a hip-hop DJ. You just need this $29.95 download. It's a bit expensive for a novelty, but DJ Music Mixer gives you quality performance and plenty of effects and cuts you can add to any track. That is, if you can figure out the confusing layout.

From the second you open it, this program definitely makes you feel like a DJ. The layout perfectly imitates a soundboard complete with equalizers, effects, and other nifty features. It's more than likely too much for the … Read more

NASA takes on 'Gangnam Style' and wins

For those of you with a dirty wit, please lend me some patience before you fly off the rails when I say that a group of NASA interns made a "Gangnam Style" parody named "NASA Johnson Style."

Wondering what's with the song name? Well, NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center houses educational programs for interns and students aspiring to progress further into the field of space science. The eclectic group of youths created a parody video that plays off Psy's "Gangam Style" in a geeky way by amusingly attempting to "inform the public about the amazing work going on at NASA and the Johnson Space Center," says a related video description. … Read more

Make a jingle on a smartphone, play it on a computer instantly

Sometimes I get bored with the same old holiday song and dance.

If you do too, you can create your own theme, techy-style, with a unique Web page that turns your smartphone, tablet, or PlayStation Vita into an on-the-fly holiday music loop maker. German design firm deepblue came up with the site, which blends HTML5 and the powerful WebSocket protocol to offer a unique live mobile-to-browser experience that many of you probably have not experienced before. … Read more

Dropbox acquires music streaming service Audiogalaxy

Dropbox has acquired streaming-music provider Audiogalaxy in a move that suggests the file-sharing service might be getting ready to launch a cloud music offering.

The Seattle-based startup announced the acquisition in a blog post on its Web site but did not reveal the financial details of the deal. As part of the acquisition, Audiogalaxy said it has ceased accepting new signups and playlists will only be available to users until the end of December:

Today, we are thrilled to announce our team is joining Dropbox! We are excited about the opportunity to join the amazing folks at Dropbox and bring … Read more

Get an iPod Shuffle bundle for $39

iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches get all the attention, but let us not forget the humble iPod Shuffle, the tiny clip-on MP3 player that's hard to beat for hiking, biking, running, and the gym.

Apple sells the Shuffle for $49, but for a limited time, Walmart has the fourth-generation iPod Shuffle 2GB and accessory kit for $39, plus sales tax where applicable. Shipping adds about $3, but you can avoid that charge by choosing store pickup or padding your cart to at least $45.

I should note that three of the seven available color choices are already out of … Read more

Gift ideas for the audiophile in your life

While audiophile gear can be quite expensive, picking out a selection of terrific gift ideas that won't break the bank is still doable. Here you'll find books, music, gear, and even a free download that will put a smile on any audiophile's, or music lover's, face. The Audiophiliac had a self-imposed price limit of $100 max and easily met that goal. Seven of the 10 gift ideas are under $50!