Music

If the furniture industry wised up, it would start designing a slew of lines with embedded media technologies. The combination of smaller devices and wireless connections could make entertainment options as common as choices of color and upholstery. And like any other quality product, aesthetics don't have to be sacrificed in the process.

The "Music Sofa" by designer Giongkun Wuqiongkun (conventional spelling) proves this point. The piece is beautifully done and fully functional with a built-in CD player and wireless speakers that can stream MP3 audio from an audio system within range, according to Yanko Design. And … Read more

Are we the only ones who get freaked out by the idea of having soundwaves shooting through our bones? Apparently so, judging by the number of products on the market that do just that.

The latest skeleton-rattling device comes from China, where a company called Temco just released a "bone conduction" Bluetooth headset that forgoes the usual earpieces and sends your tunes via vibrations directly through your skull, Akihabara News reports. But it looks kind of clunky, especially considering that it apparently doesn't have a built-in MP3 player as similar products do. And what good are these … Read more

Sometimes it seems that there's some kind of competition to see which gadget can be subjected to more abuse, especially of the water-torture variety: the MP3 player or the USB drive.

Although the latter gladiator seems to be well ahead in the games, a tough new media player has entered the contest--a 1GB version of the "Freestyle Audio Digital Music Player." (A 512MB model had been promised to come out this year as well, affixed to a helmet.)

Chip Chick says the 1.3-ounce player can be submerged up to 10 feet in water and last for … Read more

MediaMaster is a Web-based jukebox service that launched last week. MediaMaster gives users free storage space to upload their tunes and listen to them anywhere they have Internet access. The interface is clean, simple, and intuitive--if you're used to iTunes or Windows Media Player you'll feel right at home. Users can upload their tunes with two uploaders, a simple one for a few tracks and an advanced version that lets you simply drag and drop files from file folders right into the uploader.

Once your tracks are uploaded, you can create and manage playlists, rate individual songs, and … Read more

What would it take to flood sound into every inch of a 7,500-square-foot home? Try 49 speakers and $30,000.

That's how Marge and Chuck Dushek did it with their Midwestern home, where "even the steam shower and walk-in closet have their own speakers," according to Electronic House. "There are absolutely no dead zones in this house," Ken Walker of Sound Design Systems says.

Top-grade Sonance speakers were built into walls and ceilings of the great room, master bedroom and an area adjacent to the kitchen. Alas, compromises had to be made in the … Read more

Trends are a funny thing in technology. Even when major changes are under way, such as the convergence of phones and media players, companies will grasp onto old notions like grim death.

Case in point: the Philips 598, a so-called music phone that Slashphone says was created particularly for female consumers. The supposedly gender-specific features: "women's diary and calendar, buying list, discounts manager, price table, personal card info, body weight index and basal metabolic rate measurement." So are we to believe that shopping, more shopping and dieting compose most of a woman's day?

Even when the … Read more

A few years ago we may have asked, "How did we ever live without cell phones?" Now we ask the same question about text messaging. It was indeed a lifesaver last week at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. With live music ringing throughout the city 24/7, it was hard to find a quiet spot to make a phone call. So, along with thousands of others, I found myself obsessively texting to stay in touch with my cohorts about great shows (and to find ways to escape the bad ones). Cryptic messages such as &… Read more

It seems strangely appropriate that an item named the "Bling Player" would be found on a site called Shiny Shiny. Or maybe it's just redundant. Either way, we're suckers for all that glitters so here it is.

The self-proclaimed "iced-out" player from MediaReady tries to live up to its moniker with a skull-and-crossbones design encrusted with crystals (how original). But like the Average Joe who tries to compensate for his shortcomings with expensive clothes, the $200 Bling is rather ordinary inside with 2GB of memory, an FM tuner and voice recorder to go along … Read more

A panel named Reinventing Payment Models for Digital Music sounds pretty boring, doesn't it? In fact, the SXSW panel was infinitely more entertaining than the Ultimate Music Recommendation Smackdown. Shocking, I know. But the entire audience was cracking up for the majority of the session. It's rather hard to get the comedic interactions of the panelists across in this medium, so you'll just have to bear with my relative lack of humor as I try to relay the meat of the information.

The gist is that the majority of artists make very little from music downloads because … Read more