Music

It's Swiss but not Chocolate

Crave generally tries to resist as-yet unreleased products from companies that like to tease but don't always deliver, like Switzerland's Zenum. But we're only human: The design of its "Organum" MP3 player is so sleek and clean that we had to give in.

It supposedly has a 1.8-inch screen and can hold 2GB of songs, as well as display photos. Somewhat resembling LG's Chocolate with its familiar glossy black finish, the player is slated to hit the market by year's end. As Engadget notes, however, Zenum is already months late with its … Read more

Listening to the radio without any ads

Crave noted recently that radios, of all things, seem to be blazing new trails in audio technology on a daily basis. And this latest product out of Sweden is a perfect example.

The "PopCatcher MusicDock MD-601" is kind of an automatic TiVo for radio, scanning only for music and skipping over any advertisements, DJ chatter or anything else between songs. It then records the tunes on what it claims are "perfectly cut, high-quality MP3 files" on whatever media player is docked in the device.

The problem, according to our cousins at Crave UK, is repetition. In … Read more

A toolbox that plays music

Construction workers appreciate music on the job as much as anyone, as we were reminded recently with a Makita radio designed specifically for building sites, so it makes sense that someone would eventually come along and market a music toolbox for them as well. The "G-Tech Tune Time Tool Box" not only has plenty of space for power drills and wrenches, but it also comes with built-in NXT speakers and an abundance of pockets for digital accoutrements.

Tech Digest says the $108 bag is made of "durable double-layer 6006 polyester," which means that it would survive … Read more

Speakers that can fit in your pocket

In the electronics industry's twin obsessions of products that are flat or small, what could be better than something that's both? TDK's Xa-10 mobile speakers, which are planned for the Japanese market, are not only flat but can also fit in your pocket with the approximate dimensions of an index card (but not quite as thin). MobileWhack says the thickness--0.63 inches, to be exact--is necessary to house a battery compartment, though the speakers can also be powered through a USB connection. The best part, other than their orange, lime and silver colors, is the price: $25.… Read more

Indie Rock Webware: Amie Street, Music Nation, The Hype Machine

As though timed to coincide with the much-anticipated release of indie rock powerhouse The Arcade Fire's album release this week (it's a must-listen, by the way), Monday night's monthly NY Tech Meetup at Cooper Union featured a trio of Gotham-based start-ups devoted to spreading the buzz about independent music. One's a marketplace; one's an ongoing competition; and one's a way to discover what the people who are discovering new music are discovering (in other words, an aggregator).

The first of the three is Amie Street, which we have previously written up on Webware. Amie … Read more

Webcasters to see hike in Net radio fees

Internet radio services are set to see a rise in the fees they pay record companies for Webcasting their songs.

According to Wired News' Listening Post blog, the U.S. Copyright Board on Friday announced new royalty rates, effective starting 2006 up until 2010. Under the new rules, stations will owe a retroactive rate of $0.0008 for streaming each song to each listener in 2006. Rates go up from there, reaching as high as $0.0019 per song by 2010.

While that might not seem like much, those payments could end up being potentially steep. The Radio and Internet Newsletter, … Read more

Apple says your cell phone is worthless

From the very moment Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPhone at MacWorld two months ago, every corner of the tech world has been buzzing that the thing would be too darned expensive. Indeed, we said the very same thing in our initial analysis of the device. Apple is asking a lot of people to pay $599 for the 8GB version of the iPhone, particularly when that also comes with a two-year contract to Cingular. And what's more, a few studies conducted since January indicate that very few people (one study cited just 1 percent of respondents) would pay that … Read more

Natural look may not flatter the iPod

Given the countless ways that have been devised to encase the iPod, we're surprised that it's taken so long for the latest trend to reach the ubiquitous music player: lumber.

As wood has become popular for everything from computers and laptop cases to TVs and cameras, it seems no-brainer to apply sylvan designs to iPods and MP3 players, as Tokyomango notes that Japanese toy maker Asuka Kobo has done. Then again, maybe it has something to do with the way they look. Somehow, wood just doesn't seem appropriate for the sleek design of the media player, no … Read more

Code M, the musical shoes

Almost exactly one year ago, LL International--parent company of Dada footwear--quietly announced the Code M system, a "proprietary, patent-pending wireless technology application for footwear that delivers both audio and data." Today, I'm refreshing my original Alpha Blog here to remind us all of the original design of these--how shall we say? Awesome shoes. You may be rightly wondering why, and the reason is twofold. First, we've just recently managed to get our hands on a preproduction pair of said footwear, and the final sale model is due for review any day now. Second, I once again … Read more

Poppin' to the top

This will be a weekly article tracking the most popular ringtones.

Ah, to be Chris Brown. The 18-year-old has a double-platinum album, was nominated for a Grammy, and has no problems with the ladies. But now, in even more exciting news, his single "Poppin'" is the top ringtone in the United States this week, according to Billboard.

The second hottest ringtone is Buckcherry's "Crazy B****." A catchy tune, yes, but you might run into trouble if you assign it to your girlfriend's number.

Proving that they're not dead yet, the Canadian rock band … Read more