grooves

SmartMini Aux adds Bluetooth to cars on the cheap

Most cars these days come with Bluetooth, supporting both hands-free calls and audio streaming. For older cars, GoGroove's SmartMini Aux works as a relatively cheap means of adding these wireless features.

However, the car needs an auxiliary input or adapter for running audio to the stereo.

The SmartMini Aux, constructed of black plastic, looks like an ultramodern drawer pull. Its offset T shape includes a flared base fitted with a Velcro pad for mounting in a car. A long wire tipped with a 1/8-inch audio jack leads out of the base.

The business end, a short, curved bar, … Read more

No jiving here with the ZTE Groove

Nothing about the ZTE Groove screams "modern." Maybe it's the outdated name (seriously, the only appropriate times to say "groove" is when ironically referring to the 1970s, or discussing jazz music), but mostly because it runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a very unappealing plastic construction.

Don't misunderstand me -- I have no qualms with entry-level handsets. They're great for users looking for something simple and easy to use. But the Groove is different. On top of being dated, it's plagued with mediocre call and audio quality, and a poor … Read more

Get into Cricket's ZTE Groove

Though "new" to the market, the entry-level ZTE Groove from Cricket Wireless feels dated already.

First, it's called Groove -- which no one says anymore except when referring to that Madonna song. Second, it ships natively with the outdated Android Gingerbread 2.3.

Other than that, it features Muve Music, Cricket's music subscription service that lets you stream thousands of albums and songs.

The 3G handset also has a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen with a 480x320-pixel resolution.

It's powered by a 1,500mAh battery that has a reported … Read more

Should the White House have a 'made in the USA' hi-fi?

America may not design world-class cars anymore. We don't build TVs, phones, tablets, cameras, or all that much consumer technology, but we're still at the top of the heap in high-end audio! That's why the White House should have an American engineered and built hi-fi system for use by the president and his invited guests.

I'll volunteer my services to coordinate and help assemble such a system (presumably donated by the manufacturers). On a leap of faith, I'm assuming the president still plays LPs, so I'd recommend the Spiral Groove turntable and tonearm from … Read more

The world's most beautiful turntables

The iPhone and iPad are truly elegant designs, but they are the rare exceptions in the rather drab world of consumer electronics. Most cameras, printers, computers, home theater receivers, and speakers are pretty sedate, but there is one product category that stands out: turntables. I've picked a choice selection that represents remarkable achievements in industrial design, and they're highly functional, exquisitely engineered products.

The Redpoint Model A turntable has an aluminum and composite Teflon platter, damped by silicone oil, and the turntable features a battery-powered 12-volt DC motor with precious metal brushes. The turntable weighs 90 pounds.… Read more

Don't buy these phones (roundup)

It's no easy task birthing a cell phone, but despite the hard work that goes into designing and manufacturing these handsets, things can go (very) awry. If you've been thinking about picking up one of the following phones the next time you head out of the house, well, you might want to reconsider.… Read more

The 'Shark's new, updated Groove

Grooveshark released a major update to its popular streaming music service with a slew of new features and changes. We jumped into the waters to play around with the bigger, badder shark and see how it compared to similar alternatives.

The first thing you'll notice is a sleeker, cleaner layout. The universal sidebar on the left has been removed and consolidated into the My Music option. We found this change to be welcoming, as it not only frees up space, but also brings the spotlight to the navigation changes. Grooveshark has organized navigation and exploration into four main … Read more

Ray Ozzie stepping down from Microsoft

In a surprise move, Microsoft announced today that Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie is leaving the company.

The move, which raises questions about the company's future technology direction, was announced in an e-mail to employees from CEO Steve Ballmer. Ozzie is leaving after an unspecified transition period, expected to be several months.

"With our progress in services and the cloud now full speed ahead in all aspects of our business, Ray and I are announcing today Ray's intention to step down from his role as chief software architect," Ballmer said in the memo, which was posted to Microsoft's Web site. &… Read more

Grooveshark launches Twisten, a jukebox of tweets

Twisten is a new music service from the creators of Grooveshark. If you're listening to something and want to share it with your friends on Twitter you can simply type in the track name and it will automatically add a link for playback inside a tweet. Anyone who clicks it can listen to the entire thing for free over at Grooveshark Lite.

The service keeps an eye on Twitter for mentions of music tracks people are listening to and cross references the titles and artist information from the Grooveshark music database. If it finds a match, it inserts an … Read more

Ray Ozzie's dream of connectivity

Steven Levy writes about Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie in the latest issue of Wired. The nearly 7,000-word profile doesn't offer many new revelations about the software-plus-services or cloud-computing efforts that Ozzie is leading at Microsoft, but it provides a vivid portrait of Ozzie's path from the University of Illinois in 1973 to taking over Bill Gates' software czar responsibilities in 2005.

Following is an excerpt from Levy's profile characterizing the Gates-Ozzie relationship:

Ozzie left IBM and founded a startup called Groove Networks, which made collaborative software. Released in 2001, the Groove app was terrific … Read more