Ovation iDea is an MP3-recording guitar

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 |

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Musicians are a very special type of human beings, if you ask me, because they use their imagination and their inspiration more than other people. The result of their work is based on ideas that suddenly flash up and go away even faster. They have no time to waste and every second is important.

For those who have already experienced this type of problems, the iDea guitar might be just what the doctor ordered. The guitar was designed and developed by Ovation, a Connecticut-based guitar manufacturing company that distinguishes itself from any other similar companies due to the composite synthetic bowl of the guitar, which is far from the traditional wooden back and sides of the modern ones.

iDea comes with a unique feature, that you can’t find in any other guitar, an integrated MP3 recorder which is meant to capture the inspiration every time it comes. On the other hand, the instrument does more than just recording your music. The device can play back songs so that you play along and it also slows down the music for you to easier learn to sing it.

More than that, there is an integrated condenser microphone that allows the user to record vocals along with the notes coming out from the strings. When you consider that your job is done and that the song is finished, you can always transfer if to a Mac or PC via a USB port. The USB connection is placed on the side of the guitar, together with a control panel with a LCD display, a microphone input and a 4-way controller that lets you navigate the menu.

This MP3-recording guitar coming from Ovation is available on websites like Zzounds.com for approximately $600. Maybe it’s a little bit expensive, but if you think about the musician that lives somewhere deep inside your boyfriend’s soul, then think no more about the money. You know how they say, his happiness is priceless.

(Source: Dvice)

Posted in Music Gadgets | No Comments »

The era of solar-powered devices

Friday, December 12th, 2008 |

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I’m not sure how many people are interested in purchasing groundbreaking portable media players, now when people have at their disposal a wide range of devices that allow them to store and play digital media, but there are more and more people who give attention to the environment, therefore to eco-friendly devices.

Shiro Corporation is a subsidiary fully owned by the Aztech Systems Ltd, a Singapore-based company, and came up with an innovative device that is meant to make you become conscious about the environment, or at least more than you already are. The Shiro SQ-S PMP helps you experience a better audio experience that is so lightweight that is what you could call a pocket-friendly device. The MP4 digital audio player allows you to download music, as much as you want, or to use it as a voice recorder.

As far as the main features are concerned, they include a 1.8-inch CSTN 65K colors, compatibility with a variety of format files, including MP3, audio WMA, WAV, M4A, APE and OGG for music, SMV for videos and BMP, JPG, GIF for pictures. There are also an integrated microphone that enables digital voice recording, FM radio equipped with FM recording and RDS, a feature that displays lyrics while you’re listening to your favorite music, USB 2.0. The bad thing is that you’ll have to content yourself with the internal memory of the device, as there is no expansion card slot. When it comes to the power supply, the SQ-S PMP works with a Lithium polymer battery for music listening, USB bus powered between 4.0 to 5.0V (this is for accessing data and charging) and solar cell for charging.

Therefore, the characteristic that distinguishes the Shiro PMP from other similar music players is the large solar cell that is placed on the entire back of the device which gives you the possibility to charge the internal battery with the help of the sun, for those moments when you can’t do it via USB. The charging duration is up to 4 hours (via USB bus) and up to 6 hours (via solar cell when the sun is full).

Making its way in the realm of the solar-powered devices, the SQ-S PMP weighs 40 grams with the battery included and measures 11 x 42 x 86 millimeters (with the solar cell) and 9.8 x 42 x 86 millimeters (without it).

There is no information on the price and the availability date for this brand new device, but I’m sure it will completely change the PMP market.

(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

Posted in Green Gadgets, Music Gadgets | No Comments »

Let’s get the party started with this animated disco ball!

Friday, November 28th, 2008 |

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I know lots of people who are crazy about the karaoke nights that take place every once in a while in some clubs, here in my hometown. Maybe they are all passionate about singing and they think this is a great way for them to make an old dream come true, or maybe they enjoy a little bit too much the feeling of being up on a stage, with the lights on them, receiving the applause of an enthusiastic audience.

Whatever might be their reasons, these karaoke nights are indeed a tremendous success, there’s no doubt about it. Segatoys, a Japanese company, knows how to make people happy with the products they release, especially those who can easily be called karaoke-obsessed. Therefore, last year, Sega introduced a karaoke service designed for cell phones, which was known under the name of Hitokara (which means “karaoke for one”). This is a free cell phone service that was based, at the beginning, on almost 35,000 free downloadable songs, but that number has increased to 43,000, which is impressive, you have to agree.

But Sega has no intention of behaving itself, so it’s now trying to convert, or maybe just to complete somehow the service’s cell phone karaoke label, with a brand new accessory, called the Hitokara for Home.

The device is no more, no less than a karaoke box that comes equipped with a microphone, built-in speakers and a disco mirror ball which is provided with blinking LED lights. The ball spins and shines brightly while you sing along with it your greatest hits. The disadvantage is that the system only connects to special karaoke-enabled mobiles in Japan, so there’s a pretty good chance for you to never see such a thing. Once you’ve downloaded songs from the Hitokara online collection, lyrics will appear on your phone’s display, so that you can get the words right.

The Hitokara Home Karaoke system is expected to retail for approximately $75 in Japan, starting this December.

(Source: Dvice)

Posted in Funny Gadgets, Music Gadgets | No Comments »

Nextar MA588, a nut-shaped MP3 player

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 |

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I’m sure you all know that MP3 players are nothing new, especially those which are non-video playing brands like the iPod nano and the Creative Zen Stone. But it seems like Nextar is trying to get things further by releasing its MA588, otherwise known as the Peanut. The device is called this way due to its resemblance to a peanut, of course, and it’s available in both 1GB and 2GB capacity.

Nextar is a designer and marketer of bold and new consumer electronic products and is lending a hand to Santa Claus this Christmas with its uniquely designed peanut-shape MP3 player. Being only 2-inches long and available in a variety of colors, “the Nextar MA588 MP3 player is sure to delight any music lover who receives it as a gift or finds it in their Christmas stocking”, said Eddy Zheng, Nextar founder. “With one fresh AAA battery, it will provide up to 12 hours of continuous playback, making for an enjoyable, it not-so-silent, night”.

The MA588 MP3 player is available in five colors, such as black, pink, red, blue and silver and supports MP3 and WMA audio formats. It features voice-record capability and a removable flash-memory drive. There is also a folder navigation function that makes managing and accessing files very easy to accomplish.

There are also seven equalizer modes, like normal, pop, rock, classical, jazz, bass and soft that are meant to enhance your audio experience. Assorted play modes – normal, repeat one, repeat all, shuffle, intro, repeat folder, folder and random – provide plenty of listening options. User support is offered in seven languages, including English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

SRS WOW sound-effect technology significantly improves playback quality by creating an encompassing sound field with restored digital clarity and deep bass. Other features include a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, auto power off, a power-off timer and easy-to-understand graphic menus. It is especially designed for upgrading to future formats and features.

The package consists of the following accessories: an earphone, USB cable, one AAA battery, a Win98 installation CD and an instruction manual.

Measuring 2.7 x 1.3 x 0.7 and weighing less than half a pound, the Nextar MA588 MP3 player is available at Staples, Kmart, Bon Ton, Canadian Tire and other leading retailers across the US and Canada. The suggested retail price is $19.99 for a 1GB capacity and $29.99 for a 2GB capacity.

(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

Posted in Music Gadgets | 4 Comments »

Blackbird Rider Nylon is a carbon-fiber nearly indestructible guitar

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 |

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Musicians out there! I’ve got great news for you about a brand new device that has just hit the market! You’ve got to trust me! Blackbird Guitars is now selling a nylon-stringed version of their Rider, unibody, carbon-fiber guitar that is slightly larger than the steel-stringed original.

The nylon-string guitar has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. As a result, creating a travel-worthy nylon string required a complete rethinking. The Blackbird Rider Nylon is a humidity-proof and nearly indestructible carbon fiber instrument that challenges the notion of the guitar form with every aspect of its design serving to maximize resonance in a highly compact form.

If you’re a guitarist, then the guitar is the most important thing you own. This is why I suppose you know how important is for you not to risk your fragile classical guitar while on the road. More than that, substituting it with an inferior travel instrument isn’t the solution you’d prefer. But you can say goodbye to all of these disadvantages, because the Blackbird’s patent-pending, one-piece, hollow body, neck and head construction mark major departure from traditional guitar design. In other words, it transforms the entire guitar into a sound box – enhancing loudness, frequency-range and sustain.

To further increase the air volume of the sound box, the guitar’s right shoulder extends up to the tenth fret, dubbed the Soundscoop. The Soundscoop also serves as the ideal location for the sound hole, while creating more surface area on the ultra-thin carbon-fiber sound board which further increases tonal response.

A secondary sound port projects sound that travels from the soundbox through the hollow neck to the head. These innovations work in harmony to create seemingly physics-defying voice. “We have a holistic approach to achieve maximum resonance from curve-less shape to the 1/32 thick sound board. It’s a big sound, small body guitar without compromise: full scale, studio quality voice, nearly indestructible and fits in the overhead bin”, explains founder Joe Luttwak.

When the guitar was designed, very important aspects that were taken in consideration were the comfort and playability. The hollow neck contributes to greater physical balance while the sculpted back makes for a very comfortable seated playing position. For all the non-traditional design features, the 2-inch wide neck, super-premium Gilbert side-address tuners and wide string spacing translates to a familiar playing experience for the nylon string guitar player.

High-tech costs though, so this beautifully handmade Blackbird Rider Nylon string starts at $1899, while the smaller Rider steel-string starts at $1599.

(Source: Gizmodo)

Posted in Music Gadgets | No Comments »