Finally Electronic Arts (EA) has confirmed that Rock Band guitar controllers have issues with their strum bars and leaving aspiring rockers singing the blues. Although Rock Band has only been available for a week, EA has already acknowledged an issue with the strum bars on some of the game’s bundled guitar controllers and stands behind its warranty, including replacing defective guitar controllers at no charge.

Now, EA is replacing guitars for free through a customer support page. Those who have broken a Rock band can visit company’s customer support website, and then company will immediately send a replacement. EA also claimed that the company has identified and fixed the issue in subsequent production runs, but urges impacted customers to get a replacement through the EA support site.

Image: Game World

The easy-to-use gadget features a dual cassete deck which can be connected to your USB port. The package includes a USB cable, a stereo RCA cable and a software which is compatible with both Mac and Windows based PC. Just place your analog cassette into the plug and play device and get them converted to MP3 or CD, in few simple steps.

The sleek device reminds me of my old dual deck cassette player. It measures 8.5′x16.5″ and comes in a silver finish. The amazing device is available for $169 from FredFlare.

Source

Panasonic is out with cool RP-WF5500 which is something pretty exciting for all music lovers. The phones give you a complete blast and also look damn cool as far as designs are concerned. With its 40-millimeter drivers the music carries on non stop for some good six hours if and when fully charged.

The equipment can pick up from the range of over 30 meters and weighs just 0.56 pounds. You can also accentuate the set with a pair of optical digital audio inputs or an analog audio input or one optical audio output and a bass boost function so as to keep your music full on every time. The way it has been designed, it I pretty genuine that the piece will cost a good deal. So better we wait for the price to be announced.

Source: Techfresh

Wannabe drummers have always dreamt of owning an electronic drum kit, but the biggest impediment has been the cost factor. Throw in space constraints as well, and you can see your drumming desires slipping through your nimble fingers. Cheer up! Roland has finally answered your prayers.

Roland has unveiled its economical electronic drum kit called the HD1. The kit fits your budget and the available space as well, comprising just a hi-hat, three tom-tom pads, two cymbals and a bass pedal.

An unbelievably simple control module helps you connect the kit to an iPod with ease. All these components are hinged to a single foldable frame for the ultimate convenience.

With space and budget issues resolved, you have every reason to go to a Roland store and bring this amazing kit home.

The HD1 also includes an amplified speaker. The speaker and the control module make a great combination for budding musicians to create new tunes. At £450, the device is easier on your pocket than a television.

However, when ‘music is the spice of life’, such comparisons sound foolhardy.

Via: T3

Every device launched carries with it the invisible burden of ‘changing human lives’. Futuristic or utilitarian, people look for something ‘more’ - the driving factor behind every innovative device that eventually falls flat trying to exceed the expectations of consumers.

This trend was evidenced when Segway was released. Disappointed consumers sought a better design and respite came in the form of Australian electronic due Segue’s new concept.

Ironing out the flaws of the Segway model, Leo Hede and Dave Dri have come out with a concept that redefines ‘mobile’ music (don’t confuse it with mobile phone music!). The duo believed that Segway needed a beer fridge, Ableton Live sync, and Monome control to live up to its hype as the globe-trotting music machine.

Along with expert advice from Jaymis Loveday, the brain behind CDM, Leo and Dave have whetted the Segway concept with the addition of two laptops, synthesizers, MPC sampler, MIDI controllers and FX units.

Although this concept has been built with the Segway model as the base, the duo certainly deserves appreciation for the effort they have put in to create a winning design.

Via: Createdigitalmusic

The latest offering by Pearl Izumi, the musical cycling bib is making waves among cyclists.

The “MicroSensor MP3 Bib” from Pearl Izumi is more advanced than most of these embedded clothes, which usually come with controls sewn into the fabric. This cycling bib has an an inbuilt 512 MB MP3 player and its embedded controls. These controls are placed in such a way that the cyclist won’t have to fumble for controls. The easy access will enable the rider to concentrate on the race and simultaneously enjoy his favourite music track.

For those die-hard cyclists who want to maintain their timing and win even at the hundredth of a second? Here is the most modern, compact and musical cycling apparel: a skintight bib with an MP3 player woven inside.

Designed by the sports fashion designers at Pearl Izumi, the MicroSensor MP3 Bib priced at $500 just wheels into the high end sports market with the latest in high-tech fabrics. The material will have everything from MicroSensor mesh to “3D Pro Stretch Chamois,”. But everything with a 512MB MP3 player sewn into the left shorts leg, complete with Bluetooth headsets and embedded buttons to enable you to jump from one song to another, adjust volume.

The only drawback of this musical vest seems to be inadequate storage in the MP3 player. with only 512MB of storage it can hold only about eight hours of music.

Do you want to create your own ringtone for your iPod? Then don’t worry, updated iTunes 7.4.1 is now just for you! Apple has released another iTunes update to close up a ringtone loophole.

As the iTunes 7.4.1 was released, on the other day, MacRumors forum reader has found ringtones loophole which allows any music file to be used on the iPhone as a ringtone simply by renaming the file to an .M4R extension and bringing it into iTunes.

iTunes 7.4.1 is slightly different and slightly more complicated from original method but it will not give you any error. Here’s how you can create your own ringtone:

For Mac Users:

1) Select an MP3 in iTunes and convert it to AAC or use an existing AAC
2) Duplicate the AAC and rename it
3) Select “Get Info” from the file menu and change the file’s extension to .m4r
4) Double-click the file, then it will load into iTunes and show in your iPhone’s ringtones tab
5) Before attempting to sync, change the file’s extension to .m4a
6) Sync your new ringtones to your iPhone

For Windows users:

1) Select an MP3 in iTunes and convert it to AAC or use an existing AAC
2) Right-click the converted AAC in iTunes and select “Show in Explorer”
3) In Windows Explorer, duplicate the AAC and rename it, change the file’s extension to .m4r
4) Double-click the file - it will load into iTunes and should show in your iPhone’s ringtones tab

The last method is same as it is given for Mac users. Thus you can create your own ringtone and constantly play for the next 10 hours.

Image: Engadget

This new innovation comes bundled with 1GB internal memory, SD memory card slot, 1.8″ LCD screen, LED torch, view photos, listen to FM radio, recorder and the best part is it also facilitate you to charge your mobile phone too,.

So if you are just planning to get a MP3 player its time to hunt video player too and everything for mere $345.

Via: Blog.scifi

There are few DAPs in the market that offer line-in recording. The addition of this feature is what makes the Alneo different. You can convert music from an external source into an mp3 file. If you brush the aesthetics aspect aside, the DAP is a useful gadget. It also includes an external microphone for voice recording. The encoding rates for the conversion are in the range of 96-160kbps. Additionally, it supports WMA and DRM9 formats. The 3-line OLED screen audio player has a battery life of 20 hrs per recharge, which is quite decent compared to its illustrious competitors. I shouldn’t be talking about competition ‘coz this player is just not up there. However, for what it offers, we can offer it a little leeway.

The Alneo DAP is available in two variants – 1 GB and 2 GB. The pricing is ₯15,000 ($125) and ₯19,000 ($160) respectively. I believe Victor has made a valiant effort, which, perhaps, is just not good enough.

Via: digitalworldtokyo

These user-friendly, square and compact MP3 players tout for their abundant storage capacities but if you are planning to hunt one with glossy and arresting looks, you have to jump to other devices.

In contrast to other devices, these players also come with built-in SD/MMC memory card slot to swap playlists and for memory up-gradation.

Alba player’s detailed specs encompass:

• Stores up to 500 MP3/1,000 WMA tracks.
• 10 hours playback.
• Size (H)5, (W)6, (D)2cm.
• LCD display.
• 2.0 USB port.
• In ear headphones (supplied).
• Portable solid state.
• 2GB memory.
• MP3/WMA compatible.
• DRM 10 compatible.
• Normal, repeat functions.
• USB cable supplied.
• Software supplied.
• Minimum PC specification Windows 98 (driver supplied).
• SD/MMC card slot.
• Requires 1 x AAA battery (supplied).
• Weight 34g.

The 2GB retails for £22.99 and 4GB goes for £39.99 respectively but no words yet on availability.

Via: MP3player

The world’s smallest Personal Media Player (PMP) consists of a screen that makes up almost 95% of the size of the player. The player is no bigger than 3.2 inches, while the 16:9 high-definition TFT screen is 3 inches in size. And it weighs only 87 grams. The size is not the only catch here. The gadget is an incredible PMP that plays movies, displays pics and has even an FM tuner. The formats supported include (24fps), MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG and BMP. With a stainless steel frame, the A1 is ably supported on the looks front as well.

The PMP comes in 8 GB and 4GB variants and unlike the size, the price is not too small at $120 and $106 respectively. Well, for once, substance rules!

Via: ohgizmo, pmptoday

Commodore’s C200 Gravel features 1.8′ OLED screen, 512MB, 1GB or 2GB of flash memory and is proficient of playing almost all media formats such as Divx, Xvid, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMV, MP3, MP4, WAV, WMA, JPG, GIF, and BMP.

In addition, Wi-Fi is also incorporated and its battery features audio playback time of up to 18 hours and 2 hours of video on one charge. It measures (W) 45mm x (H) 80mm x (D) 13mm and offers 1.8″, 65k color OLED display and built-in speakers.

Currently only 2GB model is available for pre-order in selected countries for around £90.

Via: Techdigest

Apparently, the new version would have no additional features except the extended capacity. However, it would replace the blue accent in the original to include white lines to complement the stylish black finish. If these reports are true, this gadget would hit the stands at a price of $263.29. Well, only if we had some way to find out!!!

Via: akihabaranews

T.sonic 840 features:

• 1.8-inch (176 x 220 pixels) super color TFT-LCD screen for playing videos and photos
•Supports music, video (.mtv) and photo (.jpg, .bmp) files
• MP3 player supports MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM10 and WAV music formats
• FM radio (FM radio recording and the ability to preset 20 FM radio stations)
• Advanced digital voice recorder
• Ability to read E-books (.txt)
• Karaoke-type lyrics display
• VAD (voice activation detection) that results in very high quality, gapless audio recordings
• A-B repeat function allows you to continuously replay a designated section of a track
• Variable track playback speeds
• Supports 13 user languages including song/artist name display
• USB flash drive capabilities for data transfer and storage
• Included software can be used to lock your computer and setup passwords for your files
• 7 Equalizer effects, including a customizable USER EQ setting
• Powered using a rechargeable Li-ion battery (fully charged battery supports over 30 hours of continuous music playback)
• Hi-Speed mini USB 2.0 connector for easy computer connectivity and fast file transfers
• Real time clock (RTC) displays local and world times
• 2-year warrant

The device is available in 2GB in Glacier White color and 4GB in Mystery Black color but no info about price and availability.

Via: Transcendusa

Even then, this German beauty comes with few arresting features like simple 2GB of memory with an SD card slot for expansion, plays MP3s, WMAs, and WAV files, view JPEGs and watch AVI movies on the 2.83″ TFT screen, FM radio and built-in speakers.

The best part is that the device also facilitates you to record voice memos in WAV format. It also touts a feature called MusicMarker that is a Verizon’s SongID or AT&T’s MusicID phone service that listens to a song and deduces the track title and artist by analyzing the sounds. But, the users need to connect the Slickr to their computer to use the MusicMarker feature.

The device will hit our shelves sometimes in August, but if you are so desperate to get it, you can pick one up now from Venzero’s site.

Via: Spacedim