music+

Sprint kicked off CTIA 2007 today by unveiling the Samsung UpStage, the first U.S. version of the cell phone with the split personality, the Samsung Ultra Music. In an event designed to, ahem, upstage the competition, Sprint said the UpStage (aka the Samsung SPH-M620) would go on sale for $149 with a two-year contract, scheduled for the first week of April. The UpStage features a unique and innovative dual-sided design that successfully integrates a cell phone and an MP3 player into one device. It has its quirks to be sure but on the whole it's a sleek, satisfying … Read more

Leave it to the Museum of Modern Art's store to sell a product like this. The "Music Mug" might look like something you'd drink out of, but please don't. It's actually a speaker for portable music players, which the MoMA Store touts as "a new interpretation as the desktop coffee cup." Plug the cord into the headphone jack, drop your iPod, Zen, Zune, or what-have-you into the ceramic cup, and it'll play. Unfortunately, it doesn't charge it in the process. It's $42.

Cute, I guess. Um, next?

(Via Apartment Therapy)… Read more

Don't tell Boss Hogg, but Waylon Jennings has gone platinum again. His song "Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)," is the first country music ringtone to reach the 1 million mark, according to Country Music Television. Jennings' song went platinum in the "Master Ringtone" category, meaning it uses the original recording as opposed to a synthesized version.

Setting the General Lee aside for a moment, this just shows how far ringtones have come. A few years ago, you were the bell of the ball if you had a mangled version of Beethoven … Read more

Readers of this space likely know our stand on Hello Kitty (or "Kitty Hell," as we call it), so there's no need to go over that again. So suffice it to say that we cringed at the thought and sight of this karaoke system from said feline.

The latest evil incarnation comes with two microphones, speakers, an LCD screen and a CD player that even has a shuffle button, according to Gadgetizer. And it closes up into a compact case so it can be carried anywhere. Oh joy.

We have just one question: How can Hello Kitty … Read more

Sure, the Internet is abuzz with news about the "YouTube killer" that several major media companies just announced yesterday, but let's not forget that other supposed YouTube killer, Joost. The broadband video start-up from the founders of Skype and Kazaa, which announced a major content partnership with Viacom last month, has a new deal that's sure to excite the party animal and nightclubbing crowd.

Joost, which is still in private beta, announced Friday that it's partnering with dance music hub Ministry of Sound's broadband video division, Ministry of Sound TV (MoSTV). When Joost launches … Read more

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