Musical Screen

Sonos (the home music system) just got even better.

I’ve already written about how I love the system at my house, but as time goes by you begin to notice the little problems and hiccups that come along with any good thing. Well, the Sonos wireless controller is less than convenient all the time. The click wheel is simple, but not always very fast. So to keep me, and everyone else happy, Sonos has developed a new touch screen controller.

There’s no price yet, so hopefully those who already have systems can still afford to upgrade. But, despite price, there’s no way anyone can say a new controller is a bad idea.

Beatle Mania

At the E3 gaming conference this June Rock Band unveiled it’s “The Beatles: Rock Band” to rave reviews. The game won’t be available until September, but it sounds like it will be worth the wait.

It doesn’t just have to be a new set of songs with this game, but a new look with a new base, guitar, and drum controller. The drums look the most exciting with add on cymbals and a classic Ringo Ludwig design. The other instruments are also modeled after those used the Beatles. You can play anything from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Day Tripper” and loads more. The venues are all Beatles inspired as well; The Ed Sullivan Theater, Abbey Road, and Shea Stadium (to name a few). Even without the upgraded instruments the game sounds like an excellent add on to any pre existing band set.

Deliciously Musical

The new ipod shuffle is small and kind of lacking in Apple’s usual showy design department.  A small silver brick that you could lose just as easily as you can buy one.

While much has been said about the design and the problems related to the ipod shuffle the fact is the bland little baby opens itself up to the design creativity to everyone else outside of the apple network.  Chocoshuffle is just one such bit of designer brilliance.  The ipod case is just as delicious as the name makes it sound.  Basically you can dress your ipod as a lovely little piece of chocolate rather than as a sleek silver glob (this is much more cute).

The Chocoshuffle comes in dark chocolate, white chocolate, and strawberry chocolate.  Just remember, just because this makes the new ipod shuffle a bit more interesting it doesn’t make the thing any less easy to lose.

Play Music

Lego has really hit the ground running with it’s digitized products recently.  From mini speakers to cell phones the brick look just never gets old.

Now there are two new brick modeled gadgets on the market.  The lego MP3 player and the lego boombox.  With 2 GB storage and color display the MP3 players are pretty cute (especially with a $39.99 price tag).  They look just like you could have put them together all by yourself.

The boombox on the other hand isn’t quite as builder friendly, as it’s designed to look like a singular brick in and of itself (though a rather large one).  It plays both the radio and CD’s and has a digital clock.  Priced at $39.99 as well the only decision you’ll have to make is whether you need your music to travel with you or not.

Virtual Concert Lighter

I kid you not. In the good ol’ days, concertgoers would flick their lighters to pay homage to favorite songs in swaying harmony with thousands of others. Now with smoking bans, etc. the lighter has been replaced by cellphone screen lights.

Welcome to the next generation–the virtual concert lighter for iPhone and iPod touch. This app which is KISS-customized is the first of what will be a whole category of iPhone applications.

Features of the KISS Virtual Concert Lighter include:

* Free upgrades for life – new features will constantly be created for the Virtual Concert Lighters
* Fully customizable with a choice of 24 full-color official KISS lighter cases.
* Unique scrolling text marquee
* Realistic flame sways and moves as you move your hand
* Dynamic sound effects and musical riffs

Launching in May 2009 in time for the mega-band’s 35th anniversary world tour (seriously?!), the application will cost .99 and be available in the iTunes store. It was designed by Spark of Blue, a tech company that specializes in bite-size games and entertainment for smartphones and other internet-connected devices

Look for virtual concert lighter for The Who, Poison, and Lil Wayne later this summer.

Play it Outdoors

Summer’s coming and it’s time to examine the new music scene outdoors.  Household music systems aren’t quite as rugged (or as exercise enticing) as a basketball hoop.

Spalding has recently released its iHoop .  It’s a combination basketball hoop and outdoor stereo system. Though the name obviously caters to ipod users the sound system should work with most MP3 players.  The hoop contains an ipod compartment and control center in the hoops base, where the built in speakers also reside.  The only catch is that the music is not battery powered, so an outdoor outlet is necessary to fully enjoy some warm up music before a pick up game.  It makes more sense than trying to practice free throws with any MP3 player clipped onto the waist band of your shorts.

Traveling Music

It’s another portable speaker, but this one is attempting to be especially fashion friendly, and cute.

The music balloon (currently only available by order from Japan) is a portable speaker that looks like a clowns nose attached to a white wire.  It’s simple in that all you need to do is plug the speaker into any headphone jack and you have music.  Let it dangle, swing, whatever, as you listen without the aid of headphones.

The music balloon comes in any of five different colors for personalization and added cuteness.  But this speaker may have to stay in Japan and stay cute for the almost ridiculously high price of $80.

Speaking Small

Lets be honest, some portable speakers aren’t all that portable.  Well, the X mini has a new design, and new features, and remains pretty mini, and pretty portable.

The X mini II is slightly larger than the original X mini, but with features to match.  It can be charged through a USB connector cable, can boost volume of laptops, MP3 players, and phones, and (if you get your hands on more than one you can chain them together to get especially pumped sound.

With a small globe esque design the X mini II is backpack friendly, which is exactly what a portable speaker should be.

Music on the Brain

You can’t carry a boom box on your shoulder anymore, every type of music i pocket sized now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show off your musical taste anyway.

The iCap it a hat, baseball hat to be exact, that has two speakers contained not so discreetly in the brim.  Download your favorite songs onto the built in MP3 player and you can listen to your favorite songs on the go in a whole new way.  Everyone around you can listen too. (for $99 to $119).

I don’t think that hat’s attractive or necessary, but hey, fashion is unpredictable.

Turnable Transformation

I’ve heard nothing sounds like vinyl.  I wouldn’t know, I kind of missed that musical revolution.  Vinyl remains in style though, I know it looks cool, and now Numark has created a marriage of the past and the present in musical technology.

Numark’s TTi Turntable comes with a USB connection and dock for your ipod.  This is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to transfer music straight from any old (or new) vinyl albums to your ipod library in MP3 format.  (Software is included with purchase).

I can’t attest to sound quality, or what is lost in translation, but a straight transfer sure beats having to buy the tracks all over again on itunes if you want to take them on the go.