Genie turntable has a zen philosophy

As long as we're on the subject of vinyl, it's interesting to note how the designs of modern-day turntables seem to gravitate toward the extremes. At one end there's the impossibly complicated and, at the other, the absolute minimalist. On the latter front, the Genie 2 from Henley Designs seems to take the spartan approach to an extreme.

It has many qualifications that audiophiles should appreciate, according to Tech Digest, such as a high-torque motor and a peripheral drive to improve stability. But it's hard to imagine where else anything other components are housed in this stripped-down player. In fact, looking at something like the quarter-ton, US$150,000 Transrotor, one wonders how the two can provide the same basic function.

Via Crave CNET

The world's ugliest DS Lite

The world's ugliest cell phone may have found the perfect mate in this customized DS Lite from Japan found by Akihabara News.

There's certainly no shortage of places willing to uglify the gaming handheld for a price, as even Paris Hilton has made clear. But like the aforementioned "Serendipity" phone, this one looks as if it could have been done as a pre-school art project with some plastic charms and Elmer's glue.

The name of the outfit offering its unfortunate services should have been a tipoff: King Deco.

Via Crave CNET

Fashionable custom gadget cases

Accessorizing tech gadgets is an addiction, and sometimes can be a chore as well. Finding the right bag, sleeve, case or even screen protector for your music player or notebook can be a harder decision than choosing the device being protected. Here's another one to add to the decision-making process--Fabrix, a made-in-Singapore brand of cases for tech products.

Fabrix seems to have its focus on design. By that, we mean the printed design, not the way its cases are made. For example, all its iPod cases are slip cases, which mean you have to remove the player to view a video or to change the volume--a no-no for users who'd rather not ever have to fiddle with their protective gear.

What Fabrix has going for it though, are the many designs available. On one end of the spectrum, you have professional-looking solid, two tone-colors. On the other end, you have a whimsical polka dot pattern. What's more, even if your notebook, say, a ThinkPad X300, is not listed as one of its laptop case sizes, you can just key in your model and corresponding dimensions and Fabrix will make one for you that'll fit. That'll ensure a snug fit because as we all know, a generic 13.3-inch notebook case will always be a little loose so as to accommodate all devices with that screen dimension.

If you are one of those who would rather die than be caught wearing the same piece of clothing as someone else, then this company's limited run of notebook and iPod cases might just tickle your fancy. Fabrix will be collaborating with some Singapore-based artists to create this batch of cases and should be available in the coming months. Meanwhile, check out some of the limited-edition designs available from its shop. For close-up photos or to buy one, visit its Web site. Prices start from S$25.90 for an iPod case.

Online music: Same tunes in a different package

Can you recall the last time you actually paid for music on your mobile phone? If you even need a second to think about this, you are not alone. The digital music market is hardly new and people have been downloading and sharing music for ages. Music sales online and via mobile channels were worth an estimated US$2.9 billion in 2007, according to IFPI which represents the recording industry worldwide.

Some other interesting statistics were also released in the recent Digital Music Report for 2008. There are more than 500 legitimate digital music services worldwide with over 6 million tracks collectively and the ratio of unlicensed tracks downloaded to legal tracks sold is about 20:1. Online sales account for 67 percent of the digital market in the US, while over 90-percent of Japan's digital sales are on the mobile platform. The report also highlighted that China has huge potential, but is largely held back by rampant piracy and poor returns to rights owners.

Last week, Nokia launched its second online music store in the APAC, offering a-la-carte downloads and a buffet-style jukebox service on the PC. A Time magazine article said that LG will be launching a service similar to Nokia's Comes With Music this mid-year. iTunes, on the other hand, is already available in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Numerous online music service models are sprouting up and consumers are getting more choices than they ever had. However, the biggest hurdle the record labels and phone makers now have to overcome is getting the price model right for their music (and dropping DRM). Each track on the Nokia music store in Singapore costs S$2 (US$1.47), while iTunes Australia offers a single song at A$1.69 (US$1.59). Compare this to US$0.99 per tune on iTunes in the US, and you wonder why the difference is so great. The question is, how much would you pay to own the music? Or would you rather IM your buddy to ask if he has the song?

Picture credit: Sony Ericsson

"Wall-E" for sale now, as MP3 player

Bot-fans are anticipating the debut of Disney's "Wall-E" toys at the next Maker Faire, but you can get a jump on at least one gadget related to the latest Pixar epic right now.

An animated MP3 player that takes the form of the robot--whose name stands for "Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth Class"--is available for order from the Sharper Image. (Maybe it hasn't gotten much notice because of the chain's uncertain future.)

It's not the US$190 "Ultimate Wall-E" full robot, but the 8-inch-tall "iDance Wall-E" does claim to talk and dance to the music while its eyes light up. Plugging into an iPod or other MP3 player, it sounds like another version of the "i-Dog," "i-Cy," and i-Everything Else. And at US$25, maybe you can save some money and fool your kid into thinking it's the big Wall-E--for a couple of minutes, anyway.

Via CNET Crave

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