LATEST BLOG POSTS

• December 29, 5:25 PM EDT

  Apps for Quick Music-Making By Scott Steinberg

  Once upon a time (e.g. the halcyon days of 2006) crafting classic tracks required instruments, studio time and a modicum of talent. Now all it takes is a smartphone or digital music player, a little spare change and ten minutes of free time while waiting for the Greyhound. Following are three top music-making apps which can turn you from reject to rock star overnight. djay (Algoriddim, $20) – A portable iPad turntable simulator that lets you mash and remix iTunes songs using a multi-to... | MORE »

• December 29, 10:20 AM EDT

  iPhone Typing Headache ... Solved! By Scott Steinberg

  

  From music to movies, downloadable apps to Web surfing, iPhone beats BlackBerry on most counts. But if you've ever tried banging out texts to your BFF or frantically typing URLs with one hand while heeling the dog with another, you realize the Apple phone’s virtual keyboard is its Achilles heel. Enter the TK-421, a highly unofficial, highly welcome iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 case that adds a flip-out physical keyboard. Equip it, and your thumbs can idly bang out reams of poignant lyri... | MORE »

• December 28, 2:54 PM EDT

  Create Your Own Best of 2010 Playlist on 8Tracks.com By Rolling Stone

  

  By now you've undoubtedly listened to this year's top songs as determined by our critics Rob Sheffield, Will Hermes, Jody Rosen and Christian Hoard. Now it's time to create your own playlist, using the same site that powers RollingStone.com's music: 8tracks.com. It's free, it's easy and it allows you to share your favorite music with us (not to mention everyone else). Visit the RS 8Tracks page now to start making your mix. | MORE »

• December 28, 9:30 AM EDT

  Still Playing: Daft Punk's 'TRON' Headphones By Scott Steinberg

  

  Just in case the new TRON movie, soundtrack, video games and iPhone app weren’t enough, high-end audio manufacturer Monster (Beats by Dre) and Disney are also offering custom Daft Punk TRON edition headphones. Mirroring the French electro duo’s chrome-plated vibe and sci-fi virtual reality franchise’s futuristic feel, the $349.95 SRP cans feature animated LED lighting, glossy aesthetics and black, white and blue coloring keyed to the film’s decor. Features include nois... | MORE »

• December 27, 9:30 AM EDT

  Big Spender: Cut Your Own Records By Scott Steinberg

  

  With vinyl records growing in popularity and still renowned for their warm sound, it’s only natural that DJs and producers would want the option to cut their own. For almost $14,000, Vestax’s VRX 2000 lets industrious (and well-heeled) artists live immortalize original sounds on wax, cutting 33 1/3 or 45 rpm records onto special blanks on-demand. Recordings, transferable in real-time using a mixer or power amp connected to an external audio source and cut using a sapphire head, ca... | MORE »

• December 23, 9:05 AM EDT

  Top Toy: The Next-Generation Boombox By Scott Steinberg

  

    Rewinding the clock to the era of boomboxes and mixtapes, former cassette maker TDK’s new Two-Speaker Boombox and Three-Speaker Boombox models invite you to party like it’s 1989. Due out in early 2011 for $399 and $499, respectively, the retro-fabulous units, which pack serious sonic punch, can be connected to digital music players like the iPod or USB drives. Sexier than your average Apple dock, the Three-Speaker unit is backed by a 6-inch, 15-watt middle-mounted subwoof... | MORE »

• December 22, 3:50 PM EDT

  Three New Reasons to Love Your Television By Scott Steinberg

  

  Once the home’s clear entertainment leader, the humble TV has recently bowed before more interactive devices like smartphones, laptops and gaming systems. But these recent enhancements promise to help it regain its crown, and completely redefine how we view today’s top sets.   Online Connectivity Between Internet-accessible platforms like Google TV and Yahoo Connected TV and app-enabled televisions by Samsung and Vizio, countless options from streaming media to social netw... | MORE »

• December 22, 1:25 PM EDT

  Sponsored: 10 Dance Jams on 'Dance Central,' only on Kinect for Xbox 360 By Rolling Stone

  

  Check out the 10 Dance Jams on Dance Central photo gallery. “Dance Central,” the next level in gaming from the creators of Rock Band, makes your living room the dance floor.  Full of the hottest dance tracks and your favorite R&B classics, “Dance Central’s” soundtrack will get you and your friends burning up the dance floor – right in your own home.  Master dance routines and complex choreography driven by a packed soundtrack featuring epic... | MORE »

• December 22, 9:35 AM EDT

  Cricket Wireless to Fold Unlimited Music Downloads Into Regular Cell Service By Scott Steinberg

  

  Budget cell phone provider Cricket Wireless, which specializes in no-contract plans, isn’t the fastest, most widespread carrier, or the top name that springs to mind when shopping for a new handset. But it is among the first to offer flat-rate unlimited music downloads with its Muve Music service plan, which bundles endless tunes, ringtones and ringback tones with 3G calling, Internet, texting and email for $55 per month. Unlike traditional all-you-can-eat music subscription services i... | MORE »

• December 21, 1:15 PM EDT

  Cheap Thrills: Online Coupon Clearinghouses By Scott Steinberg

  Savvy shoppers hoping to save on nightlife and entertainment already scour daily deal sites like Groupon, LivingSocial and Tippr, which offer steep and/or growing discounts the more online coupons (good for local retailers) users buy. But countless limited-time offers and competitors – Wow.com, DealOn, HomeRun.com, etc. – can make tracking top discounts on guitar lessons or curly fries in your city difficult, which is where aggregators like the recently-announced DealGator come in... | MORE »