Although it seems like a clumsy implementation, the "Voice Recording CD Album" is a valiant attempt to provide a solution for those who wander from lane to lane while looking through their CD folders in the car. While it can't automatically detect and speak aloud the name of each CD, it does allow you to record a custom three-second message for each of the 10 pages in the binder.

It costs $50 and only holds 20 CDs—it'd be cheaper to just buy an old iPod, if not safer.

Catalog Page [OtherlandToys.co.uk via Nerd Approved via Oh Gizmo]

There's hardly anything more boring that iPod docks, I know, but this "Wake Up" alarm clock model from Boynq approaches (but does not quite exceed) awesome. The off-kilter design is cute and quirky without going over the top. (Although I don't know why it needs the grey swooping support bars; the whole thing should be sharp-edged.)

The best part, though, is the remote: when your iPod is docked, it can control music playback and function as a snooze button, but when you take your iPod with you for the day, the remote slides into the same slot, never leaving you with a garish hole in the middle of your speaker system.

The Wake Up also includes syncing over USB and video out. (I'm not sure if it supports video out on the new iPods that have that crappy, unnecessary lock-out from Apple.) It's on sale in Europe already at around $185, but I don't know if it'll be released in North America anytime soon. It's also available in Black.

Flash Product Site [Boynq.com via Technabob via Red Ferret]

I don't have any Windows Mobile devices handy to test it on (thank god!) but I think it's impressively nifty that someone has built a multi-track audio editor for the platform, dubbed "MeTeoR." The developer has just released a new version, adding time stretch and more to the 12-track recorder. I can imagine this being quite a useful tool for the patient mobile podcaster.

MeTeoR is $30.

Product Page [4Pockets.com via Palm Sounds]

This disco-thumping, Centurion-filled commercial from the '80s is selling a hi-fi system known as "The Space," which as far as I can tell was so-dubbed because it could be easily stacked. Or maybe they were capitalizing on a strong Battlestar Galactica trend of which I was unaware.

(Is there a good way to do those "laser" graphics these days besides just compositing layers over video in AfterEffects or something? Boing Boing TV needs more panning synths and glowing grids.)

Classic Japanese Commercial Theater: Technics Stereo Known Only As “The Space” [TVInJapan.com]

Sonos, makers of the wireless music streaming system with a plus-sized iPod-like remote, has officially announced the "ZoneBridge," a $100 device which can extend the range of the wireless transmissions between ZonePlayers. Before the only way to extend the network was to buy another ZonePlayer for $350—not exactly a cheap option.

They've also improved the search capabilities on the scroll-wheel-based remotes, matching artists and album information after just a few letters are input, much like iTunes. (I still don't understand how Sonos managed to avoid a lawsuit from Apple.)

Sonos Digital Music System Upgrade Solves Two Major Problems [Listening Post]

Although not exactly what I was expecting when I read "hentai games on the iPod Touch," this hacked up NEC PC-98 emulator for the iPod is pretty impressive. Turns out the first game tested was a famous hentai game called "Toshin City."

The NEC PC-9801, or the PC-98, is a Japanese microcomputer manufactured by NEC. It is different from the IBM PC in many ways as it uses its own 16 bit C-Bus instead of the ISA bus. BIOS, I/O port addressing, memory management and graphics output are also different. PC98 first appeared in 1982 and many hentai games has been programmed for this platform).

I'm actually a little surprised there hasn't been a hentai/porn game for the iPhone or Touch yet.

IPod Touch: PC-9801 Emulator [GamersWeb.it]

The Klimax DS is a streaming media player that supports FLAC and WAV (and presumably MP3) and is controlled by a touchscreen remote. It doesn't have any storage itself, but streams audio like ripped CDs from network attached drives, upsampling to 384 or 352.8kHz.

Sounds like most of the audio streaming devices that have been out for years, right? The Klimax DS does have one more distinguishing feature: it costs "less than $20,000." (Audiophilia strikes again!)

Product Page [Linn.co.uk] (Thanks, Marcus!)

This URock MP3 player shaped like a guitar may be goofy—and at $100 for 1GB capacity, not a very good value—but the included amplifier contains an actual working speaker. I think it's kind of cute—but the kind of cute that should be $10 and sold in an odd lot bin in Chinatown.

Then again, it does come with a free guitar pick!

Catalog Page [Gadget-Box.com via Chip Chick via Engadget]

Universal and other media companies are gathering to offer an alternative to iTunes with a service called "Total Music," a subscription-based service that would be baked into the price of each music-playing device. I like the idea in theory, but wonder if the service, which will certainly be locked per-device and possibly non-transferable to new owners, will be too high.

From Business Week:

The big question is whether the makers of music players and phones can charge enough to cover the cost of baking in the subscription. Under one scenario industry insiders figure the cost per player would amount to about $90. They arrived at that number by assuming people hang on to a music player or phone for 18 months before upgrading. Eighteen times a $5 subscription fee equals $90. There is precedent here. When Microsoft was looking to launch a subscription service for Zune, Morris played hardball. He got the tech giant to fork over $1 for every player sold, plus royalties. Total Music would take that concept even further. "If the object is to wrest control of the market from Steve Jobs," says Gartner analyst Mike McGuire, "this is a credible way to try it."

Universal Music Takes on iTunes [BusinessWeek.com] (Snazzy new logo, Business Week! Or is it BusinessWeek? Lern2kern.)

Looks very nice. The combination of touch and regular click controls is a nice compromise between iPhone-like "all touch" controls and physical keys. [SeattlePI.nwsource.com via Crunchgear]

Engadget isn't too impressed with Sony Ericsson's new MBS-100 Bluetooth speaker, designed to be pair with their mobile phones via Bluetooth, but I think it's quite lovely. They see "embarrassing fungal wart." I see friendly myconoid spore who whispers music to me as I dream.

Unfortunately I'm not too hip on Bluetooth A2DP, the stereo audio profile of Bluetooth—it's power hungry and often flakey—so I'll be leaving this one nestled ominously in the stamens of a steel planet's vegetation.

Sony Ericsson's MBS-100 Bluetooth speaker might contain spores [Engadget]

Fujitsu showed off this prototype ePaper book reader at CEATEC, which is most notable for its capability of displaying 4096 colors. That's good—current commercial ePaper products are all grayscale—but the pixel density is also important for legibility; I'm not sure that 768 x 1024 pixels in an eight-inch screen is enough. (Pixel density is new black levels.)

Gizmag was there and filled up a gallery with images. It looks pretty washed out in the pictures, but there's obviously a lot of reflection.

Fujitsu advances color e-paper technology [Gizmag]

Crave.CNET.com has given a light review pass to the Sony PRS-505 Reader, the latest update to the eBook/ePaper product line. It sounds better, for sure, but not amazingly so:

Just based on what I've seen so far, however, I think it's fair to say that there's no particular reason to upgrade from the PRS-500 to the PRS-505. If you don't have an ebook reader at all, though, the PRS-505 is the one to get.

In turn, a reader comments:

The Bookeen device is confirmed to release this month, and the Amazon Kindle is rumored for October 15. If these prove to be vapor ware, or if they fail to deliver, then the Sony may still be the best. However, if you don't have one yet, I would wait two weeks before committing.

I'm glad Sony has worked out the kinks all the same. I feel strongly about the ePaper market of the future, but on the other hand I've yet to buy a Sony Reader myself, so I can't feel that strongly about it.

The Gizmo Report: Sony's PRS-505 Portable Reader System (part 1, hardware) [Crave.CNET.com]

Previously: • Sony Reader PRS-505 Officially Announced [BBG]
• Sony Reader ePaper Upgraded, Leaked [BBG]

Brad Linder writes:

Sony is showing off the successor to its $2000 PCM-D1 flash audio recorder at the AES show in New York this weekend. The D50 is 1/3rd the price, and packs almost all the same features. For $600, it's a bit pricier than the Marantz PMD620 (which you recently covered) or the Zoom H2 or H4 recorders, but it's aimed at professionals with high quality audio standards.

Also, Digidesign/M-Audio is launching an updated version of their Microtrack flash recorder in November. They didn't have a working model at AES, but the new unit will sell for $299 ($100 less than the original), features a brightness control, 48V phantom power (compared with 30V on the original), and improved battery life. On the down side, the battery is still non-removable.

Brad wrote up his impressions of the D50, having played with one at AES. He's currently using a Zoom H4 but is considering making the switch to the Sony.

This field recorder market is heating up! I sort of could use one myself, but I mostly like them because, you know, knobs.

Sony announces PCM-D50 handheld flash recorder [BradLinder.net]
Product Page [BSSC.Sel.Sony.com]

Previously: Marantz PMD620 Solid State Audio Recorder [BBG]

While it's impossible to say if the Pioneer SE-CLX9 are decent headphones or not—they're Japan-only at the moment—the amount of included rubber ear pieces are impressive, to say the least. Some are for comfort, some to change the sound—they're all probably pretty unnecessary.

SE-CLX9, the ultimate canal type headphone from Pioneer [Akihabara News via CrunchGear]

Capitol Records v. Jammie Thomas, a federal trial about file-sharing, completed yesterday in Capitol's favor. Jammie Thomas must pay $222,000 for download 24 songs, or $9,250 per song.

And so it begins.

Farhad "Machinist" Manjoo has some analysis, including this ominous warning: "The worst possible outcome -- a fine too high to bear, but likely too low to cause much effort at reforming copyright laws."

Defendant owes $222,000 for illegal downloading [Machinist.Salon.com]

Japan-only for now, the latest Yahama Digital Sound Projector, the YSP-500, puts 18 carefully positioned speakers in a box 24-inches wide. Previous sound projectors from Yamaha, which do an able job of emulating surround sound out of a single box, have been around 40-inches.

It's $650 in Japan. North American release may happen, but it probably depends on the response Yamaha has had to the bigger models. I haven't had one in my home for long-term use, but I really like the concept, as I'm starting to value perfect 3D placement of sound in home theater less than ease of installation.

yamaha ysp-500: virtual surround gets downsized [Technabob]

I really like the look of the new "Amp+ Sport Remote Control" watch from Nike, which integrates with the Nike+ iPod Nano wireless receiver and training module. The LED grid is showing playback control feedback in the picture, but also displays the time.

The only place I run is to the bodega to get more cigarettes—I exercise, actually, but just loathe running; Plus: Bad knees!—but if I were a yogger I'd find the whole Nike+ iPod package irresistible. And it's even affordable at $80. At that price it's almost worth just buying the watch for general purpose use. (Of course, you'd also need to buy the $30 Sport Kit. And an iPod Nano.)

Nike's Amp+ watch: hearts your heart and iPod, too [Engadget]

These strange little fetuses are "Lobies," plastic gel clips that go around your ear and can hold most common earbud designs. I'm not sure it that's a good thing or not, comfort aside, since many earbuds are designed to only be loud enough when they're actually in your ear, but they're only going to be $12, so I'm sure they'll work well enough for some. If there's one thing that almost everyone can agree on it's that earbuds, despite being the bundled headphone included with pretty much every type of gadget, actually sort of suck.

Yes, they come in colors other than placenta pink.

Product Page [MyLobie.com via Macworld via Gadget Lab]

While it's a marketing tool for a company that sells replacement iPod batteries, the "iPod Deathclock" is an amusing way to guesstimate how much life your current iPod has left. They even try to factor in the number of times you've dropped it, your daily use patterns, etc., although with any of the Flash-based models, the only real factor would be the battery. By plugging in your serial number, though, they can tell you exactly when your iPod was manufactured, which is sort of interesting.

Of course if you really wanted to zazz things up, you could put Dethklok on your iPod.

iPod Death Clock [iPodMechanic.com via Lifehacker]

Here's a shrewd bit of engineering: the "Replug" is a two-part device that adds an easy, tension- and magnetic-based release to any standard 3.5mm miniJack plug. Once the Replug is in place, any dangerous level of tension will cause the Replug to pop off of the jack stud, saving stress on the jack itself.

Price isn't announced yet—they aren't going on sale until "Fall," but I dig the idea.

Product Page [Replug.com via Oh Gizmo! via Crunchgear]

Microsoft released new models of their Zune media players, adding the following:

• A slimmer new case design in both hard-drive- and flash-based models.

• Automatic syncing over Wi-Fi.

• The new "Zune Pad" is both a click button and a touchpad.

• "Zune Card" widgets for embedding on the web, a la Xbox Live Gamertag widgets.

• "Zune Social," a Last.FM-like music tracking platform.

• Integration with Windows Media Center platform, for watching your recorded content.

• The Zune-to-Zune "squirting" will still be wrapped in three-plays-only DRM, even for content you ripped yourself, although the self-destruct timer has been jettisoned.

• All new features will be added to the original zoom via a firmware update.

4GB for $150; 8GB for $200; 80GB for $250, available in mid-November.

Still not the disruptive product I wish it could be.

From the windswept sands of Gadgetzan: Gadget Lab (Hands-On); Crunchgear; Reuters; Daring Fireball; Crave.CNET.com; Gizmodo; Cult of Mac; Engadget; Ars

Image: Josh Bancroft

Although there isn't an official press release yet, Marantz announced the PMD620 Digital Audio Recorder a few days back at the Podcast and New Media Expo and Josh Bancroft took pictures of the nice-looking, "cigarette pack-sized"* unit as well as the spec sheet. The PMD620 will record to SD and SDHC flash memory cards, has an OLED display, can record from its built-in condenser or external mics, and can record for five hours on a pair of AA batteries. It also has a built-in speaker, which Marantz claims is first in the "pro handheld" category.

Should be $400 when released in November.

Marantz PMD620 Digital Audio Recorder [Flickr]

* As a smoker, I think the PMD 620 looks a hair bigger than a typical cigarette pack.