Your cat/dog/ferret may get peeved if it detects their thermal temperature and follows it about playing drum 'n bass, but I would love a roving music tank that I could control using any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled device. Mint claims its Mintpad is the perfect partner for the Music Tank, but you can control it with your PC if you so desire.

If it ever comes up against the effeminate Sony Rolly, our money is on the Mint Robot Music Tank. Just look at those tracks! [Mint Pass via DVICE]

A floating speaker that would play theme music when you entered a room, WWE-style. Movie protagonist style.

Imagine, you walk into the office, Every Rose Has Its Thorn deafens a whole room of cubicles. Pumped (and possibly greased), you march through the office in slow motion (or just very slowly, no one can quite tell). And it's all thanks to your little Melody Balloon, a concept that is now 1% less plausible but 10000000% more incredible. I mean, as long as we're making stuff up, it might as well include at least one 80s meme. [Yanko via UberGizmo]

MintPass' Cube MP3 player, a 2"x2"x2" box, sits somewhere between concept and product (leaning toward concept), and incorporates design details from analog music into the digital realm. The VU (volume unit) meter, a former staple of audio equipment, is celebrated front and center, backlit by LED. Similar battery and RF gauges dominate two other main sides, with the very back of the unit offering USB and 3.5mm out. (Expect Bluetooth as well.)

And then there's the top, which is spattered with 10 buttons. REMEMBER BUTTONS?? I loved buttons, especially the kind that if you pushed down would stay down unless you hit other buttons. It's like pressing buttons for buttons' sake, which is pretty much the most wonderful experience I could imagine (other than drugs and rock 'n' roll). [MintPass via Unplggd]

At any rate, the Panda head can connect to any computer via USB, or directly to your MP3 player via a 3.5mm audio plug. Rotating the Panda's ears controls volume and bass. [Gadget4all via Geekalerts via Technabob]

Here's what we know: Not much. The leaked sheet contains no image, no real specs and no launch date. The tablet speculation only arrives once you consider Cowon's MO, paired with Atom. Yeah, definitely a stretch, but an interesting one to consider on this lazy, post-Halloween Sunday afternoon. [DAP Review via Engadget]

There's also an mp3 player, movie player and an FM radio receiver. The video out is also intact, meaning this little guy can be used to play on the big screen.

Games in action below:

To answer your question, yes, this mod is very similar to one we've featured before. This one is cleaner, boasts more features, and plays Game Boy games too, so it gets the nod today. Nice work.

Oh, and the answer to the headline question, by the way, is unicorns. They would exist. [Ben Heck Forums via technabob]

First off, some reasons to take this road: iTunes is a decent audio encoder, and it'll get your music from point A—the CD—to points B, C and D—your computer, your MP3 player and your backup drive—without much trouble. But it'll do it with a less-than-great encoder, with occasionally inconsistent tagging, with album art that'll only work on Apple devices, and without support for the best lossless audio formats and MP3 encoding options, which you probably want, whether you know it or not.

In short, the ripping process deserves a little more care than iTunes or Windows Media player can give it. You can pay people for this, which feels dumb and wasteful, or you can do it yourself. It's not difficult, at all. Here's what you do:

Get Your Software

The first step to ditching iTunes is to, well, ditch iTunes. What we're looking for is ripping software that offers more encoding options than iTunes, but more importantly, a better encoder. And as far as MP3 encoders go, the open source LAME is as good as they get. There's plenty of software for both Mac and PC that leverages this encoder, but here are two programs that do lots, lots more.

Mac OS X: Max
From the makers:

When extracting audio from compact discs, Max offers the maximum in flexibility to ensure the true sound of your CD is faithfully extracted. For pristine discs, Max offers a high-speed ripper with no error correction. For damaged discs, Max can either use its built-in comparison ripper (for drives that cache audio) or the error-correcting power of cdparanoia.

What this translates to: Great error reduction, fantastic sound quality, and tons and tons of encoding options—not that you really need those to do a good rip, but hey, they can't hurt. On top of all this, Max is also a great file converter, in case you've got some delinquent WMA files scattered around.

Windows: Exact Audio Copy
From the makers:

Exact Audio Copy is a so called audio grabber for audio CDs using standard CD and DVD-ROM drives. The main differences between EAC and most other audio grabbers are
• It is free (for non-commercial purposes)
• It works with a technology, which reads audio CDs almost perfectly. If there are any errors that can't be corrected, it will tell you on which time position the (possible) distortion occurred, so you could easily control it with e.g. the media player

What this translates to: The best error correction money can buy, for free. Seriously: Audiophiles swear by exact audio copy, and with good reason. You'll have to download your own LAME encoder before you can enable MP3 encoding in the program options, but you can do that right here without a problem. Additionally, setting up tagging, which you'll definitely want to do, takes an extra, albeit easy, step.

If you want to take a simpler route you can just download CDex, which supports LAME and tagging databases out of the box, and produces results nearly as good as—if not as good as—Exact Audio Copy.

On both platforms, you're going to have a lot of personal decisions to make. How do you want to organize your files? How do you want to name them? Unlike iTunes, these apps don't pressure your to store your music in a certain way—it's up to you to archive as you please. Both offer plenty of options for storage and organization, easily available in their Preferences menus:
As I said, this one's up to you.

Choose Your File Type

MP3: If you're encoding only for portable devices, not concerned about archiving perfect copies of your music, hate hate hate audiophiles, think FLAC and OGG just sound like gurgling baby noises, you're probably going to want to stick with MP3s. Yes, there are other formats that offer a better size-to-sound ratio, and no, it's not open source or anything, but for pure compatibility, control, and encoder choice, it's hard—-no, impossible—to beat MP3. And if you set up your encoder correctly, MP3s can sound great.

It's tough to pick the optimal MP3 bitrate on your own, since at a certain point, differences in sound quality seem to come down as much to psychological factors as to actual clarity. Thankfully, we've crowd-sourced this issue and come up with a rough guide: 256kbps is, it seems, where people just can't really tell the difference. In practical terms, this means setting your encoder to these settings:

That's no higher than 256kbps VBR—for variable bitrate, which modifies the amount of information in your file's stream according to how much is needed, and saves you space without sacrificing quality—with the highest (read: slowest) available encoding option. For almost everyone, in almost all circumstances, this'll do, and it sure beats iTunes default 160kbps constant bitrate rips.

FLAC: If archiving is your intention—as in, digitizing your music without losing any quality, no matter how imperceptible—then you're going to want to go lossless. And of the lossless formats, FLAC is the most well-supported in terms of software and hardware, albeit not on any of Apple's products—though iTunes can be made to play nice with FLAC with a few simple tweaks.

But don't fret! The beauty of FLAC music is that it can be converted to other lossless formats, like Apple's iPod-compatible Apple Lossless, without losing any quality, or compressed into MP3s without having to worry about muddy transcoding. Think of them as CDs without the physical disc, basically.

Embed Your Album Art

On Mac OS, assuming you're doing your listening in iTunes, which is pretty handy at fetching album art, you can just use one of Doug's famous iTunes scripts to write said album art directly to your MP3 files. Here's how you install it:

To install the files/folders, drag the items in the disc image window to your [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts/ folder. If there is no folder named "Scripts" there, create one and drag the files into it. AppleScripts placed in this folder will be listed in the iTunes Script menu. You do not have to install the .rtf/.rtfd documentation file in the "Scripts" folder, but it's as convenient a place as any.

For Windows users, Lifehacker's written a fantastic guide to collecting and embedding album art, which you should definitely read. The short version? Download MediaMonkey, and let it do the work for you.

Granted, once you embed album art into your files, apps like iTunes and Windows Media Player might not display it, and may ask you to search for it from their databases. This is fine: Both programs use proprietary album art storage systems, so just because they can't see your ID3 tag album art doesn't mean it's not there, or that you shouldn't have embedded it—having it around can't hurt, and it's by far the most compatible and rational method for storing album art, as far as other software, most MP3 players and long-term storage go.

Anyway, that's it! Now you can set your CDs aside comfortably, knowing that you've squeezed the purest, most delicious audio files you can out of them. Now:

Listen to Your Music

Because that was the whole point.

If you have more tips and tools to share, please drop some links in the comments-your feedback is hugely important to our Saturday How To guides. And if you have any topics you'd like to see covered here, please let me know. Happy ripping, folks!

Less than an inch at its widest point, the .28 ounce Micro Sports MP3/WMA/WAV player comes ready to store 2GB ($55) and 4GB ($75) of tracks. Syncing and charging over micro USB, the Micro Sport can run for about 4 hours before giving in. But honestly, if you're enjoying outdoor activity for more than 4 hours at a time, chances are you're taking part in risky activities that could lead you to fall on your head and have this thing permanently wedged into your ear canal. During the next several years of painful, costly operations, even a 24 hour battery would have proven inadequate in overpowering the cacophonous buzz of saws grinding against your skull, let alone the very sad, very internalized song that is your life. [Geek Stuff 4 U via Akihabara News via UberGizmo]

The 3D gaming example, Forza 3, debuts at about the 30 second mark in the video above. It's a fleeting glimpse, but it's solid evidence nevertheless.

For authenticity's sake, we tell you that Microsoft PR reportedly asked the leak's originator, Buy TV, to take the videos down, but not before brigands at sites like Neowin were able to upload them to YouTube, where they spread like a New York Times homepage virus.

Zune HD drops in two days. [Neowin, Buy TV via ars technica]

Influenced, in the most irritating way, by "mobile multimedia gadgets, those quintessential objects of modernity and style that have become both everyday objects and icons of our era," this cologne features a touch-based play button that presumably sprays whatever club-scented girl-repellent lies within the bottle. It's a pretty silly idea and actually features poor design: No 3.5mm headphone jack? Did JT learn nothing from the T-Mobile G1? But if you want to smell like an international pop star, or at least like an international pop star's publicist, it's available in Europe right now. [Givenchy via Boing Boing Gadgets]

It has 12 different Star Trek LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) interface themes, and the site says more will be available for download. File format support is listed as MP3, MP4, AVI JPG, BMP, and WAV.

What gave me goosebumps: Seeing that beyond the TR-590 Tricorder X-style design, there are also Medical, Borg, Marine, Workbee and Troi-styled models available. The starting price of $349 might bring you back down to earth, though. [AmeralisGrafx — Thanks Junior!]

In one of the more interesting pull down notices we've seen in a while, the Portuguese retailer said:

Yesterday a new set of products for iPod in our catalog, we have been asked to remove them. It was then clarified that we were not allowed to publish it. We have immediately accepted to remove that information, and would like to express our sincere apologies to our costumers. We are expecting to make those products available in September.

September eh?

A rumored September keynote (when iPods tend to be announced), apparent iTunes 9 details emerging, mounting case leaks? New iPods are a comin', and it's looking more and more like they'll have cameras. And the tablet? Not until 2010 apparently. Probability Thing-o-Meter back to 70 percent!

New: JIVO TPA Case Blue for iPod Touch 3G

New: JIVO TPA Case Blue for iPod nano 5G

One of more than a dozen case shots that Cult of Mac obtained:

[Obrigado fanático das maçãs for the store tip!]

Granted, you will have to be willing to take those speakers apart—so I wouldn't use anything expensive here. Still, it seems to be a pretty simple project that results in a usable waterproof speaker. Check out the instructable for the full DIY directions. [Instructables via Lifehacker]

Since we don't know anything about this keychain-esque DAP, we're left to guess based on the interesting ad, with its repetition of the "circle + square" tag. Is it a lost-in-translation attempt at our "square peg in a round hole" idiom? A nod to the design of the gadget itself, which is, in fact, a circle combined with a square? A hint at the future aesthetic of Cowon's players (which have certainly been more attractive lately; compare the blocky utilitarian square of the D2 with the sleek curves of the S9)?

I personally hope it doubles as a USB drive—I really miss the design of the first iPod Shuffle and the Sansa Express, low-profile DAPs with built-in USB. That was so convenient! But we'll have to wait for a real announcement from Cowon to figure out what's going on here. [DAPReview]

The Price: £44.99, or about $75 at the moment.

The Verdict: It's one of the most adolescently satisfying gadgets I've tested in some time, but the audio quality is (expectantly) mediocre at best.

The K-Box charges its 20-hour battery via USB and plugs in to pretty much any audio player through a 3.5mm (headphone) jack. The spartan design lacks fancy switches or fancy equalizer displays. Once it's plugged in, the speaker just automatically turns on.

While it feels like a chunky MP3 player of yore in one's hand, the rear is sticky, similar to the gecko foot pad you find on the Palm Pre Touchstone. This "gel audio technology" transfers the bass frequencies to whatever the K-Box is stuck to, from windows to coffee tables.
Just holding the K-Box makes it sound like any treble-heavy micro speaker. But sticking it to glass (which I found to be the most acoustically receptive surface next to thin metal) completely alters the audio quality, highlighting the mids and bass line with a poor but probably better quality than you'll find in competing speakers of this size and an impressive level of volume.
Really though, it's that 10 minutes of euphoria as you run around the house sticking the K-Box to the shower stall, coffee table, dryer door, and cat that may make the K-Box a satisfying gadget purchase. A $20 pair of headphones will offer a better listening experience, as will the average iPod dock. [K-Box]

Gimmicky fun

Simple, understated design

Works better than expected, but still pretty lousy

Often it's not sticky enough to stick to some surfaces

That's not to say it isn't an impressive player in its own right. It handily beats the Samsung P3 and the Cowon S9, but I'm left wondering who would pick this up instead of a Touch. But if Sony were to stick this UI into one of their Sony Ericsson Walkman musicphones, they might have something powerful indeed.

Click for gallery

Physical
The X-series is a very sleek player, similar in size to the Samsung P3 and significantly narrower and shorter than the iPod Touch, though ever so slightly thicker. It's designed with an unusual aesthetic: The sides of the player are this odd sort of rough, glittery metal, similar to unfinished granite, and the back and front bezel are black glass with little shiny sparkles in them, like a granite countertop. It's a nice-looking player, certainly, and it feels very solid in the hand. I just don't totally get the granite thing—it's not spectacularly eye-catching.

On the front of the X-series is the screen, an unbelievably responsive 3-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen, and a large "Home" button underneath the screen, much like the iPod Touch. The screen is crystal clear, the sharpest picture I've ever seen on a PMP—it lives up to the promise of OLED. Viewing angles are limitless, and touch response is great, without any lag at all. Unfortunately, that glass front and back are awful fingerprint magnets, though being glass, it does seem to resist scratching fairly well.

The right side hosts the noise cancellation switch and a surprisingly cheap-feeling volume rocker. The top has the headphone jack and the pleasantly firm play/pause, track forward and back buttons, while the bottom edge is home to the proprietary USB jack. Interestingly, the hold button is a giant semicircle switch on the back of the player—it seems weird, but I actually love how easy it is to reach and how solid it feels. The numerous hardware buttons make it a very nice player to control in the pocket, despite mostly being touch-based player.

The X-series is one of the only PMPs with built-in noise canceling, but it only works with the included earbuds. Fortunately, said earbuds are excellent for freebies, and the noise cancellation worked perfectly on my noisy Chinatown bus ride between Philly and New York City. Noise canceling does slaughter the battery life, though, draining it twice as fast as regular playback. When you're trying to drown out the kind of crazies who take the Chinatown bus, you'll be glad it's there.

Audio quality is a hallmark of Sony's PMP line, and the X-series does, in fact, sound great. It includes a customizable five-band equalizer for audio dorks and some nice sound enhancers like DSEE. On the other hand, you're limited to the lossy codecs Sony supports (MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM, AAC), so it may not be a good choice for serious audiophiles.

Click for gallery

UI
The home screen has a familiar grid of icons, including Music, Movies, Photos, Podcasts and some more intriguing Wi-Fi-based apps like Slacker, YouTube and Browser. Navigating through lists of artists, songs and albums is very similar to the iPod Touch style with a grab-and-flick interface, though a fast flick leads the list to cycle through a lot faster than the touch, almost like there's less virtual friction, and we'd say it feels just a hair less exact.

At the bottom of the Now Playing screen, there are four icons I've decided to term Back, Navigate, Web, and Options. The icons themselves aren't very literal: The Back icon is a bulleted list, and Navigate is a magnifying glass, so it's slightly confusing at first. But once you touch it, it becomes very clear what each button does, and I had no problems after that.

The "Navigate" button is great: It'll bring up a list containing Artist, Album, Songs, etc that'll let you jump right to that list without having to hit the Back button four times. The iPod Touch doesn't have anything like it, and now I wish it does. The Web button is also really cool: It brings up a screen that'll let you search the track name, artist, or album with Yahoo or YouTube. The Yahoo search brings up hits like Wikipedia and AllMusic, and the YouTube search immediately brings up a ton of music videos, live concert footage and more to watch on the player. Pretty cool stuff. Oddly, the X-series will prompt you to re-connect to a wireless signal every time you try to do one of these searches, and though it remembers your password, it's still annoying.

The X-series also includes an FM radio, and it's worth mentioning because it's one of the stronger FM tuners we've seen in a PMP. It's not like it'll change the way you think about radio, but it does as good a job as you could ask.

Web Apps
The YouTube app is really great, quite similar to that of the iPod touch or iPhone except with a classy sheer black skin to match the X-series' aesthetic. Videos load quickly and are very clear and watchable, provided you've got a solid Wi-Fi connection.

Slacker is another hit for the X-series, giving access to either the free or paid versions of the Pandora-like service with the same skin as the rest of the UI. It's super fast to load and sound quality is excellent.

Unfortunately, Sony's only two for three on the web app front, and the most exciting of its new features is a major fail: Its internet browser—NetFront-based, like PSP and Sony Ericsson—is completely unusable garbage. All text entry is done via an infuriating T9 interface (why not just rotate to a landscape QWERTY? There's plenty of room!) that's inexact and totally unhelpful. It requires you to type in "http://www." before every URL. Even if you've got the patience to sit there for ten minutes to type "http://www.gizmodo.com/", the browser can only manage those dinky mobile sites without totally freaking out. Browsing full sites is an exercise in futility, as the two zoom buttons don't always work, you can't navigate before a site has fully loaded and tapping links is inexact and frustrating. Basically, it's worthless as a web browser, which is a huge disappointment. This image pretty much sums up the X-series web browsing experience.

Desktop Software
The X-series has both a MTP (Windows-only) and a UMS (shows up as a drive, compatible with Mac and Linux as well), though UMS must be switched on before each connection. That means it'll work with most any media player, save iTunes. Sony's "Media Manager" software is included, but it's pretty awful, very archaic and difficult to use, and won't convert video unless you pay for the "Pro" upgrade. That last part is a real killer for the X-series' video capabilities.

Speaking of video conversion, you'll be doing a lot of it, since the X-series only supports a few video codecs and none of the common pirate formats (Matroska, XviD) are included, unlike the pirate-friendly Samsung P3. I used Cucusoft and was able to get a few MPEG-4 videos onto the player, but your average user will definitely have trouble figuring it out. None of the WMVs I tried would work, and I never was able to get a great-quality video on to test out what the OLED screen can really do. iSquint for Mac does work, but the quality, while totally watchable, is disappointing: On an OLED screen like this, you want to be blown away by video quality, and I wasn't.

Audio codec support is disappointing too, considering the X-series' stellar audio performance: The only lossless format is WAV, which nobody will use due to its massive file size. Besides the preferred lossless formats, more niche codecs like OGG aren't supported either. The player has incredible capabilities, yet Sony cripples it by limiting its compatibility—they could have courted the audiophile market, but 320kbps mp3 files can only sound so good.

Price and Conclusion
The X-series, according to Sony, is a premium gadget and thus commands premium prices—coincidentally the same prices as the iPod Touch. The 16GB version costs $300, with the 32GB going for $400. The difference is that the iPod Touch comes with a massive App Store for boatloads of new features, not to mention an accelerometer, a web browser that won't make you long for the days of WAP, tons of accessories, and software that actually works. The X-series just can't compete with that.

The X-series is a really solid player: The form factor is nice, the screen is incredible, sound and video quality are as high as these things get, and it comes with built-in noise canceling. If it were $50 cheaper, I'd have no hesitation about recommending it over the Samsung P3 and Cowon S9, but if you're spending at that level, you'd be buying the wrong machine if you chose the Sony.

On the other hand, we do see a successful future if Sony put a phone version of this up against Nokia's XpressMusic. It could never be a smartphone, not in this shape, but it could be a great music-based dumbphone.

Sony understands that PMPs can't just be PMPs anymore: basic iPods aren't selling like they used to, and the Touch is part of a mobile computing platform. But to just stuff in some Wi-Fi features without thinking about software expandability or even a usable browser—that's not going to cut it these days. Sadly, despite all the things the X-series does right, and its impressive stats list, it's just not enough in a day and age owned by networked and app-friendly gear. [Product Page]

Beautiful and responsive OLED touchscreen

Great size

Nice extra features like noise canceling and YouTube

Excellent sound quality

UI is sometimes unclear, but has more options than iPod Touch

Battery life is above average but not thrilling

Web browser is complete garbage

Frustrating T9 text entry system

Limited audio and video codec support, and video conversion is a pain

Too expensive

This pocket speaker, only $22 and the price of a few AAs, connects to music players through a 3.5mm headphone jack to provide 2 channels of 0.5W sound. Available in many fluorescent colors that will attract onlookers and bees to your breast, the only missing element in the new pocket movement is the proper theme music. Hopefully our commenters can come up with some good suggestions not by Rick Astley or John Williams. [AbilityCreate via Newlaunches]

The key to the S4i's dynamic music performance is a moving coil micro-speaker with controlled damping, a feature that allows it to deliver smooth, full-bodied sound similar to a more expensive design. A dual neodymium magnet motor structure, in each of the 8.5 mm drivers, establishes the S4i's damping characteristics. It's a quality that allows kick drums to "attack" and Intermodulation distortion, or IMD, to be significantly reduced.

If you are a real audiophile that trusts Klipsch products, these may be worth picking up. As you might expect, loyalty will cost you—the S4i will run you $100 this August while Apple's headset can be had right now for $80.

New Breakthrough Product: Klipsch® Image S4i In-Ear Headset
One of the first third party headphones with integrated microphone and remote

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 21, 2009) - Klipsch plans to re-define the music listening experience with its new Image S4i, an in-ear headset that combines the company's acclaimed sound performance and amazing comfort value with a unique in-line microphone and remote.

"Designed for iPhone and iPod users, the Image S4i is a breakthrough product that simplifies on-the-go lifestyles-you can take calls while commuting or exercising, as well as control your music library," said Don Inmon, Klipsch director of marketing and product development for personal audio.

The Image S4i works seamlessly with the iPhone 3GS, third generation iPod shuffle, second generation iPod touch, fourth generation iPod nano and the iPod classic 120GB. The headset features Apple's advanced three-button microphone and remote system that easily handles the voice and/or music control of these Apple products.

Furthermore, the S4i remote is among the first to be fully compatible with the Apple VoiceOver feature on the third generation iPod shuffle, which allows you to hear the name of the playlist, song or artist with just the press of a button.

According to Paul Jacobs, president and COO of Klipsch Group, Inc., when you combine Apple's incredible products with our 63 years of experience in high-performance audio, you can expect one of the coolest, most advanced headset designs out there. "It's definitely a platform that will dynamically change the music experience for our customers."

Unlike most headsets, the S4i positions its in-line microphone and remote at the yoke-where the two cables meet at chest level-to create a more natural feel when answering calls and controlling music. Because the microphone is a highly intelligible 360-degree design, you don't have to talk down into it; you can speak as if you're having a face-to-face conversation. Additionally, the microphone features echo cancellation, which keeps it from picking up the external noise around you.

Because durability is a major concern when it comes to headphone and headset cables, Klipsch has gone to great lengths to ensure the S4i cables are a well-balanced combination of being robust as well as discreet. The company has added appropriate strain relief at every cable connection point to help prevent wire damage, while also putting them through extensive "real world" testing.

The Image S4i utilizes the company's exclusive oval ear tips that provide comfortable long-term wear. Unlike circular-shaped designs that put stress on the pressure points inside the ear, Klipsch's oval ear tips naturally fit the contours of the ear canals. These ear tips also offer superior passive noise-cancellation, blocking out almost all ambient noise and providing excellent bass.

"Once you have the right fit and seal, these headsets are virtually impossible to feel," said Mark Blanchard, senior acoustic design engineer for Klipsch and inventor of the company's oval ear tips. "When we began studying three-dimensional ear impressions, it was discovered that nearly everyone has an oval-shaped ear canal. We couldn't believe that no one else had yet considered the anatomical shape of the ear canal when designing in-ear headphones."

Blanchard also mentioned that when you wear Klipsch headphones or headsets, you don't need to turn up the volume as loud because a good seal dramatically reduces background noise-a feature that could definitely help preserve your hearing.

The key to the S4i's dynamic music performance is a moving coil micro-speaker with controlled damping, a feature that allows it to deliver smooth, full-bodied sound similar to a more expensive design. A dual neodymium magnet motor structure, in each of the 8.5 mm drivers, establishes the S4i's damping characteristics. It's a quality that allows kick drums to "attack" and Intermodulation distortion, or IMD, to be significantly reduced.

Available in a piano black finish with chrome accents, the Image S4i comes with a two-year warranty and includes a premium carrying pouch; small, medium and large ear tips; small/medium dual flange ear tips; an ear tip cleaning tool; and a clothing clip. Priced at $99.99 (U.S. MSRP), the S4i will be available for purchase at klipsch.com, Apple, InMotion and Amazon in August.

[Klipsch]

If OLED is too rich for your blood, the E-Series comes with the following features:

WALKMAN® E Series Video MP3 players
• Slim, light Digital Media Player in choice of Black or Red
• Clear Stereo and Clear Bass technologies for superb sound quality
• High resolution QVGA 2" Color LCD screen
• Support for video file format conversion (If users have decoder software, other video formats can be converted)
• Long battery life up to 30 hrs (Music : MP3 128kbps) audio / 6 hrs (Video : MPEG-4 Simple Profile 384kbps) video

The B-Series, a compact model for more active lifestyles", has the following features:

• Small, Ultra-light player in choice of four colors
• Easy operation with drag-and-drop file transfers
• ZAPPIN™ for quick, easy song searches
• Bass button for powerful low frequency enhancement
• 18 hr music playback and Quick Charge battery
• FM tuner with recording facility

Both are touted as entry level, so the assumption is that these models should be fairly affordable, but there are no specifics on or availability in the States just yet. [Sony Europe and CrunchGear]

Readers who took the test listened to three songs at varying bitrates on their own sound systems, and identified the threshold at which encoding quality stopped mattering to their ears. After statistically evaluating the results, we not only found that there's a bitrate that most of us can live by, we found that there is joy to be gleaned from uncompressed audio, especially if you spent money on your sound system.

Our Finding
If you're encoding MP3s in iTunes, do so at 256kbps. Why? The mean peak bitrate that users reported distinguishing across all three songs tested was 218.68kbps (when we removed WAVs, the clear outliers, from the results). Aim a bit higher than 218kbps, and you should be set. (Notably, users reported different bitrate results across songs. I'm betting that we see that the quality of a source recording—even within CDs—can really make a difference even when a song is compressed.)

Of course, our data is ever so more interesting than just our advice regarding MP3 bitrate encoding. Other findings:

19.65% of all participants responded that WAVs sounded better than MP3s in at least one of the three songs they tested. While the superiority of WAVs could be an imagined difference (our testing wasn't blind), is it so hard to believe that uncompressed audio is noticeably better? With the ever expanding waistlines of even laptop hard drives, maybe uncompressed audio (or even lossless audio compression like FLAC) is worth consideration.

Still, our most interesting finding was a statistically significant correlation between the amount a listener spent on their audio equipment and the maximum bitrate they could detect. In other words, the more expensive a participant's stereo, the higher the bitrate they preferred.
Why such a noticeable correlation? There could be a variety of explanations. Distinctions in bitrate may be easier to discern in more acoustically responsive audio equipment (that's generally more expensive). Purchasers of higher end audio equipment may simply have better ears. Or, of course, those who spend the most on their speakers might just be deluding themselves in their own snobbery.

Really, the correlation could be a combination of all three of those factors...or none of them.

It was a fun test and we're pleased that so many of our readers took time out of their other responsibilities to participate. If nothing else, we got to make some mean graphs. Get it?

* Reported results are based upon data collection from 743 complete surveys of over 1000. Data reported without WAV outliers from some of our results was from 597 complete surveys.

FAQs
Why didn't you guys test FLAC or something?
Face it, the average person opens iTunes to import their CDs in MP3 format. They aren't downloading special third party software. So this test was for them. Mankind can perform additional tests in the future, you know. And besides, if a format is truly lossless, the WAV test satisfies the category.

Why didn't you blind test?
Quite simply, reliable blind testing wasn't feasible. Even if we didn't disclose the the samples' bitrates, users could easily find the bitrate through metadata or comparing file size. It's a limitation that we acknowledge, and we're not drawing any unwarranted conclusions by taking this limitation into account. Furthermore, many sound experts feel that blind testing is actually flawed. We won't go into it here, but there are arguments on both sides.

A special thanks to Definitive for supplying us with two of their wonderful Mythos STS Supertowers ($3,000/pair) and Pioneer for lending us a recently released VSX-1019AH-K ($500), a solid receiver with notable iPhone/iPod integration.

After all, it makes sense to power Bluetooth headphones with a small solar panel stretched across the headband—an area that could be easily exposed to the sun. Outside of that, the Q-Sound would also be able to handle calls or plug into a 3.5mm jack should the need arise. All-in-all the Q-Sound is a great idea—a concept I can definitely see transitioning into a real-world product. [Ecofriend via Gizmag via Ubergizmo]

The Newsmy XO is a 5mm-thin aluminum PMP with a 1.5-inch OLED display. It can play 2-4GB of AVI, MP3, WMA, APE, and FLAC with no problems, plus it's a voice recorder and FM radio.

So now you're thinking, "WTF Gizmodo, I just stomped on my iPod touch for this? You owe me hundreds of dollars!" Wait for it...the Newsmy XO doubles as a mirror and starts at just $40. So we just saved you money, sort of.

Seriously though, I'd love to see what these XOs look like in person. The OLED-layered design could be quite striking (or quite unusable). [Newsmy via PMP Today via Ubergizmo via DVICE]

This test is occurring in two parts. In part one, I'm sampling three songs chosen from vastly different genres, encoded from CD and transcoded into the various popular bitrates available for MP3s (64k, 96, 128, 160, 192, 256, and 320kbps with VBR off). I tell you what I hear, then you sample the files yourself, and tell me what you hear.

Part I - My Test
I'm sitting here with Pioneer's brand-new VSX-1019AH-K receiver, a $500 model that actually pulls the MP3 data off of USB drives and iProducts for decoding within the receiver itself. (According to Pioneer, this "Advanced Sound Retriever" technology restores sound lost in the MP3 conversion process, so I figure it's the best MP3 experience I'm gonna get.)

The sound is being sent through 14 gauge Monoprice speaker wire to twin Definitive Mythos STS Supertowers ($3,000/pair). We wanted to assemble an ideal, nice home audio system that could make MP3s sound their best. We feel that this combination of superb speakers and MP3 decoding reaches a reasonable benchmark for the reasonable enough price of around $3,500. Since most readers including me aren't going to run out and buy anything nicer, it represents a decent ceiling of audio quality.

Pure Prairie League - Woman
My first pass, I couldn't hear a difference beyond 128. And it was a little worrisome. But no judgment, that's the rule! I took another pass...things did seem to get better...but was I imagining it?

So I skipped from 128 to 192. Then I could hear an improvement as the instruments were unchanged but the vocals grew more lifelike. Songs encoded beyond 192 sounded different in terms of balance, but not necessarily any better. I wonder if, since the song was "digitally remastered," studio technicians compressed the audio to begin with.
My conclusion: 192

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
It was a total shock. I could hear the differences in bitrates, all the way to the top, the first pass through the list. I had assumed, whatever, some electronic type music. It won't matter. But even the jump from 192 to 256 was dramatic on my system, with every enhancement giving me more detail in the laugh and a richer, wetter bass line.
My conclusion: 320

Bizet - Carmen Suite #1
During my quick first pass, I didn't hear a difference beyond 160. Skipping intervals, I found no improvement going from 160 to 192, but a noticeable improvement from 160 to 256. The middle just feels fuller, with a far more lifelike reverb to the low to mid horn section. I'd like to say that I heard a difference up to 320, but I'm willing to chalk that up to the power of suggestion.
My conclusion: 256

Also, I compared the 320kbps recordings to their uncompressed WAV counterparts. The only difference I could hear was in the Pure Prairie League's Woman. The vocals and high level instrumentation felt ever so less harsh. It's a bit ironic, as that was the song I had the biggest problem distinguishing bitrates in the first place.

Back when I tested my ear in college, I found the cutoff to be 160, and have since encoded all of my music at that level (though it's become less of an issue now that MP3s are more often downloaded than ripped from CDs). Now, however, it's pretty apparent that with more hard drive space and a nicer audio system—my earlier testing was just on a set of decent computer speakers—it might be worth reassessing my encoding rates. In just these three songs, I found a huge fluctuation, and not in any way I intended. Honestly, I figured that Carmen would require the best bitrate to assuage my ear.

Now, I wouldn't encode lower than 192kbps, and I'd be tempted to push the boundaries to 256kbps and 320kbps on the music I planned on listening to very closely, though my laptop's hard drive would probably hate me for it.

Part II - Your Test
Enough with me talking, now it's your turn. You'll find the files you need below alongside an accompanying poll. Please don't vote based upon past experience or my subjective impressions, and feel free to test on any system you like (as long as you note it in the survey).

Oh, and the easiest way to peruse the files quickly is to click the first audio link, let it load in your browser, then just change the bitrate number in the filename up in the address bar—fast and easy to do any side-by-side comparison you like. Well, at least on your crappy computer speakers.

TEST FILES

DOWNLOAD THEM IN ONE BIG ZIP HERE (MediaFire), or use individual links through your browser below:

Woman 64
Woman 96
Woman 128
Woman 160
Woman 192
Woman 256
Woman 320
Woman WAV

Feel Good 64
Feel Good 96
Feel Good 128
Feel Good 160
Feel Good 192
Feel Good 256
Feel Good 320
Feel Good WAV

Carmen 64
Carmen 96
Carmen 128
Carmen 160
Carmen 192
Carmen 256
Carmen 320
Carmen WAV

Tracking both walking and biking, the Popcorn's most attractive feature may be that super contrasty black and white (OLED probably) screen. Seriously, I would walk somewhere just to watch a cute little icon walk with me, shed pounds and then claim to be too cool to hang out with "fatties" anymore. [AkihabaraNews]

Not that anybody cares about the specs on this kind of thing, but the "Moo-Cow MP3 Player" packs 4GB of storage, an LED indicator light (since there's no screen), and buttons on the cow's ears. It's available at the admittedly very reasonable price of $30 in three colors. It's possible that this gadget has something to do with it being the Year of the Ox in China, but we'd prefer to believe it's just the product of careful trendwatching and some misguided inspiration. [Brando]

The History

Admittedly, new music formats have always changed the way we listen to music. However, I don't think any have had such an effect over the last 60 years as the move to MP3 and other digital file formats. The advent of the 45 RPM single in the 50s is arguably the first big shift in the way popular music was consumed. Records went from longer-playing 78s and 33s, to the cheaper 45 format, which carried two or three songs on a disc, and became much more accessible for mass consumption. Soon, every big pop artist was releasing their big hits on 45s, and this became the main mode of consumption.

Then came cassettes, which shrank down the record onto magnetic film and brought the long-playing album back into vogue. Cassingles also remained popular among consumers, but the idea of the album as the main purchase was gaining steam again because tapes were more durable and easier to store. It also made it possible for people to record their own mixes very easily.

But the problem with all these analog formats is that they wore down and degraded over time. Vinyl lost it's sound quality the more you played it, scratched easily, and storing it in the wrong place climate would warp it's shape. Tapes would sound muffled over time, and the actual tape could easily be spooled out from the cassette.

Enter the Compact Disc. Created as a way to prevent the degradation of sound over time, the compact disc ushered in the digital era of music, but it wasn't without complaints. Audiophiles said the sound was cold and sterile, and purists worried about the idea you could skip around the album order so easily, that albums were meant to be listened to sequentially, and not on one-track repeat for hits. It also wasn't impervious, still liable to scratching and subsequent choppy playback. Still, it was the best available option to get music to consumers, until the MP3.

Too Much Music

Sometimes, I feel the rise of MP3s made music too easy to obtain. Instead of taking time to appreciate good work, we now devour as much music as we possibly can. My music collection feels increasingly impersonal, to the point that I have albums I've forgot I downloaded. Sometimes I'll listen to an album I like just once, and never touch it again. Why?

Because at any given time, I have about 10-20 other new albums I'm wanting to check out. There's just not enough time to give every album the same attention, and when you try to really get into a handful of albums, you miss out on 100 other new releases.

The MP3 era is enabling the music junkie's futile quest to stay up on all music, at all times.

But that's not to say it's all bad. Albums that used to take me months to track down in the past can be found with a few minutes of google ingenuity. I've been able to listen to artists I might have only known by name in the past, and not have to wait for corporate America to make their music accessible to the masses.

Narrowing Tastes

Despite the greatly enhanced variety of music available to the average music listener, I feel like people's tastes are actually narrowing, more than they're branching out. Sure, the hardcore music fan will go out and dig out obscure artists in 20 different genres. But for the casual indie rock fan, it's just as easy to go out and find 20 other bands who sound just like Sigur Ros.

As a result, you find people digging deeper into genres that they really like, while ignoring the access they have to so many other great genres. The rise of internet forums and communities based around certain kinds of music have only helped listeners to identify with other like-minded individuals and firmly entrench themselves.

However, the rise of unclassifiable, genre-free music this decade would seem to go against my notion of narrowing tastes. Fans have embraced musicians who pull from a variety of seemingly unrelated influences, and reassemble the parts into a whole new beast.

Artists as big as Timbaland, as small as the Avalanches, as weird as Flying Lotus, or as colorful as M.I.A have all made a name for themselves by consciously ignoring the boundaries of genre. And as a result, I've seen myself and many of my friends digging into genres, past and present, they previously had ignored. We're better music fans because of this.

The Death of the Album, The Rise of Musical A.D.D.

I blame the iPod. Before MP3s, when you wanted to listen to something, you at least had to insert a complete album, or at least take the time to piece together a mixtape. Tracklists meant more back then, because it was more difficult to rearrange the order (save for the skip/shuffle functions).

These days, you can crap out whatever you want into an unfocused playlist and take it on the go. Add or subtract songs in a matter of seconds, it's a thought-free process. There's no need to give a whole album the time of day anymore when you can just add your favorite. We all have Musical A.D.D.

But the truth is, I'm just being a paranoid purist. When CDs first came out, vinyl purists lamented how too many tracks were packed into the 74-minute capacity discs, and how easily people could just switch from track to track. Before that, the entire pop music culture was formed around 45 RPM singles in the 50s and 60s.

So while the crotchety old man in me wants to say that we need to preserve the complete album, the truth is that it's significance among music fans has always changed and evolved.

As much I want to say MP3s have ruined all our listening habits, the truth is, they've just pushed us into the next wave of music culture. Maybe it means the album tracklist really is dead. Maybe I'll only listen to a complete album once or twice from here on out. Or maybe it just means people need to start making more interesting albums worthy of such attention.

The MV-CM001U can store MP3 and WMA files in 32/64/128/192/320kbps sizes, it features a 1.5W speaker and it has a surprisingly attractive wooden design. The device is only compatible with Windows XP or Vista, which is unfortunate because most of the people who would need it are probably still running Windows 98 or lower. [Novac via Crunchgear via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

You may prefer his musings on how fit his girl is, whether or not he did too many drugs, or what happened to his thousand quid. But me? I want to know his deep feelings for his cellphone.

The track, complete with the existential questioning "how would I survive without my outside line" and Nokia's soothing SMS beeps, is available as a free download on Skinner's twitter page, and is rumored to appear on his next album, entitled "Computer Blues." I'm just happy The Streets chose this week for his outburst of musical nerdery, as it fits in well with Gizmodo Listening Test. [Twitter via The Fader]

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

I think anyone reading this understands that the internet is the new trading post for artists, listeners, critics and salesmen. It's impossible to avoid some of the marketing campaigns carried out on MySpace and YouTube, but mostly music's move to the internet gives listeners more power to develop their own tastes, for better or for worse. You can turn to MP3 stores, recommendation services, internet radio and podcasts, MySpace—and even personal music blogs and forums that'll help you "sample" pirated music. Here's my take on each method of discovery and the relevance it has to listeners:

Recommendation Services

The Pandoras, Rhapsodys and Last.fms of the world are nice, because they do most of the discovery work for you, without pushing some corporate agenda on you behind the scenes (...ahem...Clear Channel). Even better, these services cater their first song selections around your initially revealed tastes, and as you give the software feedback as to what you like and don't like, they continue to refine and improve their artist recommendations. Zune's Mixview also provides a similar service, visually recommending similar artists and songs to those already in your library.

But my problem with a service like this is that you don't necessarily get music that's really new or groundbreaking. Sure, it might be new or exciting to the casual music fan, or just someone who spends all their time listening to these services, but for the true junkie—okay, maybe "music snob"—it's hard to really be wowed by any of these services. We've seen and heard most of it before.

MP3 Stores

Sometimes looking for new music to actually buy is a great way to discover new stuff. Whenever I stop through the legendary Amoeba Records in SF to buy actual, real CDs and vinyl, half my stack is full of stuff I'm completely unfamiliar with. The same holds true with MP3 stores.

Whether it's the monoliths like the iTunes and Amazon mp3 stores, or smaller music peddlers like Boomkat, Bleep, Beatport or Juno, most these stores not only let you click through and listen to all the 30-clips you can handle, but they have tons of recommendations in the sidebars, allowing you to explore similar artists and sounds. The only problem with this? If you don't want to buy all these tracks, hunting them down again is a drag. And in the case of some of the more obscure stores, you might not find the songs anywhere else.

Internet Radio and Podcasts
The beautiful thing about radio in its prime was that, top hits and genres-aside, you never knew what you were going to hear at any specific moment. That unpredictability has an addictive quality to it, and internet radio preserves that spirit to a degree. Though not as popular in the era of the iPod, I still tune in to internet radio stations when I'm feeling bored with my music collection.

Two of my personal favorites are KCRW out of LA, which sticks to indie and the non-top-40 pop hits, and Rinse FM out of London, which has a current rotation of DJs spinning Grime, Dubstep, House and whatever other electronic genres are currently bubbling over there. My favorite thing about these two stations are that they put the content above all else—playing music they like, and not necessarily music that will sell. (On perhaps the complete other end of the music spectrum, Wilson recommends similarly free-minded stations WFUV in New York, and KEXP in Seattle.)

The risk you run in your path of discovery, however, is that if your ears are at the mercy of the DJ you're listening to on internet radio, and if you don't like their taste, hard luck.

MySpace and Twitter

This is what I sort of view as the great democratic project in music. The complaint while the internet was in its infancy was that big media and big corporations had too much influence over what music made it, and what didn't. Obviously that's all changed, in large part to MySpace.

As a social media service at large, MySpace is an eyesore and an abomination. But as a place to discover new music, believe it or not, it's an invaluable goldmine. Big artists, small artists, fat artists, skinny artists—hell, your mom—all have the same basic framework at their dispersal to reach the masses when they're using MySpace. Here you can find your favorite established artists sneaking new tracks up on their page, you can find work from newer artists who have no official releases out, or you can stumble upon that completely random, brilliant band of 17-year-olds from Pawnee, Oklahoma throwing out avant-garde acid pop.

But the best part, is that you can click around their grid of friends, who most of the time are other musicians, and you can get lost in musical worlds you didn't know existed. I spent eight hours doing this one night last winter, and found enough new artists and styles that kept me interested for the rest of the year.

On the Twitter side, it's mostly just good for gathering names and news, but the fact that more musicians, writers and other people of interest are using the service to jot down thoughts means you get to see what they're into at any given moment. People ranging from The Root's ?uestlove, to The New Yorker's music writer Sasha Frere-Jones, to Diplo all twitter frequently about the new music they're digging at the time.

The Online Music Media

The big music magazines, like Rolling Stone and The Source, went from influential and respected in their prime for their great taste and writing, to walking punchlines later on for their willingness to make a buck at the cost of content. What this did was open the door for music blogs to jump in and give readers a new place to figure out what's new and good in the world of tunes.

Most of the bigger/more general music blogs (Pitchfork, Stereogum, Gorilla vs Bear) will never be the first ones to break a new artist, but they will be quick to tell you when known artists have new works available or coming out soon. Smaller, niche blogs (The Fader, Xlr8r, Valerie), however, will cultivate their sites like boutiques of taste, and always look for what's next in music, as opposed to what's now.

Filtering through sites like this takes a decent amount of work, however, and is for the dedicated music fan. Lesser enthusiasts need not apply.

"Sampling"

The Somali method is for the most hardcore of the hardcore. People who don't want to wait for the media to tell them what's what, and would rather just "sample" it for themselves, hit the internet hard and heavy for albums that leak weeks, sometimes months, ahead of their release.

"Sampling" these albums is not for the faint of heart. It takes a general sense of music knowledge, music news, ability to follow the right websites and some technical know how. Bittorrent (and once upon a time, Oink...RIP) is a hotbed for many music leaks as they hit, but since it's tough to mask your IP address if you're not in a private community, it's easier to "sample" the same album using RapidShare, MegaUpload or Mediafire. (In case you're wondering, avoid RapidShare at all costs, use Mediafire whenever possible...you'll save like 5 years of your life).

Generally the best place to "sample" these links to new album leaks are in the threads music-related forums. This could be a forum for an artist, a record label, a genre, or just music in general, but people always start an upload thread full of links for you to troll.

There are also blogs and sites that keep track of the latest leaks. Bolachas Gratis is probably the most famous of the bunch, famously hopping from blog service to blog service, finding a new home to post links to albums for you to "sample." Nodata.tv aims to do something similar, while there's another site, Did It Leak, that just lists albums it's seen floating around the internet. They even have a Twitter feed.

These days, once you have an album title, its as simple as visiting Google Blog Search, MAYBE typing an album name in the search bar in quotes, and MAYBE adding a 2009 and "+rar" or "+zip" to the search string (NO IDEA what those mean!). Search around for a few bit blogs that may have a link, and bam—new music to "sample".

This is undoubtedly the best method for pure discovery, because it lets you chase down the latest and greatest in music without being tainted by anyone else's opinion or tastes. But it also requires an obsessive, nerdish approach to music fandom that may have ramifications on your social life. Not to mention a total disregard for the economics of the music business, and for the needs of artists to be remunerated for their work. So, you know, proceed with caution.

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

So the question is: how much have you spent on digital music all-time?

One day after the price jump, there were 40 $1.29 songs in the Top 100, and 60 at 99 cents. The $1.29 songs fell an average of 5.3 places, while 99 cent songs moved up 2.5 places on average. The total average chart drop of pricier songs since the prices went up is about three places. Which sounds like the masses punishing the greedy labels, but it's not—greed wins:

For a price increase (to $1.29 from $0.99) to result in an equal or greater amount of revenue, unit sales would to drop by no less than 23.3%. On the most recent track download chart, the different between #42 and #45 was only 3.5%. One has to move up to #6 on the chart to get to a difference greater than 23.3%. The difference between the #6 and the #3 chart positions equals a 30% drop in unit sales while the difference between #7 and #4 is a 19% drop in unit sales.

We tried voting with our dollar, and our dollar stabbed us in the back. [Billboard]

Amazon now has prices ranging from a low of $0.79 to a high of $1.29, the same as iTunes, and its highest priced tracks now make up ten of its top 100 list. Walmart, for its part, is a little cheaper, from a low of $0.64 to a high of $1.24. It looks like the music labels have finally gotten their way in this battle. [Electronista]

EMI says that audio engineers spent four years remastering the collection of albums, combining the latest sound technology with vintage studio equipment to give it an updated, but authentic sound. Each album will come with a short documentary about the respective recordings, and the expanded booklets will have new photos and liner notes included.

There's no word about modes of digital distribution yet, but keep your ears peeled—EMI says they'll discuss that later. And for those not sold on the difference between Stereo and Mono, just look at The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds as an example of similar stereo/mono recordings from that era. The difference is like night and day, kids. Night. And. Day.

THE BEATLES' ENTIRE ORIGINAL RECORDED CATALOGUE REMASTERED BY APPLE CORPS LTD. AND EMI MUSIC FOR WORLDWIDE RELEASE ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 (9-9-09)

London, England – April 7, 2009 – Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on 'Past Masters'). As an added bonus, the mono "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time.

The P3 is a followup to Samsung's successful P2, and while it makes quite a few changes, this is an evolution, rather than a revolution. The P3 boasts a few new tricks from Samsung's galaxy of phones, like haptic feedback, a teeny-but-clear speaker, "desktop" widgets and an improved GUI, but this is assuredly not a competitor to the iPod touch. The P3 is not a platform: There's no way to expand the player's catalog of programs or widgets, and, most importantly, it doesn't have Wi-Fi. Despite its big ol' touchscreen and appearance of a fully customizable experience, the P3 is a closed environment, like the nano.

It is, however, one of the best standard flash players on the market—possibly the best. Available in 8/16/32GB sizes (priced at $150/$200/$300, respectively), the P3 comes with a bevy of great extras, a sleek body, and a (mostly) intuitive and pretty GUI. Most importantly, its touchscreen and broad video codec support makes it the best compact video player for the money, and something anyone not suckling at the iTunes teat should get a good look at.

The Physical
The P3 retains the same form factor as its predecessor, which means a gorgeous 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen covering most of its front, a few physical buttons—volume and power/hold, moved to the top for easy in-pocket use—and a very thin metal body. No, it's not quite as thin as an iPod nano, but there's only a tenth of an inch difference. Underneath the screen is a marginally useful touch strip, a bit like the upcoming Palm Pre's. On the bottom is the headphone jack, a mic and Samsung's proprietary USB port.

The P3 feels really great in the hand; it's slightly heavier than the P2 and feels very solid. It's also quite the looker, with a brushed aluminum back, matte front, and chrome accents. To give you an idea of the size, it fits perfectly in that little change pocket of a pair of jeans.

The GUI
The P3's user interface is, for the most part, similar to the P2's—a very intuitive, simple, touch-based design. The main screen has three pages, like an iPhone or T-Mobile G1, that can be turned by a swipe in either direction. The center page has the icons you'll be using most often (Music, Videos, Pictures, FM Radio, etc), and the ones on the left and right house the widgets. Some of the widgets are pretty handy, like a calculator, a calendar and a lightbulb that adjusts screen brightness when tapped.

There's also a goofy but sort of handy "quick tray" with speaker toggle, Bluetooth and other actions that pulls down from the top when you tap, almost like the system tray on the Android G1.

Some of the widgets are poorly executed, like the 24 subway maps from around the world—the NYC one is awful, devoid of an actual geographic map, making you zoom to view specific stops. Do not rely on this to get you around Hong Kong, or you'll be sorry. Some of the widgets are overtly purposeless, like a gingerbread man that crumbles when tapped. That's all he does. Crumbles.

The touch interaction features haptic feedback, that's supposed to rumble when an item is pressed, thus confirming the selection. Unfortunately, it's more a gimmick than anything else: It's fairly weak (more of a buzz than a rumble), inconsistent, and in the end it doesn't seem to aid the overall accuracy of the touchscreen.

Menus are very easy to navigate and are very intuitive, but scrolling through lists of artist names, albums or what have you isn't quite as simple as it should be. Lists can be dragged up or down with a finger, but the system isn't as smart as it is on an iPhone—you can't turn the "drag" into a flick at the last minute. So when you do drag, you only view about 15 items before you have to pick up your finger and drag again.

The P3 does support the flick motion, but you have to do it deliberately. Besides, it's more of a delayed reaction and doesn't feel very organic—one flick will move the list exactly one full page, every time, regardless of how enthusiastically you've flicked. There's also a scroll bar on the side that's nice for jumping from the As to the Ms, but it's not particularly accurate. All in all, it's a little slower to navigate long artist or track lists than I'd like.

There are other gestures as well—tap, double-tap, circle. Some of them will grow into usefulness as people carry and use the P3 for a while, though out of the gate, they're a little specific to feel intuitive.

Playback Quality
Samsung's PMPs are some of the best-sounding players out there, and the P3 continues the trend: Bass is full but not overpowering, treble is clear, and mids are focused. Basically, the P3 sounds great, and is powerful enough to drive big Sony MDR headphones while sounding halfway decent in my 16-year-old car's crappy stereo, too. It supports MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC and even FLAC for you lossless-loving audiophiles.

Video quality is absolutely beautiful—this is the best flash-memory video player I've ever seen. With a firmware update (already available), the P3 will play DivX and Xvid files up to 800x600 resolution, which means yes, pirates, this will play your torrented episodes of 30 Rock perfectly without any conversion necessary. In addition to DivX/Xvid AVI files, the P3 supports MPEG-4, WMV and H.264 (though not clear on how high a resolution is supported), which makes it one of the most well-rounded video players on the market. As I mentioned above, the screen is stunning, with nearly flawless viewing angle range.

Nuts and Bolts
The P3 also has an FM radio, though at least out in the suburbs, reception was barely listenable.

Bluetooth works perfectly—it paired with my BlackBerry quickly and easily, and since it has a mic and speaker, it can be used as a speakerphone.

Battery life is rated at 30 hours for audio and 5 for video.

Its default setting is for MTP, which means that, out of the box, it may only work on Windows machines. Fret not, because you can also switch it to UMS to run on Macs and Linux machines. In Windows it will show up as a drive for easy drag-and-drop, and is happily compatible with media software like WinAmp and MediaMonkey. On the Mac, it's going to be as drag-and-droppable as any USB disk.

Overall
We've come to a crossroads in the world of PMPs. High-end devices with Wi-Fi, like the iPod touch, Archos 5/7 and Sony's upcoming X1000, are the future. The Samsung P3 is not one of these players.

The iPod nano is the elephant in the room here; The P3 is priced to go head-to-head with the nano at the 8/16GB range, although the P3 offers a $300 32GB version as well. I think the P3 holds its own against the nano, besting it in quite a few categories. The hardware looks and feels great, the GUI is prettier and more customizable, the touch interface can be useful, and most importantly frees up real estate for what matters most: a bigger, better screen.

As my catalog of nitpicks above will tell you, the P3 may not have the simplicity of an iProduct. Nevertheless, if you use Windows, or use a Mac but not iTunes, if you download a lot of video, and if you don't have a hard drive full of DRM'd music—if that describes you, then you would be a fool to buy an iPod nano instead of Samsung's P3. [Samsung MP3 Players]

Indeed, the Aqua Sounder will not only transmit your MP3 player tunes from a dock positioned up to 150 feet away, it will also provide ambiance with two LED mood lights. It's completely submersible, and you just might be tempted to use it for a game of pool dodgeball, but I would have to caution against it. [Grace via I4U via DVICE]

Called the Archos 2 and 4, the two players are light on features, which explains the relatively low price point. It's nothing ground breaking, of course, but $60 for the .035-inch 8 GB Archos 2, now on Amazon, is somewhat decent. There's also a microSD expansion slot, 1.8-inch 128x160 screen, and a voice recorder. A 16GB version goes for about $92, but is as of yet only available to ze Germans.

Less is known about the aptly named Archos 4. It will apparently have a 4-inch screen and a 16GB or 32GB storage capacity. Unlike its 2 series cousin, this model is not yet available anywehere, including Germany. [Amazon, Archos Lounge via Engadget]

Apparently, President Obama arrived at Buckingham Palace today bearing gifts for Queen Elizabeth II. What does a man of Barack Obama's power and stature get for the woman that truly has everything? How about an iPod loaded with video from her 2007 visit to the US (Gee...thanks? Actually, she already has an iPod, so I'm assuming she will be regifting that). Not to be outdone, the Queen presented Obama with a framed picture of herself. Wow, that is

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The Q2 will save you a few bucks on the Nano, and will net you a little bit more screen real estate at 2.4 inches, QVGA resolution. Controls are via a touch directional pad below—no touch on the actual screen, or any widgets like the P3. They'll be $100 for 8GB and $130 for 16GB available in April.

The U5 is geared toward exercisers, and its build pretty much like an original iPod shuffle (with an end-cap USB port). A 4-line OLED screen shows you basic info, and you can also track a workout with a built-in timer. It's $40 for 2GB in five colors, with 4GB and 8GB versions forthcoming.

Both feature FM tuners and voice recorders.

Q2 Multimedia Player
The new Q2 is a flash-memory media player featuring full multimedia functionality, including
powerful sound quality unmatched by any other MP3 player. The slim Q2 delivers up to 50
hours of audio playback and seven hours of video enjoyment, lasting through road trips and
business trips on a single charge. The Q2 also boasts superior acoustical performance through
DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement technology, also available in the P3, Audio Upscaler, 3D Sound
and various Concert Hall settings, along with FM radio, FM recorder, voice recorder and text
viewer. For customizable access, the Q2 also features a "Smart Button" that allows the user to
designate a specific function for quick access.

At a mere 2.04 ounces, the Q2 is equipped with a 2.4 inch QVGA TFT screen and is designed for
the practical techie looking for a hassle-free device with smarter control of media playback.

The Q2 is available in black and white.

U5 Sporty MP3 Player
The Samsung U5 is designed for the active consumer seeking a simple-to-use portable music
device without compromising style. Its lightweight design, user-friendly touchpad and USB
connectivity makes the U5 a perfect companion for consumers always on-the-go and engaged
in sports. The U5 also features an FM tuner / FM recorder, so workouts are less monotonous
with more music options, as well as a voice recorder.

The U5 is available in a multitude of fashionable colors, including black, white, red, pink and
blue.