Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

In an attempt to be more proactive rather than simply reactive, the MPAA has recently approved the DreamStream system and its 2048-bit “military strength” anti-piracy encryption technology to protect content streamed to viewers online.

First introduced to the MPAA in March of 2008 by Laura Tunberg, MGM’s former vice president of intellectual property enforcement, it was since reviewed by the MPAA and found it to be a viable means for securing digital content. Chief development officer for DreamStream, Ulf Diebel, is excited by this acknowledgment of their product.

“We are very excited to have the MPAA stand behind our technology.”

MORE »

Music lovers holding a Verizon subscription will better be able to say “I can hear you now” to their favorite musical artists, as Rhapsody and Verizon team up to offer users with certain V Cast phones DRM-free PC downloads. In obvious competition with iTunes, Rhapsody is still behind in the numbers game (about 5 million in their online library as opposed to iTunes 8 million), however, the bonus of not being stuck with DRM puts them ahead in many people’s minds. This way, you can play the music on any PC, MP3 player, or other digital device. Bonus.

So how much is it going to cost you? The songs are going at 99 cents each, and most albums will be $9.99. You’ll also find a Windows-only download utility that will import your music directly into iTunes, RealPlayer, or the Rhapsody client; Mac users will get their songs in a ZIP file. Select Verizon Wireless V Cast phones (including the upcoming Chocolate 3, the new Dare, the Samsung Glyde, the Juke, the RIZR Z6tv, and the RAZR V9m) can purchase tunes from Rhapsody over the air, and get an MP3 “master” PC download in the bargain.

If you jump on the ball, Verizon is running a special through July 4th: The first 100,000 people to sign up with the MP3 store will get their first album free.  And hey...free is always good.

Via [Yahoo! Tech]

Popular rock band Pearl Jam and Verizon Wireless under its V Cast service have reached an agreement that will allow Verizon to sell selected tracks from the band’s long-running live bootleg program. Pearl Jam made the deal in line with its current promotional gig for their summer tour which will kicked off in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Moving forward, three tracks from each of Pearl Jam’s shows will be distributed by Verizon via its V Cast service. Likewise, Pearl Jam fans can also either purchase or download those tracks by visiting PearlJamConcerts.com. Those Pearl Jam tracks will be offered in a “dual downloads” scheme, meaning each track will be sent to fans’ mobile phone and at the same time to their computers. Incidentally, those tracks will have Verizon’s DRM system aside from being sold as ringtones and ringback tunes for mobile phones.

And to boost the sales of these Pearl Jam tracks, fans who will be buying the digital music from V Cast will have the chance to win seats to one of the upcoming shows of the band. Winning tickets will be sent to the winner’s mobile phones. The lucky fan can then show the text message at the entrance to the show’s venue.

Read [Reuters] Via [PearlJam.com]

Product: Flamingo Sport Headphones
Price and Availability: Currently available and retailing for $49.99
Rating: 8/10
Pros: Stayed in ear well, offered good sound quality, comfortable even with extended wear.
Cons: Nylon cord.
Overall: Would not hesitate to recommend.

Keep reading to check out the full review…

MORE »

Product: Kicker iK500 iPod Speaker System
Price and Availability: Currently available and retailing for $299.99
Rating: 9/10
Pros: Simple, easy to set up and use
Cons: Docked iPod sits a little “off”
Overall: Solid sound with a great overall look

While we were able to review the iK500, which is made for the iPod, Kicker also offers the ZK500 for the Microsoft Zune, which also retails for $299.99.

The iK500, after first getting it out of the box has a nice look to it. Keep reading for the rest of the review…

MORE »

Sony has started shipping its weird egg-shaped music device, the Rolly in the United States. Released in Japan back in September 2007, the Rolly packs two integrated speakers which are capable of producing surround sound. It boasts 2GB of flash memory, Bluetooth, ATRAC and MP3 music file format support as well USB connectivity.

But aside from these features, what makes Rolly innovative or should we say a novelty item is the fact that it was designed to move to the beat of the music that it plays, thanks to its built-in robotic technology. It comes with pre-programmed choreography for three songs, “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” and Earth Wind and Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland.” In addition to this features, the Rolly also comes with 700 colors which light up to the music beat.

If this new Sony music player sounds interesting to you, it currently retails for $400 at all Sony Style retail stores.

Via [I4U News]

Assuming that the Microsoft Zune will most likely never see the light of a Korean day and knowing that Koreans are longing for it, Samsung has taken the lead and announced its Zune-like MP3 player - the Art Noveau version of its Yepp T10.

Available only for the Korean market, this new iteration of the T10 boasts of 4GB internal memory, a specialized GUI to match its art noveau design, a 2-inch QVGA screen, Bluetooth 2.0, DNSe 2.0 technology, double bass, improved equalizer, FM radio and Samsung Media Studio.

Like we said, this classy MP3 player is currently available only in Korea. It would have been great if Samsung will market this internationally as it comes in a very affordable price of around $139 US.

Via [Akihabara News]

Apple’s iTunes Store better watch it’s back, because here comes Napster with not just another online music service, but one that now offers a whooping 6 million DRM-free music tracks. With this number of available tracks Napster has now become the world’s largest major label MP3 catalog and the largest library of independent music worldwide.

Beginning today, all digital music that is downloaded from Napster will be a DRM-free MP3 that is compatible with any MP3 player or music phone, including yes you guessed it right, the iPod and the iPhone. Downloaded music will remain at 99 cents for a single track and $9.95 for most full albums. Most of Napster’s digital music is encoded at a 256kbps bitrate and shall include album art. In addition, users can freely browse Napster’s catalog without any obligation or commitment to purchase. Napster is also offering a web-based on-demand streaming service which users can access from anywhere using computer with Internet connection.

Read [Business Wire]

With help from the so-called Web Sheriff, Michael Jackson (along with The Village People, UB40, and some folks who have the rights to Bob Marley’s music) are going to take on The Pirate Bay, just like how MPAA did. This all springs from, as you may already know, the fact that a lot of people are getting their music for free through the very popular Torrent web site. But of course, The Pirate Bay Team stands more firm than ever, with Brokep commenting that, “The common thing for all of these artists of course is that no one listens to them anymore.” Harsh. Now if that doesn’t hurt the Web Sheriff’s feelings, I don’t know what will. Oh, wait, I know—if they don’t win the case (which has a very high probability). Good luck to them all, though.

Via [Torrent Freak]

Finally here’s something that actually does what it advertises. Ubanana’s uCan - a waterproof MP3 player that you can actually wear in up to 10 feet deep water. But the best thing about this uber-cool looking gadget is the fact that all the essential parts that you normally get from a normal MP3 player are actually integrated within the gadget itself. Yes folks, that means no dangling wires that connect the earphones to the body of the MP3 player, its all integrated into the player itself.

The uCan has 1GB of memory which can store around 250 MP3 or 500 WMA files and gives out up to 15 hours of battery life. But we wouldn’t advise you to go diving into the open sea and stay under water for 15 hours just to enjoy using the uCan MP3 player, your supply of oxygen might not last that long. You can snag the uCan for $150 once it hits the stores sometime in July 2008.

Product [Ubanana] Via [Switched]