On iPod's Birthday, Sony Stops Making Walkmans

Teen trades his Apple for a Sony for 1 week

(NEWSER) - In honor of the debut 30 years ago this week of the Sony Walkman, 13-year old Scott Campbell tried using the device for a week in place of his iPod. Campbell found the gadget took some getting used to, he writes for the BBC: “It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape." More»

Sony blamed for UK price hike, now reversed

(NEWSER) - On Saturday, a Whitney Houston greatest-hits album cost about $8 in the UK iTunes store; but shortly after the singer was found dead, it had jumped to a little more than $12.50. The changed sparked a customer uproar. "It is just a case of iTunes cashing in on the singer's death, which in my opinion is totally parasitic," said one, according to DigitalSpy . But the Guardian reports that it was Sony, not iTunes, that was responsible for the change—which has now been reversed. More»

Bad Romance video is 'QVC Channel you can dance to'

(NEWSER) - Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance video is strikingly artsy for pop music. But along with high-art aspirations, the video offers bald, unashamed commercialism: It has no fewer than 10 product placements. Gaga and crew make use of an iPod, Philippe Starck Parrot wireless speakers, Nemiroff vodka, Heartbeats earphones, Carrera sunglasses, Nintendo Wii handsets, Hewlett-Packard Envy computers, a Burberry coat, Alexander McQueen high heels, and La Perla lingerie. More»

Most subjects in study set volume to damaging level

(NEWSER) - Most young people listen to their iPods at levels that will damage hearing over time, a new study shows. Researchers measured the output of an iPod while college-age students listened to music in a lab setting, and they found 55% of the subjects set the volume higher than 85 decibels—sufficient to cause hearing loss, with prolonged exposure. More»

At least five sites can help

(NEWSER) - Sure, you can listen to the hundreds of gigs of music you have on your computer—but why limit yourself? Mashable lists the top Web sites and applications to help you really utilize your audio library:

• Last.fm: One of the Web’s most popular music social networks, the site’s best feature is Scrobbler, which analyzes your listening habits and gives you recommendations based on your own tastes.