Tape 2 PC: Ion USB Cassette Deck: First View: UPDATED

We popped off to the Firebox “Xmas in July” do last week and we saw loads of goodies that they’ll be bringing out between now and christmas.

Tape 2 PC: Ion USB Cassette Deck: First View

The first that we’ll bring to you is the Ion Tape2PC. We all know about the Ion Audio USB turntable and how popular they’ve been.

Not one to stay still Ion have now moved on to capturing other digital media.
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Illegal Music Downloads Hit All Time High

Illegal Music Downloads Hit All Time HighIllegal music downloads have soared to an all-time high, with more people than ever filling up their hard drives with MP3 booty according to the Digital Music Survey 2007 study.

Now in its fourth year, the survey – carried out by Entertainment Media Research in conjunction with media lawyers Olswang – found that 43% of UK consumers admitted to downloading music without paying for it, adding up to a hefty hike from 36% in 2006.

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Sony Network Walkman NWD-B100 MP3 Player Series Announced

Sony Network Walkman NWD-B100 MP3 Player Series AnnouncedSony has announced a rather snazzy looking range of stick MP3 players that do away with the need to transfer tunes with their much-maligned SonicStage desktop software.

With the new ATRAC-free NWD-B100 Series players, users can simply drag and drop music straight from their desktop PCs to the pencil thin, 30-gram player.
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Microsoft Zune 2.0 Set For Christmas

The first version of their Zune media player didn’t exactly set the world on fire or give Steve Jobs much to worry about, but Microsoft has confirmed that its second- generation Zune players will be hitting the shelves in time for the Christmas sales season in the US.
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Pacemaker: Pocket iPod DJ Booth

Pacemaker: Pocket iPod DJ BoothWe’ve just found out about an amazing gadget – a handheld DJ mixer called Pacemaker by a new Swedish company called Tonium.

As soon as we heard about it, we were straight on the phone, as we’d been knocking around similar ideas at the Digital-Lifestyles offices.

Think of it as an iPod, with a built-in DJ mixing booth – and effects box attached.

It’s miles ahead of the clumsy iPod mixing which has been around since 2003 and, by the look of it, it will also fit into your pocket, being it’s 164mm/70mm/23mm (think PSP-sized) and 200g.
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Last.fm Signs Up With Sony BMG Music

Last.fm Signs Up With Sony BMG MusicThe online music social network Last.fm have announced a global deal with SONY BMG Music Entertainment to make the record company giants vast catalogue of tracks available for streaming.

The deal will make Sony’s bumper-sized music catalogue available to the 20 million users of Last.fm’s online radio streaming service, with the option to buy the tracks via the music downloads store, 7digital, or through Amazon.
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T-Mobile Launches Mobile Jukebox

T-Mobile Launches Mobile JukeboxT-Mobile has announced their new Mobile Jukebox service which lets roaming customers download purchased DRM-protected tracks to both their phones and their PCs for a quid a pop.

The service uses a mobile application which is available for downloading to a selected range of 32 T-Mobile phones, including 3G, GPRS, contract and prepay handsets.

Users can rummage freely through the 500,000+ track output of major record labels like Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music, EMI Music and Warner Music International, and independent labels like V2 and Beggars Banquet.
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AllofMP3.com Gets Closed Down

AllofMP3.com Gets Closed DownAllofMP3.com, the hugely popular Russian music download site (as we’ve been covering) has been closed down again after Russian authorities caved in under the relentless diplomatic pressure from the international record industry and governments.

The music download site, the second most popular in the UK after iTunes, flogged songs at a fraction of the cost of other sites, thanks to its alleged cavalier attitude towards copyright law.
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