This one-piece MP3 player is part of the W series, which means it’s water-resistant. However, this is the first MP3 player in that series (the rest are headphones). In other words, you have absolutely no excuse not to do five miles in the rain — unless you consider laziness to be a valid excuse.

Aside from technology, Walkman design has also really evolved. The NWZ-W252 features a wrap-around neck design not just for the headphones, but for the entire device. The whole thing wraps around your head!

Out of the box, the NWZ-W252 comes with the device and its holder, a USB cable and all of the usual start-up paperwork. It does not have software, since everything you need is stored on the actual device.

Plug in the device into your PC (sorry, no Macs) using the included USB cable. In seconds, your PC will recognize the unit. The install takes a few minutes, but it’s quick and easy, since the Walkman does all the work. After that, the Walkman Guide and an option for Content Transfer will pop up. You can use Content Transfer to automatically pull tracks from iTunes. It’s also just as easy to drag and drop MP3, WMA, AAC and PCM files to the unit. Finally, you can also use Windows Media Player to rip files from CDs. The NWZ-W252 has a 2GB drive, which translates to about 470 stored tracks.

The player boasts 90 minutes of runtime after only 3 minutes of charging. Again, no reason to not run. Oh well…

Even for sponging out the couch, this device provides a nice soundtrack. At a mere 1.6 ounces, having the player attached to your head won’t slow you down. The controls, however, are another story. I highly recommend setting up your playlist in advance because trying to exercise and flip through tracks on a device that’s attached to your head can be a bit tricky.

Sony does make it as easy as possible, having just two volume buttons and a flip-switch to go forward or back. That means no playing tracks by band, album or genre, unless that’s the way you set up the playlist to play back. Sound quality was very good and the unit was surprisingly comfortable, which really says something, because I am not a fan of earbuds.

Another feature that should be noted is Zappin. This sort of justifies not having an LCD screen, by allowing a sneak preview of each song. It allows listeners to choose between long and short clips. Why you’d want this is really puzzling, but it’s there and it’s easy to activate by pushing in the switch until you hear audible confirmation.

Overall, the NWZ-W252 is no-nonsense. It has very few bells and whistles because it’s designed for a specific task. If you aren’t into exercise, there’s little reason to have the unit. For those who actually motivate to be active, this device just might be worth $60 to have as your running buddy.

Other features include:

• USB-based Battery Charging
• LED Battery-Life Indicator
• Built-in Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• MSRP: $60

The Sony W Series Walkman, is available for about $60 at Sonystyle and other authorized retailers nationwide.

If that sounds like your hot mess, ZVOX may actually have a prize for you. The company just kicked off an “Ugly TV” contest.

In case you aren’t familiar with ZVOX, the company has made quite a name for itself creating single-wire products. Get it? So if you’ve got a nest that could be housing a family of squirrels, ZVOX wants to see it and possibly give you a ZVOX Z-Base 550 home theater system to solve your cable clutter problem.

Designed to fit under your flat-panel TV, this $400 product produces awesome surround sound from a single cabinet. It even has a built-in subwoofer to handle your bass needs. Nothing else is needed. It’s got one cord and a one-page user’s manual. It is truly the definition of plug-and-play. It’s also the definition of pretty cool. I certainly wouldn’t mind having one of these — and free is certainly a very nice price.

The ZVOX website already has some pretty “interesting” contest entries that you can check out. If you think your TV area is disgusting enough to take home the prize, email a pic to info@zvoxaudio.com with “Ugly TV Contest” in the subject line. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2010.

In a move to keep on rocking, the service just announced plans to cut $5 off subscription prices, which will make unlimited streaming $9.99 per month.

That’s great for existing subscribers and anyone else thinking of making the leap. Still, it’s hard to believe that in a world where millions of music fans are still pirating up a storm (yes, they are), this music service is managing to stay afloat. Good for them.

The discount is the company’s first move since separately from Viacom and Real Networks. That’s great that they are growing up and all. However, just like when I moved out of my parents’ house, they will soon learn that it’s a tough world out there — and a super populated one, when it comes to music services.

With iTunes and Pandora kicking many audio-based asses, I have to wonder if Death is coming for Rhapsody. Do we all need another monthly fee to deal with? Apparently, the answer to that question is not a pretty one. CNET says the service lost 125,000 of its 800,000 subscribers last year.

It’s hard not to wish them well, but aside from the aforementioned services, there’s an insane amount of audio start-ups coming — and we haven’t even mentioned the iPad.

As of January 2010, Rhapsody boasts a catalog of 9,000,000 songs. Right now, you can get all of those goodies (and not-so goodies) on your PC, as well as different home audio devices and smartphones, such as the iPhone and Google Android.

We are used to seeing the Rastaman’s face emblazoned on T-shirts, college walls and weed paraphernalia worldwide. Now, Marley will soon grace a line of consumer products made by HoMedics.

The venture is a HoMedics/Marley family joint (no pun intended) titled The House of Marley. The initial products will include boomboxes, docking stations, ear buds and headphones, with the intent to develop other categories in the future.

The House of Marley’s motto is about developing products that feature the Marley family values — as well as developing a controlled brand for the reggae legend. They are planning to feature eco-friendly products, using woods, bamboo, recycled materials, and even less-waste packaging. We can’t wait for the Bob Marley bamboo boombox.

“We are excited to announce this partnership with Marley & Co.,” says Alon Kaufman, CEO of HoMedics. “We translated family values into the design DNA of our products, focusing on details that portray unity, peace and equality.”

The company says that it will also set up “an affinity program,” which will involve charities around the world that deal with “youth, planet and peace.” Jeez, couldn’t they spread it out a bit? For now, how that will work and with what charities still seems a bit up in the air.

HoMedics is pretty well known for making products that massage, lull, sooth and loofah. If you’ve ever used a white noise machine with sounds of the rainforest and birds chirping, most likely, it had the HoMedics stamp on it.

Expect HoMedics to start selling its first House of Marley products in October 2010.

Now don’t get crazy. We don’t expect Bandit to belt out Black Sabbath or relax to the soothing sounds of Yanni. It’s actually designed for human counterparts. However, while you are cranking out the crap rock, the system tweaks the sound so it will be less sensitive on the ears of dogs, cats and horses — in case you have any of those curled up on your living room couch.

We get it. High and low frequencies that we don’t notice so well can scare pets from the living room. Our dog actually prefers the bed anyway, so what’s the problem?

Those that truly love the animal kingdom can also add the Pet Acoustics Application for the iPhone. It’s $1.99 at the App Store and includes multiple tracks composed for you and your pets. Hmm… suddenly, Yanni doesn’t seem so bad after all.

The speaker itself sounds kind of interesting. We like that it’s omnidirectional. That means the 4-inch driver can distribute audio to a 360-degree field. Other features include a 200Hz ~ 12KHz frequency response and the ability to hook to an iPod or any other device with a 3.5mm jack.

It seems that Sparky is a bit of an audio snob because these speakers are not cheap. My Pet Speaker is available now for $249.95 through the Pet Acoustics website. The company says that they will start taking orders through Amazon at some point this month.

On March 14th, Oakland-based Scilly debuted his Audiowood decks at the city’s FiveTen Studios and put a number of different designs on offer, including pieces made from redwood burl and walnut.

One visit to Scilly’s Audiowood site though and it becomes quickly apparent that these one-of-a-kind turntables are selling out fast. However, he’s also available for custom-order work.

According to Scilly, “Most Audiowood turntables are my designs, but I also enjoy working with clients who have their own visions. I build new plinths for vintage turntables and tables that use all-new parts. My all-new tables usually use the Origin Live DC motor controller and quality bearings. Most tables are designed with spacing for Origin Live/Rega arms, but custom tables can be fitted with any arm desired. In the near future I hope to be producing tables with my own platter design incorporating the excellent Teres bearing design. ”

Seriously, if you have a vinyl-lover in your life, this is a beautiful gift. Many of Scilly’s rebuilt pieces use a classic AR XA table and are fitted for Rega arms.

The driver of the SUV slammed on the brakes but it was too late, the man on the bike went for a nice ride right up onto the hood but, only for a second, before sliding down onto the ground. I stood there in awe of the fact that they were both completely clueless and I remember thinking how easily this whole thing could have been avoided. It couldn’t have been more perfect timing as I knew the AirDrives were at home ready for the test.

Now that I have bored you with my ”you had to be there” story let me cut to the chase. Unlike traditional ear buds which fit snugly into your ear to block outside sounds, the AirDrives comfortably wrap around the back of your ear while hovering right outside of the ear canal. This means that you still get plenty of volume all while allowing you to stay aware of everything around you. If the guy on the bike would have only known!

The best way I could possibly explain the sensation is that it sounds as if someone is constantly following you around with a great quality boombox. Not only are these earphones perfect for busy urban areas but they also have a children’s version made with your kids health in mind. These earphones do not directly channel the music right into your child’s head (or adults for that matter) thus preserving their young developing sense of hearing.

The comfortable and seemingly durable design has a frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz and sensitivity of 98db at the source with 80db at the inner ear. The four foot cable also has a convenient volume control built right in, making volume adjustment on the fly a lot easier than reaching into your pocket or band to fumble with a digital wheel volume.

The child version retails at around $49 while the adult version is a cool $79. Check out AirDrives.com for more info.

With it’s sleek interface and stylish looks Logitech’s Squeezebox Duet will allow you to access millions of songs from Internet radio or even your own play lists. All of the music is CD quality, and controlled through the easy to operate handheld device. The best part of it all? With one system, Logitech gives every member of the house the flexibility to listen to their own music.

Configuring this personal DJ could not be more simple. All you have to do is grab one little firmware download, setup your network information, and optionally enter your login information for your favorite user service. It should be noted that Logitech has relationships with the Internets top music providers such as; Radio IO, Radio Time, Live 365, SHOUTcast, Sirius, Pandora, Rhapsody, Slacker, MP3tunes Music Locker, Live Music Archive, and LAST FM.

At $399 this product may seem a bit pricey but, with all of that money you would have otherwise spent on CD’s or .mp3’s this gadget will more than pay for itself.

[ Via SiriusBuzz ]

The embedded operating platform runs on Linux with an integrated UPnP server and USB access for direct access from computer to peripheral and back again. Ripserver is available in two different storage sizes — both 500GB and 1TB — and is compatible with any media player or device that can network share. Reserve yours now for £599 – £699 directly from the manufacturer’s website.

Pick up the eNote Clip-On Digital Chromatic Tuner to take all of the guesswork out of your notes. The eNote works in one of two ways: first is the Mic mode that monitors the sound of your instrument and lets you know if you’re in tune or not. If you’re on point, the display shows the note in bright green display; if you’re off, the display turns red. Simple, right? But if you need even more perfect guidance, the Clip mode — attaching directly to the neck — monitors the vibration of your instrument directly, and features a 360 degree rotating display so you can keep monitoring as you play without constantly stopping to check that you’re in tune. Because the display is backlit the monitor is bright enough to read anywhere, even on the darkest stage. The eNote normally retails for $39.95, but you can pick one up over at Elevation Music for the low low price of $19.75.