B&H has a new shipment of refurbished iPods to unload, which includes 8GB iPod Touch models for $149.95.  Here’s a link to the full list of refurbished iPods at B&H.

Just in time for the new Netflix app, eh?

During CES 2010 Tom Merrit and Rafe Needleman of CNET sat down with Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of MP3. Brandenburg is a professor at the Institute for Media Technology at Technical University of Ilmenau and also serves as director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau.

MP3 is short for MPEG- 1 Layer 3 and is enjoyed by millions of people daily.  Audiophiles often discredit MP3 for compressing and removing audio data found in the original recording.

Interview Discussion:  (video is roughly 17 min.)

• Origins of MP3 (what was it trying to solve, how was it named, file extension?)
• Reasons for success of MP3
• Problems with MP3 (pre echo issue with percussive material)
• MP3 vs. AAC (“AAC is what MP3 should have been from the beginning”)
• How MP3 works (Psychoacoustics, masking, quantization noise)
• Audiophiles and MP3s
• Best encoding bitrate
• Blind testing
• Future of MP3… MP3 Surround, MP3 metadata databases

[via Audio Design Line, via CNET]

TuneBug is a SurfaceSound device that turns hard surfaces in a speaker by using the surface to pass the sound waves from the device.  TuneBug comes in a couple of different flavors. The TuneBug Vibe is a SurfaceSound speaker for desktop or tabletop use (or any other hard surface).  All you have to do is plug in you iPod, MP3 player or other audio source and set the TuneBug Vibe down on the surface.  There’s also a teaser for third flavor, the TuneBug Quake, on the TuneBug website, but no details yet.

The TuneBug Shake is one of the coolest devices that I saw at CES 2010.  The Shake straps onto your bike (or skateboard, or whatever) helmet and uses the helmet as the hard surface to hit with sound waves.  The Shake lets you rock while you ride your bike, skateboard, snowboard or whatever, but lets you still keep your ears in tune with your surroundings.

One of my big concerns when I first saw the TuneBug shake was the method of controlling it.  It looked like it was capacitive-touch at first, but it turns out to be proximity controls, which means you can operate it with gloves on.  At the end of the video below, you’ll see me running through some of the controls and I hold my hand over it to turn it off and on – not trying to pray with it as some wise-crack standing next to me asks (…punk).  So, yeah, I think this could work for bikers anyone else that wears a helmet, but still needs ears free.

Now, I know a lot of cyclists will plug in headphones, but I consider that a big risk.  For me, those 2 and 3 hour road rides are just plain boring white noise – but there’s no way I’m sticking earbuds in my ears while I ride on the highway – or even on singletrack, lest I collide with another MTB’er.  The TuneBug Shake was made for people like me and I can’t wait to get my hands on one to take it for a real test spin (pun intended).

The TuneBug Vibe will set you back $60 street, while the Shake runs $120 (pre-order only through TuneBug.com at this time).

Additional PR-speak from TuneBug in the press release below.

TuneBug Press Release

LAS VEGAS, CES, – (January 6, 2010) – TuneBug, an innovative leader in SurfaceSound technology for portable speaker solutions, unveils a line of new products that will transform the current landscape for mobile speaker products. Using NXT’s patented technology, Tunebug’s line of products generates sound waves that pass through the surfaces it rests on, turning those surfaces into speakers. One of the first sound generators from their line to be showcased includes the Shake, a small attachable device for bike, ski and skateboard helmets which create surround sound inside of the helmet by “exciting” the entire helmet surface which then becomes a speaker. Tunebug is also releasing the Vibe, an ultra portable SurfaceSound speaker for your desktop, tabletop, and other available surfaces.

“We are very excited to unveil our Tunebug products using the NXT patented SurfaceSound Technology at CES 2010,” says Dick Brown, CEO of TuneBug. “We hope to add an entirely new solution to listening to music while on the go, anytime, anywhere especially for bikers, skateboarders, skiers, and others who until now have not been able to listen to music safely while wearing a helmet.”

The Tunebug Shake is an ultra-portable sound generator for bike, ski and skate helmets, which can be connected to iPods, MP3 players, mobile phones, or any other portable music device wirelessly using Bluetooth technology or by audio cable. When mounted on one of these helmets, the Shake creates a surround sound experience and provides a great solution for bikers, skateboarders and skiers to avoid the danger of being unaware of their surrounding by having earphones in. It has a rechargeable battery with about 5 hours of playtime and charges via the included USB cord. Fill your helmet with surround sound music starting January 30, 2010 for $119.95 at www.tunebug.com.

Today Amazon has announced the second annual “25 days of free” downloads at Amazon MP3 store.  Amazon MP3 editors have handpicked Christmas songs and downloads will be available for free from now through Christmas.  I will definitely be taking advantage. You can click here to get to the MP3 store.

Sample Album

Press Release

[via Amazon]