Slashdot Mirror
Top 10 Strangest MP3 Players
A reader writes: "TechEBlog lists the top 10 strangest MP3 players ever, with pictures. From the article: "CURE-alpha is an MP3 player that supposedly emits alpha waves which calm and rejuvinate the brain. They are transmitted at very low frequencies while listening to MP3/WMA files."
Lemme guess, are they running their server on an MP3 player? :P
Join the TWIT army now!
At least their server lasted longer than the battery in my ipod.
To err is human. To forgive is not company policy.
Is Windows Media Player listed?
This little player lets nastiware break into a computer while soothing a user with an mp3...
"the Cure-Alpha mp3 player has been taken off the market due to it causing brain cancer, when interviewed, a spokesperson simply stated, come on who would have thought radiation close to someones brain would cause problems"
The phrase "more better" is acceptable English. suck it grammar Nazis
For those of you who want to get the benefits on the brain by the CURE-alpha model, try out some free software for your PC. Look here
-FL
Mirror:t ech-gadget/top-10-strangest-mp3-players/
http://www.techeblog.com.nyud.net:8080/index.php/
Article Text:
MP3 Players come in all shapes and sizes, that's why our editors decided to compile a list of the "Top 10 Strangest MP3 Players" for your enjoyment.
10. Teddy Bear MP3 Player
This makes our list because...well...it's a teddy bear shaped MP3 player! The keys look almost too tiny to press and it only comes with 128MB built-in memory.
9. Clip Type MP3 Player
For the person who easily loses things, this clip type MP3 player is for you. Measuring 25.6 x 53.2 x 22.6mm and weighing just 20g, it can be clipped just about anywhere.
8. $5 Cereal Box MP3 Player
Coming soon to a vending machine near you. These $5 MP3 players are shaped like mini cereal boxes and play all your favorite MP3 and WMA tracks. At this price, don't expect it to hold more than a few songs.
[TechDigest]
7. Magic Mirror MP3 Player
Shenzhen Xindaxin Technology Co. Ltd. claims that the "screen can be used as a mirror". Other perks include, MP3 playback/recording, FM tuner, and synchronized lyrics.
[StrangeNewProducts]
6. Scented MP3 Players
Who wants a rose, lemon, chocolate, blueberry, strawberry, or rasberry scented MP3 player? Check out the iCool by Solid Alliance.
[AkihabaraNews]
5. Brain Wave MP3 Player
CURE-alpha is an MP3 player that supposedly emits alpha waves which calm and rejuvinate the brain. They are transmitted at very low frequencies while listening to MP3/WMA files.
[I4U]
4.Minty MP3
This is actually an MP3 player you can build yourself. Minty claims that half of the parts can be sampled for free, meaning you'll only end up spending around $50 along with countless hours of brain wracking.
[Minty]
3. NES Controller MP3 Player
Martin Kersch of Germany made great use of a boring Saturday afternoon by transforming an ordinary USB Stick and NES Controller into a fully functional battery powered MP3 Player.
[FutureNews]
2. MP3 Toilet
Technically, it's not a stand alone MP3 player, but rather one that works with your toilet. This SD memory based player attaches to the wall above your toilet and includes a special receiver that goes under the toilet seat, how sanitary.
[Akihabara]
1. PEZ MP3 Player
At first glance, it looks like any other PEZ dispenser, but upon furthur inspection, you'll find a 3.5mm stereo mini jack and music keys. It packs an ample 512MB memory and weighs just 0.78 ounces.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
Coral cache is shifting to port 8080 (instead of the old 8090)
My girlfriend got one of these for Christmas, and it lasted through one use. The guy who sold it was really nice about accepting returns and was very helpful, but the player sucks. There's no display and you have to learn to interpret its Flashing Light Language (tm) to understand what's going on.
I found some info with pictures on the cure-alpha http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/flas h/curealpha-alsonic-mp3-playercureall-111574.php/
Just watched Kung-Fu Hustle last night so maybe I'm a sucker for weird semi-Eastern cure-all MP3 players that produce magical Alpha waves that will cure you of gout, palsy, the croup, Zanzibar hot-heels, quinine poisoning, and dandruff.
This 128MB flash player plays your favorite tunes--or tune, considering the size--and zaps you with powerful waves of energy that are beneficial to humans. Don't believe me? I don't believe me either. But it's nice to dream.
Check out Website development, maintenance and accesibility cons
since the editurs are to busy doing important editorial stuff!
Like checking for dupes
But they recommend switching: (from the coral-announce mailing list)
CoralCDN now listens on both port 8090 AND 8080. Therefore, you can now access Coral by adding 'nyud.net:8080' to any URL.
We actually recommend that people transition to using port 8080: Many corporate firewalls---that otherwise block port 8090---will actually let requests to port 8080 through, as it's a standard alternative to port 80 for running web servers.
We will still continue to offer service on port 8090 for the near future for backwards compatibility.
would all get filtered out by the headphones anyway, because their frequency response starts way too high.
1. Get a free (and Free) solution for Linux and Windows: SBaGen Binaural Wave Generator
:-p
2. Encode the generated file to an mp3.
3. Upload it to your mp3 player.
4. Voila! You now too can have this feature on your non-CURE-alpha player.
Disclaimer: I'm not sure if these files are scientifically shown to actually do anything good to your mind besides buzzing a lot? The tool speaks of out-of-body experiences, lucid dreaming, "clear thought", and even more, so this would be like a free software solution of some nifty drug if true, but I kind of doubt it works to 100% for everyone.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
I think a Billy Bass Mouth would make a strange MP3 player or any of the dozens of different singing fish, birds, or animals on the market. What about a lava lamp or pet rock mp3 player? Just think of all the sex toy MP3 players you could make. Imagine a dildo playing NIN "Closer". The possibilities are endless.
"You'll get nothing, and you'll like it!"
I reckon the iPod Shuffle is pretty damn strange. Listen to up to 1 GB of songs, but never know what you're listening to! ... and never be able to skip through songs at a rate of more than 1 per second! ... and skip through them only randomly, or in sequential order, no playlists! ... I've since sold my iPod Shuffle on eBay. (incidentally, for the same price I bought it, with my student discount)
Ok, it isn't real, but I once submitted this as an article and it was rejected. /. could have a blast with this one...like I can't wait to get my hands on one of these!
s ical-breast-implants/
http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/13/medical-and-mu
Usurper_ii
Ron Paul
The clip one, for instance, seems quite useful. Clip it onto your backpack strap, no accessories required. Even the Pez player isn't so strange: the form factor is perfect, it's a great useful novelty, and the "where'd you get that?" effect would be awesome.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
wow, the Minty player instructions were so much more than what you normally see for DIY projects on the net. It invovled getting a board custom made (where you get it done is up to you) and soldering chips onto the board by hand. I'd think anybody who is adept enough to do the previous couple of steps probably doesn't need a lot of help in building their own player, other than the helpful list of free components you can get from different companies as samples.
In the end, the guy pretty much admitted that an iPod shuffle would only be marginally more expensive and way easier to get. There is a certain panache with running an MP3 player out of an Altoids tin, but it's definatly a project you do because you find soldering/building fun, not because you want an MP3 player.
I read the internet for the articles.
Just think of all the sex toy MP3 players you could make. Imagine a dildo playing NIN "Closer". Strangely enough, someone has already imagined it: http://www.talkingheadvibrators.com/home.php
"CURE-alpha is an MP3 player that supposedly emits alpha waves which calm and rejuvinate the brain"
If you want to sell a product that does absolutely nothing - like a great many holistic or naturopathic remedies - without worrying about being called on it, just couch the claims in soft language. "Rejuvenate", "revitalize", "recharge". If you can't measure it, you can't say it's false. For bonus points, refer to "aura" or "essence".
Makes me grumpy. Perhaps I need to take something to improves "wellbeing".
It sounds like something AOL would call their customers, and anyone who uses the term should be shot...
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
The MP3 toilet doesn't actually exist - it was an april fools joke played on employees at TOTO - the Japanese company that makes bidet style washing seats and thrones. I guess the link or pics got out into the wild or somebody decided this was a good idea... There are worse uses for mp3 technology.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." ~The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Electrical activity. Alpha waves are circa 10 Hz patterns recorded by EEGs. Technically there should be some EM at about the same frequency, but if you talk about EM brain activity nuts come out of the woodwork (I don't know WHY they like EM so much... much better to make things up about things we CAN'T measure).
In some cases if you stimulate sensory neurons with certain frequencies they sometimes synch up with that frequency. Strobe lights CAN cause seizures for example. I have doubts 10 Hz pulses played underneath music will do much.
Since lucid dreaming is just a mental thing, if a person is convinced that the binaural waves will induce a lucid dream, they likely will. Psychologists talking patients through lucid dreaming don't use special diets or chakra stimulating or whatever crap like that, they mostly just reinforce in the patients that they can and will lucid dream (through whatever -- hypnosis, mantras, talking to them...).
No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.