Multi-functionality is very important nowadays. The consumers are always on the go and live a fast-paced life that is why convenience is very much important for them. Portability and convenience also comes to the picture. This is why gadget manufacturers try their best in aiming to cater these needs.

Apple’s iPod Touch is one of the most popular gadgets that have several functions being enjoyed by millions of its consumers. With features ranging from music and iTunes, games and various apps to high definition video recording and FaceTime, consumers are assured that this gadget is a total entertainment package.

The new iPod Touch comes in two colors, black and white. Both colors give off a slick and classic vibe. It also includes iOS5, hailed as “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system”. It lets the user to easily browse, read, and view everything with just once touch on the screen. The interface is intuitive and innovative, that makes everything easier to use. Apple also introduced the multi-touch interface, a revolutionary feature that is designed for the user’s finger. It also enables the user to avail more than 200 exciting and entertaining apps. The performance and stability of iPod Touch’s operating system saves the phone’s power in an efficient manner, resulting into a good battery life. It is also easier to multitask since the iOS does not slow down the performance of the current app you are using and that won’t drain the battery easily.

The display of this new iPod Touch has also been improved. This was possible because of the Retina display technology that makes the pixel density high so that the user’s eye is unable to distinguish the individual pixels on the screen. Thus, the images are crisper and sharper. It also has LED backlighting and a light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of your screen for the best viewing possible, letting you preserve battery life. This makes the gaming, viewing and browsing experience more enjoyable and brings it to a whole new experience.

The Apple App Store also offers 500,000 apps in various categories that you can choose from, and all of this can be easily accessed with your iPod Touch. The App Store also offers over 100,000 games and entertainment titles, making the iPod Touch as “the world’s most popular portable gaming device”.

Users can easily send messages via iMessage that works over Wi-Fi. Photos, videos, locations and contacts can be sent through this feature too. The Game Center also took a level-up since the user can now do more things to it, like uploading photo to your gamer profile and meet new opponents through your current friends. The old apps and features that the consumers all loved such as videos, mail, Safari, photos, maps, Youtube, and voice memos have been all improved as well.

The new iPod Touch has lots to offer to its consumers. Apple was able to improve one of the most loved gadgets in the world, which is definitely a good thing. With its advanced and exciting features, the new iPod Touch is definitely worth the buy. iPods for sale from the following retailers

These days there’s no denying the influence computers have over the music we listen to. Technology like digital mastering means everything we listen to sounds perfect, and Auto tune’s made it possible for rappers like Kanye West, Little Wayne, and T Pain to sound like professional singers in their music. In fact, it seems that the latest Toshiba computers have made mistakes in music production a thing of the past, with each track carefully tweaked and refined to sound just right. Here at audiophilez we want to ask the question ‘is this really a good thing for the music industry?’. Here’s a few reasons why we believe it isn’t:

1) Poor Live Performances

We’ve all heard the stories, and many of us have even lived the experience. At the very least, everyone’s caught a performer flopping onstage in front of thousands of disappointing fans. The reason for these lackluster performances? Over expectations based on computer-perfected radio tracks! The ability to make even the most banshee-like vocals sound angelic means people will pay hundreds to see their favorite singers perform live, only to discover that in reality they can’t actually sing. Or worse, the performer lip syncs to their mastered tunes in an effort to hide their poor vocal talents. We think taking fans for a ride is unfair, and in our opinion the computer is to blame!

2) It actually dosn’t sound that great!?

Auto tune is supposed to make you sound good right? Wrong!! Auto tune makes you sound like some sort of computer fish singing under water – it’s unnatural! (Southpark fans should check out S13 E05 for an hilarious parody on the topic)

Let us know what you think in the comments below. If you ask us music should be kept as real as possible. It’s a form of human expression and companies like Microsoft and Apple can just stay out the way!

The band with a sound that just won’t quit has done well for themselves this decade.  With a resurgence in the popularity of bygone hits like “Livin’ on a Prayer”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and “You Give Love a Bad Name” thanks to their inclusion in the popular game Rock Band, they’ve managed to reach a whole new audience and ride the wave of success to bigger and better things (which is pretty incredible considering the millions of records this band has sold worldwide).  They’ve also released six albums over the last ten years, including the eminently popular Have a Nice Day.  And what’s amazing is that this one-time hair band from Jersey is heading into their fourth decade as entertainers with enough momentum to stay viable for another decade.  And they plan to kick it off right with a headlining gig at the Hard Rock Calling Festival 2011.

The festival is scheduled to take place in London’s Hyde Park starting Friday, June 24^th and ending Sunday, June 26^th of 2011, with music starting around 3:00pm and ending around 10:30pm each night.  Bon Jovi is set to play Saturday, June 25^th, although it is just one of three UK dates on next summer’s European concert tour.  The Calling Festival next summer will commemorate Hard Rock’s 40^th anniversary and Hard Rock International couldn’t be happier to have a band of Bon Jovi’s stature lighting up the stage at their penultimate event.  CEO Hamish Dodds cited not only the band’s success (and rabid fan base), but also their long and fruitful relationship with the Hard Rock organization as reasons for seeking the collaboration.  And there’s no doubt that they will draw a crowd.  Earlier in the year they sold out 12 solid nights at the O2 in London, something that the band claims still gives them a thrill.  And why not?  There are only a handful of bands worldwide (and throughout history) that have had the luck and longevity to continue doing what they love for over 30 years, much less pack stadiums and receive top billing.

So far Bon Jovi is the first and only band to confirm their presence at the Hard Rock Calling Festival, but they’re bound to be in esteemed company.  This year’s festival featured such big names as Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, and Stevie Wonder, so there’s no doubt that next year’s audience will be in for some wild times with a lot of great bands, although it would likely be worth the ticket price just to get a look at the still-very-sexy members of Bon Jovi (especially with their penchant for gun-bearing sleeveless tees).  In any case, there will be more music than you can shake a stick at, and all of it no doubt excellent.

Tickets for the blessed event go on sale this Monday, November 1^st at 9:00 am and start at about £60 per day, or around $95 U.S.  But don’t wait to purchase tickets.  If previous years are any indication, it will be a quick sellout. 

Norman Harris is the owner of Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California. Norm specializes in high end vintage guitars in addition to basses, amps, and accessories.

Fifteen years ago it was almost unimaginable to listen to free streaming music on your computer or to download music, let alone putting it on an iPod. No, a mere fifteen years ago Discmans, or portable CD players, were still all the rage and in fact basically the most advanced thing an average listener would use. Even these Discmans were relatively new to the scene and companies were still trying to advance the technology enough to make it so your disc wouldn’t skip when you moved. Disc skip protection was highly coveted amongst users for a mere 5, 10, or 30 seconds. Hard to imagine skipping music now!

Fast forward just a few years and the ability to and interest in downloading music was beginning to catch on. Websites like Napster and Kazaa helped set the stage for a new era of how consumers would acquire and listen to their music. This time period ushered in a litany of lawsuits and copyright infringement cases as well, and new laws and punishments for downloading music began to emerge. “Pirating” music began to become a household term and a widely known concept.

At this time, people would mostly download music to burn onto mix CDs. Even though these CDs would only have about 12-15 songs on them, the ability to have multiple artists and your own selection of songs on one CD was a great pleasure. Gone were the days of having to wait for your favorite song to come on the radio and run to try to record it to tape!

A few years later and things have changed a lot, and quickly, since those days. Now very few people listen to CDs on Discmans anymore; almost everyone can be seen rocking out to their mp3s on their iPods, cell phones and other portable media players. Thousands and thousands of songs, artists and albums can be kept in one place or on one player on the go. And at home, it is rare that people play CDs even on their home music systems; many opt to simply stream music through their computer, listen to online radio stations or play their mp3 collection.

Along with all the positives and conveniences that have come from this digitization of music, many challenges have cropped up too. Music piracy is a big issue now and there are hundreds of ways for people to acquire or distribute music illegally that are relatively difficult to control or track, which upsets many recording artists and their labels.

However, on the positive flip side, this digitization of the music industry has also made dissemination of new, fresh, unsigned talent much easier to reach the masses and new talent is heard and discovered across the world in a much faster and more independent way. Plus, some recording artists and labels actually embrace the easy sharing of digital files and will do special releases or albums for their fans specifically for free dispersal, which earns big nods and appreciation from the listeners.

It is interesting to try to guess what will come next for the music industry. Things are always changing in this digital age and the music industry has already seen a lot of major advancements and changes in only about 15 years!

Vera Mosley has been in the music industry for more than ten years and is now a writer for a music streaming website.  When she is not scoping out the newest artists, Vera loves to travel and see the world.

Haddon 22, lead singer of British band sadly died after climbing and jumping off a telecommunications mast behind the main stage where they performed in Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium after their Friday gig.

Charles Hatton

According to reports from authorities and testimonies from several festival attendees, Haddon had committed suicide hours after he stage-dived into the crowd during a performance causing a female audience member to be severely injured in her back. Investigators have received information that Haddon might have been scared that he crippled the girl so he committed suicide.

Other audience members who have witnessed the stage-dive reported that Haddon did not mean to hurt anyone. The people in the pit ran away instead of catching him because they were caught off-guard. This is the reason why his stage-dive had gone wrong and resulted in the girl’s injury, who was not able to run away. Some of the witnesses also added that Haddon felt bad after seeing the injured fan.

After the performance, Haddon then had an argument with his band members. Hours after, his body was seen in the parking lot below the mast.

The injured audience member has a broken leg and broken vertebrae but is expected to have a full recovery.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool is a British synthpop group known for their debut single “Dance the way I feel” and their support for La Roux on their UK tour. They were set to perform in various European festival and  to take part on Australia’s Parklife festival next month. Their debut album entitled “Christ has died for our synths” is due to be released on October.

The band has officially released a statement saying that they are “deeply saddened” by the death of Haddon. They also thanked everyone who sent their support and messages.

Haddon’s memorial is expected to be attended by family and close friends.

Dannii, who was born in 1971, started in show business in the early 1980s. She appeared in Young Talent Time, an Australian talent show. She also portrayed a role in a soap opera called Home and Away. Eventually, music was calling on her and she was launched as a pop singer during the early 90s. In addition, Dannii’s Neon Nights album is considered to be the most successful release in her musical career. As time flew, Dannii also tried her luck with modeling. Currently, she is a judge for The X Factor as well as America’s Got Talent.

However, there’s an even bigger star in Dannii’s eyes right now—she has recently given birth to her and boyfriend Kris Smith’s  firstborn Ethan Edward Smith last Monday. The new addition to the family was born at Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne. Dannii was originally supposed to give birth at home, but had to leave for the hospital due to complications faced midway through the birthing process.

In relation, Dannii Minogue’s management staff reports that “Mother and baby are doing well and dad is very proud”. “They request their privacy at this special time to adjust as new parents.” Also, Smith’s Twitter account reads as “On behalf of the 3 of us I would like to thank you all for your kind words and best wishes. It means a lot to us.”

On the other hand, Kylie Minogue’s tweet is as follows: “Congratulations to my little Sister, @danniiminogue and @krissmith13 on their beautiful baby boy, Ethan. He is gorgeous!!!”

As evidence to Larrikin’s claim that Men at Work plagiarised part of Kookaburra Sits on the Gum Tree, Martin Armiger was presented to the court. Mr. Amiger is currently employed at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School where he happens to lead screen composition. He is also a good friend to the band in question. Moreover, Martin Amiger maintains that the two songs are identical although giving him different impressions. He shares that Down Under has a South Pacific style compared to Kookaburra’s Victorian music style.

Men At Work ordered by a judge to hand over royalties from their No 1 hit single Down Under.

A source from the music industry shares that Men at Works’s Down Under has made an estimate of $14M since it was first released in 1982. It seems that Men at Work will only have to pay Larrikin Music $700,000 since the judge who handled the case ordered the former to pay only 5% of royalties instead of the 50% claim that the latter was asking for.

Apparently, Justice Peter Jacobsen feels that said claim is “overreaching, excessive and in my view unrealistic”. He also adds that there are other factors to be considered. According to the judge, weighing “the significance of the bars of Kookaburra to the overall musical qualities of Down Under” were done in order for the court to calculate the amount that Men at Work should pay Larrikin.

Hence, royalties dating back to 2002 onwards should be made payable to Larrikin Music. Colin Hay (guitar player) and Ron Strykert (vocalist) were also the songwriters of Down Under, did not attend court during judgement day.