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There’s all sorts of snazzy docks available for iPod/iPhones, but music-mad users looking to squeeze the last drops of sonic goodness out of their MP3 collections should perhaps take a peek at Arcam’s irDock.

Replacing their earlier rDock, Arcam’s shiny new high-end audiophile dock sports a die-cast aluminium anti-vibration enclosure with a damped rubber base offering RF shielding, and comes with a bundled remote for full loafing-on-the-sofa control.

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Fabulously daft- yet somehow compellingly clever – are these bizarre eye-controlled earphones which have been shown off at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

We cant say we’ve ever felt aggrieved by the lack of eye controlled earphones out in the market, but Japanese communication giant NTT Docomo reckon they could be reaching into an untapped market of potential eye twitchers.

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Some of the head honchos behind the the development of the original trusty MP3 new music file have unveiled details of an upgraded music format, called MusicDNA.

Created by Norwegian developer Dagfinn Bach – who worked on the first MP3 player back in 1993 – the new MusicDNA format can pack in extra information, including lyrics, videos, artwork and blog posts, and the data can be continually be updated.

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Guitarists who find tuning their instrument a bigger challenge than scaling the Eiger in a suit made of fish may find salvation in TC Electronic’s revolutionary new Polytune – claimed to be the world’s first polyphonic tuner.

The stomp-box sized “tuning miracle” invites guitarists to strum all the strings on their guitar or bass at once, with a 100-strong LED display matrix immediately flagging up which strings are out of tune.

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Musicians on the move have long been partial to lobbing portable recording equipment into the Transit van, ready to lay down any ideas when inspiration strikes.

Back in the day, Tascam Portastudios were all the rage, offering 4 track recording and sound ‘bouncing’ down to a lowly cassette tape, but digital technology has seen the size of recorders shrink, and sound quality improve immeasurably.

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Blue Microphones have updated their ‘Mikey’ bolt on microphone for iPods and iPhones, and it should prove a handy tool for sound recordists, interviewers, musicians and shifty bootleggers.

The first version arrived in 2008, and the new and improved version boasts “improved circuitry for superior recording and enhanced new features,” plus a pair of custom-tuned Blue capsules with settings for recording high-volume concerts.

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We’re big fans of Radiohead, and we loved the disturbing yet beautiful video to ‘House of Cards’ when it came out last year.

The video was created using cutting edge data visualisation techniques, and the folks at Indestructibles.com have produced a guide to creating your own video using the same effect.
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Based on the number of streams each track received in their six launch countries, music streaming site Spotify have released a listing of their most listened-to tracks of 2009.

if you’re a Spotify users, you can listen to the top Spotify tracks playlist featuring the top tracks of the year.

Click on for the listing:

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Trance bands are always banging on about ‘taking you higher’, but a UK outfit are looking to go higher than any other fluoro-donning, repetitive-beat churning  DJs have ever been before, asking Richard Branson if they can supply the background music for Virgin Galactic’s first passenger trip.

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If you listen to the experts, vinyl should be residing in a technology graveyard somewhere, snuggling up next to 8 track cartridges, Amiga computers and Betamax videos, but it’s proving to be the format that really will not die.

According to a new report, the demand for vinyl and turntables is soaring, with the rise particularly evident in New York, where audio outlets are reporting huge increases in LP and turntables sales.

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Taking the art of performance to new levels of dullness is this mobile phone ensemble from the University of Michigan, who dutifully trotted out en masse for a live performance, all clad in Steve Jobs-alike outfits.

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Hoping to tempt flapping consumers still struggling to find the perfect gift for their loved ones is Spotify, who are offering their Spotify Premium e-cards, “just in time for the holidays.”

Announced today, the e-cards lets users purchase one, three or six month premium subscriptions and are apparently delivered with a “tastefully designed email” giving you the opportunity to “print out the gift to place under the Christmas tree this holiday season.”

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Creative are feeling well chuffed with their third generation Vado HD Pocket Video Cam, which they positively insist manages to combine, “sleek design with stunning HD video quality.”

In fact, Steve Erickson, VP and GM for audio and video at Creative was stoked to the max:
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Spotify has tooted on its PR horn and trumpeted the news that its mobile phone app is now available on the Symbian platform, letting zillions of users on Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung handsets gorge themselves on their music streaming service.

Like the iPhone and Android versions, the Symbian version serves up unlimited music streaming, so long as users are shelling out a tenner a month for the premium account and they’re on a fixed data plan offering WiFi or 2.5/3G Internet access.

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If you’re bored stiffer than Mary Whitehouse’s super-starchy ironing board with all this on/off ‘Palm Pre syncing with iTunes’ malarkey, there’s an easier way to shunt tunes on off your device with the latest version of the excellent MediaMonkey desktop software.

The latest update to their excellent music management desktop software now comes with support for syncing the Palm Pre, as well as the iPhone 3GS, the newest iPods and Android devices. Huzzah!

Billed as the ‘music organiser for the serious collector, ‘ the  Windows-only desktop player  comes in two flavours: free and a Gold version ($19.95) which adds support for on-the-fly conversion and audio leveling, autoplaylists, and loads of other nifty stuff.

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