multimedia

Anyone who's visited a mall in the last decade knows that massage chairs are a dime a dozen--or perhaps several grand, depending on the model--but we just can't pass up one that comes from a company called "Jovial." And it's not just any manufacturer, but one that claims to be "China's leader in massage chairs" (we'll have to take their word for it).

Geographic hyperbole aside, it's latest offering alone has got to put it high on the list: As well as some advanced bodywork technology, it promises to … Read more

We'll leave those motorized "Bumper Boats" to the kids. As far as we're concerned, Astone's "Sit N Joy" is the only way to enjoy the water.

This is no ordinary inflatable float, mind you. It's a buoyant multimedia massage chair with integrated speakers that can be connected to a media player stowed safely inside a watertight compartment in one of the armrests. (The chair's remote controls are built into the other arm.)

In fact, Astone says it's comfortable enough to be used outside the pool as well. We're wondering … Read more

Starting Thursday at the Eyebeam Gallery in Chelsea, the four-day Blip Festival celebrates the new(ish) musical genre "chiptune" and its associated fat-pixel video aesthetic. Brooklynites, run down there, would you, and report back on the "40 artists adopting and repurposing familiar but forgotten hardware--such as the Commodore 64, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Atari game console and home computer line, and the Nintendo Game Boy."

Read the full story at The New York Times .

The GOM Media Player (hands-on review) is more than meets the eye. The free multimedia player has presets to optimize sound quality (see CNET video) and some interesting built-in tools for capturing images (see CNET video) and correcting exposure for video playback. It also supports subtitles for karaoke glory.

Meet GOM Media Player in the First Look video below, or see other First Look videos.

Programmers behind the BusyBox collection of open-source utilities have settled a September lawsuit that contended Monsoon Multimedia's use of the software violated the General Public License (GPL).

Under the terms of the settlement, Monsoon may ship its Hava digital TV products using the BusyBox software without objection from BusyBox, according to a joint announcement Tuesday from Monsoon and the Software Freedom Law Center, which represents BusyBox.

In addition, Monsoon has agreed to appoint an open-source compliance officer to monitor the issue, to publish on its Web site the source code for the version of BusyBox it uses, to undertake &… Read more

At first glance this multimedia spa didn't seem particularly special, especially given its optional 17-inch LCD. After all, we've already seen versions with others with screens as large as 42 and even 61 inches. But Coast Spas is apparently trying to make the case that size isn't everything (at least where the TV is concerned).

The "Extreme Spa" focuses on other features, such as a Sony sound system, Boss controls, DVD player, LED-equipped headrests, underwater lights and even a towel warmer. And it claims to seat eight people comfortably, according to Luxurylaunches, for $16,000. … Read more

We hate to say this, but we fear that this whole multimedia-kitchen thing may be getting out of hand. As much as we appreciated the built-in LCDs, espresso makers and, of course, beer on tap (we're human, after all), those conveniences were restricted mostly to the refrigerator--where we spend most of hour waking hours anyway. But a range hood? That's a little sick, even for us.

Nevertheless, Siemens plans to introduce its "Media Range Hood" to North American markets sometime next year, Appliancist says. Based on the "AvantGarde MultiMedia Hood" that has been selling … Read more

Multimedia watches have been on the market for awhile now, but most of them look like something a deep-sea diver might wear. Stylish headphone maker Skullcandy, however, has taken its considerable design expertise and applied it to the wrist instead of the ear with its "Bully" line.

We presume that the watch owes its name to its touted durability, including a non-scratch sapphire crystal and water resistance up to 100 meters. But it still seems like something of a misnomer, particularly for the pink version. It matters not: As someone famous once said, it's how you look … Read more

In addition to the disc-ripping and -burning capabilities with which Nero first made its mark, the digital-media suite also offers a bevy of options for managing movies, music, and photos. Nero helps you create and edit videos and music files, share that content online, turn your PC into a media center, and back up and recover data in case of disaster. Nero 8 includes a revamped entry page in addition to new support for burning and creating HD and Blu-ray CDs and DVDs.

Nero 8 costs $79 to download, $99 for the box, and $49 to upgrade from Nero 7 Ultra Edition. In the past, Nero has not issued a new version of its software every year, unlike so many other brands. Instead, a new package would come onto the market every other year or so. Peppered between each release were significant updates that Nero's 50 million or so active users could download for free. Now, however, Nero will follow an annual version-update schedule.… Read more