Gadgets
Memorex SingStand Might Actually Make Karaoke Cool Again
Posted by Wilson Rothman at 7:00 AM on September 22, 2008
The galaxy of gimmicky karaoke machines was starting to fade before Memorex's SingStand came along. This baby organically melds mic stand and iPod dock, and at $US70 doesn't even put you into debt to do so. The base is where the brains are—vox effects like reverb plus "Auto Voice Control" for removing original song vocals—along with two 4-watt "full-range" speakers. There's even a second mic input for Sonny-and-Cher-Pre-Divorce moments. The catch is that there's no 30-pin connector for charging or enhanced iPod control, but at least a 3.5mm miniplug means you can pop in your Zune or Sansa too. [Memorex via Electronista]

Microsoft just confirmed that Lips is not just an awkward prerelease codename but the final title of the Xbox 360 karaoke game with
I'll admit it, some karaoke singers are worth listening to—from a distance—but even then my inner sound-technician always cries at their awkward mike-handling: and that's where this freestanding microphone would be great. The Crosley CR25 Talent Show Kit may even add a little old-time radio show class to karaoke with its retro looks, inspired by a 1956 Sears Wishbook. It probably can't turn you into the next Nat King Cole, but it does have microphone, amp and feedback/distortion suppression built in so at least it should sound good. Available soon for US$79.95. [
Fans of Karaoke probably already own Griffin's iKaraoke attachment for the iPhone, but their iKaraoke TunePrompter takes singing by yourself to the next level. You can now take song lyrics and create your own Karaoke videos with them and display it on the iPod Video or the iPhone, allowing you to both watch lousy home-made videos and know what the words are to all your songs. [
Last week we told of something that would bring more fear to public transport users than
Some may call this latest iPod/iPhone patent from Apple "dynamics lyrics display for portable media devices," but we call this Karaoke City. The patent details a scheme to activate "karaoke style lyrics," which then grabs lyrics and displays the lyrics in time and in sync with the music that's playing. This way, the right words are highlighted at the right time, automagically, thanks to the software that supposedly detects and matches vocals to lyrics. If they can make ANY song a karaoke song, it'll make driving to the supermarket infinitely more fun than it is now. [
Those of you who feel that your car's Sat-Nav system is lacking something need to move to Korea. Or import iNavi's latest baby, the G1. As well as having a screen that can show off everything from buildings to mountains in glorious 3-D, there is a geomagnetic sensor to stop you getting lost when the GPS signal tails off. But it's the entertainment side of the G1 that really rocks. I mean, REALLY.