By Elianne Halbersberg
You’ve been there: in line at the grocery store, the waiting room in a doctor’s office, an afternoon matinee, Sunday service at church, a cross-country flight. One minute you’re minding your own business, …

By Elianne Halbersberg
Imagine a boombox/MP3 player/recorder and flash drive/thumb drive … around your neck. Does it sound absurd? Futuristic? Impossible? Too good to be true? Sid Richlin, creator of the Rad Blaster and one of …

By Elianne Halbersberg
“Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.” — apple.com

“Um … OK … but for $499, which is still a huge amount of money to …

By Elianne Halbersberg
Remember that New Year’s Eve party you attended a few weeks ago? Bad enough that the cheapskate host served stale chips and watered-down drinks, but even the music was lame. Holding your Coke …

By Elianne Halbersberg
During the past year, the Planet Ill team has been keeping readers up to date on new gear—everything from phone apps to electronic drum kits. As 2009 comes to a close, we thought …

By Elianne Halbersberg
The MPD18 is the newest addition to Akai Professional’s pad controllers. As the smallest model in MPD line, the MPD18 is portable, lightweight, easily integrated and remarkably durable.
Don’t be fooled by its dimensions, …

By Elianne Halbersberg    
The advent of the Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW, singularly revolutionized the way musicians and producers create and record music. With an infinite number of sounds, beats, plug-ins and options at their fingertips, …

By Elianne Halbersberg
Whether you need a quality at-home practice kit, a backup kit for jamming with your band, or you are investing in your future as a drummer, the Alesis DM6 is a great choice.
The …

By Anthony Kennedy
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Eidos/Warner Bros. (PS3/360)
Let’s be honest, the announcement of a new Batman video game didn’t actually meet with overwhelming approval from hardcore gamers and Dark Knight fans. Have you looked at …

By Anthony Kennedy
The Beatles: Rock Band
Publisher: Harmonix/MTV Games (PS3/360/Wii)
In an industry full of huge licenses, Harmonix scored arguably the biggest mainstream license that exists: The Beatles. Deciding to one-up Activision’s Guitar Hero franchise (a series …

By Elianne Halbersberg
Fashion, style, vogue — that’s the concept behind V-MODA, where sound and sexy come together to create a new world of music, headphones, clothing, and instruments. Calling themselves “the first music lifestyle company,” …

By Reverend Ox
Steve Jobs is back!  Now most people don’t care, but this dude is the master of making people think that they have to buy a product or they’re not cool.  So what did Jobs and …

By Reverend Ox
September 9, 2009 has a plethora of tech heads and Apple groupies foaming at the mouth.  Hey, the invites read “It’s only Rock and Roll, but we like it.”  They are trying to …

By Elianne Halbersberg
If you have ever tuned in to Survivor—and who hasn’t—then you have heard Russ Landau’s music. However, the reality show is only one example of his remarkable, multi-faceted career. Landau scores an ongoing …

By Elianne Halbersberg
Perhaps the most common phrase in music history comes from frustrated parents, partners and spouses: “Turn that damn thing down!” Whether you’re a musician in the making, a practicing artist, or part of a …

By Anthony Kennedy
Publisher: EA Sports
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Madden may get all the hype when it comes to football video gaming, but don’t sleep on EA Sports’ college pigskin game. While everyone’s waiting for the …