The Muji CD player is US-only, and at $178 USD it’s quite pricey too. Order yours at Muji’s online store.

[via Uncrate]

The LEGO boombox has an analog radio and CD player, but you can connect other audio players via its 3.5-mm input jack. You can plug it in or take it to the streets with 6 C batteries. Check out its product page at Digital Blue for more specs.

[via InventorSpot]

DTS is neat, sure, but… on a CD player? In an iPod-equipped world? This player had better be real cheap, or at least have a USB/mini-USB port so people can link their DAPs into it. Wonder why they didn’t incorporate DTS into a portable player instead.

[via CrunchGear]

I can’t even remember the last time I saw a 5¼ floppy. To make it even more retro, Adam printed the track list using a typewriter-like font:

Nice. I guess we know who “won” that year for best compilation. All we need’s some Ice-T and we are breakin’.

Pair this sleeve with the floppy CD-R and you’ll open a warp hole to the 80’s. Let’s not do that.

[via Likecool]

This ingenious storage system doubles as a giant LED clock, so you’ll actually be getting some utility out of an otherwise single-purpose bookshelf. The oversize clock conceals red 7-segment LED displays for each digit in the edges of the storage cubes.

Measuring in at a 28″ (w) x 14″ (h) x 5″ (d), you certainly won’t miss the time on this clock. And of course, if you no longer listen to CDs, you should be able to stack small books, DVDs, video games or Blu-Ray discs in the cubbyholes.

I haven’t found a U.S. retailer who carries these, but if you’re up for importing a bunch, you can put in a wholesale inquiry to it’s Hong Kong manufacturer, Anka.

The Cathay PK-24 desktop stereo looks like a miniature grand piano, but when you pop its lid, there’s a CD player hiding in there. Playback controls have been cleverly disguised as piano keys, and the speakers are hidden in the sides of the piano case. It’s also got an FM radio built in for those days when you’re tired of your Beethoven and Bach and want to listen to some commercials instead.

And if the basic black baby grand doesn’t excite you, it’s also available in white and hot pink versions. The piano CD player is currently only available in Asia, where it costs a whopping ¥19,000 (about $173 USD, yeesh).

For some reason, I’m guessing it’s not the world’s most comfortable chair, but it sure beats sitting on a bunch of 8-track tapes.

I’m really not sure why he named his creation the “Panda Chair”, since all I see are CDs and a metal frame — no pandas anywhere in sight. Maybe it’s the same reason that Chinese mall food joint is called Panda Express. Every time I try to order the Kung Pao Panda, they look at me like I have three heads.

[via designboom]

Using a technology called “iTunes Tagging”, you can flag songs that you’ve heard on HD Radio broadcasts and queue them up for purchase via the iTunes store. The integration automatically sends the list of tracks to the docked iPod, then iTunes will automatically mark them for purchase when you sync up with your computer. (Hopefully they’ll update this to work with the new iTunes Wi-Fi store on the iPhone and iPod Touch once that’s live too.)

The $499 I-Sonic ES2 will be available from retailers, including the Apple Store and PolkAudio.com starting this October.

Looking more like an uber-modern electric guitar than a turntable, the Vestax S-1 Premium lets DJs move around the stage just like other members of the band. By incorporating a 12-inch platter controller which operates a skip-proof CD/MP3 player, musicians can spin tunes complete with all the effects that they’re used to having on traditional turntable. There’s also a built-in sampler, but it’s limited to just 8 seconds of recording for some odd reason.

Vestax custom makes each S-1 Premium controller to order, and they sell for around $3000 each.

[photo via ScratchWorx]

In addition to the requisite AM/FM/CD/MP3 capabilities, the Philips BTM288 stereo system will be able to connect to mobile phones and media devices via Bluetooth. According to a snippet from the draft User Manual, the stereo will allow both speakerphone calling and wireless audio playback from connected devices.

The stereo can also rip CD, MP3 and WMA tracks from either a disc or a Bluetooth device to a USB storage device or to an SD/MMC memory card.

Philips hasn’t yet announced a price or release date for the system.

The player was designed by Japan’s Hers Design, some of the same minds who brought us the Xbox 360 case design. The company offers a variety of sleek, modern electronics and appliances under the Metaphys brand name.

It’s unclear if and when this design will go into production, since they’re still listing it as a design prototype. I’d be concerned that somebody might slice off a finger or two with it.

The Sonoro Cubo is a compact, all-in-one sound system, complete with FM radio, CD player and auxiliary input for your portable media player. Each one is encased in a wooden enclosure with either a colored lacquer or natural wood finish. They come in a variety of colors, and make a dramatic statement on any bookshelf.

The one thing that I don’t care for is the fact that there’s only a single speaker in the Cubo. While it’s got a bass-reflex design to enhance the low-end, don’t expect there to be any sort of meaningful sound field coming out of it.

Cubo sound systems retail for about €255 (around $349 USD.) They currently only come with a European power supply, so you’ll need a converter if you want to use on in the US or Japan.

[via Domokyo]

To shake the old CD up a bit, the designers of Poland’s Baba Akcja have taken the boring round disc and turned it into something far more visually interesting.

The discs were designed to symbolize various computer viruses, but I’m just drawn to the bright colors and shapes. My personal favorite: the tribute to the old 5-1/4″ floppy disk.

Given their odd shapes, I’m not sure you’d ever get these discs to survive spinning around in your CD player at thousands of revolutions per minute, but I still think they look cool.

[via DesignSpotter via GeekAlerts]

It looks like each one should hold about 10 discs, but I’d love to see a bunch of them in one place, holding an entire CD collection. The storage component is made from MDF, while the person is cast from resin.

Other designs include a little dude climbing onto the CD shelf, and another one one who’s holding them back from toppling over. They’re available from Wrapables for $39.95 each.

[via NOTCOT]

The TX-0088 Portable DVD Player not only features movie playback from DVDs, it can also play MP4 format videos burned to disc or a USB flash drive. The player’s TV receiver can handle over the air television broadcasts in PAL, SECAM and NTSC formats, so it should work just about anywhere in the world.

In addition, it can play emulated classic games from the Nintendo NES 8-bit console. It even ships with two controllers so you can get your retro game on. About the only downside I can see is the player’s 8-inch screen which is a standard def 4:3 ratio, so DVD playback will be cropped or letterboxed.

In the sound department, the TX-0088 offers Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound via an optical output, as well as built-in virtual surround sound. You can also transmit the audio signal to your car stereo via the player’s FM transmitter. If you just want to listen to the radio, its got its own FM tuner built in too.

The whole system is available from importer Chinavasion for the odd price of $172.59.

The $489 BlueDot Divita Storage Tower holds up to 100 CDs or DVDs and lets you easily access them by disc name using the built-in 1.8″ LCD screen and numeric

It features 5.1-channel surround sound, an AM/FM/XM radio, a multi-format CD/DVD player, navigation and on board music server among other things. For starters, the Media System offers the ability to play back content in CD, DVD, SACD, MP3 or AAC formats from discs. It’s also got a hard-drive that can store an additional 200 hours of tunes. Also along for the ride are Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and iPod connectivity.

The system also offers a slick user interface on its full color LCD screen for easy access to track and title information as well as navigation capabilities. The interface even features a proximity sensor which changes the display to show the appropriate contextual information when your hand nears the controls. Bose’s UMusic intelligent music analyzer can learn your playback habits and automatically play tracks based on your personal preferences.

No pricing information is available at this point, but seeing that the first car to feature the system is the Ferarri 612 Scaglietti, I’d bet it’s not cheap.

[via AutoBlog]

Made back in the late 90’s by a company called SunSeibu, The SGX is basically a modified SEGA Saturn mounted in a heavy-duty metal enclosure with a coin-op mechanism. It also has a special seven-CD changer for easy switching between multiple games.

The box has standard video and audio and controller ports so you can hook it up to any monitor and play. This particular SGX was never used, and comes in its original packaging and with all original accessories, including 2 controllers and a copy of Virtua Fighter 2. Bidding is already up to $710, which is about 70x what a used Saturn is selling for on eBay, so this one is just for the hardcore SEGA collectors out there.

[via TechEBlog]

While it certainly looks cool to have the CD stick out of the player, I wouldn’t want to accidentally bump into a disc rotating at 500+ revolutions per minute. The photo doesn’t show it, but I’m pretty sure the CD player wouldn’t look so slick once it’s splattered with blood from your amputated fingers.

Fortunately, the design

Regency TR-1
Back in 1954, I.D.E.A. released the very first portable transistor radio. The Regency TR-1 radio measured 3″ x 5″ x 1.25″ and featured an analog AM tuner. In a strange prediction of things to come (I’m talking to you iPod), the Regency came out in a variety of colors over the years, ranging from a simple bone white to pearlescent lavender and lime colors.

The TR-1 tuned stations by a simple gold dial and played through a low-fidelity monophonic speaker. It retailed for $49.95 back in the day, which would make it cost around $325 in today’s dollars.

KLH Model 11 Portable
With the companies he founded still making an impact on today’s audio scene, Henry Kloss developed the very first portable stereo back in 1962 when he released the KLH Model 11.

The Model 11 was the first transistorized stereo system, and featured a record player, amplifier and two speakers which all folded neatly into a “suitcase” for easy transportation. While the stereo only ran on A/C power, not batteries, it still was a milestone in the development of portable music players.

Philips Compact Cassette and the Norelco Carry-Corder 150
In 1965, Philips released the first ever compact cassette tape. Originally designed for recording dictations and other boring stuff, the cassette recorded up 45 minutes of sound on single 1/8-inch tape.

To compliment Philps’ innovation in recording media, they released the battery-powered Carry-Corder 150 cassette recorder. It ran on 5 flashlight batteries and weighed in at over 3 pounds (fully loaded). Later, Mercury Records would release a selection of music on Philips cassettes for about $6 a piece. Cassette and 8-track tapes would dominate the portable music world for the next 20 years.

Sony Walkman TPS-L2
Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s Sony was the king of miniaturization, and in 1979, they released the first truly self-contained portable music system, the TPS-L2 Walkman cassette player.

The Walkman’s real innovation was its size, measuring only slightly larger than a cassette tape itself. Featuring a pair of portable, lightweight headphones and operating on AA batteries, it ushered in a new era of portability. The original Walkman retailed for 33,000 Japanese Yen, which would be around $274 US dollars today. The Walkman went on to sell millions of units and spawned numerous variations and imitators for many years after its initial release.

Sony Discman D-50
As CDs overtook cassette tapes in both sound quality and popularity, Sony saw the need to update its popular Walkman line for a new generation.

In 1984, on the one year anniversary of the introduction of compact discs, Sony introduced their D-50 portable CD player, the first ever portable digital music player. The D-50 was actually my own first foray into portable music players, and it truly was a marvel. Just slightly larger than a CD case, the player offered all of the great audio quality that digital recordings had to offer.

SaeHan / Eiger Labs MPMan F10
The very first solid state commercial music player didn’t come from Apple, Diamond or Creative as many think. In fact, it came from a Korean company called SaeHan Information Systems, and was imported to the U.S. by Eiger Labs. The MPMan was the very first MP3 player of all time. It featured a whopping 32MB of RAM (expandable to 64MB by sending the player back to Eiger for an upgrade,) and held about 8 average length tracks (around 32 minutes of music.)

The MPMan appeared on shelves in the summer of 1998, and ran on a rechargeable NiMH battery pack. Since the player used solid state memory, it actually had about 9 hours of battery life, which is still better than many hard drive based players today.

Apple iPod and iTunes
Leave it to Apple to stand back, look at what other companies were doing wrong, and to vastly improve upon their mistakes. The original iPod, released in 2001 combined a 5GB hard drive with a rechargeable battery pack and a paradigm breaking user interface. Marketed by Steve Jobs as “1000 songs in your pocket,” the iPod didn’t necessarily do that much differently under the hood from other MP3 players, but it had a sleek design (by 2001 standards), a unique and simple navigational system, and the Apple brand name to back it all up.

Initially, the iPod only supported Macintosh computers, and the only way to get music tracks was to record from your own CDs or from (often illegal) downloads on the Internet. In 2003, Apple released iTunes and opened their iTunes store, which made it easy to purchase legal music downloads for just 99 cents a track. Shortly afterwards, they introduced a Windows-compatible version of their software.

With their one-two punch of form and function, Apple continues to dominates the portable music player market today. Over the years Apple has continued to release a plethora of new iPod models, including the recent addition of video playback, and the forthcoming iPhone.

Only time will tell how portable media players will evolve. With innovations like touchscreens, high definition video playback, wireless streaming, low cost solid state memory and more on the horizon, the first 50 years was just the beginning.