The Sony Walkman turns 30 today. Christ, the thing has got half a decade on me.

When I received my first Walkman as a gift, it was accompanied by Green Day’s Insomniac album. You can bet your ass that thing heard its fair share of Ace of Base and Aqua by the time it had run its course.

I remember my first Walkman like it was 12 years ago. Wait…

They say you always remember your first. Do you?

Update: And just for shits and giggles, if you haven’t seen this article yet, see what a young teen from the iPod generation makes of the Walkman. (Thanks for the suggestion Captain Moof)

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Earlier in the year, Apple threw a hissy fit over the Palm Pre and its multi-touch abilities. Now Apple is going public again without naming any names. It states that third-party DMPs may sync with iTunes but that it’s totally unsupported and they could lose that feature in the future. This means that Apple will soon release an iTunes update that blocks out the Palm Pre entirely. Hell hath no fury like that of Steve Jobs.

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JBL has always been a purveyor of fine audio, which makes total sense considering its parent company is Harmon Kardon. A few years back, I reviewed some Reference 220 earbud headphones, which were affordable and sounded great on the iPod. This time around, JBL has teamed up with Quiksilver’s surfin’ sister company Roxy on a line of headphones that are catered towards young women. Do they stand the test of time? Perhaps.

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The S.MP3 by French designer Nicolas Cinguion is an ultra-mobile portable media player, allowing its earbud’s cable to be wrapped inside of its own circular design. It looks sort of like a yo-yo, but sadly, doesn’t offer yo-yo functionality.

When will they learn??! What men really want is an MP3/yo-yo hybrid, not some impostor disguised as one.

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Personally, as a Mac user, I could give two shits about Microsoft’s latest incarnation of its failed digital audio player. But alas, Gizmodo’s Brian Lam got his paws on the Zune HD and says it’s quite the improvement. In fact, he seems to like it more than Apple’s ultra-popular iPod Touch, save for the lack of apps available. Check out the video above. You’ll get to see the animations and the entire UI.

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I don’t know what kind of crack Microsoft is smoking but it must be hooked on it. Today, the Redmond-based company confirmed that it is indeed working on the Zune HD to compete with not the iPhone, but rather the iPod Touch. It’ll have an OLED touchscreen, HD radio tuner (big whoop) and will use a new Zune Marketplace for purchasing videos and music. The hilarious part, however, lies in the fact that the Zune HD will be powered by Windows CE and Internet Explorer. Yes, Windows CE. You can officially call Microsoft a non-hip dinosaur now.

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According to a super-secret, though allegedly super-accurate, source, the iPod Nano 5G will include a camera, as well as a widened 1.5:1 aspect ratio screen and the traditional click-wheel.

The above artistic rendering shows what the fifth-generation iPod Nano will look like. According to the source, you can expect the new Nano to be announced sometime between July and September, along with a new iPod Touch. Is this legit? Too legit to quit?

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Hey! You! Yes! All five of you! Come here. I have some good news for you. So remember when you guys all went and bought 30GB Zunes awhile back? Well I know they’re out of warranty now and all, but I just got this great tip from a friend. It seems Microsoft is going to let you trade in that old, defunct Zune for a newer 120GB, 80GB, 16GB or 8GB version. Prices will vary but you’ll receive a significant discount by trading in your old unit. The five of you Zune owners should grab a beer together and celebrate.

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Touch? Touch is new school and us steampunk aficionados don’t like no stinkin’ touch! This old school iPod features the steampunking work of one Neal Bridgens. Adding wood, brass and copper to the device, he transformed Apple’s beloved music player into an ancient creation. It was created from scratch and if you have enough cash, Neal will whip one up for you in no time.

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Perfect for those confidential notes that call for being destroyed right after being read. The Amazon Kindling was created using a laser cutter.

This reminds me of that famous holiday ditty:

Amazon Kindling on an open fire
Jeff Bezos nipping at your nose (but mostly your wallet)

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