Stand down oh gentle readers and defenders of the flesh, we're getting reports from Detroit that the baton wielding ASIMO did not direct the human race to its doom. Instead, Yo-Yo Ma is safe and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert went off without a hitch while netting the DSO a cool million for the musical education of Grosse Pointe's children. Of course, the Honda-built robot wasn't so lucky as he got "keyed" on his walk back through the parking lot. We kid, we kid.

Update: Video added after the break.

[Thanks, Funke]

Late last year, you dear readers chimed in with your opinions for best earbuds in the land. Now, however, Ask Engadget is comin' atcha from a slightly different angle. Take it away, Jose:

"I'm looking for some good headphones for around $150. I hate earbuds (so uncomfortable and the audio quality seems to depend on the angle that they're stuck in there,) so now I'm looking for full-on cans. I've been told both positive and negative things about Bose cans, but I'm looking for a few more opinions here. Help me and my ears!"

Just as a note, we got the impression that Jose would be willing to stretch that budget a bit if a real winner was available just north of two bills, so feel free to pass out suggestions even if they're a touch pricier than what was mentioned. If you're looking to have your question heard loud and clear, shoot it over to ask at engadget dawt com and wish upon your lucky star(s), alright?

If you've done anything other than mash F5 (or similar) at Hercules' website the past few seasons, you've likely forgotten all about that sub-$100 Mobile DJ MP3 that surfaced over a year ago. For whatever reason, the thing is just now shipping, but we suppose obnoxiously late is better than never, right? Dubbed the world's "first wireless digital mixing mini-controller," it's available as we speak in black or white hues for $99.99. Release is posted in full after the jump.

Yamaha's got a thing for making dreams into reality, and we must say, we're crossing our fingers and hoping to all that's good and merciful in this world that the above pictured device goes commercial. Little is actually known about the keyboard / notepad hybrid aside from the fact that it was showcased at the Milano Salone trade fair in Italy, and for what it's worth, Yamaha christened the device "key for journey." Look, there are even slots in the leather-bound lid so the keys have room to breathe when it's all closed up. Ah well, a boy can dream, can't he?

[Via kanYe West Blog]

Naim Audio, a name synonymous with high-end, has recently launched its very own hard drive-based music server, and on paper, it's a fairly mesmerizing piece of kit. The HDX packs a pair of 400GB hard drives (one primary and a back-up) and claims to be a "fully integrated CD ripping and data storage system." Aside from giving users a way to catalog their gargantuan CD collection in digital form, it'll also play tracks back in the finest of detail. Packed within is a Burr-Brown PCM1791A DAC, 24 bit/192kHz internal architecture, ultra-low jitter re-clocking circuits and a built-in touch panel, too. Best of all, any tunes stored on network / USB drives can also be played through the device, and it can send up to six different streams of music simultaneously over a home network. The rub? At £4,500 ($8,772), you're probably better off hiring Daft Punk to just play at your house.

[Via CNET]

It's one thing to use a real live stompbox to activate Overdrive; it's another to hack up your Rock Band kick pedal to enable that sweet, sweet double bass action that Lars Ulrich, Joey Jordison and the rest of the crew (read: you) just have to have. As you'd expect, there's a bit more to it than just adding in a splitter, but if you're not frightened by circuitry diagrams and having to ask the hobby store guy for a 5-volt power supply, you'll be more than fine. Check out the video demonstration after the jump, and tap the read link for the full list of instructions.

[Via MAKE]

One of our favorite bots, Honda's versatile ASIMO, will finally spread its wings and embrace the artistic future it's always hoped for. On May 13, the automaton will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra -- and Yo-Yo Ma -- in a performance of Impossible Dream. The DSO and Honda have combined forces to bring music education to children in Detroit, and ASIMO's concert will be the launching point for a number of projects the Japanese monolith will be sponsoring in the industrial city. Sure, this isn't the first time we've seen a robot conducting an orchestra, but we're fairly confident it will be the best... provided the little guy doesn't take any bad steps.

If you've somehow managed to hold off from buying an iPod sound system, you can probably afford to gloss right over this one, too. Still, those waiting for one with just a touch more extravagance will likely find lots to love about Goodmans' latest iteration. Aside from boasting a pair of speakers, 3-in-1 multicard reader, LED accents, iPod dock and a bundled remote, this unit also includes an integrated 7-inch LCD display for showing off stored clips, photos, etc. Interestingly, we're left to wonder what the exact resolution here is, but if it's not impressive enough to share, you can probably look forward to lackluster results. We won't stop you from taking a chance though -- it's your £89.99 ($178).

[Via ChipChick]

Color us completely unsurprised, but it's being reported that a number of state politicians are looking at the possibility of imposing new laws to levy taxes on digital downloads as a method of taping up shattered budgets. Yep, anything from music to videos to books are at risk, as a growing number of lawmakers are looking to start collecting taxes from each iTunes track and Kindle eBook you purchase. Of course, this idea is far from new, and a number of US states already impose such taxes, but it seems that the ever-growing amount of content purchased online has caught the eye of those looking for new streams of tax revenue. Needless to say, the issue as a whole is about as far from black and white as you can get, but we're not asking you to take our word for it -- tap the read link to get a good feel of just how sticky the situation really is.

[Image courtesy of Izzy]

Not content with just 160GB in the NV-M3 music server? Never fear, as NuVo Technologies has a capacious new version that packs a full half-terabyte of space and an even more astounding price tag. The June-bound NV-M3-500 handles WAV, WMA and those ghastly compressed MP3 files, and its ability to sync to a home computer means that it won't take issue with playing back DRM-laden tracks, either. On the unit itself, you'll find a polycarbonate, capacitive touch front panel interface with an OLED display and a smattering of ports 'round back, but we still can't understand how NuVo landed on $2,999 as a suitable price for this thing. Nevertheless, the full release is posted after the jump for those interested.

Nintendo's DS Lite tends to find itself intertwined in obscure MIDI projects fairly often, so it's no shock to see yet another enterprise linking the handheld to some fairly swank beats. By utilizing a homegrown DS MIDI apparatus along with dStep software, the DS Lite is able to transform into quite the potent little step sequencer. Of course, anything musically-related digests easier with video, so jump on past the break for a lengthy demonstration (and peep the read link if you're eager to replicate).

[Via MAKE]

Trust us, this isn't the first time LocaModa's dabbled in the cellphone-controlled gadgetry game, but it's never been more friendly than it's being with the Social Jukebox. The aforesaid company has teamed up with TouchTunes in order to give patrons the ability to interact with flat-panels on TouchTunes jukeboxes. On-screen applications will include information about the song currently playing, elusive "user generated content" and even "patron photos" from their social networking profiles (scary?). For those completely absorbed in this stuff, you can even keep tabs on the interactions via data feeds from your favorite network. Twitter fights over which song ushers the drinking crowd out in a bar 1,500 miles away? What is the world coming to?

[Via textually, image courtesy of LocaModa]

Not even 24 hours after catching a whiff of those sick Mushroom-headed Rock Band drum pads comes yet another mod that oozes awesomeness. The Rock Band Stompbox tackles an issue any digital rocker has faced -- accidental (and often unwanted) activation of Overdrive / Star Power. Put simply, this engineering fellow ripped his axe apart, ganked a spare effects pedal and put his superb wiring skills to good use. Hit up the read link for a pictorial step-by-step, or jump on past the break for a video demonstration.

[Thanks, Brad]

Being that music lovers everywhere are scrambling to find bona fide replacements to their suddenly antiquated compact disc players, it follows logic for Olive Media to give us one more option besides the OPUS Nº5. The OPUS Nº4 is a high-end digital music server which features between 320GB and 1TB of internal storage space, an integrated CD burner, 4.3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, gigabit Ethernet / 802.11g WiFi, a USB 2.0 port, a slew of audio outputs and native support for WAV, FLAC and MP3 files. As for the iPod-friendly MELODY Nº2 companion, it enables various rooms of the home to access tunes stored on the OPUS Nº4 as well as songs on any networked Mac, PC or NAS drive. If you couldn't guess, both units are aimed squarely at the affluent sect, which probably explains the $1,499 to $1,799 (OPUS Nº4) / $599 (MELODY Nº2) price tags. Check the gallery on Engadget HD.

[Via Macworld]

Some fairly fantastic homegrown controllers have graced our eyes before, but seriously, we have no idea how a human brain could actually keep track of all the possibilities on this one. Regrettably, we have no idea how many square inches (feet?) this thing encompasses, but the aptly-dubbed Ambassador was reportedly built with arcade buttons, an aluminum top panel and a wooden case with the sole purpose of controlling Ableton Live music software. Of course, a custom driver had to be created just to take everything in, and quite frankly, we're not too sure this thing was actually hand built as opposed to being ganked from a UFO's control hub.

[Via MAKE]