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Onkyo’s fab new CD player/tuner/amplifier combo is set to hit stores next month.

Focal Point Computer has announced the release of its nanoTune FM transmitter/radio dock/cover, which will go on sale next month.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will investigate claims that Apple’s iPod infringes a patent claimed by Creative Labs, the so-called ‘Zen patent.’

Apple has issued a statement in response to claims in British newspaper the Mail On Sunday regarding working conditions within the facilities of some of its Chinese iPod manufacturing partners.

Now here’s something you don’t hear much about when it comes to Apple’s products: their assembly.

Got an iPod nano? Love Hello Kitty? You’re sorted then, thanks to Japan’s bizarrely named Brighton Net.

TEAC has just come out with a great looking retro radio that’s got the classic tuning dial and a choice between AM and FM.

A Taiwanese company called A-Zone International has given the iPod a retro spin with the iPod Dock Valve Station, a docking station that features an elegant 1940s-style valve amplifier. Report and video below.

Sharp is updating its DAP range with the miniSD card-compatible MP-B200 and -B300 players, which have 512MB/1GB onboard memory.

Seagrand Japan is finally selling those mobiBLU MP3/WMA players over here, rebadged under the X-Cute name.

Toshiba appears to have really delivered, morphing its overpriced gigabeat DMP range into what looks like a very nice PMP with a 1-seg tuner, a 3.5in screen and a 30GB HDD in the relatively slim and lightweight form of the V30T. It plays music too…

The growing popularity of PC and mobile phone music download services propelled Japan’s online music market to new heights in the first three months of this year.

A promised crackdown on pirated mobile downloads will give mobile content provider Jamster a needed boost in China, the company’s top executive said Wednesday.

Nike is putting the world’s most popular music player to work in a system designed for its latest athletic shoes that tells runners the distance and time they’ve covered in their daily jog.

Remember when boomboxes were to portable music what SUVs are to cars — big, brash and aggressive, yet liable to break down with the slightest misuse? Well, Sharp has revived those ‘80s memories with its boombox update, the QT-MPA10.

Softbank, Japan’s third-largest cellular carrier, and Apple have reached a basic agreement to develop cellphones that can play songs downloaded from Apple’s iTunes Music Store, according to local press reports.

Correga’s releasing an MP3/WMA DAP on May 14 that’s seriously overpriced at ¥4,380 — we’ve seen far better deals recently.

Whether you’re banging out Beethoven’s 5th or Great Balls of Fire, Kawai’s recorder will capture your piano playing for eternity. Or at least until the CD you’ve recorded on breaks.

Apple Computer has prevailed in its case against the Beatles’ Apple Corps over the apple logo it uses in iTunes. UK High Court judge Edward Mann delivered his judgment at 10.30am Monday, ruling in favor of Steve Jobs and his iPodded legions.

French lawmakers may throw out plans to require online music stores to use interoperable DRM systems to protect their wares when a new copyright bill comes up for debate Thursday.

Another day, another “iPod killer” story, except this one’s a bit different. On the back of strong financial results earlier this week, a reinvigorated Sony reckons it’s ready to take on the Great White Player and win. We may have heard such claims before from lesser firms, but when a company with resources like Sony has makes such a bold challenge to Apple’s dominance, you just know it’s getting serious.

Who could ever forget songs like “Koi no Fuuga” (which we might tentatively translate as “The Fugue of Love”) by sexy 1960s pop superstars The Peanuts? Well, convenience-store chain Family Mart has come out with a DAP that’s crammed with corny hits from J-Pop’s forebears of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Toshiba’s newest Gigabeat S-series PMPs are the first to use Windows Mobile for Portable Media Center and come in 30Gb (S30) and 60Gb (S60) versions.

If you fancy blaring music from your keitai, DAP, etc., simply jack in the SL-FMTX1 Kantan Transmitter

While not quite as spectacular an achievement as the first four-minute mile, Evergreen’s no-frills DN-2000 Black MP3 player is definitely the first to break the ¥1,000 barrier.

Pioneer will soon release a wireless 5.1-channel surround-sound system that operates on the 2.4GHz spectrum and offers nothing to snag your slippers on.

Anyone interested in the Japanese independent music scene might want to check out the What’s Happening in Tokyo website.

If you have perfect vision and the patience necessary to try watching movies on a 0.9in screen, then perhaps ABC21’s ADA-0526A PMP is for you.

Sure, it might take a bit of imagination to make out the butterfly shape, but heck, this is Thanko after all.

IRiver’s rumored 6Gb E10 PMP appears to be edging closer to reality, with the first grainy shots appearing on the web via China.

Sonnet has long been one of our favorite Mac-friendly companies, so it’s good to see its products making it in Japan.

We were a bit concerned that Evergreen, which used to be a reliable supplier of fun/ridiculous/trashy/fascinating gadgets, was turning all serious on us, or had thrown in the towel in the face of digital derangement from the likes of Thanko.

Sony’s latest Hi-MD (yes, MD again) Walkman is interesting for quite a few reasons.

Would anyone ever really want to buy any of these three new Hitachi i.μ‘s audio players?

The newly merged TakaraTomy (AKA Tomy outside Japan) appears to be on the verge of seriously entering the DAP/PMP market, according to IT Media.

Thanko has just started sales of its Kaminari 1.2W speaker that makes use of that old iPod box you probably don’t have lying around.

We don’t know much about the Soundpet, such as who makes it or how much it costs, but it ticks all the Japanese “cute” boxes and then some.

Samsung’s YP-Z5 DAP is apparently now on pre-order at Amazon, with the surprise addition of a 1Gb model to go with the 2 and 4Gb units we already knew about.

OK, only the most shortsighted of you might mistake this portable wireless speaker for a handbag.

MSI’s new Mega View 588 plays DivX/MPEG4/WMV, sports a 20Gb HDD, and has a big and brilliant 3.5in, 320 x 240 dot (QVGA) screen; it also has a radio tuner.