Bridget Carey: The Digital Dish

Giving karaoke a high-tech makeover

The karaoke business isn't known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Pop in a disc made 10 years ago, stare at a small monitor as lyrics fly by. And if you want to record your voice, you'd better have a cassette tape handy to pop into the machine.

The Singing Machine Co. in Coconut Creek is giving karaoke a high-tech makeover with the launch of a digital karaoke song store and products that can be docked to mp3 players and share performances on social networks.

Coming up with a digital solution is vital to keeping the 27-year-old company fresh. Stores are stocking fewer karaoke CDs, and fewer CDs in general. The machines are sold for personal jam sessions -- not for a bar's karaoke night. The company is facing growing competition for at-home singing entertainment from video games like Rock Band, not to mention online communities of karaoke nuts who record their performances on webcams and share with the world -- no matter how bad they are.

So The Singing Machine partnered with Montreal-based Stingray Digital Media Group to kick-start an online store and community, called The Karaoke Channel, which is like an iTunes for karaoke lovers. Songs with sing-along lyric graphics cost $1.49, and a song without lyrics costs 99 cents. So far there are nearly 6,000 songs available to download.

The store also provides free software to play the songs on a computer, create a video playlist, an .mp4 file to play on portable devices like an iPod or Zune, or burn karaoke discs with lyrics, called a CD+G (a compact disc with graphics) that can be played in any karaoke machine.

You can read the full story on the Miami Herald.

And if you're a karaoke nut, you can enter The Singing Machine's contest to win a machine. All you have to do is become a Fan of The Singing Machine's Facebook page and upload a video of your performance to the company's online network... but then be sure to go back to Facebook share the link on the company's fan page. You can read details about it here. Contest ends August 11th.

What do you think about the new online offerings? Would you use an iTunes-type store for karaoke song downloads? Or would you pay a membership fee to have access to all songs for one night's party?

Product Review: Don't burn your money on the Brookstone Grill Alert

If you have a proud grill master in your life, don't bother getting them the Brookstone Grill Alert. It's a talking remote meat thermometer for $69.95, and for me, it was just more trouble than it was worth.

A wireless remote alerts you from as far away as 300 feet when food reaches the desired temperature. The belt-clip monitor uses two AA batteries and thermometer transmitter uses two AAA batteries.

The monitor interface is easy to program. Just pick the type of meat (like hamburger, steak, chicken, fish) and how you want it cooked (rare, medium rare, medium or well done). It'll alert you when the food has reached USDA temperature guidelines and should be done cooking.

Seems the engineering brains behind this don't do much grilling.

For starters, the thermometer probe is awkward. The directions say the probe's cord is not supposed to touch the grilling surface, so forget about closing the grill cover.

When I tested it on steaks, I knew the steaks were cooked long enough to be done medium, but the temperature probe kept saying it wasn't near the proper temperature for medium. Good thing I didn't go by that, or I might have had a lousy, dry steak.

And if you're giving this to someone who never grilled before, it might not be helpful, either. There's nothing in the booklet about basic cooking instructions -- you can't abandon the food completely and only depend on the monitor; after all, you have to flip your meat!

Product Review: Jitterbug J is dialtone-riffic

This week I tested the Jitterbug J, a super-simple phone that doesn't require a yearly contract -- just pay for minutes monthly. It's features were designed with seniors in mind: it's got big buttons, yes or no buttons (instead of a green call or a red cancel button) -- and there's even a fake dial tone sound when you open up the clamshell!

But this version has been modernized a bit with text messaging and Bluetooth capabilities. The phone contacts and settings (such as ringtones) can be changed on the phone or via the website MyJitterbug.com. It can also be done remotely for the user anytime by dialing '"0" to reach live U.S.-based customer service. Roadside assistance and live nurse calling features are available for an extra monthly fee. A calendar feature is coming later this year.

The Yes and No buttons are even incorporated into checking voicemail, with questions like ``Would you like to delete this message?''

I'm also a fan of how it provides a list of 20 pre-written text message responses, such as ''On my way,'' ''Doing fine'' and ''Call me.'' If younger folks are texting someone who has no idea how to type on a number pad, this is an easy way to respond. There is the option for users to type a personal message.

But the volume controls could be a problem for some folks. They are located on the front cover of the phone, and because you have to have the clamshell open to adjust the volume, it feels awkward.

Coverage is good because it piggybacks off other carriers. It's $147 for the phone. Plans start at $14.99 a month. I have seen cheaper simple phones on the market designed for seniors, but I've never come across a phone this simple to use. Because if you can't figure it out, just have the operator do it for you! (Although calling the operator will eat up 5 minutes off your plan.)

Verizon launches Mobile TV in South Florida

Starting Friday July 3, Verizon Wireless customers in South Florida can watch select television stations live on their phones with the V Cast Mobile TV service.

It's already been available in other parts of Florida, including Orlando, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Gainesville. AT&T Wireless just released a similar service to South Florida last week.

Prices for the V Cast Mobile TV service start at $15, but can be bundled with other V Cast services for
$25.

Stations accessible include CBS, CBS College Sports, CBS News, CNBC, Comedy Central, TR3S, ESPN, Fox, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, MTV, NBC, NBC 2Go, NBC News, NBC Sports, Nickelodeon and NickToons.

Mobile TV only works of the following handsets: Samsung u620, LG 9400, LG Voyager, LG Voyager Titanium, Motorola z6tv and the Motorola Krave.