Buddha Blessed

Can't foot the bill for an iPod? You could be the first kid on your block to rock the fresh sounds of its ghetto cousin, the Buddha Machine, for a tenth the price. Created by Beijing-based duo FM3 (Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian), the palm-sized music-maker looks like an early ‘80s walkman but is quickly becoming a champion in the electronic scene — Brian Eno reportedly bought eight. The Buddha is a self-contained ambient jukebox that plays nine endless loops stored on a built-in chip through a small speaker, making it a perfect stress-reliever to sit on your desk, but with the added headphone jack it won't be long before someone uses its external capabilities for sampling purposes. Available in a variety of colours, with a $30 price tag, it shouldn't take long for the Buddha Machine to become an anti-iPod champ.