New Gadget Strikes a Chord

One less thing is standing between you and a perfect jam session: tuning your electric guitar. A newly launched battery-powered compact device that mounts on the instrument's body is accurate to within 2% of a note, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "It's just a dream, being able to pick up the guitar and see whether it's in tune or tune it quickly," says a beta user.

The N-Tune, the brainchild of an ex-Microsoft employee, uses red LED lights to show that the string being tuned is sharp or flat, and a green light to indicate it's on pitch. The gizmo costs $80 to $100, and the 2-year-old Seattle-based startup behind it, Zero Crossing, has deals in place for 10,000 units. Getting the neighbors not to squawk when the tunes start flowing is the customer's responsibility. (More guitar stories.)