There have been a few attempts to revive the iconic 80′s ‘boombox’ over the years, and while TDK’s new 3 Speaker Boombox doesn’t look like something you’d find in a classic Run DMC video, it tastefully spans the gap between old and new aesthetics. Sound is delivered via a pair of 6-inch coaxial drivers and a high excursion 6-inch subwoofer, while a combination of touch screen and simple dial controls give the boombox a clean, uncluttered finish.
In lieu of a cassette slot, the boombox features USB, 3.5mm and auxiliary ports that let you connect your iPod, iPhone, media players or even a flash drive full of music. And it’s also able to charge your iDevices while playing music from them with an included Apple dock connector cable. But what I like best about TDK’s boombox refresh is that instead of being powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, it actually has a compartment on the back for holding 12 ‘D’ sized batteries which is totally old school. (It will of course will run off AC too.) Pricing and availability are TBA.
CES treasures continue to trickle in, and I wish I had stumbled across these X2 Hybrid Headphones from ZUMREED while I was at the show because I would have really liked to hear how they sounded. What makes them unique is that they actually double as either a pair of headphones, or a pair of desktop speakers. As you can see in the photo the outside of the earcups feature an exposed speaker cone, so it’s not like the 40mm drivers on the inside have to do double duty which is good. They only output about 0.5 watts which obviously isn’t booming, but for use at your desk when listening to music they’re probably more than adequate.
In speaker mode the headphones run off a built-in rechargeable battery that’s good for about 4 hours of use on a 1 hour charge, which means the X2′s are probably a little heavier than your standard over-the-ear headphones. But apparently the sound isn’t too shabby so it might be worth the tradeoff for the added functionality. The X2 Hybrid Headphones are expected to be available closer to May for around $165.
Over on our bot-obsessed sister site BotJunkie, Evan Ackerman seems pretty happy to have discovered that BeatBots, makers of the original $30,000 Keepon, are teaming up with the UK’s Wow! Stuff to finally produce a toy version called the ‘My Keepon.’ But what’s easily the most exciting part is that this version is going to sell for just £29.99, or about $40. So you won’t need to mortgage your house to buy one.
And while Wow! Stuff might be UK-based, they’ve already got a major US retailer lined up (who will be officially announced on February 14) so the My Keepon will be available internationally when it officially goes on sale. Now how closely the My Keepon will resemble and act like the Keepon Pro remains to be seen given the massive price discrepancy between the two, but Evan spoke to Dr. Michalowski about the toy, and was assured that they’re working hard to accurately reproduce the core functionality and look that has made the original Keepon so popular.
And if you’ve never seen Keepon in action before, I’ve included Evan’s interview with them at CES a couple of years ago which gives a good idea of what it can do, and how it came to be.
Life’s all about compromises. You may save a lot of space in your living room by upgrading that massive CRT television to an LCD or plasma, but you soon realize that at least you could use that relic of technology as another shelf. Thin might be in when it comes to TVs, but try putting anything larger than the Wii’s sensor bar on top of a flat-screen and you’ll soon realize you’ve bought more than you bargained for.
But the ScreenDeck from Able Bay promises to give you back what you’ve lost, and have your cake and eat it too. It’s nothing more than a shelf designed to mount to the existing VESA screw holes on the back of your flat-screen TV, assuming they’re not already being used to hold it to a wall, that’s perfect for holding accessories like media players, gaming sensors, antennas and probably the most common use, center channel speakers. At $39.99 available from Amazon at some point, it’s not terribly expensive either.
Some people keep a solved Rubik’s Cube on their desks as nothing more than a decoration, and seem to get really, really angry if you completely mess it up while they’ve stepped out for lunch. (It was no reason to bust my favorite pencil in retaliation!) But imagine how upset they’d be if they had dropped $1,950 on this Rubik’s Cube from Dunhill which is covered in squares of dyed shagreen leather. (Which comes from sharks and rays these days.)
The cube itself is a “genuine competition standard Rubik’s cube” which basically means it’s your regular old plastic model, so there’s nothing special on the inside. But the individual squares of leather have been polished to a smooth finish which is apparently easier on the hands while solving the cube. A nice touch for sure, but I doubt anyone who spends almost 2 grand on a Rubik’s Cube is going to spend much time playing with it.
I really like the design of Younes Duret’s Ransa sofa which makes it look like the sitting area is floating over a floor-level bookshelf, but I have to question its practicality. I mean it’s nice to have a small library of reading material within arm’s reach when you’re lounging about, but as one of those guys who hates cracking the spine on his books and magazines, I’d be constantly worried about guests swinging their legs, constantly banging into my collection. But as I’ve discovered time and time again, maybe that’s just me…
As far as I can tell this is just a design concept, but I’m sure you can DIY one with an old futon and a collection of milk crates once you remove all the vinyl hippy.
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