Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

I’ve never thought that the iPod earbuds were that great, but I guess they’ve become something of a tech fashion statement. If you’d like to leave people in absolutely no doubt that you’re cool enough to be listening to an Apple product, consider getting yourself a pair of these desktop size iPod earbud speakers, which are supposed to be 500 times larger than the originals. They have a built-in amp and they’ll run on USB, AC, or battery power, so you can in fact attach them to your iPod and wander around, trying to stuff them into your ears. They’ll be available soon from Perpetual Kid for $40.

[ Fred 500XL Speakers ] VIA [ Uberreview ]

By Luke Anderson

Sometimes when I need to relax I get out a good book and listen to some tunes. (for those wondering, yes, I always have to be multi-tasking) Since I use my earbuds I rarely have any issues getting comfortable with my headphones on. For those that might want to lie down and relax without reading and perhaps forgo the headphones, this mpillow might be an interesting choice.

The mpillow is filled with a translucent plastic gel known as technogel which hopefully makes it rather comfortable. It has a small offshoot with a speaker in it, and it will pick up the wireless signal from your MP3 player and play it out loud. The really interesting part is that it features lighting that will change colors and intensity based on your music.

Unfortunately, this is only a concept for now. I think it would be an interesting product for some people, however, I don’t think the lighting would work out well for people trying to read like me.

VIA [ Yanko Design ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A Korean company by the name of MIRAEPLASMA has just released a set of super thin stereo film speakers called the MP-170. The speakers use a special plasma technology, which is presumably what allows them to be so thin. They’re also designed to be used with a desktop computer and can be made to blend into your workspace by customizing them with a photo of your choosing.

So whether it’s an out of focus shot of your wife on your wedding day, or a horizontally squished version of the Mona Lisa, at least you won’t be staring at some boring speaker grills all day. The MP-170 speakers will be available in the Korean market initially for about $33, but could eventually make their way to North America.

[ MIRAEPLASMA MP-170 ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m sure you’re wondering what in the world that cool little ball is. Don’t worry, I had no idea either. This MBS-100 is Sony Ericsson’s answer to a portable cell phone speaker. The best part about this little guy is that it will actually stream music wirelessly from your phone via Bluetooth.

The internal battery will net you roughly 5 hours of music playback, which isn’t too bad considering that it runs off of Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the MBS-100 is only slated for an early 2008 launch in select Asia-Pacific markets.

[Sony Ericsson] VIA [Crave]

By Andrew Liszewski

Not only is this cardboard boombox a cheaper alternative to most of the speaker docks you’ll find for the iPod, but you’ll even save on shipping since it arrives flat-packed. It does require some basic paper folding skills to assemble but in no time you’ll be blasting your music through its fully working pair of amplified speakers.

On top of that it’s also got retro 80’s styling and I think you’d look pretty cool walking around the office carrying this thing on your shoulder. I’m not 100% sure how it connects to the iPod but if it uses the headphone jack it’s only a pair of scissors away from being compatible with other MP3 players as well.

The Cardboard iPod Boombox should be available from SUCK UK at the end of the month for about $40.

[ Folded Cardboard iPod Boombox ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Shane McGlaun

I am the first to admit that I don’t get audiophiles. The sort of guy willing to drop thousands on a CD player when you can get one that works perfectly for $50 is just beyond my understanding.

Klipsch on the other hand knows the audiophile market and knows how to pry the hard earned cash from wealthy audiophiles. Their latest addition to their high-end speaker line up is sure to have audiophile with large bank accounts lining up to buy.

The new Klipsch Palladium Floorstander speakers carry a price tag of $15,000 per pair. Klipsch used specially engineered drivers for the P-39F Palladium speakers that use a 3.5-way Tapered Array design along with a horn-loaded tweeter assembly and three high-output woofers. Really though, are these things worth $15,000? Maybe if they came with installation by topless Victoria Secret models that also cleaned my house and cooked me a steak they would be worth it. Nah, they still wouldn’t be worth 15k even then.

VIA [ Klipsch ]

by Shane McGlaun

There are a lot of people out there who want to own a home theater system but don’t want to have to run wires all around their rooms. Polk Audio has introduced a new SurroundBar model to their line up that packs Polk’s patented SDA tech inside to simulate real surround sound from one single speaker.

The new SurroundBar50 is 51” wide and sized to match up to 50” plasma and LCD HDTV sets. The new SurroundBar also adds SDA (Stereo Dimensional Array) technology to the left and right front channels to enhance sound further.

The SurroundBar50 contains inside the single 51” W x 4.5” H x 5.1” D extruded aluminum enclosure nine mid/bass drivers with Neodymium magnets, three dome tweeters and a four-PC board crossover. A bracket is supplied to hang the SurroundBar50 above or below your TV. The MSRP for the SurroundBar50 is $1099.95 and it will be available in October.

[ Press Release (Subscription Required) ] VIA [ Polk Audio ]