CES 2007

Candy for your skull

Skullcandy, maker of some pretty rad accessories, showed off its new headphone lines including the Lowrider ($29.95) and the G.I. Stereo ($59.95). The Lowrider comes in nine color schemes (several designed to match the iPod Nano) and has DJ-style swiveling ear cups. Its 40mm drivers should give you enough bass to make you forget slamming into that tree on your snowboard.

Those needing a beefier set of cans can check out the G.I. Stereo line, which uses 41mm drivers and comes in black camouflage, khaki camouflage, or Rasta color schemes. The headband is thicker, and you … Read more

Polk speaks iPod

I'm a big fan of Polk Audio's bookshelf and floor-standing speakers, so when it released two iPod speakers, I just had to check them out. Both are available in black or white.

The miDock Portfolio ($119) is a portable model and is compatible with any iPod via the supplied plastic adapters. It also has an auxiliary input for non-Apple players, though it'll only charge dock connector-equipped iPods. The speaker is pretty small and folds up flat for traveling. It has four 1-inch drivers and runs on four AA batteries or the included AC adapter. I took a … Read more

Belkin's 'Portable Video Player for iPod'

Belkin may have to work on that name a little, but I'm happy to see some more competition entering the portable video iPod accessory space. Like the Sonic Impact Video-55, this Belkin device lets you dock a 5G iPod to view its video content on a more capacious screen. Unfortunately, Belkin had very few details to provide on the floor at CES, though I was able to snap the shot at right. I can also tell you that the device has a 7-inch wide screen, an external stereo speaker, and an A/V input for use with other devices. … Read more

Two more from MobiBlu

In addition to its recent release of the Cube2, MobiBlu launched a pair of flash-based MP3 players at CES 2007.

The Boxon is a bit reminiscent of the iRiver Clix in that it's all screen on front, but it measures just 2x1.7x0.5 inches and weighs about 1 ounce. It has VoIP phone capabilities, too, so you can use it to make Internet phone calls--hot! Available in 1GB ($109) and 2GB ($129) capacities, it'll do video, photos, FM radio, voice/FM recording, direct line-in encoding, and audio playback, but it can't handle PlaysForSure subscription content.

The … Read more

Audiovox wants to one-up other XM satellite portables

Shhhhhh! Audiovox has been displaying the XM2Go/MP3 portable in its copious CES 2007 booth, but the company isn't quite ready to discuss details. Scheduled for a late-summer release, the X2G100B will offer a similar feature set as other XM/MP3 portables such as the Delphi SkyFi3--live and recorded XM playback, MP3 playback, storage, and so on--but company execs say they are taking some time to make sure they can equip the player with enough cool features to really differentiate it from other XM/MP3 portables.

It will likely have at least enough memory to store up to 50 … Read more

Plantronics sticks Bluetooth stereo in your ear

Throw away those lousy, hanging-off-your-ear buds that come with most MP3-playing cordless phones. The Plantronics Pulsar 260 gives you soft in-ear buds that jack into a stereo Bluetooth dongle with an in-line mic that clips to your shirt or lapel. The advantage of Bluetooth stereo earphones is that you don't have to swap headphones when a call comes in. But unlike bulky stereo Bluetooth headphones, you can pull one earbud out so that you're not listening to your significant other, friend or co-worker in stereo. The disadvantage is that the Pulsar dongle jack is 2.5mm, so you … Read more

Cowon A3: the A2 gets a face-lift

We always welcome a revamped product, and the A3 is just that. Cowon took the already highly rated A2 and gave it just a bit of a face-lift. The A3 is swathed from head to toe in shiny black, with just a bit of silver on the controls. Also, unlike the A2, it comes ready to support DRM-protected content from services such as Rhapsody and Yahoo Music (subscription included). The A2 review has plenty of relevant details for you to absorb, but here are some key specs:

4-inch new TFT LCD High-quality TV Out: Component S-Video Supports H.264, WMV7/… Read more

The Cowon D2 begs to be touched

Cowon may be a bit of an underdog in the U.S. market in terms of sales, but boy, this company sure does know how to make a quality MP3 player. I have in my hand the Cowon D2, a solid device dominated by a 2.5-inch screen. I had seen a picture of the player before CES, but it didn't do the D2 justice--the player has such a nice feel to it. The sleek, black body is wrapped in a brushed-metal border, where you can find some tactile controls: a power/hold slider, volume buttons, and a menu … Read more

iHome debuts new budget iPod accessories

SDI Technologies, the maker of the hot-selling iPod clock radio, is showing new affordably priced iPod speaker accessories at CES, including two small home-based units, the iH10 ($49)and iH4 ($49), and the portable iH19 ($69), which comes in multiple colors. The company also has a license to use the Timex name in upcoming iPod clock radios, so this is clearly an accessory company on the move. During my tour of the SDI meeting room (for dealers), I was shown a couple of more novel iPod accesories, including a speaker with a built-in iPod dock that looks like a water … Read more