Mike is a freelance writer and has written for publications including Popular Science, Men's Journal, DigitalTrends, Laptop Magazine, CNet, PC Magazine, Imaging-Resource.com, and CrunchGear.com. He's also a working trumpet player in NYC.
For millions of years, people have been listening to music. But now, thanks to new technology, they can actually make music as well. At CES, I came across a few items that made my inner musician geek out, including a self-tuning guitar and a pretty sweet drum synth pad, plus a couple of new recording gadgets for capturing your awful performances of “She Bangs” on the go.
Pics and stuff after the jump.
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At any trade show, you’re bound to see some good stuff. This post, however, is not about that; it’s about the most ridiculous things I’ve seen so far here at CES, like the USA-themed piano above in Gibson’s tent. From the gawdy to the bawdy, feast your eyes on these abominations.
(More pics after the jump.)
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Ahh, CES. Where the weak are killed and eaten. And where zillions of companies decide to debut products that should’ve been smothered at birth. But a few things actually managed to impress me so far as I stumble through CES and its constellation of surrounding events. So here they are, a handful of goodies I saw and heard that make my ears glad to be attached to my head.
At least, before Seth Porges (Popular Mechanics), Richard Blakely (Gawker), his assistant Nick, and I went to see Smashmouth at the Palms hotel. Now my ears simply hate me.
Images and first-hand accounts after the jump.
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Product Name: JBL On Stage IIIP
Description: The On Stage IIIP is a ring-shaped portable speaker for the iPod and iPhone. It’s very small and cute at just only 6 inches by 1-3/4 inches, and it can run on AC power or on six AAA batteries (for up to 12 hours). The four drivers put out a combined 6 watts per channel, and JBL claims their Slipstream port design increases bass output without distortion. (Yeah, we’ll see about that.) Other amenities include interchangeable trim rings so you can switch colors and a USB mini-plug connection for syncing with a computer. The included infrared remote lets you control playback and navigate your iPod’s menus.
Price: $169.95
In-store date: February 2008
Site: www.jbl.com
Why it’s cool: It’s tiny and can run on batteries, just like previous On Stage models. The difference is that this one is iPhone compatible. As an iPhone owner, that’s pretty important, though hopefully this will show up for quite a bit less money online. Maybe not the most exciting thing out there, but it’s a solid utility infielder.
Product Name: JBL On Time 200ID, On Time 400IHD
Description: The On Time 200ID lets you wake up to your iPod, iPhone, radio, or a buzzer. It also has a 1/8th-inch line input for connecting other audio devices. The small one-piece speaker has a backlit LCD and touch-sensitive controls, and a backup battery preserves your settings even if power is interrupted. The silver grille covers two 6-watt drivers and a 6-watt tweeter, so you can bet there are plenty of highs but probably not so much bass (verdict is still out on that until we test it ourselves, of course). It measures 11-3/16 x 5-3/4 x 2-3/4 inches.
The On Time 400IHD looks very similar, but adds dual alarms and an HD Radio receiver for picking up multicast HD stations. It also supports iTunes tagging; press a button when you hear something you like, and the next time you sync your iPod in iTunes, it’ll let you find and buy it in a snap. (Like you won’t just look it up and BitTorrent it.)
Neither works with the iPhone, but they do support all the newest iPods as well as many legacy models. Sorry, we didn’t have pricing and availability for the 200ID at the time of this writing.
Price: 400IHD, $299.95
In-store date: 400IHD, Winter 2008
Site: www.jbl.com
Why it’s cool: I’ve always loved JBL’s On Time line of iPod alarm clocks. These are pretty small, and I think the addition of HD Radio is a simple but very smart idea, because it gives you access to lots more content. No iPhone support is dumb though.
Product Name: JBL On Stage 200ID/400ID, Duet 200
Description: The JBL On Stage 200ID and 400ID are a pair of iPod speaker/docks. (Please try to stay awake for this anyway.) Both have a universal iPod/iPhone dock on top, and the 200ID has two full-range drivers while the 400ID has four plus a tweeter. The Duet 200 is identical to the On Stage 200ID but it lacks an iPod dock and instead takes in audio via its 1/8th-inch line-in jack. Oh, and the 400ID is taller than the other two. Duh. And they all run on AC power but not batteries.
The bass is supposedly helped out by JBL’s Slipstream port design, though I’m always skeptical until I listen carefully to a speaker alone in my evil lair. They’re pretty cute lookin’ with all its Apple-esque silvery stylings.
Price: Duet 200, $119.95; On Stage 200ID, $149.95; On Stage 400ID, $249.95
In-store date: March 2008
Site: www.jbl.com
Why it’s cool: Hmm… this field is too crowded for me not to be incredibly jaded. Let’s just say I’d ask any of them to dance, but I probably wouldn’t try to get any to come home with me.
Product Name: Philips BDP7200
Description: Philips’ latest Blu-ray disc player is the company’s first to incorporate BonusView and BD-Java, which gives you access to some fancy schmancy movie features and interactivity. The rest of the specs include 1080p upscaling and picture in picture.
Price: $349
In-store date: April 2008
Site: www.philips.com
Why it’s cool: ‘Cause it won’t put me in hock for life. And I’m dying to watch my Blu-ray copy of X-Men 2. Plus it looks pretty sweet, so that must mean it’s awesome!
Product Name: Philips HTS6100 and 6515D
Description: These two new home theater systems try to help you minimize clutter in your living room. The HTS6100 is a soundbar-style speaker with a built-in DVD player, iPod dock, and USB input as well as a separate subwoofer. (It’s a cheaper and smaller version of the company’s HTS8100.) The HTS6515D is a home theater in a box, with a central receiver/DVD player plus two speakers and a subwoofer. Both systems use Philips’ Ambisound virtual surround technology to give you 5.1-channel audio from only three speakers. Both units look pretty hot and both have HDMI connectivity and HD video upconversion built in.
Price: HTS6100, $599; HTS6515D, $499
In-store date: May 2008
Site: www.philips.com
Why it’s cool: All-in-one home theater systems that use virtual surround can be hit or miss. These certainly look pretty cool, though we’ll have to test them out to see if they live up to the overblown descriptions in the press release.
Product Name: Monster Beats Headphones
Description: Monster proves that as long as you put their company name on it, you can charge as much as you want. They teamed up with Dr. Dre and Interscope records to create a shockingly expensive set of headphones with a “unique and avant-garde look,” according to the release. (Judge for yourself above….) In typically overblown fashion, Monster claims “their sonic performance is unequalled in any other headphone.” These full-size cans have a glossy extra-wide headband and a mute button, which is actually pretty handy. They come with a hot-looking case, an anti-microbial cleaning cloth, quarter-inch adapter, iPhone mic adapter (the Monster iSonitalk), and of course, special Monster cables.
Price: $399.95
In-store date: Spring 2008
Site: www.monstercable.com
Why it’s cool: If Dr. Dre loves them, they must be cool. The mute button is neat, but I wouldn’t throw away your high-end AKG, Sennheiser, or Grado headphones just yet.
Product Name: Philips GoGear PMPs
Description: Like a cop giving out tickets at the end of the month, Philips is definitely trying to fill some kind of quota…. The company released just about every variation of portable media player you can think of here at CES. Settle in, I’ll try to be brief.
GoGear SA3025/3045: 2GB or 4GB of flash, 1.5-inch screen, 11fps video playback (worthless!), and a whole 10 hours of battery life for music. $59/$79.
GoGear SA3225/3245: 2GB or 4GB of flash, 1.8-inch screen, 15fps video (still mostly worthless!), 20 hours of battery life for audio and 5 for video. $69/$129.
GoGear SA5245/5285: 4GB or 8GB of flash, 2.8-inch screen, 30fps video, 25-hour battery for audio and 5 for video, also available in a Bluetooth-enabled version for wireless listening.
GoGear SA6145/6185: 4GB or 8GB of flash, 3.5-inch screen, 30fps video, 16 hours for audio and 4 for video, $149/$169 (not bad for 8GB!).
GoGear SA6545/6585: 4GB or 8GB of flash, 4-inch 16:9 screen, 30fps video, 16 hours for audio and 8 for video. The 6585 also has video-recording capability and TV output. $179/$199.
All of them have FM tuners and voice recorders. They support MP3 and WMA, while the 5245 and 6585 also rock the AAC. All but the 3xxx series do protected WMA and protected WMV, and they all do regular WMV.
In-store date: All are available in Q2 2008 except the 6145/6185, which is available now.
Site: www.philips.com
Why it’s cool: I can’t say I’m particularly excited about anything here, though it’s nice that Bluetooth is popping up in more media players. But boy, how ’bout those sexy product names, huh?
Product Name: Philips SHB9000, SHE9800/9850, SHE3620/3621/3622
Description: Philips shot a hot load of headphones all over music lovers at CES.
The SHB9000 is a set of full-size Bluetooth headphones you can use with your music player, cell phone, or both. The headset portion has noise and echo filters, and it automatically adjusts volume depending on ambient noise. The headphone capabilities include “native MP3 decoding for loss-less direct streaming from many advanced music phones.” That sounds to us like lossless Bluetooth transmission, but that’s unlikely in cans that cost only $129.
The SHE9850 and 9800 in-ear headphones look like pretty standard fare; they block out noise passively and kick the crap out of regular earbuds. According to the press release, they benefit from an “Angled Acoustics design that adjusts the angle of the speaker tube to ensure a naturally comfortable fit for all ears.” Can’t wait to shove that into my sensitive canals. The 9850 come with memory foam tips in addition to the standard silicone.
Last and least, the SHE3620 Bubbles series consists of regular ol’ earbuds that come in “fun” colors like pink, green, and blue. These are low-end ‘buds, for sure, but they come with an adapter that lets you plug in another pair of headphones. (Take that for song sharing, Zune!)
Price: SHB9000, $129; SHE9850, $99; SHE9800, $79; SHE362x, $14.99
In-store date: March ‘08.
Site: www.philips.com
Why it’s cool: The headphone market is so crowded with also-rans… There’s not much to distinguish any of these, though the SHB9000 is mildly intriguing.
Product Name:Pioneer VSX-518-K, VSX-818V-K, VSX-918V-K and VSX-1018TXH-K
Description: Pioneer just updated its AV receiver line with the VSX-518-K, VSX-818V-K, VSX-918V-K and VSX-1018TXH-K, all of which sport plenty of high-def goodness. The high-end VSX-1018-K supports HDMI 1.3 and does on-board decoding of HD audio formats like Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. It also pumps out 130 watts on 7 channels, so everyone in your neighborhood can enjoy The Bourne Ultimatum along with you, thanks to Pioneer’s Direct Energy Amplifier technology and improved heat compensation.
The other three receivers use Pioneer’s P.H.A.T. seriously? (Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Technology) to crank out 120 watts over 5 channels with improved sonic accuracy. All but the VSX-518-K have iPod, XM, and Sirius inputs.
Price:$199, $249, $349, and $599
In-store date:April, except the VSX-1018TXH-K, which will drop in June.
Site:www.pioneerelectronics.com
Why it’s cool: The high-end model has just about everything you’d need for a high-def setup, plus plenty of power. The other ones? Not bad for the price, but nothing to crap your pants about.
Product Name: Wireless High-Def Connectivity
Description: Panasonic announced a partnership with SiBEAM to create the first wireless high-definition HDTV system based on the WirelessHD standard. The system comprises a plasma TV set, a receiver, and a movable rack into which you can shove a Blu-ray player or HD-DVD if it still exists by the end of the week or HD camcorder. It’ll use SiBEAM’s line-of-sight transmission technology to beam the high-def AV signal over the 60GHz frequency, and if you block the beam, it’ll quickly seek out another path to avoid interruption.
Price:Not yet set.
In-store date:Not yet set.
Site:www.panasonic.com, www.sibeam.com
Why it’s cool: I hate wires, but I love HDTV. This is a no-brainer. Of course, this’ll be competing with Westinghouse’s and LG’s wireless HDTV systems… We’ll just have to wait and see which is the most reliable.
Product Name: Pioneer AVIC-F500BT
Description: Pioneer launched the AVIC-F500BT an hybrid in-dash navigator and media controller that links your MP3 player, cell phone, and Bluetooth devices while helping you figure out where you’re going. The pre-loaded mapping data from Tele Atlas covers the entire United States, Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, and you can view them on the 5.8-inch touchscreen in overhead or moveable 3D mode. It has a USB port and an SD card slot, so you can use it to play your MP3s and WMAs too. The integrated Bluetooth lets you make hands-free calls, and you can even control your music player or phone via voice commands thanks to VoiceBox’s Conversational Voice Search technology. MSN Direct is also available on the device (with a paid subscription, natch), so you can get your traffic and weather together. But wait… there’s more! It’s also a portable media player with built-in speakers and a rechargeable battery. Sorry, no slicing or dicing. Yet.
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The Grand Glass Staircase
Here they are, folks: great shots from the brand new Apple store on 14th Street in Manhattan. There’s no floating apple in a big cube, but there is one of the sexiest staircases this side of the Prada store.
Feast your eyes after the jump.
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After checking out B&W’s 685 stereo speakers for more than a month, I’m truly impressed. These mid-size speakers are perfect for a roomy bookshelf or on speaker stands, and they handled all the music I could throw at them with precision and superb richness. Movies still benefit from a decent subwoofer, but most acoustic music lovers can do without one in a small living room. At $600 a pair, these are definitely one of the best speaker values ever.
What’s insanely small and costs way too much? A diamond. What else? Bose’s new Computer MusicMonitor desktop speakers — but they sure are shiny with their silvery aluminum finish. Bose cleverly combined two ingenious ideas and added a little DSP magic to make what are quite possibly the finest speakers of their size. Of course, all that science costs money: These tiny speakers will run you $399 a pair, and a travel case costs an extra $59!
Full review after the jump.
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Creative’s Zen line of media players hasn’t stolen much thunder from the iPod, but it has been more successful than many. The latest, dubbed simply the Creative Zen, is a flash-based player that does video on a 2.5-inch screen and rocks a full-size SD card slot. It’s not bad-looking, and it resembles the Zen Vision in many of the right ways. But its boatload of features and attractive interface — not to mention reasonable price — are offset by a few flaws. Then again, it comes in a 16GB version (in addition to 4GB and 8GB), so that may be reason enough to buy for many.
Locking players to specific software, tracking digital music downloads, and now requiring authorization chips for compatibility with accessories… Is Apple still thinking different, or is the company following in Sony’s once-ubiquitous footsteps? The Walkman was once king of the hill, and look how far it has fallen; the iPod could very well share its fate, thanks to Apple’s increasingly paranoid (Sony-esque) behavior and a new era on the horizon.
Creative made a bold move by integrating its X-Fi sound enhancement technology into a set of noise-canceling headphones, and it paid off. The Creative Aurvana X-Fi gives more expensive models like the Bose QuietComfort 2 and Sennheiser PXC-450 a run for their money in sound quality and comfort. The integrated sound-enhancement features really set it apart from the crowd, too. They’re not cheap (they list for $299; less at e-tailers), but these killer cans will keep the noise out and your music crystal-clear on your next flight.
The iPod nano is the first out of the gate in Apple’s newly revamped line of music players. Available in 4GB ($149) and 8GB ($199) versions (sadly, no 16GB model) and five different colors, the new nano looks pretty funky in its new wide-bodied form factor. The biggest news is the addition of video playback, a bigger and brighter screen, and a revamped interface, but there are plenty of other nice touches too. It’s definitely an awesome new iPod, but is it worth it to upgrade from your old nano?
In a Wall Street Journal article earlier this week titled “Are Techology Limits in MP3s and iPods Ruining Music?”, writer Lee Gomes worries that recording engineers are mixing music for listening on crappy iPod earbuds, and that iPods are somehow technically limiting the quality of pop music. Hogwarsh! Much of today’s music may sound crappy, but it’s not because of iPods or because recording engineers have completely lost their minds — leave that to the pop stars themselves.
You’re not going to be looking at YouTube videos or surfing the Web on these music players, a few of which don’t even have screens. But there’s one thing these players are all good at: Letting you play up to 1000 songs with sweet sound quality for south of $100.
It’s just about universally agreed that the original Bose SoundDock was and still is one of the best iPod speakers on the market. My big gripe with it was always that it just isn’t truly portable because you have to plug it in. But no longer. The SoundDock Portable is surprisingly similar to the AC-only version in both sound and power; it’s the loudest and best-sounding thing out there by far for its compact size. Of course, at $399, you’re paying through the nose for the Bose-ness of it all. Available to regular Joes at the end of September.
Apple’s ill-received iPod Hi-Fi has been discontinued just in time for the folks at Blue Raven to copy it. The Maestro 1070 iPod speaker/dock is less expensive than the Hi-Fi was, and it’s not as well crafted, but it still sounds pretty good for a $199 iPod speaker. And at least they had the good taste to give you the option of a glossy black finish instead of the played out white look.
