Remember these things from back in the day? The “day” being 2002? JBL is bringing back the “Creature” series of computer speakers for the holidays.

I’ve never heard of Waterfall Audio before. I think they qualify for one of my rules in the audio world though: if you’ve never heard of an audio company and they cost more than products from a familiar brand, it’s probably good stuff. Apparently the company made a name for itself a few years ago with a glass-enclosed speaker line. Who knew.

The latest speaker line, Serio, keeps the glass theme alive, but manages to shrink the package down to a satellite-style size. Too bad all that glass and square lines scream the ’90s.

Klipsch announced their new ProMedia 2.1 speakers today. Designed for use with a laptop system in mind, these THX-certified speakers are totally mostly wireless.

Why be a video game rockstar if you can’t hear it? Have you always wanted to put your foot on something while you power chord-ed your way to stardom? For those of you who are using the stock speakers in your TV to play Rock Band, Guitar Hero, or Harmonica Hero, first off, shame on you.

If you’re sick of tiny, unobtrusive laptop speakers then boy-oh-boy does LaCie have something for you.

Samson StudioDock 3i: A great set of computer speakers with a built in iPod dock and USB sound card. They sound great, no matter if you’re listening to music or just playing games. My only complaint about them would be the price, but frankly, they’re worth it.

If you’re sick – SICK!!! – of not being able to play your music collection at a moment’s notice for a group of onlookers, and you have a set of keys that grant you access to various secure locations then you, my main man, might want to look into this $11 MP3 Earphone Speaker.

Behold! A small step forward in multimedia speakers! This one has a built-in 4.5-inch LCD screen and it only costs $99. According to the product description, the screen is a “high definition color display.” According to me, that’s dead wrong. But who cares? It’s a screen built into a speaker! Hurray!

Fans of Altec Lansing’s Orbit MP3 speaker series may be interested in the company’s upcoming Orbit USB speaker. It ditches the AAA battery requirements and the 3.5mm audio jack for a single USB connection. Needless to say, this one isn’t for your MP3 player but more for your laptop, netbook, or speaker-less desktop.

Altec Lansing announced two new devices today, a 200w set of computer speakers and a rather uniquely styled iPod dock with speakers. Sounds like a good idea to me.

The only reason I’m writing about this is because it looks ridiculous. It’s the “Retro Cassette Stereo Mini Speaker for iPod/iPhone,” and it’s exactly as it sounds. Plug your iPod in there, and off you go.

These speakers are pretty crazy looking, but apparently they sound quite good due to the acoustic qualities of porcelain-enclosed cork. The raw design is eye-catching but a little busy, although the toaster-esque volume control looks totally awesome. You’re not going to pick them up at your local electronics store, though; they’re being custom made and are likely going to cost at least $400.

Truth be told, I actually like the looks of this old-timey speaker very much. And it’d go perfectly with my newfangled “digital” music collection. It’s only $29, too, which may or may not mean that the actual sound quality is poor to quite poor.

If you’ve been holding out for an affordably-price big box of thump for your humble abode, Amazon has a pretty good deal going on the Velodyne VRP1000 subwoofer for just over a hundred bucks and featuring free shipping.

iLuv’s been making iPod accessories for a while now, and while it doesn’t look like they’re in the mood to innovate (the thing is almost identical to similar items from years past), this versatile little audio system is perfect for apartment living. Radio, four CD/MP3-CD slots, SD card and USB drive, and of course iPod and iPhone support. Just run a cassette player through the Aux-in and you’ll have audio devices covered all the way back to the 80s.

I just realized I still have my MP3-CDs from my iRiver days…

Logitech has released four new systems with “360-degree sound,” an improvement to their desktop speakers that makes them “sound great.”

Unlike standard PC speakers that use forward-firing drivers, the four new Logitech multimedia speaker systems feature 360-Degree Sound, or omnidirectional acoustics, which creates a substantially wider sweet spot – an especially helpful feature if you often move your computer around your home or office. With speaker drivers that face forward and backwards in each satellite, these four new speakers are designed to transmit sound more consistently over a wider range of space so you never miss a beat no matter where you are in the room.

The models include the Z320 ($69), Z323 ($69), Z520 ($129.99) and Z523 ($99) sets.

It seems Japanese papercraft art isn’t limited to Origami or Pellermodels but also has something in store for us gadget fans. Case in point: The Paper Speaker [JP], announced yesterday by Tokyo-based Princeton for use with your PC (or any device sporting a USB port).

If you have a swimming pool then you, my friend, need this little waterproof floating wireless speaker that looks like the thing that pops up out of the muck in the trash compactor in Star Wars. This one doesn’t have a cool robotic eye, though, just “Rich sounding bass. Crisp treble. And no wires.”

The following is a short play describing Kerchoonz’s K-Box. It’s a device that turns any flat surface into a speaker.