Hasta La Gadget!

Quietly, Microsoft has lowered the price of its two Zune HD players by $20, according to official pricing on Microsoft’s own site.

 The 32-Gbyte HD model now costs $269.99, while the 16-GB version now is priced at $199.99. If you visit those links, you’ll also find comparison pricing that puts Amazon and other retailers even lower.

What’s the justification for the price cuts? A hardware refresh is always the most likely suspect. But so far, Microsoft’s kept mum about any updates.

Credit goes to gdgt.com, via Ars Technica.

Some people never warm up to earbuds because they find them so uncomfortable. If that’s you, consider Phiaton’s PS 210 “half in-ear” earbuds. Their ergonomic design puts them just outside the ear canal, so you won’t feel constricted. They’re made of lightweight aluminum and come with four sizes of silicon ear tips (XS, S, M, and L) for the best fit.

No earbuds are good if they don’t deliver a strong sound, and the PS 210 combines the strong bass of in-ear models with the clear highs of open ear buds. They offer a 10-to-27,000-Hz frequency range and weigh .29 ounces without the cord. Pick them up for $99 from the Phiaton site.

In a world of boldly patterned audio devices, one company is making a stand for simplicity of design. Well, there’s Apple. Okay, two companies.

Anyway, Scandinavian design collective Urbanears has just introduced two new headphone styles for people who want their music to look good and sound good. The Plattan line (shown) has a classic headphone shape and takes its name from Stockholm’s central meeting point. It includes an inline microphone, making it suitable for phone use, and its hinged design lets it fold up small for carrying.

The Tanto line is slimmer, with an ’80s Walkman-inspired look. It’s named after a park in Stockholm’s South Central area, and is meant for maximum portability. It also includes an inline microphone.

Both lines come in a range of vivid and unusual hues. The Plattan lists for $59.99 and the Tanto for $39.99. Look for them at Nordstrom, American Rag, or Karmaloop.com.

My plane crashed on the way back from the Consumer Electronics Show and that, like CES itself, turned out to be less than expected. My United 634 flight home Sunday lost a landing gear, circled the field for a half-hour, then skidded to a stop halfway down Newark’s longest runway: no smoke, fire, or injuries, just a big dent on the bottom of the engine nacelle. Which left me with this dilemma: How do you tell your grandchildren tall tales years from now about something that’s only an “incident?” CES 2010 was low on the excitement scale, too. Here’s my biased take on the five most important themes of CES from the perspective of a fan of gadgets, gear, and car technology:

When Finish company EKS was looking to improve its Otus DJ controller, it listened to what pro DJs around the world were asking for. As a result, the upcoming Otus Raw will have several requested features, including two long and sturdy SL-turntable-style pitch sliders (one for each virtual deck), large velocity pads and buttons for fast operation in hectic night clubs, and a layer switch for multiplying the layers of controls available.

As with previous EKS controllers, the Otus Raw offers a future-proof control system that promises to make it one of the most configurable DJ controllers for years to come. “The concept for the Otus RAW was simple: take feedback from the world’s most well respected DJs on the original Otus and incorporate it into the design of Otus RAW,” says Sulevi Seppänen, sales director for EKS. Look for the controller in spring. Pricing hasn’t been set, but the original Otus goes for 649.00€.