iTam Tam: Finally, An iPod Dock You Can Sit On

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The biggest problem with most of the iPod docks on the market? You can’t sit on the things. Thankfully, Branex Design has released the iTamTam, a big, hourglass-shaped iPod dock that serves as acoustic loudspeakers, producing omni directional sound.
The dock comes in a variety of different sizes and shapes and ships with a remote for those times when, you know, you’re not sitting on the thing. 

The Egg Chair: Sit in an Egg, Rock Out

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Dear audio manufacturers–sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if it might be possible to manufacture some manner of giant egg in which I can listen to my favorite jams. What? Such a thing already exists? Please, tell me more.
The 5.1 Egg Chair from Soundegg.com is an HD surround sound chair that looks like a big, brightly colored egg. Inside you’ve got egg crate foam and 5.1 Dolby surround. The egg is ideal for games, movies, and music.
I tried it out, and it seems to contain surround pretty well. Unfortunately, they were playing The Eagles inside, so I couldn’t really stick around for too long. 

Feel Your Music with the Ear Vibe

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Don’t just hear your music, feel your music. That’s the message from Technocel, which just announced the Ear Vibe ear buds. This is the first stereo headset that vibrates to the beat of the music. When songs hit low-frequency bass, these vibrate, adding a whole new dimension to your songs. It seems a little scary, right? I’d like to try them out, but I’d want to have some aspirin nearby, just in case.

More than headphones, the Ear Vibe also includes a microphone for making hands-free calls. It’s compatible with most mobile phones that play music, and works with all MP3 players including the iPod. Look for the Ear Vibe January 15 for a reasonable $29.99.

Monster Introduces Diddy Beats In-Ear Headset

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Today at CES, Monster announced that wide-ranging rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Sean Combs is bestowing his “Diddy” moniker on a new high-end in-ear headset, for the company’s Beats by Dr. Dre line (the originals were reviewed by PCMag’s Tim Gideon). The Diddy Beats, listed at a not-inconsiderable $179.99, feature “high-tech aluminum and leather-wrapped housing and high-polished enamel,” along with “today’s most advanced sonic technologies,: according to Monster.

Diddy follows in the footsteps of pop-singer-of-the-moment Lady Gaga, who partnered with Monster last year on the very sparkly Heartbeats headset.

Take a look after the jump for some photos from the actual announcement event (thanks, Chloe Albanesius!).

Parrot Unveils New Zikmu Designer Speakers

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Parrot is perhaps more known by most consumers as the manufacturers of Bluetooth and wireless calling peripherals, but the company came to CES with some high-end designer peripherals that looks and sound fantastic. Parrot’s Zikmu wireless iPod dock and speakers have been on the market for a while, but Parrot announced four new colors of their high-end home audio product specifically for CES. 
The Zikmu, which previously came only in glossy black, is now available in white, gray, and lime. All of the colors are available now, and support an iPod or iPhone via the docking station at the top of the speaker, or streaming audio from your PC or Mac via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
 

LumiSource Releases Slightly More Girlfriend-Friendly Gaming Chairs

Dedicated followers of PCMag’s gaming coverage will recognize LumiSource as the maker of the BoomChairs: soft, comfy, floor rockers with built-in speakers that blow away the tiny tweeters mounted in your TV. Still, for all the BoomChair’s charms, you are still pretty much sitting on the floor. That makes it tricky to use with PC games. Also, whenever I have 5x Admiral.jpgsuggested putting one of these in my living room, my girlfriend has nixed the idea. At CES this year, though, the company is showing three new chairs that just might pass the girlfriend test.
 
The Admiral (Price TBA)
PC gamers can now belly up to their desktops with the Admiral. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary 30-by-32-by-43-inch office chair, complete with wheels and an adjustable headrest, tilt and tension control. But the Admiral also includes two 2-way speakers along with adjustable volume, so you can augment your desktop gaming experience.

Chance it will pass the girlfriend test: Excellent. “Just an office chair, sweetie.”
 
5x_boom_SKY LOUNGER.jpgSkyLounger ($299)
The SkyLounger is still a floor-based model, but with a new design that should be a little more acceptable to your domestic partner. The 35-by-26.5-by-40-inch chair features chrome rails that lift you slightly off the floor. It has two 2-way speakers and a 4-inch subwoofer.

Chance it will pass the girlfriend test: Pretty good. “I bought it from Design Within Reach, honey.”
 
Stealth ($189)
Finally, the company is releasing the Stealth, basically a Thumbnail image for 5X_boom_STEALTH.jpgtraditional boom chair with a little elevation and reinforced padded arrests. The speaker system is the same 3-inch 2-way speakers and a 4-inch subwoofer found on older models. The elevation is a good thing, but it does make it look a little like Captain Kirk’s chair on the Enterprise.

Chance it will pass the girlfriend test: Not likely. “But darling, you said you liked the last movie.”

iHome Announces a Pair of App-Enhanced Alarm Clocks

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iPod Touch and iPhone owners are app-crazy, as evidenced by the news that over 3 billion apps have now been downloaded. Gadget-maker iHome is taking advantage of that with its latest offering.

The iHome iA5 and iA100 alarm clock and speaker systems will both work with the upcoming free iHome+Sleep app to gain even more features. The app offers sleep pattern tracking, customizable alarms, weather data, and the ability to share your sleep and wake times with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

The iA5 is a compact system that looks like a shelf speaker with an iPod dock. The iA100 (above) looks more like a bedside alarm clock. It includes an FM radio, can stream music from Bluetooth-enabled devices, and comes with a remote control. Both clocks will be available later this year, although the company isn’t giving the date or the price just yet.

Stream to your TV with Netgear Digital Entertainer Express

Netgear Digital Entertainer Express

This year is definitely going to be big for set-top streaming devices. Monday brought us the Popbox, and today Netgear introduces a new model: the Digital Entertainer Express.

Like other Netgear devices, this one is big on playing video, music, and photos from your networked computers or storage devices. It can also steam video from sites such as Hulu, Netflix, and CBS, but you’ll need to use a PlayOn account to do so. You get a free 14-day PlayOn trial, but after that you’ll need to play a one-time $39.99 fee.

The Digital Entertainer Express includes one HDMI port and can upconvert videos to 1080p. It also includes two USB ports for attaching storage drives. You’ll need to purchase a wireless adapter if you want to stream over Wi-Fi, as the product is wired-only out of the box. It seems like a better solution if you mainly want to play stored content, although the $249 list price feels high.

Olive and Thiel Unveil $7,900 Networked Audio System

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Okay, this one isn’t exactly for those who listen to MP3s through their iMac’s built-in speakers. Olive and Thiel Audio have unveiled the Olive+THIEL HD Music System (HDMS), a high-end audio setup that consists of three parts: a server, speakers and cabling.

The flagship 4+ HD music server holds 6,000 CDs or 20,000 24-bit HD music tracks, and comes with a touch screen LCD and support for an iPhone and iPod touch control app for use as a remote.

Meanwhile, Thiel’s SCS4D loudspeakers are two-way bookshelf models that work in both upright and sideways configurations (no small feat, as the audio response changes dramatically when you do this). Each speaker features a die-cast aluminum front baffle, a 24-bit DAC, and a 200-watt class D amplifier.

The system connects together with Ethernet cables, and lets you connect up to four pairs of Thiel SCS4D speakers. That’s assuming you’ve got the money, because the base system with one pair of speakers costs $7,900. Head over to www.olivethiel.com for more details.

Immerz Acousto-Haptic Kor-FX: Really Feel the Sound

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If you’re a gamer or rocker who turns up the volume to unconscionable levels just to get that full-body resonance with your audio, you’re going to love this: The Immerz KOR-fx (invented and marketed by quantum-mechanics physicist Shahriar Afshar, shown above wearing the device) brings the sound directly to your body. More sophisticated and subtle than those vibrating gamer-chairs, the KOR-fx phones sit atop your chest cavity and, according to the company, “activate neural pathways that subconsciously monitor the vibrations of the
chest cavity that naturally occur when speaking, laughing or crying.” It can work with any device with an audio output.

I had a demo from Afshar a couple weeks ago, and I was quite impressed. I listened to music and watched a movie trailer, which were both enhanced for me–bass-heavy music and action flicks get the most obvious benefit. But most interesting was watching Afshar play a first-person shooter game while I was wearing the KOR-fx; it actually helps you sense directionality. I’m definitely not an FPS person, but even I could tell this might give you an edge in gameplay–plus, it’s just fun.

Today Immerz announced that the KOR-fx is available for pre-order at $189.99; maybe a bit pricey for some, but no more expensive than high-quality headphones, after all. It’s expected to ship in May. The company has a booth at CES, in the i-Stage Finalists area, so if you’re out there, stop by and try it out.