Audio and MP3 Gadgets

How to Make a Hello Kitty MP3 Player Worse: Cover it in Swarovksi Crystals

Sometimes when two things come together into one it's just a great combination like peanut butter and chocolate- that's tasty. The iPhone is a phone and an iPod- that's handy. But other times when you combine two famous things you get what we dub the "Whitney and Bobby effect"- it just doesn't work. The combination is worse than the sum of it's parts.

The Hello Kitty MP3 player from iRiver would be bad enough as it is but they've gone and stepped up the "ugh factor" by covering it in Swarovski crystals. There's 300 crystals on covering the ubiquitously annoying cat's face which is, according to my math, about 300 too many. Maybe you like this MP3 player but as Bobby Brown says, that's your prerogative.

via akihabara

Coffee Table with Speaker Legs

The Table of Sound is a coffee table with speakers built right into the legs. Great idea! There's also an integrated iPod dock on the top of the table. This concept, designed by the Wondering Boys put your music right in front of you instead of back against the wall. I think this coffee table would actually be really good not for music but for watching TV or movies to give you more of a realistic surround sound effect by putting the sounds right in front of you and literally surrounding you completely with sound. I'm not sure how these would be powered, or if they would, but you definitely wouldn't want a wire coming from your table. Cool idea, might have some potential, I think.

via technabob

Miles Davis Monster Headphones for Music Listening In a Silent Way

Well here's a real Milestone in earbud headphones- the Miles Davis Tribute high-performance in-ear headphones from Monster. Each set is individual numbered and comes with a 50th anniversary edition of Kind of Blue. The headphones feature a striking gold/brass finish based on the actual trumpet played by the artist, featuring a Miles Davis silhouette and gold-etched signature on the earpiece. So whether you're On the Corner, with Miles in the Sky, or just cooking up a Bitches Brew, these are guaranteed to be some Big Fun.

via Ubergizmo

Some Very Unique Novelty Earphones

Solid Alliance brings us some very unique earbuds. If you happen to be a giant fan of sushi, cat paws, bolts, or bananas and were looking to show off your love with a pair of earphones, well you're in luck. Around $20 gets you these snazzy lookers, that are bound to help you find love, wisdom, confidence, and the man/woman of your dreams. That's man or woman, not a tranny, although if that's what you're looking for, you'll find that too with these earphones. As far as novelty headphones go, these really aren't THAT bad- heck the sushi one might even be considered subtly cute. Gotta love those Japanese gadget makers!

geekstuff4u via akihabara

Hef Approved Bunny MP3 Player

Hef would definitely approve of this bunny MP3 player, although somehow I have a feeling the bathrobed one has no real use for playing MP3's. Maybe there's an iPod dock in the famed grotto? This Playboy MP3 player appears to be like a iPod shuffle clone. A very very sexy clone. It doesn't appear to have any buttons though. It does hold 1GB and costs $32. More details are scarce, I'll give ol' Hef a call later after his afternoon "nap" and find out the scoop and get back to you on this one.

via chipchick

La Grande Castine Speakers Look Strangely Awesome

Normally when you see modern speakers trying to replicate the old-timey horn speakers, they look like..well they look like they're new speakers trying to look old. Not so much with these La Grande Castine hornspeakers- they have a unique updated styling to the old acoustical classic. Sure they sort of look like a pair of loudspeakers that would be attached to the top of an announcers booth at a high school football field, but hey- they're distinctive. The white paint gives them class.

These $100,000 speakers (someone want to send me a free pair to review? thx) measure nearly 4 feet tall and weigh about 285 pounds. Their large size and acoustic shape allow them to deliver sound in the 108dB range with a mere 3 watt amplifier. Power, grace, and beauty- just like FloJo.

via born rich

Soundwalk Wearable Speakers

These Soundwalk wearable speakers were spotted by the Ubergizmo team at CEATEC 2009. They are shoulder worn straps, that wrap around you almost like a backpack. The black triangles line up with the top of your shoulders. Apparently it's being marketed as an alternative to wearing earphones. It looks slightly bulky but I could see these being integrated into the straps of an actual backpack for maximum listening pleasure. Cool new product.