monster

Thanks to Beats by Dr. Dre $300+ headphones are 'cool'

Remember when expensive headphones, let's say anything over $100, were never big sellers, and only audiophiles bought them?

That's no longer true--judging by the number of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones I see on the streets and subways in New York--pricey headphones have reached the mainstream. That's radical. Bose did pretty well with its QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones long before Dre jumped into the headphone business, but the Beats stand out in a crowd.

The reasons for Dre's success aren't purely based on sound quality, it's more that the other manufacturers' headphones sorely lacked any sense of street style. … Read more

Next-level platformers on iOS

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a big fan of platform games. Maybe it's my background of playing games from both the Mario and Sonic franchises or the sheer number of solid platformers in the iTunes App Store, but I simply can't get enough of them. There's just something charming to me about exploring a level, making all the right jumps, and trying to collect all the items to go on to next level.

There have been several popular platform games to come through the iTunes App Store, but as time goes on, I've noticed the genre evolving in interesting ways. Particularly with a few of the newer games, I'm seeing unique types of challenges being added that take the genre to places it hasn't been before.

This week's collected iOS apps are all platformers with something extra. The first uses an interesting foreground/background playing dynamic that adds to the action. The second is a continuous climber with added bonuses that keep trying to get higher and higher. The third offers tons of side challenges and secret areas for those who like to explore.… Read more

The 404 1,003: Where we're all young again (podcast)

CNET's Steve Guttenberg goes by a couple nicknames like "The Gutman," "The Audiophiliac," and "Sphere," but today we'll hear from the more tender side of our favorite audiophile as he tells us the story of how his life changed on this day back in 1972.

After he accepts our challenge to explain leap year in three sentences or less, he'll tell us why he can't stop laughing when hears the phrase "Mastered for iTunes," and we're both surprised to hear that he has a special thank-you message for Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, and Monster Headphones.… Read more

The 404 989: Where a rose can bloom in the desert (podcast)

Simpsons fans in Los Angeles are meeting up today to kick off the Ultimate Fan Marathon Challenge in an effort to beat the world record for consecutive TV watching currently set at 86 hours, 6 minutes, and 41 seconds. On today's show, we'll discuss the challenge and propose one of our own that may be a little more difficult to achieve.… Read more

Will Monster's new in-ear headphone dazzle audiophiles?

I'm hoping the whole celebrity-branded headphone shtick will soon run its course, but I have to admit Monster's new Earth Wind & Fire Gratitude in-ear headphones are pretty spectacular.

Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular funk bands of the 1970s, so naturally they were primed to attach their name to a headphone. That's fine, but I have to judge a headphone on its build and sound quality, and the Gratitude is a very decent headphone indeed. The heavy gold accents on the earpieces were a little gaudy for my taste, but that's … Read more

Turn your iPhone into a furry little monster

Even electronics need to let their kink flags fly sometimes. Open-minded iPad and iPhone 4S owners can dress their devices up as furries with ION-factory's fur covers.

The Monster Fur Cover for the iPhone is a hard snap-on cover with a shock of artificial fur on the back. It comes in three colors: snow white, creamy camel, and schnauzer grey. Gotta dig that schnauzer grey.

The iPhone cover costs $40, while a leopard-print version for the iPad 2 costs $70. Ion encourages you to pamper your new flat tribble with combing and grooming. Your real-life Shih Tzu will soon … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1576: CES 2012 Wrap Up (Podcast)

It's Friday the 13th & we are wrapping up CES 2012. Today on the show we discuss the Best of CES winners and losers and discuss some CES disappointments and surprises.

Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360)

RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360)… Read more

Beats to Monster: We're just not that into you

LAS VEGAS--The Beats and Monster brands are so synonymous that it's hard to believe the relationship is over. After a five-year lovefest that spawned dozens of headphones including the eponymous Beats by Dr. Dre and Lady Gaga's own Heartbeats, Beats is cutting ties and refusing to renew the partnership contract.

According to a report from Businessweek, two anonymous sources confirmed that Noel Lee's Monster Brand and Jimmy Iovine's Beats label severed ties after an irreconcilable dispute over who should get more credit for last year's 53 percent headphone marketshare.

Dre and Iovine remain adamant about their aim to educate young listeners on the value of accurate sound reproduction seemingly lost in this era of awful-sounding Apple ibuds, and they even brought names like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Miles Davis into the fold to help drive sales with cameos in music videos and live DJ sets.… Read more

Fanny Wang paints headphones with a rainbow brush

LAS VEGAS--Proving again that it can't make a move before Monster does it first, Fanny Wang has announced that its Duo 1000, 2000, and 3000 headphone lines all boast a rainbow of color options to suit your palette.

And now that its litigation with Monster Cable is over, there's no stopping Fanny Wang from moving ahead with its offerings.

Regardless, Fanny Wang understands that its customers appreciate the ability to add a splash of color to their headphones, so the Duo 1000 series gets upgraded with black, white, orange, green, and blue options; the 2000 over-ear models will … Read more

Monster moves beyond Beats with three new headphone partnerships

LAS VEGAS--Monster's collaboration with Dr. Dre for his Beats line of headphones and speakers has seemingly been fruitful for the company. And if one partnership did well, why not add a few more to the mix?

To that end, Monster has teamed up with music producer J.Y. Park, fashion brand Diesel, and Radio Shack for three new lines of headphones.

Pictured above are the Diamond Tears-Edge High Definition Music Headphones born from an alliance with J.Y. Park, founder of JYP Entertainment (JYPE). The new headphones by Monster get the same audio engineering that made its Beats line popular, but with a jewelry-like design to appeal to "younger consumers." … Read more