beats

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

HP and the great glass ultrabook: Envy 14 Spectre, hands-on

It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded world of ultrabooks, but HP is betting that a liberal dose of Gorilla Glass will do the trick.

The newly announced HP Spectre is the most glass-covered laptop we've ever seen. Is that a good thing? We've seen glass-heavy smartphones like the iPhone 4, but not so much in laptops...until now. At CES 2012, we got a good close-up look at HP's bold Envy redesign.

The Spectre is HP's first consumer-oriented ultrabook (the HP Folio 13 released last year was technically HP's first ultrabook, … Read more

Hands-on with the HP Envy 15

Editors' note, January 20, 2012: We posted our full review of the HP Envy 15. We also added our hands-on video to the bottom of this blog.

One of the few reliable high-end Windows laptop lines, HP's Envy series has always impressed with its sharp design, high-end components, and (aside from the too-expensive very first models) reasonable prices.

The Envy has gotten its first serious makeover for this new version, officially released in late 2011, but only now filtering into stores. The new look is quite a departure from previous Envys. Made of aluminum and magnesium, in a dark … Read more

Now hear this: Beat box creates music using RFID tags

Some people march to the beat of a different drummer, and we'd say Danne Woo and Stefanie Kleinman are two such individuals.

The NYU students created an instrument that uses RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology to make music, and the result is pretty entrancing if you ask us.

The RFID Beat Box works by reading the various RFID tags, which are cleverly designed to look like tiny vinyl records. Each tag/disc is programmed with a different sound that's triggered when placed in one of four wooden bowls, which are outfitted with RFID readers.

The discs and bowls are color-coded to indicate a certain instrument or musical style, and LED lights blink along to the beat for visual effect. … Read more

The 404 967: Where we feel a lot smaller (podcast)

CNET Audiophiliac and general audio diva Steve "Sphere" Guttenberg is back on The 404 Podcast for his last appearance this year, and as usual he brings a list of talking points, like a kooky theory on how to curb population control, and when the iPad will eventually overtake the big screen TV.

Jeff and the official 404 graphic designer Blake Stevenson have also partnered together for Crave's first weekly comic strip "Low Latency,"and a big congratulations goes out to our video voice mail contest winners! Check out the videos below:… Read more

Tech news site ReadWriteWeb acquired by Say Media

ReadWriteWeb, a popular tech news site, has been acquired by San Francisco-based Say Media.

The site's editor, Richard MacManus, announced the deal this morning, explaining that RWW will join Say's Technology channel, giving it access to more than 75 million monthly readers:

ReadWriteWeb is going to get bigger and even better. Our plans include widening ReadWriteWeb's editorial scope and expanding our team. That starts from today, with the addition of SplatF's Dan Frommer to our team as an editor-at-large. We will also be doing a redesign, utilizing the sophisticated designers at SAY Media. With SAY's … Read more

Shaken and stirred by Bob Marley headphones

I was treated to a nice sampling of House of Marley audio gear at a trade show recently, and came away impressed. HOM offers a wide selection of distinctly styled in-ear and full-size headphones, docks, and other gear, but when it came down to what I wanted to review I gravitated to the Stir It Up on-ear headphones ($200 with free shipping).

The Stir It Up won me over even before I heard it. Construction quality is a step up from the mostly plastic Bose Quiet Comfort, Monster Beats by Dre and Ludacris headphones. I realize a lot of folks … Read more

Nokia's Lumia Windows Phones singing a new tune

Nokia plans to add a little rhythm to its Lumia line of Windows Phone handsets.

Nokia's partner Echo Nest today unveiled the Nokia Music app. It includes the Nokia MixRadio service, which acts like Pandora, as well as additional features such as an MP3 music store and concert recommendations. It will first be preloaded on the Lumia 800.

With the smartphone manufacturers struggling to find ways to set themselves apart, many of them are turning to media as one way to shine. HTC, for instance, purchased a majority stake in Beats to get access to the company's trademark … Read more

Get Fluance's audiophile-quality iPod speaker for just $100

Apparently, the designers at Fluance think different.

Instead of plastic they made their FiSDK500 iPod speaker out of wood, and they made it sound good enough to please audiophiles. It's usually $200, but it's on sale through November 7 for just $100. (Just be sure to add the coupon code "FISDK500" when checking out.)

I usually judge iPod speakers on a different scale than regular speakers. I have to, they're handicapped in a number of ways, even the $600 models never really delver hi-fi sound quality, and the one-piece models have almost no stereo separation. … Read more