CES - MP3 and portable video players

Walking into the North Hall at CES this year might make you wonder if someone had picked up MacWorld and deposited it into the Las Vegas desert. The space was packed end to end with various iPod accessories, complete with iLounge Pavilion. As you might imagine, headphones made up no small part of the audio offerings on display. Among the many companies on display was Etymotic, which was demonstrating its new mc-series headphones.

The sleek new earphones come in a variety of shimmery colors, including a forest green version not shown here. They also include Etymotic's excellent noise-isolating capabilities … Read more

You've gotta love Ion. Year after year, no company better embodies the CES spirit of throwing offbeat products at the wall and seeing what sticks. Some of the products catch on and some don't, but it's always fun to flip through its new releases and see what might be the Skymall superstar of the new year.

For 2010, Ion is continuing its tradition of USB turntables, iPod speakers, and analog media converters (including a USB Walkman-style cassette deck), but also breaking ground on several new product categories.

The most notable new addition is the iType, a full-size … Read more

There were a number of hot trends at this years CES, such as 3D televisions, Internet-connected cars, tablets, e-book readers, and Netbooks. Unfortunately, I don't cover any of that technology.

I cover portable media players, and for the most part, CES offered slim pickings. Last year, we had Sony's X-Series Walkman unveiling, a hands-on with the long-awaited Samsung P3, and a grab bag of PMP announcements from Iriver. This year, Sony was mum on the Walkman, Samsung's MP3 players seemed desperately gimmicky, and Iriver's lone PMP announcement came with scant details.

Truth be told, I was hardly surprised by what I saw. It was what I didn't see that made me feel uneasy. Going into CES, my preshow predictions promised Android-powered PMPs and all kinds of interesting fusions between iPod accessories and custom-built apps. Well, I was wrong.

Sure, there were dozens of Android-powered touch-screen devices out there, but in the looming shadow of Apple's… Read more

Sennheiser and Adidas worked together to create sports headphones. Sennheiser product manager Eric Palonen showed off some earbuds that include an "ear fin," saying that "we took a lot of the weaknesses of a typical headphone and made them a strength for the sports community." The ear fin, a small rubber extension near the ear pieces, keeps the phone from falling out of your ear. They also have water resistant cables that you can wash when dirty.

They range in price from $80 to $120. While these weren't 't the most exciting technology at the … Read more

Jasmine and Donald report live from the show floor on the Best of CES finalists and all of Monster's shenanigans.

Subscribe in iTunes audio |  Subscribe in iTunes video | Subscribe in RSS audio |  Subscribe in RSS video… Read more

LAS VEGAS--I've not been shy about admitting that I'm a big fan of Callpod's Chargepod. I've taken it on many trips and I love that I can charge my camera, cell phone, and MP3 player simultaneously. But not only that: leaving all those individual chargers at home saves room in my suitcase.

At CES the company raised the bar a bit higher, with the debut of the Chargepod V2. Like the first Chargepod, the V2 can power multiple gadgets at once, but it also includes adapters for powering your laptop (both Macs and PCs) and it … Read more

We talk with Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of the MP3, about how the popular audio format came about, how best to use it, and what's next in digital audio technology.

While the majority of Monster's announcements this year focused on portable headphones, the company didn't want aspiring and professional DJs to be left out in the cold. Enter the Beats by Dr. Dre Spin headphones, a cushy full-size set with all the style we've come to expect from the product line and a few unique twists.

For those who aren't familiar with DJing (or spinning, in case you're wondering where the naming came from), one important detail to know is that a DJ needs to hear both what is coming through the headphones and what … Read more

Sean "Diddy" Combs may be a bit over-the-top, but I have to give credit where credit is due: the cat's got style. And that's definitely part of the draw with the new earbuds he's putting out with Monster and Dr. Dre, the Diddy Beats.

These in-ear 'phones are clearly designed by a fashionable eye, from the tapered, conical earpieces to the chrome accents and lowercase "db" initials stamped on the outer edge. Add to that Monster's signature flat ribbon cable, and you have a head-turning style that's sure to attract listeners … Read more