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earth wind & fire

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 iPod into a boombox (if you must)

Count 'em, two trends in one. We've written exhaustively (and exhaustingly) about the maddening ubiquity of iPod cases and retro design. So what do we come across? Oh joy, a product that combines both categories.

The "iHome iH19" is a protective water-resistant case for the iPod that includes built-in speakers--and the resulting form looks remarkably like a old boombox from the '70s. The case has features that update the concept for 21st century use, of course, but just looking at it will always make us nostalgic.