Matsumura and company call their invention the Universal Earphones. Their secret is surprisingly simple and inexpensive – a proximity sensor piggybacked on one of the earbuds. As you can see in the picture above, the sensor faces towards the left ear and away from the right ear. If it detects that it’s about 30mm away from the ear, it means that it’s on the right ear. This input causes the earphones to switch the channels accordingly.

But that’s not all. By running a weak electrical current through the ear buds, the Universal Earphones can also detect if it’s being used by one person or shared by two people. If the current is interrupted it means that the earbuds are on separate heads. The earphones will then pump out a mono mix of the audio being played so the listeners can hear both channels at once. Genius! I suggest you put on your own earphones – correctly, of course – when you watch the video below.

That was awesome, save for the creepy synthesized narrator.

[via Engadget]

It has ports for RCA cables on it, and you connect it to your existing audio gear with the to shoot the tunes out to your computer via USB. The device has recording level controls and volume controls on board, and it ships with software for digitizing tracks onto your PC or Mac. It also has a headphone port that will allow you to listen as you convert. The Vinyl Forever converter will ship sometime in 2012 for under $35 (USD).

What other uses could you have for the Wiretap? As it’s name implies you can use it to record audio and keep the devil way down in the hole. It also makes it easier to use voice modification apps. It also lets you use third-party devices that plug into the headphone jack while still having a spare jack to enjoy music – either by singing or listening. Or any other device or activity that needs separate audio in and audio out jacks. Here’s the inventor James with more on his device:

You can pre-order the Wiretap by pledging at least $12 (USD) on its Kickstarter page. As of this writing it’s raised about $1,700 out of its $2,000 target with about a month to go, so there’s a really good chance that James will be able to mass produce the Wiretap.

The device has a very thin and low profile and takes up little space up on your desk or nightstand. It has an FM tuner integrated and a dual alarm clock. It can also be used to play back your tunes from your iOS device. The stereo speakers have 4W – which should be plenty on your bedside table. The dock also has a battery back up to keep your alarm working if power goes out.

The dock can be controlled with the free Luna Voyager App on the App Store providing on-screen control of the radio and alarms. The thin profile of the device also makes it portable for getting you up when on the road and it will wake you to music from your device, a buzzer, or FM radio. The Voyager II is available now and sells for $69.99 (USD).

The Asteroid will launch in October with a MSRP of $349 (USD). The receiver has a 3.2-inch screen and gets its web connectivity from a hot spot, your smartphone, or a USB dongle plugged into the back of the radio. It also has Bluetooth technology for hands-free calling, phonebook sync, voice dialing, and a lot more.

When web connected, the Asteroid can get all sorts of data like maps and music. The stereo will launch with six apps that cover music, navigation, and a bunch of other uses. The Asteroid also supports voice searching for music and more.

What, pray tell is a Bop Gun, you ask? Well according to Urban Dictionary, it’s “an imaginery(sic) term/weapon to be shot at the funkless people to fill their heart with funk in order to get them dancing. Invented by Parliament and George Clinton in the 1977 song Bop Gun.”

The operative word there is “imaginary,” but that didn’t stop circuit-bender/synth builder Greg Francke (aka “dobart”) from making an actual, fully funk-tioning (see what I did there?) Bop Gun.

I’ll leave it to the gun’s creator to describe his Bop Gun for you:

5 mixed squarewave oscillators allow for rapid phase matching and total funky collapse of even the most complex wave functions!

LFO modulates filter! All oscillators, LFO and filter are controlled by global attack/decay functions at the pull of a trigger! INVERT function allows for continuous function for those situations requiring fancy long-term funkic interventions. Funkify traffic! Passers-by! Bar Mitzvahs! The sky!

LED feedback ring at the business end reacts to funk levels, providing photonic enhancement in attractive aqua green tones. Extra-sweet readout panel provides incomprehensible feedback from selected functions. Audio output jack included, and batteries fit in the handle.”

In case you need further explanation, here’s a couple of handy diagrams illustrating all of the Bop Gun’s funky powers:

It looks like the Bop Gun got its humble start as a Victoreen Model 470A Panoramic Survey Meter, a gizmo designed for monitoring radiation levels around medical facilities. Hopefully all the noises it’s making in the video below are from the synthesizer portion, and not from high levels of plutonium in the atmosphere.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This Bop Gun does come at a price though. Since it’s the only one in the whole funky universe, it’s selling for 1200 bucks over on Etsy. Go on, Toe Jam and Earl just landed from Funkotron and told me you should buy it.

I guess the tennis-playing version of those annoying horns are the grunts and groans of the players as they bash that little ball around. If you like to watch Wimbledon, but you don’t like to listen to the grunts over the top of the commentary, an experimental video player has landed just for you that will only work while the Wimbledon tournament is going.

The NetMix player is cool because it has a slider that will let you choose how much of the court sounds and grunting you hear and how much of the commentary you hear. Unfortunately, the  app will only stream the big matches from Center Court at the stadium, but at least it works for both Windows and Mac users.

Inside each of those cubbies is a little DC motor with a wire sticking off of it. The other end of that wire is stuck inside what is supposed to be a cotton ball. The balls look more like ping-pong balls than cotton to me.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There are 138 of the DC motors and boxes in the installation by “sound sculpture” artist Zimoun. When the thing is turned on all the rubbing of the cotton balls makes a noise that is part of the installation. That noise gets irritating on the video quickly, I can only imagine having to work close to the installation would be no fun.

[via Design-milk]

What Jonathan invented is a concept for a kid-friendly helmet that looks like something a LEGO minifig would wear in space. Inside the padded helmet are speakers so the wearer can hear the comics be read with and follow along with the story. The helmet even has controls on the side for volume and skipping pages.

On the back of the helmet is a USB port for plugging in a flash drive with the comic audio file on it. The idea is that the print comic would come in the mail, an included code would allow the user to download the audio, and then plugging the flash drive with the audio in would start the storytelling.

[via Jonathan Robson]

The $300 (USD) Sound Cube is the latest in TDK’s Life on Record audio series, and looks like another potential winner. The 17-pound portable enclosure measures 9.8″ x 9.8″ x 9.8″. It houses a pair of 5-1/4″ full-range coax drivers, and the other two sides are filled with passive reflectors that look like speakers. It’s designed to placed centrally in your room, radiating sound outwards from the middle of your space.

In addition to standard RCA, 3.5mm and even 1/4″ audio jacks, the Sound Cube has a USB connector for plugging in your iPod or even a flash drive for music playback. It doesn’t have an actual dock for media players, but it has a non-slip surface on the top so you can use it with any player you want, instead of just iOS devices. It’ll even run on 12 “D” batteries, and has a handy leather carrying strap if you really want to use it away from an outlet. Early reviews over on Amazon are quite positive, claiming room-filling sound (for smaller spaces), with just 20-watts per channel. Plus, it just looks cool, dontcha think?

[via The Awesomer]

The Ziggybox is one of the more unusual synthesizer rigs I’ve ever seen. It was created by Christian Losert and Paul Schengber, and it “generates and modulates sounds by placing cigarettes in the notch of an ashtray or by opening a box of cigarettes.” It sounds like a ridiculous idea, but watch the video below, and you’ll see how cool it actually is:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The whole setup uses a few strategically-placed light sensors, interfaced with a C++ and Open Frameworks software to control Ableton Live over MIDI. I suppose there’s no reason they had to use ashtrays and cigarettes to control their sequencer, but I still think it’s a cool idea – or is that a KOOL idea?

[via Synthopia]

Razer trotted out a new speaker system today called the Ferox that is aimed at portable gaming on your smartphone and for listening to music on the go. The speakers are small, measuring in at about 2.75″ across and 2.5″ high, and are designed to be easy to take with you on the go.

They have omnidirectional drivers with a frequency response range of 150Hz – 20KHz. They will connect to any device that has a 3.5mm headphone port and will also connect to your PC via USB. Razer ships them with a carry case and the battery inside is good for about 12 hours of play per charge. The Ferox speakers are $59.99 (USD) per set and are shipping right now.

Tapping your own phone line isn’t easy, unless you have the Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device. This sucker is cheap (just $11) and takes no time to set up. Just plug one end into the microphone jack of any recording device. Then put the special earbud in the ear you use the phone with. It has a tiny microphone that will pick up the entire conversation. This thing is exactly what you need. Now you just have to figure out how to get it. After all, they’re watching your internet too, you know.

[via Boing Boing]

The company has taken that glass front faceplate and the dual analog gauges and used them to make a very expensive wall clock. On a normal power amp from the firm, the two gauges show the watts coming out of each channel.

On the wall clock the left gauges is the hour and the right gauge is the minutes. You will need to cough up $2000 to get your hands on one. This may well be one of the most expensive clocks I have ever seen.

[via Dvice]

To my knowledge, this is the first car stereo to be powered by Google’s Android platform. Obviously, with this kind of underlying software, the possibilities are endless. The company includes a GPS dongle, which, when paired with a 3G USB key, gives you enhanced map features. Parrot Maps can identify streets and businesses that are nearby, and get traffic alerts.

Music is important (being a stereo and all), so its’ good to see that they’ve included a number of useful features here for playing your favorite tunes. Naturally, iPhones and iPods are compatible, as well as music files found on USB drives, MP3 players (via USB) and SD cards. What’s most interesting is its ability to connect to streaming stations using a 3G card. Other goodies include voice dialing, voice-activated artist search.

On the unit you will find the following connections:

• 3 high speed USB ports to connect a 3G key, a USB key and/or the provided GPS antenna ;
• 1 full speed USB port dedicated to iPhone or iPod
• 1 jack cable to connect an MP3 player
• 1 SD card reader
• 2 pairs of RCA pre-amp outputs
• 1 pair of RCA for subwoofer

We’re not sure of price just yet, but we should see the Parrot Asteroid hitting the US sometime in Q2 of this year.

The only one of the new components that really looks like the 80′s I remember is the M-5000R amp with the big analog gauges on the front. My dad had a stereo with some gages like that on the front when I was a kid. Onkyo is showing of the M-5000R amp, the P-3000R pre-amp, and the C-7000R CD player at CES.

The gear from Onkyo has high-end features like DIDRC works to improve sound quality. The P-3000R preamp has AES/EBU digital connectors and USB inputs for PC audio. It also has a Burr-Brown DA and more. The M5000R amp has 8-ohm FTC rating and 80W of power per channel with a dynamic power rating of over 450W into 1 ohm. The C-7000R CD player is a high-end device as well with a silent disc mechanist and die-cast aluminum tray. The P-3000R sells for $1699, the M-5000R sells for $2499, and the C-7000R sells for $1499.

Like its inspiration, the Skinny Player adheres to the user’s body. This is not just practical but essential to the device, because it will use the person’s body heat to recharge its batteries. Isn’t making stuff up a lot of fun?

Right off the bat we can see that this concept has a couple of problems. First of all, it has no headphone jack, and I doubt that thumb-sized speakers will do justice to any piece of music. I’d also be worried about the environmental effects of a one-trick device like the Skinny Player. I can see myself neglecting to use or even properly dispose of the albums that I don’t listen to anymore. But I think future portable music players could take a couple of cues from this concept, especially the continuously charging battery.

[via Yanko Design via Crenk]

The top of the radio is white glass and inside that dome is some lights that project colors into the room to make you feel sleepy and more at ease according to the company. The light changes from white, blue, green, purple, red, and orange.

In addition to the light that is supposed to help you wake and fall asleep, the thing can play FM radio for you and has an input for your MP3 player or iPhone. An optional iPhone dock is also offered as well. It even has built-in lullabies to get your baby to sleep, and nature sounds to help you catch some Zs.

While the colorful mood lights can help you relax, they can also be used as a “dawn simulation” to gently wake you from your slumber as alarm sounds play in the background.

No word on pricing yet, but you can find more info over at PURE’s website.

The shiny, sparkly car has been outfitted with with mirrored plates strategically placed along its surface. Adding to the disco effect is a professional DJ sound system with a 15-inch bass-reflex subwoofer, 2-channel mixer and a pair of Numark NDX 800 digital MP3/CD/USB media controllers to get your beats on.

Under the hood, the iQ Disco isn’t quite as impressive, sporting a diminutive 1.33-liter, 98 horsepower engine. But who needs power, when you’ve got sound, and a car that looks like a traveling disco ball, right?

[via TopSpeed via Luxurylaunches]

For that much loot, you get a media server that looks a lot like the other Olive offerings with silver or black finish and a 4.3-inch touchscreen for navigation your tunes. The device has a CDR drive inside that lets you rip CDs right to the server and you can burn music to disc as well.

The 03HD has a Cirrus Logic DAC with 192khz/24-bit clarity. The device has a 500GB HDD with noise isolation for quite operation. It also features a wired Gigabit Ethernet port and support for WAV, FLAC, and MP3 formats as well as AAC. That 500GB is enough space for 1500 CDs or 5000 HD tracks to be stored.

If you’re looking for high-end audio quality for your digital media server, you definitely should give the Olive a look.