A good iPod dock is hard to find, especially if you're of the iPhone/Touch generation. That's why QDOS' Sound Frame, due this July, is such a refreshing find. It weighs less than half a pound and it's designed to be a real space-saver. Better yet, it rotates 90 degrees, making it easy to watch videos on the screen. (Tiny? Yes. But do we still use ours? Absolutely.) The 1.5-watt speakers won't knock anyone's ears out, though its size and versatility make it especially road-friendly. Look for it in July; price remains TBD.

[Crave]

Aliph's long-rumored Jawbone 2 headset was officially announced and went on sale today. Reviews have been mostly positive, as you can see here, here, and here. Still, we've thought about it, and we've decided to keep using our hands.
Jawbone 2, $130, jawbone.com

Later this month, Michel Fournier will attempt to break the world free-fall record when the 64-year-old Frenchman drops approximately 25 miles over (you guessed it) Saskatchewan. In doing so, he'll both break the sound barrier and endure temperatures as cold as -150 degrees. (On the upside, he gets to wear the suit from this rendering.) We know what you're thinking: How will he tell the time while this is happening? Well, he'll have Bell & Ross' BR02 strapped to his wrist. The steel-and-carbon chronograph seems more than up to the task—in fact, we'd say it's more likely to survive the fall than Fournier is.

Next month, upstart ZeeVee is introducing the ZV-100, a kit that sends online video to your TV. What makes it stand apart from this suddenly crowded field? It's so easy a caveman could do it: Just connect the box to your computer and then to your TV (or multiple TVs) via a standard cable. The TV mirrors what you see on your monitor, so it's perfect for watching online video or even cruising the Web with the included remote. (An optional keyboard is due later this year.) Simplicity, however, does come at a steep price: 500 bucks, to be exact.
ZeeVee ZV-100, $500, zeevee.com

[NYT]

Audio cable giant Monster has teamed up with one of its biggest fans, Dr. Dre, to release its first-ever headphones. The results? Deafening. Beats by Dre, hitting shelves this July, pump enough bass to rattle your bones and are sufficiently stylish to wear out of the studio—thanks to a red-and-black design by Robert Bruner, formerly of Apple. They come with a handy earpiece mute button for when you want to hear the outside world and a noise-canceling system for when you don't. What they don't come with is a copy of Dre's long-awaited Detox, but it's nice to know that when the album finally arrives, you'll have your listening system in order.
$350, available mid-July

Casio's G-Shock watches have been weathering, well, shocks for 25 years, collaborating with some huge names in the process (BAPE, Stüssy). Tonight the company celebrates its anniversary collection, featuring partnerships with Japanese baseball team Softbank Hawks and Hawaii boutique In4mation (pictured). Kanye West, a fellow appreciator of all things Day-Glo, will be playing the party, and Spike Lee is slated to host. That's appropriate: Like the watchmaker, Spike's an expert at shocks—remember She Hate Me?

Now out from Sharp: a set of two full-HD LCD TVs equipped with an Internet browser. (No word yet on which, but here's hoping it's not Explorer.) The line is targeted at businesses—those that watch YouTube videos during meetings, perhaps?—but seems more useful for checking headlines, scores, and/or porn during commercial breaks.
$4,000 for the 46-inch model, $5,000 for the 52-inch, sharpusa.com

Yamaha's new FX Cruiser SHO, available in platinum and crimson-red-metallic (pictured), comes equipped with a 1.8-liter supercharged engine and weighs 25 percent less than previous models (thanks to the nanotechnology used to craft its chassis). But what's really remarkable is its introduction of a cruise-control feature. That, in concert with its 19.8-gallon cooler and self-draining beverage holders, just begs for casual Corona-fueled races. Our advice? Steer clear of resorts that cater to the college-age set.
$12,800, yamaha-motor.com

Here's something we don't want: the Timex 2154 life index watch. Basically, you put it on your skin, where it reads your biometric stats to determine how much longer you'll be alive. Pretty frightening, but even worse, it appears to be only available in purple.

Equally morbid (if more enjoyable) is 1,000 Ways to Die, premiering tonight on Spike TV. The show combines expert testimony with CGI to show what happens when, say, rattlesnake venom enters the bloodstream. In other words, if you thought the bullet-entry sequence was the Three Kings' highpoint, this is your show.

Shepard Fairey is among the nine designers PC Mag has tapped for Computerlicious, an unfortunately named (if well-intentioned) charity auction of one-of-a-kind laptops. (Other participants include G-Unit cofounder Coltrane Curtis and graffiti artist James De La Vega.) Fairey's contribution (pictured) is based on his famed Peace Ornament and Zapatista Woman designs, and the current bid is $1,025—only 300 bucks more than the cost of the computer underneath, a plain ol' Hewlett Packard ZT1000. All proceeds go to the National Cristina Foundation, which donates used PCs to schools and nonprofits.

[via Gizmodo]

Score one for corporate synergy: Fortune reports Pixar's upcoming Wall-E will star Eve, an iMac-like robot created by Apple design guru Jonathan Ive. The collaboration's no shocker given Pixar was founded by Steve Jobs (who is also Disney's largest shareholder), and comes after last year's Ratatouille featured appetizing meals created, of course, by Thomas Keller.

[via Gizmodo]

First, the good news:

Vita Audio's new R4 is the best-looking iPod dock we've seen in awhile, thanks to its retro-futurist exterior, available in either a walnut veneer or white lacquer. (The 80-watt speakers don't hurt, either, but it's not like you buy these things for their power.) Now the bad news: It'll cost more than $1,000 when it goes on sale next month, and the British brand's wares are hard to find in the U.S.

A week after the deets spilled out on Crackberry.com, BlackBerry has made the BlackBerry 9000 official under a new name, BlackBerry Bold. (Kind of sounds like a KC Masterpiece collaboration to us, but at least it looks great.) The big news: As rumored, it will work with the ultrafast 3G HSDPA data network, in addition to having Wi-Fi and GPS capability, a generous gig of onboard storage, and a 2-megapixel camera that also shoots video. That last one might not sound like much, but considering its predecessor's lack of camera was considered a feature, we'll take anything we can get. It hits shelves this summer; price remains TBD.

Capsule-espresso models are dominating the market, with Nespresso leading the Clooney-endorsed charge. Now Italian powerhouse illy is stepping up to the plate with its Francis X7 and X8 capsule models. Look familiar? They've been available to commercial clients, like Le Bernardin, Nobu, and the Mandarin Oriental, for some time. The iperEspresso line (that's "hyperEspresso" to the rest of us) has much to recommend it: both illy's lauded beans and an appealingly, uh, normal design. In other words, it's not quite Le Cube. No offense, George, but the Francis just looks more Lake Como-ready.
illy iperEspresso machines, $395-495, illyusa.com

[Luxist]

Now available: the only 1,470-piece, $8,600 Craftsman toolkit your dad will ever need.

[Sears]

Klipsch's luxe new floor speakers are equal parts sound system and high-minded furniture, all finished in a zebrawood veneer. They come in three hues—natural, merlot, and espresso—to meld a state-of-the-art listening experience with an aesthetic that references a seventies rec room. In other words, Master of Reality has rarely sounded so expensive.
$20,000 per pair, available in June at klipsch.com

Philips is joining the touch-screen fray with its sleek Xenium X800—another comer to challenge the iPhone. What's good here? Wi-Fi, an edge-to-edge screen ("e2e" in Philipsese), and a proprietary operating system that looks good enough to measure up to the best of them. Full details are forthcoming; in the meantime, leaked photos will have to do.

[Engadget]

The much-anticipated BlackBerry 9000 (the company's first 3G phone) doesn't hit shelves for a few months, but the geeks at Crackberry.com got their hands on one early thanks to (of course) an eBay snafu. To celebrate, they've posted a review that doesn't reveal much in terms of specs—nicer keyboard, sharper display, etc.—but is worth reading for its delirious prose. To wit: "My fridge is stocked with Red Bull, I have a BlackBerry 9000 in hand, and I don't plan on sleeping until every feature has been tested and menu option explored." And that's just a warm-up—the next installment of the two-part series (!) is due tomorrow.

[via Gizmodo]

Leaked pictures and specs of HTC's long-rumored Diamond cell phone just hit the Interwebs. The down-and-dirty: It runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, has four gigs of memory, and (best of all) has a 2.8-inch screen with double the resolution of the iPhone (not to mention a folded-paper-like design that gives the phone its name). Some details—price, availability, whether it comes with a QWERTY keyboard—remain TBD, but we'll learn more when the official unveiling happens tomorrow in London.

[NewsMobile via Gizmodo]

A dilemma for serious media junkies: The 80-gig iPod can't hold all the songs and videos you need, but you can't get more storage without buying a clunky (read: immobile) device. A solution: the Mvix MV-2500U, a 250-gig portable multimedia hard drive. Unlike most in its category, it's pocket-friendly—five inches by three, and only a half inch thick. It can play just about any file format you need, including MP3s and high-def video, which you can watch by plugging it into your TV or laptop. The only drawback: It lacks an external LCD screen for watching movies on the train, so don't throw out that iPod just yet.

If you want to match your lighting equipment to your Modenese sedan (and, hey, who doesn't?), Italian lighting designers Lumina have created a lamp (pictured) inspired by the grille of the Maserati Quattroporte. It even includes the brand's trident badge, but fear not: It's officially licensed.

Something tells us the same can't be said for this new pair of Nike Dunk-inspired sneaks that (finally!) detect if a live Wi-Fi signal is nearby.

Sony's new Bravia 2.1 home theater system (helpfully dubbed the DAV-F200) does a lot of things right, but ultimately has a fatal flaw: no Blu-ray support. Too bad, because it looks freaking cool. (It's U.K.-only for now, so maybe it'll be Blu-ray-ready when and if it crosses the pond.)

[Engadget]

Pictures of the company's first-ever clamshell phone have just leaked online. (And we know: They look like they were taken in the men's room at RIM's HQ.) Nicknamed the Kickstart, the RAZR-like shell includes an external touchscreen, a trackball, and a Pearl-style keyboard. Early reactions are mixed—for the record, we like the execution but question the concept—but you probably have some time to think on it: The release date remains TBD.

Also: AT&T announced today it will follow Verizon and offer live video for your phone via the aptly named Mobile TV. The service launches May 4 and will be available on two phones: The Samsung Access and LG's new Vu.

[Boy Genius Report via Gizmodo]

Sharp just announced it'll be bringing Wi-Fi-equipped TVs stateside for the first time. Its new X-Series LCD HDTVs will come with an optional wireless video transmitter, which will let you send (supposedly) uncompressed HD content to anything within 100 feet. Good news if you want to watch hilarious viral clips on the big-screen or, more likely, see some of the Web's increasing stock of high-def video on something other than a laptop. But don't chuck your Vizio just yet: Price and availability remain TBD, and other companies have promised (and failed) to deliver wireless HD.

[Engadget]

Making summer chores eco-friendlier isn't exactly on the top of our list of things to do, but we're nonetheless intrigued by the Neuton CE 6.2. It's one of the first electric lawnmowers not to require a clunky (and dangerous) cord—instead, it's powered by a removable, rechargeable battery that lasts 45 to 60 minutes per charge. (Too little for your Amagansett estate, sure, but more than sufficient for the weekday manse.) It also makes a perfect housewarming present for the neighbors: Not only will it encourage them to keep their grass kempt, it won't irritate you either—it's the quietest mower on the market.
$479, neutonpower.com

Not seen at Baselworld or SIHH: LED watches, the gold standard of the seventies. Back then, everyone from Tiffany to Girard-Perregaux tried their hand at a digital model, with varying results. (Check Breitling's combination of an LED screen with its hallmark dial to see where it all went wrong.) A selection of the best are on view at Watchismo, with rare specimens valued up to $20,000. As Pulsar's original ad proclaims, they're surprisingly useful to the top executive. You know, like the typewriter and the carbon copy.

The hype's been irritating, but Grand Theft Auto IV, out today, lives up to it. Its 60-plus hours of game-play revolve around organized crime in the trashy but gorgeously rendered Liberty City—the nom de game of NYC. Once inside, you're inundated with media: TV, in-game Internet, radio (including DJ Karl Lagerfeld), even comedy clubs.

But, as with the other titles in the 11-year-old series, the real draw is the lawbreaking. As former Serb soldier Niko Bellic, you're charged with stealing and killing your way to the top, a satisfying experience that's enhanced by a bevy of new features. (One rather realistically simulates drunk-driving—who says gaming's bad for kids?) The game's claim on instant-classic stature is sealed by the sophisticated plot; kill someone and you might just regret it later. Think of it as the new morality.
Grand Theft Auto IV, $60, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, rockstargames.com/IV

Introducing the Veptu, an oddly familiar-looking cell phone from (where else?) trademark-happy China. Something tells us there's no concierge service included.

[Gizmodo]

Pioneer just unveiled the first-ever projector for its top-tier Kuro label. The full-HD KRF-9000FD produces a sharp 30,000:1 contrast ratio. (For, er, contrast, a clear movie-theater print hits about 500:1, and most flat-panel TVs don't top 10,000:1.) It's also whisper quiet, humming along at a quiet 24 decibels. It's out later this month, and with attributes like these, it ain't gonna come cheap—€8,000, to be exact, or a wallet-busting $12,500.

[Engadget]

Gakutensoku has been "reawakened" in preparation for his coming installation at the Osaka Science Museum, and even after a $200,000 makeover he's as creepy as ever. The ten-foot beast puffs his cheeks, winks, and tilts his head, a little sleepily by contemporary standards. But before you judge him too harshly, remember that he was originally built in 1928—at which time, by way of comparison, the most complicated creature Americans could put together was Steamboat Willie. And yes—there's video:

[Engadget]

One of the best parts of playing the Wii (aside from the thrilling risk of possibly throwing a control through your TV) is setting up your Mii—the eerily lifelike avatar you control while gaming. Now Mii Sculpture has taken the next logical step: making them into four-inch sculptures, and selling 'em on the Web for 79 bucks. (Shipping's on them.) And if the idea of having a mini Mii around the house is too creepy, they also make versions of celebrities like Jack Black and Woody Allen. Which, come to think of it, might be even creepier.

[Gizmodo]

Not sufficiently irradiated by Bluetooth? Consider the latest in wireless technology: the Firmo, a device that transmits data all over the surface of the human body. (Why yes, it is Japanese.) It consists of a transmitter card (carried in a user's pocket), which converts data into a weak electric field that streams across said user. It's biggest potential application is supposedly security—where it would take the place of an ID badge—but we're just afraid "Wanna trade data points?" is about to become a pick-up line.

[Pink Tentacle]

Phone-porn enthusiasts, rejoice: LG just announced the launch of its third Black Label Series handset, the Secret. The main draw is the phone's 5-megapixel camera, which also shoots DivX video at 120 frames per second—all the more impressive considering its size which, at 11.8mm thick, makes it the slenderest phone to boast a camera this powerful. Just as importantly, the slider's a handsome devil, regardless of whether you're enough of a cell-camera auteur to need such serious equipment. No price or release date has been mentioned yet, which perhaps explains the name.

Out this week: Canon's newest entry-level DSLR, which offers a long-overdue improvement on 2006's XTI. That's thanks to a brand-new (and self-cleaning) 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, and the same DIGIC III image processor you'll find in the brand's pricy pro-level EOS-1s. Also imported from the top shelf: the (justifiably) coveted live-view option, which instantaneously shows what the lens is seeing on the three-inch LCD. Combine all this, and you'll take some of the sharpest pictures available in this price range.

But despite those enhancements, one new feature falls short: the auto-light optimizer, which supposedly enhances shadows after shooting. I tried it around sunset in the hills near my home, and—despite my best efforts, as you can see below—didn't snap anything that made the fabled Hollywood sign stand out from the late-afternoon smog. Too bad: Soon it might be gone for good. (The sign, that is, not the smog.)
Canon Rebel XSI, $799 (body only), canonusa.com

Just in time for office softball season, Rawlings has introduced the 1200 glove, the latest addition to their Primo (as in "primo expensive") line. At $399, it's the most expensive item the company makes. But with three layers of Tuscan calf leather, hand-sewn welting, and position-specific break points, it's as finely made as an Italian loafer. Of course, it takes more than a mitt to improve your game, but if showing up with a $400 glove doesn't give you Giambi-worthy swagger, nothing will. (Well, except maybe performance-enhancing drugs—but you're on your own there.)
Rawlings PRM1200, from $399, rawlings.com/primo

It's hard to stand out in an iPod world, but Samsung is doing its best to try: The company has just released the YP-S2, a rounded, screenless one-gig MP3 player that looks like a heavily lacquered little marble (hence its name, the Pebble). It comes in five colors, all of which look prone to smudges (as the tech geeks at Gizmodo point out). But for $39, it looks pretty sweet, even if it's unlikely to get the Shuffle shaking in its dock.

Roughly the size of a good dictionary, this new mini PC from ASUS is that rare thing: a desktop computer you don't have to keep hidden. And it doesn't just look cool—its top-tier specs include a terabyte of hard-drive space, full high-def video output, 7.1 surround-sound, and (happily, given all that) a remote. Of course, all that comes at a price—and just what that price will be remains to be seen. Still, why should Mac users get all the good toys?
ASUS Essentio CS5110, Price and availability TBD, asus.com

Living out your MacGyver fantasy has always been one Leatherman tool away, but the new, superlight Skeletool CX makes it even easier to defuse a bomb, save some hostages, or open a Bud—you know, whatever your situation calls for. And despite having two kinds of pliers, two kinds of wire cutters, a universal bit driver, and a combination straight/serrated blade, the carbon-fiber beast weighs just five ounces.

The fruits of Panasonic's collaboration with T-Mobile (announced at CES 2008) are almost here: The TZ50, the brand's first Wi-Fi-compatible digital camera, is now coming stateside. The big draw is that you can send photos wirelessly directly to Google's Picasa photo service. (Sorry, Flickr users.) The camera includes the standard specs you'd expect from a compact shooter—a 9.1-megapixel sensor, 10x optical zoom, hi-def video—as well as a year of free access to T-Mobile's network of HotSpots. You know, for all those pics you snap at Starbucks.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50, $449.95, available in May

[ZDNet]

After years of rumors and hype, the watchmaker has just unveiled its first-ever cell phone: the Meridiist, which contains a whopping 430 components, all hand-assembled in France. Alongside the more standard specs (a two-megapixel camera, etc.) are innovative features like a phone-top display with caller ID and a clock—ideal for discreetly checking your calls during meetings. And about that extra "i" in the name—it ain't for "inexpensive": The phone will retail for about $5,420. But good news: It's only $5,220 with a contract. (Kidding.)

[ Engadget]

This year's Milan furniture fair has given us some surprising design collaborations and some, well, less so. Samsung and Giorgio Armani unveiled their latest on the exhibition's opening day and the results are pretty much exactly what you'd expect: a sleek, minimalist black flat-screen. Huh—where else are we ever going to find one of those?

[Engadget]

Available this August in silicone and non-silicone versions.
$429.95, burton.com