i escape

What with summer rapidly approaching, bringing (hopefully) the sun into our lives for at least a few hours this year (I reside in the UK - say no more), there’ no doubt that Sony Ericsson have timed the pending launch of their new MS500 Bluetooth Speaker System particularly well.

Aimed at those looking to add their own carefully selected playlist as a little background to the up and coming summer months, the Sony Ericsson MS500 portable Bluetooth speaker system has been designed specifically for use with Sony Ericsson’s handsets but will additionally play ball by happily pairing with ‘most’ other Bluetooth handsets from other vendors (the MS500 supports A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles) and, thanks to the MS500’s durable splash proof shell should prove resilient to any accidental knocks, scrapes and spillages.

Set to become available in black and orange and white and pink color schemes, the Sony Ericsson MS500 portable Bluetooth speaker system, which is powered by 2 x AA allowing for up to five hours of tunes, should be along reasonably soon, however, at this stage, Sony Ericsson have (helpfully) not offered any official word concerning pricing or availability.

[nexus404]

Here is the Firefly from Vestalife, which is actually an iPod and iPhone speaker dock that features a built-in subwoofer and a digital amplifier to offers good quality of sound. The device also comes equipped with a remote control, and the battery saving automatic shut-off feature. The speaker is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery or AC power supply. You can also connect the Firefly to CD players or MP3 players via an auxillary-in jack. No word on pricing at this time.

[techfresh]

So, we’ve seen our share of headphones. Headphones have been neat for decades, and personal usage of them, day-to-day street wear-wise, has seen a resurgence in recent years due in no small part to the personal MP3 player. It should come as no surprise then that after their first minimalistic, Apple phase, they flower into a new age of aesthetic excess. Presenting the Flower Vase MP3 player, with earbuds in several different beautiful flora for you to stick in your ears.

Won-Ho Son and Joong-Ho Choi from Sky Designers Community connect again the plant world and the world of beats:

The design uses the image of a flower inside a vase as a motif. Rather than the earphones dangling out when the MP3 is not in use, you can place it in the vase tidily so that it can act as a different object when placed on the floor. The Flower Vase series is not robust in functions, but the mobility and fashionable aspect of it makes it a suitable low price MP3 player for teenagers and young adults.

How pretty!

[yankodesign]

See that? That's how far JVC's eco-friendly designers will prostrate themselves in hopes of recycling your paper money into their bank accounts. On display in Tokyo at the Designer's Week exhibition, the Sound Garden "Kirikabu" speaker combines your choice of potted plants with multi-directional speakers consisting of a woofer, and left- and right-channel stereo speakers powered by an internal amplifier. Just add water and let the electrifying fun begin. The pods can also be joined into hives where guinea pigs and other varmints of doom can breed and ultimately wash away the rain of our despair.

[engadget]

Here’s a relatively cheap solution if you want to enjoy your MP3s in the shower or by the pool without jeopardizing your expensive portable player. The Juke Tower from Net Japan is a completely waterproof speaker that plays music from a removable USB flash drive. That way when you want to load new songs onto it you can leave the Juke Tower in the bathroom or outside and just connect the flash drive to your PC. It’s powered by 3 AA batteries which provides about 12 hours of playback and features an embedded red LED display on the side that’s used to show the time as well as what track is currently playing

[ohgizmo=

Almost every cell phone doubles as a jukebox these days. But the list of phones sporting decent speakers? It's a lot shorter. Sony's solution is the MBS-100, a tiny Bluetooth speaker meant for bumping music on the go.

First, the good news. Getting the MBS-100 connected to my bluetooth gadgets (cell phones and laptops mostly) is idiot proof due in no small part to its excellent synchronization ability. In short, the device defaults to 'search mode' when first powered on and the passcode is "0000." Want to add another device? Just hold down the sync button on the bottom of the speaker, wash, rinse, and repeat. It's that simple. Also, at 4 x 4 x 4-inches it's travel friendly and the space-age meets hornet's nest chassis looks cool (if not a little Matrixy) on my desk. But the real fun lies in taking the MBS-100 on the road with your Bluetooth gadgets. My favorite prank? Sneaking its eight ounce frame into a bag and bringing music to verboten places like movie theaters, the Wired cafeteria, and public restrooms. After all, who doesn't like having a disembodied orchestra playing their theme song when they enter a room?

Sony Ericsson MBS-100 [wired]

We believe you are going to be positively bowled over by this technological masterpiece. Here's how it works. Simply place The Wireless Outdoor Speaker indoors or outdoors. Then plug your CD player, iPod, or TV into the rubberised transmitter unit that accompanies the Wireless Speaker. When switched on the unit sends the signals from your audio device to the speaker. The result: high quality, crystal clear stereo sound wherever you are in the house or garden. No messy wires. And no lugging your hi-fi up and down the stairs.

Naturally, sailing has its hazards. One such hazard is sinking. Should you find yourself knee deep in water, we recommend this: the Ozone Inflatable Rocker. As you may have observed, the Ozone Inflatable Rocker is inflatable. Thus, it will give you the buoyancy you need to float safely to shore. But it also has another desirable feature to make you time at sea more enjoyable: two speakers moulded into its lining which you can plug your i-Pod, TV, MP3 player, or CD player into - providing, that is, it didn't go down with the boat. As you'd expect, the Ozone Inflatable Rocker is easy to inflate and deflate. And it does not need batteries or power cables.