Gradient’s latest model, called the Helsinki 1.5, appears to be some sort of futuristic Japanese toilet rather than a loudspeaker. The tweeter is contained in a large waveguide, while the midrange is angled at the ceiling in a quasi-omni configuration similar to Mirage’s omni-guide.

The bottom section contains a side-mounted woofer in a dipole configuration, mounted in an incredibly narrow baffle. Definitely one of the most unusual loudspeaker designs in quite awhile.

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Arkados (OTC BB: AKDS), known as "the HomePlug(R) Applications Company," announces several new products using Arkados semiconductor and software solutions. Together, the new products from Arkados customers devolo AG, Russound, Tatung, MainNet Communications, GigaFast, and Corporate Systems Engineering, embody the extensive range of applications for Arkados powerline technology, including retail consumer electronics, whole-house audio, custom home AV installations, and smart-grid applications.

Arkados is exhibiting these products, along with their own new ArkTIC(TM) Integrated Module at the HomePlug Powerline Technology Conference, held today and tomorrow in Santa Clara, California. Arkados president and CEO Oleg Logvinov is also addressing the attendees in several sessions.

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Desktop speaker systems usually look like ass and don’t sound much better than they look. Swan HiVi’s newest M10 Active Desktop System looks amazing, and knowing Swan it probably sounds damn good for a computer speaker system as well.

The M10 has two shielded satellite speakers which each house a 25mm soft dome tweeter in addition to a 3" seamless aluminum-magnesium cone midrange driver. The 5" seamless alloy cone subwoofer is contained in a separate ported enclosure which also has the volume control. The whole system is internally amplified and accepts inputs from MP3 players, pc’s, gaming systems, and nearly any other source device.

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Pioneer took a bit of a sabbatical from the ultra high-end AV amplifier market after the release of their last flagship model, the VSA-AX10Ai (called the Elite VSX-59TXi receiver in North America), essentially ceding the market to Denon and their mammoth 5800 models. Now they are back in a big way, throwing down the gauntlet at the Denon 5805 with a new flagship, the SC-LX90, or the Elite SC-09TX for North America. Their new statement AV amplifier is far bigger and more powerful than anything they’ve built before, and features a new amplifier section capable of 200W x 7 or 140W x 10 @ 8 Ohms built around Bang & Olufsen ICEpower Class-D modules for efficient, cool running operation.

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Urban Fidelity is changing with the times and now selling their sexy speakers online. The omni-directional Duevel Planets use their shiny orbs to disperse music throughout the entire room. Urban Fidelity states that, "The Planets are designed for hip music lovers, not tweaky audiophiles."

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To quote Nickelback front man Chad Kroeger, “I want a brand-new house on an episode of Cribs with a bathroom I can play baseball in.” It’s kind of a funny line, but also very true. As shows like MTV’s Cribs have shown us, there seems to be no limit to people’s need for more, especially when it comes their toys. So to you, my financially well-endowed reader, I say this: "I’ve got the toy for you." It is the world’s largest plasma screen, the Panasonic TH-103PF9UK, and at 103 inches diagonal, it will make that 50-inch plasma look about as big as the screen on an iPhone. Is it the best 1080p plasma screen money can buy? We’ll see, but there’s no denying it’s the largest and, as an editor of a publication with an 81-percent male readership, I know size matters.

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Warner Home Video today used the DVD Forum conference in California to announce the the first DVD to explicitly provide multiple formatted versions of the same video on a single disc. The release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on December 11th will include both the full-size DVD video as well as separate copies for playback on computers and on portable media players. Doing so will let viewers officially transfer copies to their computers without having to discover and use a DVD ripper or else buy a separate copy at an online store. It should also future-proof the release for users who abandon dedicated DVD players, said Warner senior VP Jim Wuthrich.

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In the world of consumer electronics, there are lulls interspersed with flurries of activity. Right now, we’re in "flurry" mode as electronics manufacturers attempt to stay one step ahead of the competition, releasing (or supporting) next generation high definition displays and source devices. The format wars between HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc and between Plasma and LCD flat panels up the ante for everyone as each side attempts to out-do the other in image and sound quality. And it’s the job of the rest of the Consumer Electronics world to keep up.

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You probably already know Myvu from their “Personal Big Screens”; nerdy eyewear, that when hooked up to your iPod, gives you a Virtual Boy-esque personal viewing screen.

Myvu is now launching their new Universal Edition. The Universal edition gives you 4 hours of battery life, in pristine conditions. While the device offers the same nosy-neighbor protection, it now supports the new iPod touch, nano, classic and the older 5G iPod. However, the $200 Universal Edition now supports Microsoft’s Zune, Archos’ media devices and Creative’s Zen (video capable) lines. Basically, as long as your device has an AV out jack, you can use your Myvu device with it.

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