I've come across plenty of hi-fi tweaks in my quest for music perfection, but this is probably the only one of its kind out there. The US$8,200 Ballerina Sweetspot is a specialized, purpose-build listening chair designed for optimum sound quality, versatility as well as comfort. Shaped like a ballerina lifting her ballet skirt, it features height adjustment to match your speakers and a narrow headrest to minimize sound blockage from the side and rear. The Ballerina Sweetspot even comes with vibration damping feet, although I'm not quite convinced that they are necessary in this case. After all, this technique is used primarily to fine-tune speaker performance.
Versatility- and comfort-wise, there are curling armrests for holding remote controls and cushions made out of memory foam. Extra details, including a lightly arched headrest and back, are catered specially for prolonged listening sessions, too. The Ballerina Sweetspot by Klutz Design is still in prototype stage and is scheduled for full production in 2010. International distributorship will be available when the audiophile chair is ready for launch according to the company's Web site.
It has always been a blurry line between a piece of art and a purely exorbitant product. Take the Horgan Becket media cart. At US$12,000, this is easily one of the priciest TV consoles out in the market. The brainchild of the Brooklyn-based architecture and design firm, the media cart is a mix of iron beam and translucent acrylic base with some pretty nice motifs. The console also offers a modular design that can be further tailored to different users' requirements, though the price means it is a furniture primarily for the well-heeled consumers.
We have all sorts of pocket beamers in the market, ranging from DLP-based Pico projectors to LCoS-powered equivalents. However, it was Japanese company Sanwa which really nailed it with its 400-RJ2002 as far as we're concerned. This 62 x 115 x 26mm creation is not only compact, it packs an onboard 1GB memory and an SDHC card slot for out-of-the-box photo and movie playback. The formats supported include JPEG, BMP, AVI, MOV, DivX, 3GP and MPEG-4. As for its visual performance, the 400-RJ2002 can output 10 lumens and project up to a 50-inch screen size in 640 x 480 resolution.
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Acousticom manufactures audio communication equipment utilized by the US Department of Defense and leading aerospace companies. The company is well-known for its flight helmets, but it is coming to CES 2010 with something almost everyone can enjoy--the Sound Egg.
The egg chair is back, but with a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound system and an intimate media experience not intended for sharing. The chair can be connected to a television or computer and its unique foam insulation means no more complaining from your significant other. Go ahead, play Call of Duty all you want--he or she won't hear a thing.
The Sound Egg was initially manufactured as a demonstration tool for trade shows. Although this is still a marketed use, Acousticom is making it available as a consumer electronics item. The US$1,450 seat is not for everyone, but audiophiles might call it an "investment."
Nintendo has possibly the least elegant implementation for its Wii remote as far as battery power is concerned. While users can recharge their PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers easily via USB, they generally have to rely on third-party chargers for the Wii, which may be incompatible with silicon sleeves and the latest Wii MotionPlus attachments. Nonetheless, Energizer is addressing these issues with its Wii Energizer 4x charging station. This mousepad-like gadget utilizes induction technology that enables contact-free battery recharging for up to four remotes in any configuration.
Game portal Kotaku has given the US$49.99 Wii Energizer 4x charging station a go and has published a review here. There's no indication of Asia availability and pricing for this product, unfortunately.