The K-Box is a tiny portable gizmo that purportedly amplifies sound from a laptop or MP3 player by channeling audio into the surface it rests upon. In theory, this thing is darn cool. In theory, snake oil is worth every penny. Wait, no it's not and ...

The idea of turning any flat surface into a speaker deserves at least commendation. Simple, inconspicuous form. Ample battery life with quick recharge

A gramophone has higher fidelity. Treble muddled by buzzy bass. That battery life is a mixed blessing: Enough, already - why won't you just die

Cutting the cord has never been easier. But finding wireless headphones that blast clear tunes without creaming your wallet? Tougher than a Steve McQueen marathon. From a distance, Motorola's S305 Bluetooth audio crown seems fit for a king (or queen): ...

Lightweight, affordable, and moderately comfortable. Awesome li-ion battery life - we got around six hours. Straightforward controls with trouble-free call accept

Weak bass, low dynamic range. Craptastic look and feel. Glasses ruin the fit. Less range than Hayden Christiansen (15 feet)

Ah, the Zune. Born back in 2006 as Microsoft's attempt to compete with the mighty iPod, it's languished, largely unloved by the marketplace. Each fall since then has seen the launch of a new version of the hardware, and each has seen it quietly fade ...

Best screen that's ever shipped on a portable media player. Sync software has excellent music discovery features. Zune Pass subscription lets you download as many tunes as you want. Industrial design finally approaches the lustworthy quality of an ...

Several years behind Apple when it comes to interface and app store. Music library still has some holes. No Macintosh software. Web browser is competent, but takes a while to render some pages. Onscreen keyboard for browser is horrid

We envy modern college students. Years of scrawling notes left many Wired staffers with carpal tunnel, but today's astute academics have high-definition digital audio recorders like the Olympus LS-11 to take notes for them.

Fantastically high audio quality. Supports noise-activated auto-recording. Records in common formats (WAV, MP3, WMA) and high-quality 24-bit/96-kHz Linear PCM. Runs on AA batteries, but comes with a charger for unlimited POWAH

All kinds of pricey. Lo-fi monochrome screen makes our TI-89 blush. Stereo speakers are tinny and unfortunately placed. Sucks as an MP3 player

Since launching its answer to the iPod in 2006, Microsoft has tantalized us with a combination of the sublime (great music subscription service, built-in FM tuner, wireless syncing) and the profane (awkward hardware, a stubborn unwillingness to play ...

maker Cool-er, on the other paw, went in a decidedly Wal-Mart direction with a spartan, chintzy device that skates the line of functionality. It sure is cheap though!

Candy colors. Initial cost of admission cheaper than competitors. Support for open formats. Battery life is good for a fortnight

Flimsy buttons. Plasticky-construction. Overpriced e-book store. Tacky user interfaced. No auto-sleep mode. No WiFi. No access to newspapers, blogs or magazines

arrived on February 9. What's the June release have that the February one doesn't?

Big-screen device that's even more readable than the original Kindle. PDF support is a welcome addition

High cost of admission. Pivot mode has hair trigger. Southpaws will find the reader cumbersome

At first glance the EZ Reader has it all: crystal-clear text, fluency in gazillions of file formats, MP3 playback (with equalizer), and multiple language and font compatibility. Alas, sluggish page turns and convoluted menu navigation, plus a heavy, ...

Transferring files, even large ones, is seamless

No onboard dictionary or note-taking capability. Numbered menu buttons can be frustrating

Apple's newest Shuffle (at almost 50 percent smaller than the previous Shuffles) could easily be mistaken for a stick of Trident, features no buttons and it pimps voice-identification technology. But even given its apparent readily consumable stature, ...

Thumb drive size. Can double as a tie clip. Battery life lasts for 12 freaking hours. Short USB sync cord is the sexiness. Yes, we'll admit, it's another beautifully designed piece of hardware from Apple. Battery bonked out after 11 constant hours of ...

Proprietary headphones are required. Control set awkward to use, hard to get used to. So small, it nearly gets lost in the packaging it comes in

We're calling it now: manufacturers need to stop slapping a lower case "i" in front of their products in the hope of netting a loose scrap from the table of Apple. iSpeaker, iCase, iCarCharger, iBling, iDog. Come on guys, all this serves to do is make ...

Relatively small adapter. Snaps easily onto your iPod and lends some oomph to certain tunes. Increases

The effect is nearly lost when using ear buds, the device won't work with older generation iPods, and music that already has a fair share of bass sounds muffled