Product: Denon Cocoon
Price: $599.00
Rating: Weak Recommend*

With speaker docks becoming the boombox of today, it's no surprise that Denon has finally come to the table with its own offering. Features for ease of use are always important, but a full listen often reveals the true tonal balance capabilities of any speaker system. Here we'll dive in and evaluate the true sonic signature of this new Sound Dock from Denon.

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Product: Boston Acoustic TVee 10
Price: $199.99
Rating: Recommend*

Let's face it, those flat panel TVs can provide great picture quality, yet, the sound from these slim TVs is somewhat lacking. Without a complete stereo system or surround setup there's an important element subtracted from your TV shows and movies: immersive audio. Space can be at a premium for apartment dwellers, and soundbars such as the TVee 10 from Boston Acoustics offer a way to extract a fuller audio response and provide a simple way to interface with existing remotes. More

Product: Hidden Radio
Price: $149.95
Rating: Weak Recommend*

English mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once advised to, "seek simplicity, but distrust it." That's probably an applicable word to the wise when it comes to an audio device without any discernable controls, a cylindrical mystery harboring an artfully disguised hidden twist on the typical wireless speaker design...

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Product: DeLonghi Lattissima Plus Nespresso
Price: $359.99 (Amazon)
Rating: Strong Recommend*

I've become increasingly particular about how I make coffee at home. I'm still pretty easy going about the quality of a cup of good morning from a coffee shop or restaurant, but at home, I tend to geek out with a carefully concocted cup (two at most). This means starting off with freshly roasted whole beans (my current bean of choice), filtered water, a digital scale, a manual burr grinder, and an Aeropress...it's a morning ritual which doesn't cater to the "get caffeinated as quick as possible" mentality. But as one special agent professed, the measured process produces "a damn fine cup of coffee". Thus, I approached moving over to a one-touch automatic espresso maker with a bit of trepidation. Coffee in capsules? Bah! [Puts on coffee snob mustache]... More

Product: Meridian Explorer USB DAC
Price: $299.00
Rating: Strong Recommend*

As an audio engineer, I have always tried to extract the fullest resolution from my digital recordings. Early on, I began investigating separate digital-to-analog converters and their ability to resolve all the space and detail in my stereo recordings. Getting the best in digital playback was once costly and out of the reach of most people, but now the technology has begun to trickle down with products like the Meridian Explorer, allowing digital music playback with quality once only heard in studios. More

Product: Tyla Rae Polly iPad Bag
Price: $60.00
Rating: Recommend

I usually like to keep my portables in cases that don't scream, "This is a laptop bag." I generally don't like standard laptop messenger bags or sleeves, and that's why I carry my laptop in various tote bags. Tyla Rae offers carriers, sleeves, and cases for tech devices. but with women's fashion in mind. Many of their cases look like fashionable purses instead of staid carrying cases, and I got the chance to test out one of their iPad bags, the Polly in pebble beige. More

Product: Moneual Rydis MR6550 Hybrid Robot Cleaner / Dry Mop
Price: $399.99 ($299.99 Amazon)
Rating: Recommend*

A fellow design blogger and I recently got into a discussion about robot vacuums, where she deemed them "totally unnecessary", a solution already solved by a regular vacuum and some good ole elbow grease. And do you know what? I totally agree. That being said, I also believe robotic vacuum devices are the future, especially in regards to the growing demographic of elderly and two income households (not to mention for people who just hate to clean). Ironically, I love vacuuming and cleaning the floors, so I was curious how I would feel about having a floor cleaning sidekick for a few weeks... More

Product: Grove Bamboo Case for iPhone 5 (White)
Price: $79.00
Rating: Strong Recommend*

The most practical (and important) accessory you'll likely buy for your smartphone is a case. In my opinion, the best cases offer maximum protection in a minimal package, while offering an opportunity to express personal style. The Grove Bamboo Case for the iPhone 5 is manufactured from renewable materials in a small factory in Portland, Oregon, and we share how the case fares during our long term trial protected by it... More

Product: Gradient 5.0
Price: $1995.00 pair
Rating: Recommend*

As I perused the many suites of audiophile speakers at this year's CES, I was determined to find compact speakers that achieved clean design with superb sound - often a tall order at an audiophile show where form often suffers at the hands of function. Luckily, I found Gradient speakers of Finland being demonstrated at a separate Hi-Fi show in the Flamingo Casino. Once I heard the Gradient 5.0, it was clear that further listening was a must. More

Product: Mophie OutRide for iPhone 4/4s
Price: $149.95
Rating: Recommend*

The Mophie OutRide was designed with one thing in mind: outdoor action. The hard case OutRide converts the iPhone into a 170 degree wide-angle action sports camera, complete with secure mounting kit for both dry and water based sports. Unfortunately, my mountain biking and snowboard days are over and I didn't have an iPhone 4/4s to test the unit out, so I turned to some a friend with younger knees and a love of bombing downhills to get his hands-on impressions about recording while riding with the Mophie OutRide... More