Not many of us have a couple thousand dollars to throw down on a new audio rig, so building our dream speaker systems means piecing it together over some time, often buying low to mid quality substitutes for certain components. There are a few modular systems out there, but most of them require that you sacrifice sound quality for expandability. Orb Audio aims to change that, offering a modular system that looks good and by nearly every account sounds great, all at an affordable price.

Now I've not yet had a chance to hear an Orb system, but the reviews I've seen have been good and the installed locations are pretty impressive. Orb Audio systems are featured in a couple Wired stores in New York, were chosen for the Guitar Center Artist's Lounge, and have picked up a couple CES awards along the way.

You can pick up a basic Orb system from the company website - the only place you can purchase - for $549. A typical theater system will run $800-$1300 while premium system will push toward a few grand. That's a good bit cheaper than many systems, especially considering the reviews that put the system in the company of B&W.

If there's one thing that might scare potential Orb customers off it's the unique design. Though the speakers are available in a wide variety of finishes, the shape is very modern and might scare off a few significant others. There's also the fact that you can't go just anywhere and listen to these things. The company has a 30-day trial, but you'll need enough faith in reviews to get involved in it. I'm hoping my schedule slows down enough in the next couple weeks that I can review a loaner set for you guys. Until then, think about giving Orb a shot if you're in the market for a modular system.

We have flat-screen TVs that mount directly into our walls, laptops that can pick up wi-fi in airplanes, and cellphones that can browse the Web, play music, and take 10MP pictures -- so why are most of us still stuck with old-fashioned wired speakers?

Because wireless systems are clunky, expensive, and prone to all kinds of interference, that's why. Until now, anyway: thanks to a combination of a low $299 price point and deep Amazon discounting, you can get your hands on an Eos Wireless Audio System starter package for less than $180. Given that this includes two speakers -- one of which acts as a docking station that charges your iPod while it plays -- this is an intriguing development. (Additional speakers -- each station can handle up to four -- are $115-$150 each.)

So now that Eos has established itself as an affordable option for the budget-conscious wireless audio enthusiast, the only question is whether its system has managed to avoid the "clunky" and "prone to interference" part. And the answer, at least according to several weeks of home testing with the docking station and two speakers the company loaned me for review, is "yes and no."

On the positive side, these things definitely aren't clunky. Whether you buy your system in black or (slightly more affordable) white, the Eos is all curves and smoothly sculpted lines, and it's dead simple to install: I literally plugged in the docking station, plugged in the speakers, and I was on my way. The system links to its satellite speakers via top-mounted antennae with blue LEDs that flash on or off depending on whether they can detect a signal (more on that in a minute). The station, controllable by remote, has its own volume setting, as do each of the speakers, which are controlled by a volume/power knob. It's kind of a low-tech wrinkle for a high-tech gadget, and if you're trying to precisely triangulate sound in a large room, it might be an annoyance, but if you're that kind of listener you're probably not in the market for the Eos system anyway.

The system's sound itself will be another issue for audiophiles -- but again, because of the limitations of wireless, audiophiles probably won't be looking at something like this anyway. For what it is, the Eos is more than adequate; it doesn't have the broadest dynamic range you've ever heard, but the company has tried to compensate for a rather thin bottom end by adding 2.1 sound and SRS to the mix. The result is a system that you probably wouldn't want to blast at top volume, but for ordinary around-the-house listening, it's just about perfect.

The only real drawback to the Eos -- and it is, admittedly, a pretty major one -- is an annoying tendency to drop its signal. My kitchen, dining room, and living room are all in one open area, and I arranged the dock and speakers in a triangle far smaller than the system's advertised 150-foot range, but the Eos kept bumping up against some kind of interference, and the signal would go through random bursts of flickering. It might run for an hour with no issues, then go another hour with each speaker dropping its signal at least once a song. It isn't the end of the world, but if I'd paid for the system, I'd probably be pretty aggravated, especially since the one option Eos gives you for boosting the signal doesn't really work if you have the components in the same space -- the system's signal amplifier causes a slight echo that ends up being more annoying than the fade, and in my case, it didn't even fix the problem.

Hiccups like these are probably to be expected when you're going the extra mile to avoid dealing with speaker wire, however, and I wasn't able to find reports of anyone else experiencing the same issue, so it could just be something specific to my environment. And even with the signal fade, the Eos is an attractive, affordable option for anyone looking to free themselves from the tyranny of speaker wires. Just make sure you buy them from a store with a good return policy...just in case.

Say goodbye to your FM tuner, and the static and frustration that come with it. With the Sony Xplod’s USB 1-Wire, you can now hook your iPod, iPhone or any other USB-compatible digital music player right into your car’s stereo system and get the kind of crisp sound quality an FM tuner could never provide. And with Bluetooth hands-free calling capabilities, MP3/WMA/AAC playback, Satellite radio and HD Radio compatibility, and a wireless remote, the Xplod MEX-BT5700U, provided by Sony for this review, is ready for just about anything you can throw at it.

Give Sony credit for coming up with a menu style that makes browsing through your iPod’s library to find a particular song much easier than similar units. The Quick-BrowZer function allows users to search for music by artist, album, genre or playlist, but when you’ve got hundreds of artists and thousands of songs on your player, that’s just not enough. Fortunately, the Jump Mode gets you where you need to go much more efficiently by fast-forwarding through a category in 10% increments. No worries about having to turn the dial for five minutes just to get to your “R” artists. Finally, Zappin mode will play music in six-, nine- or 30-second segments to help speed up your search for that one elusive song.

Of course, some of us are stubborn and have grown very comfortable with our music player’s navigation menu, making the switch to a new format – no matter how intuitive it may be – a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, the Xplod features Passenger Control, which puts the menu back in the palm of your hand and allows you (or, ostensibly, your passenger) to control your tunes directly from the portable player. While it doesn’t take long to learn how to navigate the Xplod’s menu, it’s pretty handy to have the option of switching to Passenger Control when needed. Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work with iPod Nano 1st generation and iPod 5th generation, much to my chagrin since I have no plans to replace my iPod 5G anytime soon. Ah, but don’t forget about the handy front auxiliary input, which lets me hook into the stereo while still controlling everything from my iPod. Of course, connecting this way won’t charge your portable music player, but it’s nice to have that option.

The Xplod’s appeal doesn’t end with the iPod connectivity. The unit’s Bluetooth capabilities are impressive, to say the least, and are fully compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The new Phonebook Access Profile feature allows you to browse your linked cell's phonebook to make a call, save a contact, or download your entire phonebook (up to 300 contacts) for easy access via the Xplod’s Bluetooth menu. Speaking of the menu, there are all sorts of options to play with, whether you want to choose your phone’s ringtone or the stereo’s default tone, enable “Auto Answer” or “Echo Canceller/Noise Canceller Mode,” or set the microphone’s default volume level. And since the unit comes standard with an external microphone in addition to the built-in mic, you’re able to easily improve your audio quality. Finally, if your portable music player supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), you can stream your audio via Bluetooth.

In short, this is one heavy duty car stereo with more features than most people would probably ever use. As a bonus, the in-dash unit looks great, with a customizable, bright and easy-to-read display that offers up to four lines of music and phone call data, the ability to choose between red, blue or green illuminated keys, and a flip-down, detachable faceplate. Anyone who’s ever battled with an FM tuner will fall for the instant iPod connectivity the Sony Xplod MEX-BT5700U offers, but the fun most definitely doesn’t stop there.

Click here to buy the Sony Xplod MEX-BT5700U.

For a phone that's billed to do things differently from the iPhone, Palm sure has gone to a lot of trouble to make the Pre sync with iTunes. The company released WebOS version 1.2.1 recently, which brings back iTunes sync along with a few maintenance fixes.

The funny thing is, the Pre could sync with iTunes via an xml file, which is an Apple approved and supported method for third-party devices. Instead, Palm keeps trying to find ways to make the Pre look and perform like an iPod, something about which Apple is none to happy. So why bother? Why keep fighting back against every new iTunes update that breaks the functionality?

Craig Hunter, a mobile developer who we've talked about for his tough review of the WebOS SDK, said it best:

Clearly, other companies know how to sync painlessly with iTunes music (see RIM's Blackberry Media Sync for example), so why doesn't Palm develop a syncing solution for their own hardware? ...I seriously question the strategy and brains of any company that ties critical product capabilities to the unsupported use of their competitor's software. I mean, really? Can it get any more ridiculous? Can you possibly send a more mixed, less confidence-inspiring, "we're a bunch of hacks who can't provide our own sync software for our products" message to customers?

Well put, Craig. Well put.

I started this post over on Fearless Gamer to cover the reading I do throughout the week but don't have time to post. This edition comes courtesy of Gizmodo, where John Herrman covers ripping your music library like you're a true audiophile.

"What about iTunes?" Someone is going to ask it. You might not be aware that iTunes results in a lossy conversion of your favorite CDs, imports album art that can only be read by Apple products, and occasionally misses some important tags. Herrman does a great job of covering the options available to both Mac and PC users for creating a digital library that commands respect.

We can pretty much guarantee this latest marketing campaign from Sony Ericsson will end in all sorts of fail. It starts with a web campaign, apparently called "Put Your Ears In Control." The site features a goofy looking animated character with just one sentence across the screen:

Come back here on the 21st of September to see how the way you listen to music changes forever.

I know this sort of language isn't exactly rare in the tech world, but give me a break. Forever? Hell, changes? This would have to be something truly radical to make the kind of impact the webpage suggests. I literally have no idea what Sony Ericsson could be talking about. Even if Sony put all the power of the Walkman behind whatever device will probably be launched, it still wouldn't change much, and most certainly not the way I listen to music or the forever of that hobby.

Check back on the 21st for more of me mocking Sony Ericsson for making ridiculous statements about an underwhelming device.

This here is the official low-down on all the changes to the iPod Nano for its 5th generation. Apple added a whole lot of functionality to what was once a simple, thin MP3 player and its (Apple) grooming the device to a run at the portable video camera market. With Flip in its sights, Apple hopes the Nano will be the world's new favorite portable cam.

The body of the Nano 5G is pretty similar to the last model. The screen did get a bump from 2 inches to 2.2 inches, and the finish is a much shinier anodized aluminum. Oh yeah, there's also that little camera on the back, but more on that later. The new Nano comes in two models, an 8GB and a 16GB, at $149 and $179, respectively.

Within the Nano's slim and trim body, Apple added all sorts of goodies, the most notable of which is a video camera. It's that itty bitty lens you see on the bottom-left of the device if you're looking at the back. The camera is capable of shooting video at a 640x480 resolution, which are then stored as .mp4 files with h.264 video compression and AAC audio. Unfortunately, the cam doesn't take still photos. The tech is definitely not something to write home about, and as much as Apple would like the addition of a camera to kill the Flip, I just don't see it happening. The tech is just too far behind the Flip for the current price.

The other problem I see with the Nano is camera placement. I don't know if Apple hired a bunch of lefty industrial designers, but someone should have changed this. Granted, it's probably a space issue - the camera and the screen can't coexist at the top of the device - but every right-handed person that touches one of these things will have the same complaint: my hand is always in the frame. There's just no way around it. It's the natural place for a righty to grab a device of that size.

The camera brings us to the next addition: the microphone. Again, awesome to be able to record video with audio on such a tiny device. Again, terrible mic placement. The ability to record voice memos is great, but gets quickly diminished by the sound of my index finger rubbing over the mic as I talk. The bottom of the device is the natural place to put your hand - hell, that's where the controls are - so why put the mic right where my hand will always be? Stupid.

Among the smarter things Apple did in the update was add a radio. Yes, there's an iPod with an FM tuner. Crazy, no? The tuner does require a headset to work, but it works well and has some cool features. The radio app retrieves RDS info, allows you to pause and rewind, and you can even tag songs. Plugging the Nano into your computer will take you to the iTunes location for songs you've tagged.

Last and certainly least, Apple added a pedometer to the Nano. I don't know if they're marketing this at soccer moms or the early 90's, but it seems like a pretty weak addition. In fact, the whole thing operates like a lite version of the Nike+ campaign, which itself strikes me as incredibly lame.

To wrap it all up, I'm unimpressed. This update is a completely underwhelming attempt to take market away from Pure Digital and the Flip, and I think consumers are going to notice. The camera is bad enough that Apple doesn't even want you to see the pictures it captures. The video isn't a whole lot better, and the rest of the features have been on other MP3 players for years. I guess this is what happens when you're on top and no one else is even close. You get complacent. Really, really complacent.

Apple's Rock and Roll event is still in full swing, but there's at least one bit of news worth sharing right now. Steve Jobs didn't just make an appearance at today's event; he was on stage, announcing the release of iTunes 9, which is available for download today. Obviously it's good to see him back in good health, and better to have him at these big media events, making announcements.

As for iTunes 9, Apple's added a lot more features, which means more and more bloating. The software seems to be getting bigger than ever, and I don't really see that as a good thing. There are some new features, though, that will excite some.

Perhaps the best is Apps Organization, a new tool within iTunes that will allow you to view the app pages on your iPod or iPhone and reorganize them with simple dragging and dropping. As a matter of fact it works a lot like the custom app I wrote about a few weeks back. You can move multiple apps at a time and spring to an app by double-clicking in a scroll menu containing a list of all your apps down the left side. Good stuff.

Another notable feature is iTunes LP, a service that gives you access to all of the trappings of a traditional LP purchase - album art, lyrics, special materials from the artist - in a digital format. Apple will also be adding custom interviews and other special materials to iTunes LP, all viewable within iTunes.

One of the best features with iTunes 9 is home sharing. Yes, I've heard the arguments about owning the music you purchase and doing what you please with it. Let's not rehash that here. Point is, iTunes can now be authorized on 5 computers and those computers can actually copy music between one another with a simple drag and drop. The feature also allows you to view only those songs in a networked library that you don't have yourself.

As for the less notable features, the iTunes store is getting a redesign and there's going to be Facebook and Twitter integration for sharing the things you like. Not anything I'm all that crazy about. The iTunes redesign is more of a tweak than a true overhaul and I think we all know how I feel about the social media iTunes will be integrating.

As I write this I'm also working on two other significant Apple updates, so check back often. There's some disappointing news ahead.

Seems like most major announcements this summer just haven't been able to stay secret. First we had the PS3 Slim, then the Xbox 360 SKU change and price cut, and now it's the iPod Touch/Nano camera update. The last got another check on the confirmation list today when the Best Buy website leaked an inventory listing for iPod Touch 3G cases and iPod Nano 5G cases. There's really only one reason for those cases to change from the last generation - significant changes to the body - and we're guessing that change means a camera.

Now the leak doesn't include pictures, so it's not an official confirmation of the camera theory, but it's damn close. We won't have to wait long to find out, though. As I'm sure you'll remember, Apple's "Rock and Roll" event is happening tomorrow at 1PM EST. Be sure to check back here. We'll have the latest from the completely unexciting and totally expected updates.

According to a Bloomberg report, Sony's Walkman outsold the iPod in Japan last week for the first time in four years. It's likely no small coincidence that Apple's media event, the one at which they're rumored to unveil a new line of iPod Touch and iPod Nano models with cameras, is just a week away.

One analyst thinks the shift came from consumers looking for less expensive devices. I'm calling bull on that one. It looks to me more like market forces aligned to give Sony the .9 percent jump over Apple in the week ending August 30th. Sony had recently released the W series Walkman, which got some good reviews, and again, Apple is almost certainly launching a new line.

I don't mean to sound so vehemently fanboyish, but let's be realistic. Sony has done anything big enough to really take back the market. Sure, the W series is one of the best looking devices they've designed, but you don't just win back market share with a pretty device because it costs marginally less than the dominant competitor. I hope that analyst isn't getting paid much, if at all.

Today Pandora announced the release of a new desktop client for all Pandora One users to download. If you don't know, Pandora One is the paid version of the popular Pandora online radio service that compiles playlists based on the style of a selected song, artist, or genre.

Along with your ad-free, desktop music listening experience, the Pandora One client update adds some features that were definitely missing from the older version. Among those features is listening history, which allows you to see what you've been listening to for the past hour. You also get a progress bar for the currently playing track, faster song transitions for your downvotes and skips, and track info on system tray hover for you Windows types.

One of the features I like the most is persistent placement/volume settings. No more fiddling around with settings when you open the app. It remembers where you placed it on your desktop and the last volume setting. Set and forget is a lovely thing, especially if its something you fire up at the office first thing in the morning.

You can read the full announcement over at the Pandora blog.

Today, Apple sent out invitations to their September media event (if you're reading this, Apple, you forgot the one with my name on it and that complimentary airfare/hotel stay). This year's invitation looks like just about every other iPod advert. The invite reads, "It's only rock and roll, but we like it." Those aren't exactly inspiring words for a tablet announcement, but there are plenty of other things Apple could show off this year.

Among those would be the rumored-to-death cameras for the iPod Touch and Nano models, the release of which would set the stage for an iTunes 9 announcement. There's also the "Cocktail" feature that's supposedly designed to save the album (can you save what's dead?). All of those things would be interesting announcements, though I can't say I'd be excited about the extra bloat coming to iTunes. It's bad enough as is.

Do you ever look back on your first iPod and get a little tear in your eye? Do you lovingly remember the first time you took the original iPod Shuffle to the gym? Yeah, neither do I. I wasn't all that taken with the iPod until the third generation to be honest. But for the early adopters out there, Apple has a special treat.

As TUAW points out, Apple currently has first-gen iPods and iPod Shuffles up for sale. Granted, they're refurbed, but I still think it's kinda cool. In case you're wondering, that is indeed the iPod model with the physical scrollwheel and individual buttons surrounding the wheel. They're claiming it's 5GB iPod for $129 while the original Shuffle will run you a jaw-dropping $99.

Now I'm all for getting a little cutesy with old products, but $99 for the Shuffle that came with a lanyard? Come on, now. That's just absurd.

First, some background. This story has just one source. That source is a developer of a popular Twitter app for the iPhone. Said source is also a fool or just too rich for his own good.

According to John Gruber at Daring Fireball, Microsoft has made contact with at least one iPhone developer with the hopes of getting some app love for the Zune. The developer, who contacted John with the story, was apparently offered "a bucket of money" to port his Twitter app to a product that was at the time undisclosed.

I know there are reasons you might turn that sort of thing down, like loyalty to a certain brand (which I don't understand unless Microsoft has screwed you in some life altering way), but a bucket of money sounds pretty nice to me. Don't want to do the work? Get one of your friends to do it for a finder's fee. I dunno, seems like something I would have jumped on.

The real news in all of this is that Microsoft is trying, and pretty hard, to get some serious app support for the Zune HD. They need it too. Sure the thing looks cool, but it's just a media player and a mobile web browser for now. Adding some delicious apps could help them take a significant slice of that delicious Apple pie.

Just a day after the release announcement, Microsoft's Zune HD is up for pre-order with several major retailers. As was accidentally leaked by Amazon, the new media player will cost $220 for a 16GB and $290 for the 32GB version.

Unfortunately pre-orders can only receive the black or platinum colors. At release consumers will also be able to choose from red, blue, and green with the option to have your Zune engraved with one of 10 different designs called Zune Originals.

As I mentioned yesterday, the price puts some pressure on Apple with their iPod Touch line. The Zune HD not only upgrades with HD video playback, it costs far less than the equivalent in the iPod Touch line.