Targus has introduced something new for the portable speaker market called the Speaker Book. Creating a good set of portable, battery-operated speakers seems to be quite a challenge, and although we’re not sure how it sounds quite yet this one at least looks like a pretty cool solution.

The Speaker Book, like the Targus SonicPak backpack, uses the super-thin NXT Balance Radiator speaker technology and pumps out the tunes from your portable player through a standard 3.5mm jack. Also it can be powered by either three AAA batteries or from a USB connection if you want to run it from something like your notebook computer.

If you are looking for some speakers that look totally different, check out these tubular Gais Lisire 2.1 aluminum speakers. The Gais Lisire Series 020 is a complete 2.1 channel sound system with aluminum cylindrical styling. The Lisire’s aluminum covered ported subwoofer tube is 12-inches wide and is accompanied by a pair of matching satellite speakers.

The sub is powered by a built-in 6-watt amp and the satellites output 2.5-watts per channel. Perfect for your PC or a small stereo. These are now coming to the states for $199.99.

JBL is out today with news that it is now shipping its line of ES Series loudspeakers. Multiple units are being made available with prices ranging between around $330 and $1,200 per pair.

The JBL ES Series loudspeakers include a wall-mount/bookshelf monitor (ES10); two bookshelf loudspeakers (ES20, ES30); two floorstanding speakers (ES80, ES90); a center channel speaker (ES25C); and two subwoofers (ES150P and ES250P). The company said all offer new styling with tapered enclosures and a front baffle that curves into the top surface.

If you love Mickey and want a pair of speakers to stick in your iRiver MP3 player, this might be for you. As you can see, he’s all ears as usual with his typical goofy grin. (What’s the deal with only having Mickey. What about Donald Duck? No one likes Donald?)

The stereo speaker measures 6.3 x 3.46 x 4.96 in, weighs about 21 oz, and connects to any music player using a 3,5mm stereo audio jack. Looks like it comes in silver only. You can get it from DealExtreme for $20.10.

I have to admit that we thought these little X-mini speakers from Singapore’s XM-I were pretty nifty to begin with, but now XM-I says the speakers are going wireless. The X-mini’s are small (around 52mm wide) speakers that can fit in your pocket and be used to pump out the sound to share from your PMP.

When you want to use the speakers, they will pop open accordion-style and product sound with a special bass chamber through a high-fidelity 2.4W speaker. Now, with a limited amount of power we really can’t imagine the X-mini will really be pumping a whole lot of sound, and a wireless version would probably have even less juice but they are still a pretty neat solution.

First off, sorry about the photo - that backside shot is the only one we could find. It belongs to the center speaker of a new series of speakers Monster announced today called the StreamLine 100. Prices vary between $300 and $600, depending upon which speaker component you need.

Monster designed the StreamLine 100 speakers to be integrated into a home theater. In this series you have a pair of towers, one center and a subwoofer. All offer interchangeable side panels with five color options, depending upon the colors lying around your room or your desire to be neurotic and change them every other day.

These MiniGod speakers look so freaking cool I want to worship them and I wouldn’t mind doing so from the top of a Pyramid, even if I had to toss decapitated heads down the steps all day to make it happy. But while awesome looking and clearly a real God, the fact that it only requires a 9V battery to operate suggests that the first sacrifice this God made was the sound.

I say who cares. I’ve found my new God. As long as I do his bidding and offer up a fresh 9V battery now and again, I think we’ll get along just fine. If it wants an actual blood sacrifice, well…Let’s just say there’s room for advancement here at the Brick. Hmmm…Who to start with…

Infinity Systems, a maker of loudspeakers and part of the Harman Consumer Group, announced today the delivery of its Infinity Classia Series loudspeakers to retail. These speakers come in varying sizes and range in price from around $350 to $900.

Infinity said models in the Classia Series include the C205 bookshelf loudspeaker, C336 floor standing speaker, CC225 wall-mountable center channel speaker and C255ES wall-mountable surround loudspeaker with selectable monopole/bipole/dipole/dual-speaker operation. All of these models incorporate the company’s CMMD drivers for reportedly “exceptional resolution and transient response.”

Here’s a line of speakers for all you tree-hugging nature lovers. The Fashionation company has a line of small cube and pyramid shaped 3.25-inch speakers that are made from recycled materials and they don’t even need batteries to run. Great sound, and they help save the environment. Another cool aspect is that the speakers fold flat for storage and portability.

Did I mention that they are inexpensive? At $14.95, these won’t ravage your wallet while helping the planet and they can be had in a wide range of color options as shown above. They look like a party ready to happen. Though I do wonder how long they would last. They don’t look very durable.

Leon Speakers is unveiling this week a new sound bar speaker it considers its most compact and powerful to date. It is called the Leon 414-LCR-X-A and pricing is said to be at around $2,500.

The Leon 414-LCR-X-A, like other sound bars, combines the left, center and right channels into one cabinet. This particular cabinet has a depth of 3-1/4 inches and houses dual four-inch woofers and a 1-inch hand treated, cloth dome tweeter. It also has a 60-Hz to 22-kHz frequency response and a power rating of 225 W per channel (300 W peak).

KEF, a British manufacturer of home theater speakers, recently unveiled the necessary components for a new 5.1 surround sound system. It is called the KEF KHT1005.2 Series and pricing is at around $850.

The KEF KHT1005.2 Series includes a diminutive high performance subwoofer and egg-shaped speakers. KEF has its own patented driver technology for its speakers, which can reportedly “project an exceptionally broad frequency range from just a single point.” They are available in a high-gloss black finish and include mounting brackets.

A company going by the name of Grace Digital recently announced some new iPod accessories being hawked under its Lars & Ivan brand. The one catching our eye the most is the Hybrid PA-40Ti, priced at around $450.

The Grace Digital Lars & Ivan Hybrid PA-40Ti is described by its maker as a “high performance” integrated iPod tube amplifier. It can serve as either a complete iPod speaker system or as standalone speakers attached to another audio system. A built-in iPod dock connects Apple’s player and lets you play music, transfer data, charge the iPod and output video.

A company by the name of Zvox, known for its single cabinet audio systems, announced last year its new 425 unit. The Zvox 425 seems to finely be available, with its maker pricing it at around $700.

The Zvox 425 is a single-cabinet home theater system which is 5.5-inches deep and contains an amplifier, five speakers, two powered subwoofers and Zvox’s take on virtual surround sound technology. It can either be wall mounted or put in front of a flat panel television to enjoy its audio.

iLive has a new iPod speaker bar on deck for this spring with an expected price tag of just under $100. From the photo the iLive iT188B model looks to be iPhone/Touch friendly along with iPods and features a motorized dock with remote control.

The speaker bar appears to be an upgrade to iLive’s IHT3817DT speaker bar has dual subwoofers that are built-in, unlike many other docks which provide the subwoofer in a separate box. Aside from the iPod dock inputs include auxiliary input, dual A/V jacks, and video out. The system even houses an AM/FM radio and a clock.

Finally some iPod earphones that Prince Charles or a giant can use. This new version is 500 times the size of the originals. You should probably use these as speakers for your PC or mp3 player, and not put one on each side of your head.

The 500XL speakers include a built in amp and can also be powered by batteries, USB or DC. No word on pricing or availability just yet though, so don’t alert your big-eared friends just yet. You have to love the clamshell packaging on these.