There is some research that suggests after a certain number of weeks gestation talking to your unborn child, playing music for it, and reading to it can help it develop and forge bonds with parents. You could just hold a set of headphones to the mother’s belly, or you could use a purpose built system like the new Ritmo device to play your baby music.

Ritmo is a fabric harness that wraps around the pregnant mother and has a pair of straps with two speakers each that wrap over and under the belly. The device also has a control box to set the appropriate volume for the baby.

One of the new areas at CES this year is the iLounge pavilion where people looking to show off their Apple gear can get booth space. One of the companies that will be showing off its line of new gear is Scosche with several items for the iPod and iPhone.

Among the new wares being showing off at the show will be the new IDR655m headphones with tapLINE II remote and mic. The earphones have11mm drivers and work with the iPhone. The company will be showing off its reviveLITE case that charges the iPhone and has a built-in flash light.

The DoDoNa S-100 MP3 player is a cube with some old school iPod controls and some buttons on top. It comes in your choice of black, white, yellow and green.

The S-100 features a 1.1″ OLED display capable of 96 x 96 resolution, an integrated loudspeaker, 4GB of internal memory, FM radio and it supports MP3, WMA, OGG and FLAC file formats. The S-100 will deliver 15 hours of audio playback using headphones and 8 hours through its speaker.

The GenevaSound iPod dock is gargantuan. But now you can get a much smaller version that sports the same style in this GenevaSound System Model S.

What this one lacks in size it makes up for in glossiness, with a lipstick red color. The price is also smaller than the original at $300. Looks like it also comes in black and silver if red is too bright for you.

I can certainly see the desire to have noise-cancelling earphones with kids around. I can’t work if my son and his friends are playing games in the living room, they are too loud. A nice set of headphones would help me put up with his goofy friends and all their giggling.

Audio-Technica has announced a new set of headphones called the ATH-ANC1 QuietPoint active noise-cancelling on-ear headphones. The product name is long enough and they will sell for $129.95 in January.

There are lots of portable devices like phones and MP3 players that feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. The iPhone and iPod touch are two notable devices with 3.5mm jacks. Headphones that connect to computers have 3.5mm jacks as well.

The problem is that PC headphones have individual connectors for the headphones and mic so you can’t use them with the iPhone and take advantage of the microphone for VOIP. SteelSeries has announced a new adapter called the SteelSeries Adapter for mobile devices.

Speakal makes some of the stranger and more interesting speaker docks on the market. They have docks for the iPhone that look like pigs and some look like other animals. The company has announced a new speaker system today called the iPom.

The iPom is designed to look like an apple with two speakers that look like flowers. The device lacks an iPod dock and makes due with a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting to devices. The speaker flowers are removable and can be positioned.

If you are a music fan that uses an iPhone for your mobile phone and music device you really need to get yourself a decent set of headphones. The problem is that most of the good sets of headphones on the market lack a mic for making voice calls. Shure has announced a new headset specifically for the iPhone and iPod that has a mic and great sound.

The headset is called the SE115m+ and it combines a noise-reducing headset with a mic and remote control for music. On the right earpiece cable the mic and three button remote is found. The remote allows full control over all music player functions.

iRiver is rolling out the N20 Mariah Carey edition which will come preloaded with 17 tracks from her latest album called Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. We have no idea how the N20 will be controlled and if it uses the usual 3.5mm headphone jack.

Some say it’s controlled by a touch interface, some say there are buttons on the back. Maybe the controls are on a touchscreen that looks like a scantily clad Mariah, so geeks can feel her up and play tunes. We just don’t know.

ILuv has unveiled its latest digital media player, the i1166, which features an iPod interface and a large 9 inch screen that should be perfect for watching video. It should arrive in mid-October for $269.99. When docked, you will have complete control over an iPod, using an AC adapter.

The i1166 is also compatible with the iPod touch 2G, nano 5G, nano 4G, original touch, and nano 3G, plus the iPod classic and iPod with video. The player is also DivX certified and has a built-in DVD player. Looks like you are really getting your money’s worth.

Good speaker systems are hard to find. Especially if you want a small form, with big sound. And bass is usually disappointing in these small systems. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been disappointed with speakers that don’t deliver. So I decided to give Logitech’s Z323 a try.

These speakers are acoustically engineered to project audio evenly in all directions, not just one. The idea is that you hear the full range of sound throughout a room. Another interesting feature is the down-firing woofer designed to deliver rich, deep bass. The two satellite speakers claim to produce warm mid-range tones and crisp high notes. You can plug in your Logitech Squeezebox, gaming console, iPod or DVD player. So what did we think of the Z323? Read on.

iLuv always comes up with cool new cases for the latest Apple devices and their latest cases for the iPod Nano 5th generation are no exception. They range from hard clear plastic to soft and are all super stylish while protecting your Nano.

The icc306 city series features designs from New York, London, Paris and Sydney. While the icc307 series is all about retro record players, headphones and speakers. The coolest is the icc304 case which makes your Nano look like a camera to go along with the latest iPod Nano feature.

One of the better iPod docks that I have tested in recent years was the cool (and pointy) Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin. The only real downside to that thing was that it was very large for a speaker dock. I guess B&W felt the same way and the company has unveiled a new smaller Zeppelin Mini iPod dock.

Ironically, the only simularity between the original Zeppelin and the new Zeppelin Mini is the name. The Mini has a rotating docking arm that allows the iPod to be turned to landscape mode for viewing album art. The device also has a USB port to allow you to stream music from PMPs attached via USB as well as your Mac or PC.

Sharp just announced the DK-AP8P and the DK-AP7P, two portable iPod speakers. The DK-AP8P is the more powerful of the two, with a special front face plate that acts as a control panel. The magnetic cover can also be removed from the main system and used as a remote control.

The shared features of this pair include 2.1 sound with built-in subwoofers, compatibility with a wide range of iPods and iPhones, and they also act as a charger when your device is docked. Expect a battery life of about six hours, and if you want some private time, you can plug in your headphones.

Apple announced an updated Shuffle that features new colors for you to choose from and even a special stainless steel version. Pink, green, blue, silver and black specifically. The controls remain on the headphone cord, but according to Apple there are a bunch of manufacturers who will be offering headphones with the buttons, which I know is good news for may of you.

That familiar disembodied voice you’ve come to know and love has another job now as well. It will give you info on your battery life. The prices, like the songs on your shuffle, remain the same. $59 for 2GB and $79 for 4GB.