Maxell is showing off the Consumer Electronics Show a new home theater in a box solution which takes the form of a surround sound bar. It’s called the Maxell 5.1 Digital Sound Bar with Subwoofer and is set to price at around $600.

The Maxell 5.1 Digital Sound Bar with Subwoofer is capable of connecting with up to seven devices and powered by 120 watts of power, according to Maxell. It sports a built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decorder and can be controlled via a remote.

If you are looking for a stylish CD/MP3 clock radio that has quality German design, Sonoro Audio has three new cubos that are launching during CES 2008. These retro looking units are an all-in-one clock that contains a slot-in CD/MP3 player as well as an internal iPod docking station with remote control compatibility and recharge function. It also has that old archaic thing known as AM/FM radio reception.

If you happen to be a fan of radio, they will also be offering a internet/FM radio cubo. It certainly combines form with functionality and they paid attention to design detail. Each of the three cubos are encased in wood in order to provide high quality acoustics. The metal grill located on the top of the product enables upward resonance from its powerful full range speaker.

Xias is pushing out a variety of cool new products this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. In addition to the online music service/media player announcement the company is also launching a couple of new stylish digital photo frames.

The XIAS 8” (PF-821WF) and 10” (PF-1021WF) Executive Digital Photo Frames both come in a wood grain outer frame that holds the actual 800×600 TFT LCD display which sits in a floating swivel display. The picture frames are both WiFi enabled although the release information doesn’t do a whole of explaining on what that means exactly. (We’re assuming it has to have something to do with getting a photo feed to the frame wirelessly from a computer.)

This retro looking radio has a very simple design marrying the old with the new. It’s powered via the USB port on your computer and will give you the current time and weather conditions. It features two round portal like displays on the front. One display shows you the current week on the top, the hour and minute, and the bottom part displays the year, month and date. The other display gives you information about humidity and temperature.

It’s also available in a smaller version with a few features missing. Instead it has a count down function and a birthday reminder. I just like the fact that these remind me of my grandfather’s electronics. They are basic with no bells and whistles. Sometimes it’s nice to have something low-key.

I’ve always wanted a DVD changer that holds a massive amount of discs. Mostly because I’m lazy and I want my DVDs to be in one convenient place. With Sony’s DVP-CX995V 400 disc DVD changer, you can have your whole movie library in one convenient location. You won’t have to worry about your discs collecting dust because you left them laying around.

This is an awesome solution for people like me and it’s only $399.95. It’s like a multimedia jukebox for your movies. What with the current Hollywood writer’s strike and all, now would be the time to get one and save yourself some hardcore boredom. I have already seen more game shows this season then I care to admit too.

JVC has some new ear buds set to launch sometime early in February that employ a little more natural materials than most with the housing made out of real wood. Birch wood, to be exact, was the material of choice for the designers of these $130+ ear buds. After all, real wood wood works well to encase larger speakers so why not use it for really tiny ones too?

The HP-FX500 ear buds don’t skimp on performance either, according to JVC. The buds use hybrid drivers, a damping gel inside to reduce jittering and help with noise cancellation, and they have a sound range from 8Hz up to 25kHz. Also, like most ear buds, they come packaged with a carrying case and multiple sized rubber tips to fit different sized ears.

Wii sports has become quite a popular past time with the elderly. Especially bowling. Wii sports has gotten so big at the Riderwood complex in Montgomery County, Maryland that tournaments are held fairly often. The complex houses 3000-residents and one can only guess that at least half of them are now addicted to the Wii. Just recently a 79-year-old real world bowler was defeated by an 84-year-old who’d only recently got to know the Wii game.

Apparently, they get pretty riled up about these matches and have been known to actually remain awake long enough to compete. I would imagine that having a Wii handy probably keeps some of them more physically and mentally alert then they might otherwise be, which is a good thing. And you just know that they have a whole betting system in place too.

With all of these gadgets and electronics, not to mention Christmas lights, your electric bill is probably killing you one watt at a time. The Intelliworks Energy Saver feels your pain and can apparently cut your electricity bill by up to 50%. It uses state of the art technology to ‘optimize the voltage’, by acting as a sort of traffic cop for electricity.

The device automatically optimizes the voltage and current demands so that the end result is less energy consumed by you. They claim that users in cities will save about 14%, while those in rural areas will save even more. Possibly up to 50%. It sounds too good to be true, I know, but that’s not the only benefit. The life of your appliances can be extended, since the voltage is stabilized during momentary power surges. Just plug it into any wall socket and start counting your extra money every month. That’s it.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not crank up the radio and get your day started right. The retro Sci-Fi stylings of Kenwood’s radio/toaster will add some pizazz to your decor.

You might think that despite it’s good looks and presumably great sound, inside it’s just a few wires being heated up, like any other toaster. Nope. It has an electronic temperature sensor that monitors temperature and adjusts toast timing so you get consistent toasting, time after time. It’s nicely sized as well, measuring 11 x 8.7 x 6.3 inches

The Thodio iBox is a very nice and somewhat retro looking iPod amplifier that is handcrafted from wood which is finished with quality high gloss lacquer. It will make your desk look much classier. The rechargeable battery provides 15 hours of juice, and the two speakers deliver 25 watts of power each.

It’s been a trend lately to recapture that look of old 1950′s Television sets with their woodgrain cabinets, and translate the look to these new devices. Anything looks at least a bit neater in wood, but with the Thodio, I think they got the design just right. Each case is handcrafted from 15mm of beech, oak, teak, zebrano or mahogany.

Geneva Lab, a maker of iPod sound systems, has apparently unveiled a new model for iPod owners which comes in a single wood cabinet. The new Geneva Sound System Model M is available in three body colors and priced around $500.

The Geneva Sound System Model M is a tabletop iPod sysem which is compatible with all iPod models that make use of a dock connector. Four speakers are housed in the wood cabinet, powered by a digital amplifier which kicks up 100 watts of power. There’s also a LED display on the front which shows information like which track is playing.

Let’s face the facts – you’re lost deep in the woods after going out on a hike to get photos of the elusive Bigfoot. You can’t find your way out and that big bear staring at you and salivating isn’t helping matters. As you rapidly climb a tree, you remember you can summon help with SPOT, the self-described world’s first satellite messenger. This aid to the lost hiker is priced at around $170 plus service fees.

The SPOT takes the form of a portable device which is designed to be waterproof as well as to withstand the outdoors in general. It’s reportedly relatively easy to use by pressing one of several buttons to, for example, transmit a user’s exact location and message to a 9-1-1 emergency call center in times of need. You can also send standard messages to family or others to request help or just let others track you via a Web service which uses GPS coordinates and Google Maps technology.

This high-end corkscrew from Sveid uses a neat scissor action mechanism to easily uncork your bottle of wine or champagne instead of the usually twisting or prying action needed to get the cork out. And it should be easy if not completely effortless for the $71,000 price tag that comes with it.

The Sveid corkscrew is made up of 52 pieces made of aviation titanium along with a fingertip lever that can be made of 18k gold or platinum upon request. It also comes in a custom box that can be made from the wood of your choosing which locks the corkscrew in place when stored. You can check out the video of the Sveid corkscrew in action below and by the looks of it you’ll want to be sure to have your fingers in the right place when using this spendy contraption for fear of losing one!

The small table top jukebox reproduction stands 36cm high and has a real wood cabinet (veneer) and illuminated tubing that changes colors making it look and act like the real old time jukeboxes.

Instead of being packed with tiny records this jukebox houses electronics to play your favorite old-time music on CD’s through a retractable tray in the front. It also has an FM radio tuner and a USB 2.0 connection to connect and play MP3′s, although the jukebox itself does not have any internal memory or an MP3 player.

Chances are that if you are reading a technology/gadget blog like the ‘Brick or any others that your day job isn’t too, shall we say, hands on? Not to be rude to our construction or contractor readers but most of us are office cubical dwellers and any physical labor we do is in our off-hours. This handy device doesn’t care if you need it 80 hours a week or for the odd repair job around your home but it’s worthy of the attention of both groups.

Say hello to the Contractor Space Pen Tool. This handy gadget is ideal for worksites as its makers guarantee that it will be able to write on drywall, wood, metal, glass, plastic and rubber and in extremely chilly environments (up to -50F). The ruler is marked off in centimeters and inches, there are two levels, a plumb and an angle gauge. The only things that the Space Pen doesn’t do is call home for you or act as a stand-in remote control when you lose your main one in the cushions of your couch. Weekend home reno warriors can easily afford this novel invention at a cost of just $24.99.