Kenwood’s new CD player has wood. It is dubbed the U-K525LT and sports a nice retro look, making it both stylish and elegant. It’s based on the existing U-K525 that was released this year. Goes nice with your wood grain Atari console.

Besides playing CDs, the U-K525LT also supports iPods, iPhones, WMA, AAC and MP3 file formats, FM radio and USB data storage compatibility. Did we mention that it also has wood? The Kenwood U-K525LT will cost you 44,800 Yen in Japan. That’s $539. Plus…wood.

Kenwood has introduced a new Compact Audio System in the C-414 Series, which features an FM Radio tuner, CD player and a dedicated iPhone/iPod dock. The dock comes packed with DTS Envelo Technology, which allows direct access to your music library.

This dock will also play music through an SD card or USB port. You can expect it to arrive on the Japanese market in your choice of silver, pink and white for $329. Looks pretty sweet.

Kenwood Japan has launched the CLX-70 iPod and iPhone speaker dock, which uses DTS Envelo speakers along with three-dimensional soundstage and is powered by a 30W amp. Connection options include the 30-pin Dock Connector, USB port, SD card slot and a CD drive that supports MP3 files.

The CLX-70 will play nice with the iPhone 3G, 3GS and the iPhone 4, iPod touch, second-generation iPod nano and the iPod classic. It will be available in three colors and will hit the Japanese market this month.

The Kenwood AS-iP70 digital photo frame looks like a typical photo frame, but it has something extra. An iPod/iPhone dock. Even better, the dock can be put away when not in use. The device supports memory cards and USB flash drives too, and of course displays the pictures on it’s 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) TFT display.

You also get an AM/FM radio with an alarm function, so it doubles as an alarm clock. The only bad part is that there’s no video playback. Look for the Kenwood AS-iP70 to be released in April, when it will cost you about 25,000 Yen (or $274).

JVC and Kenwood have partnered to release their very first car navigation system, which is dubbed the MDV-313. The device features a built-in DVD player, an integrated 1Seg TV tuner, USB port and virtual 3D maps and more.

The most interesting aspect of the MDV-313 is the high speed response time that will supposedly go a long way toward improving user experience. No word on pricing or availability yet, but it will be hitting Japan first. It looks like they may have a real winner with this one.

Looking for a pair of speakers to impress your friends with? These Kenwood SP0001 transparent speakers should do the trick. Maybe. I’m not sure. They’re cool, but something about them is very washer/dryer like. If you like transparent washers/dryers then this is gold.

They must look better than they sound however, with a disappointing 10Wx2ch, with 8Ω power, yet costing €765. It comes with a matching pair of stands with white and blue LEDs.

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve never seen such a fine specimen of speaker technology merged with Wiffle ball design. I couldn’t agree more. Kenwood’s Squeezophone 360° speaker is similar to the insanely expensive Sony Soutina speakers, pumping music in all directions with acoustic technology.

We don’t know much else because it’s still in the development stages. We feel pretty confident it won’t be cheap. Making things look like Wiffle balls is an expensive business. I applaud their creative genius and their willingness to venture into such uncharted territory.

Kenwood’s new all-in-one audio system, the CR-iP500 is a CD player and an iPod dock that features a strange otherworldly look. It must be aimed at those who still use CDs on a daily basis along with their iPod. It’s a CD player, FM tuner, iPod dock, and sports USB 2.0 connectivity with 2 x 5W 80mm speakers. Not much to see here.

Kenwood is introducing its new and very compact audio system with an amplifier, called the Prodino. It’s compatible with SD or SDHC, miniSD, microSD or microSDHC card, up to 32GB and supports MP3 / WMA / AAC audio files with a maximum output power of 10Wx2. The Kenwood Promino should be available this November and will cost around 45,000 Yen or 360€. There’s also an external iPod docking station that’s compatible with the Promino, which is sold separately at 12,600 Yen or 100€. Pretty nice looking and compact setup.

It really sucks when you get lost and it’s even worse if you happen to have a wife or significant other in the car at the time to tell you that you should have stopped for directions. The easy way to avoid this is to get a navigation unit, but for some the thought of cluttering up their car with a navigation unit is unbearable. Kenwood’s new products that feature built-in navigation in-dash may be just the ticket.

Garmin and Kenwood announced today that they were extending their relationship. Gamin will be the exclusive navigation supplier for Kenwood’s new 2008 line of in-dash automotive electronics. Garmin and Kenwood also say that they will work together on advertising for the new Kenwood products featuring Garmin navigation.

Kenwood’s AS-IP300 iPod dock looks like it just came from Area 51, which is cool. Unfortunately, it also looks like it could be mounted on the wall and used as a clothes hanger. You can get a black version if you really want it to look like the Stealth bomber.

No word yet on when these will be in the states. The price is about $140. Dimensions are: 380x157x221mm at 1 kg (1.2) for this iPod dock and it comes equipped with a couple 1.9W speakers. I’m a little unsure about this one. On one hand, it’s cool, on the other it looks like it might have been put here to brainwash me and then fly up in the sky to meet it’s cohorts. Is that odd?