Creative Labs recently unveiled their upcoming TravelSound i50, a portable speaker system made specifically and exclusively for the diminutive iPod shuffle. Aside from the USB port and carabiner clip, what I find most interesting about the unit is its size. It makes the shuffle about four times bigger than it really is, which negates one of the main advantages of the clip-like little player.

The i50’s built-in battery is good for 15 hours of audio playback and will be available next month in Japan for about $70

Here’s a wild idea for a design concept: put together a speaker with 12 sides, otherwise known as a dodecahedron, and you’ll get a 360-degree blast of music. These spacy-looking Quasar speakers send their sound all over the place, so no matter where you are in the room, their sweet audio will be spilling out from within their crystalline confines, heading right for your ears.

awesome.

Grundig’s 70s Audiorama speakers are back to be perched on stands or hung from the ceiling. This is part of the 100th birthday celebration of founder Max Grundig.

Not at 1970s prices though; expect to shell out $820 in February when they arrive (again).

Meet Boynq’s 10 watt iCube II with an iPod docking port, line-in, dedicated treble / bass controls. More pix below, including the Sabre with twice the wattage and a video output, and the USB-powered Alibi webcam.

Macally has introduced its TunePro iPod speaker system, perhaps because the hundreds of thousands of them out there aren’t quite enough. Okay, so, I’m just kidding, competition’s a good thing. Seems like Macally’s put together a decent unit, as well, with NXT flat panel technology, immersive audio with SRS WOW processing, and the ability to connect not only with a variety of iPods but other DAP’s via a standard line-in jack. You can grab one now for $130, or wait until the fourth quarter for iPhone support.