One of the best THX certified 2.1 speaker systems adds wireless convenience.  The original version of these ProMedias is one of my all time favorite 2.1 speaker systems.  The punch these babies offer is pure Klipsch goodness and now they get even better with the recognition that so many people want the flexibility to sit where they want with their laptops, not always within cord’s length of their speakers.

At $199, this is some pretty great value from a proven acoustic design.

and yes… Avnera is inside!

Hopefully some hands on reviews after the ShowStoppers event at CES this week.  From the ShowStoppers website.

CREATIVE LABS

Get Creative at Showstoppers. See the highly anticipated Creative Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset and the new Vado HD Pocket Video Cam, plus exciting new introductions in speaker systems and digital audio.

• The biggest being the display.  High resolution, and OLED meaning clarity and contrast ratios were stunning – making the apps and icons look amazing.
• Overall look and feel of the phone’s navigation and GUI was stellar.  However, the scrolling app tray with a “virtual conveyor belt” motif was somewhat nifty in execution, it gets a bit corny after a while.
• The full-screen clock display mode app was attractive, and using native controls of the screen brightness, the dimmer was particularly effective, making the app very night-time friendly.   I wish the iPhone let you tame the backlight to a similar effect.

Apps is really where Android falls short of the iPhone.  The iPhone is still a sexier device to hold in the hand, however the display and thickness seem antiquated next to the Nexus One.  Luckily for Apple-ites, this is something that next gen models will remedy with certainty.  The breadth of apps and the ecosystem head-start is really a big advantage in my mind, as is the stability offered by the Apple-nurtured platform.

Which brings me to my story… while on vacation, and playing with a friend’s Nexu One, one of the apps I really loved was Google Sky Map.  Here I was in Mexico staring out at a killer full moon and noticing a couple “stars” that were so bright that I thought one must be a planet.  My friend who had a pre-release Nexus One whipped out his phone and ran Sky Map.  I pointed it to the sky, black was black from the amazing OLED display, and the star in question was as I suspected, not a star, but Mars.  Then I realized what an amazing experience it is to have a “phone” work seamlessly with the exact right information in the exact right context using a combination of GPS, Magnetometer, Internet connection, high resolution display, packed into a nice portable form factor.

I’ve had numerous experiences like this with my iPhone, but it occurred to me that this particular experience of stargazing was done by a device carrying a Google brand, running an app that right now is exclusively for Android.

For users new to smartphones, or who aren’t long users of the iPhone, it’s experiences like these that create loyalty and excitement around a new platform.  That the Nexus One has tricks like this up its sleeves bodes well for the big G.

Avnera has announced the availability of the AvneraAudio Link™ (AAL) software protocol stack. AAL eliminates the low-level details typically required to implement a multipoint to multipoint network, significantly reducing the time to market. It also provides manufacturers with a way to establish interoperability between all AudioMagic 2G-enabled wireless audio devices independent of product category or brand.

AAL is also the underlying compatibility goodness behind Rocketboost.  In addition to fostering compatibility, it speeds up device makers’ development cycles by simplifying the tasks of managing complex wireless audio topologies and diverse end-product feature requirements, by supporting application-level semantics at the API.

Creative also is showing some nice snaps on their Soundblaster homepage, but the click-through is still just taking signups for future product info on the headset.

The last update from Creative said availability by the “holidays.”  In October, the Soundblaster blog said:

Q. When is it shipping?

A. Soon ™.

Seriously though. We’re putting polish and the touches on the headset that is going to truly put this headset in a class of its own. I really want to emphasize that this hardware is NOT a simple “slap the brand on it and sell a ton” project. It’s been painstakingly crafted to push design and technology.  The wait will be worth it.

Santa should be packing these in his sleigh…

THX TruStudio PC should also be interesting to experience on these Avnera-enabled babies.  A significant leap over the HS-1200 headset Creative launched almost two years ago now.  More differentiation, more excitement, and more service to a key user group, this headset seems very highly anticipated by the WoW crowd, and that’s great news for everyone!

Can’t wait.