We all yearn for a life lived sans wires, yet many of us still find our media players dangling from the things. Mono Bluetooth headsets are already everywhere, but this could be the year that those of the stereo variety take off, and Altec Lansing's hoping its new BackBeat series will be a contender. They're made in partnership with earpiece-guru Plantronics, so callers will find integrated voice dialing, omnidirectional microphones, 7 hours of talk time, and AudioIQ to boost volume when you're in a noisy situation. For the music listener the sets include tune-channeling, canal-sealing buds, a behind-the-head band, and support for A2DP, AVRCP, HSP v1.1 and HFPv1.5. For those devices that list doesn't cover (we're looking at you, iPhone), the $130 BackBeat 906 includes a small transmitter. Everyone else can opt for the otherwise identical but transmitter-less BackBeat 903, which is $30 cheaper. We look forward to getting our ears on these at CES -- hopefully after they've had a thorough cleaning.

[Via iPodNN]

If HP's latest 16-inch notebook didn't grab you for reasons like: "That's a whole 0.4-inches bigger than my desk," then you're in luck, because for about half the price you can now pick up a Pavilion G60-120US Notebook PC -- HP's first 15.6-inch model. The G60, with 1,366 x 768 resolution display, comes caked with all the ho-hum features you might expect from a $629.99 price tag: 2GHz AMD Turion X2 dual-core processor, GeForce 8200M graphics card, webcam, DVD burner, WiFi, Bluetooth, ExpressCard slot and 250GB hard drive. On the other hand, it's got 3GB RAM, Altec Lansing speakers and HDMI output, weighing in at a palatable 6.06 pounds. Not a bad deal, who needs a lousy HDX anyway, right?

[Via Laptoping]

Yeah, yeah, we know -- another iP** dock -- but this is actually one of the first docking audio speakers approved to work with the iPhone without either dropping into airplane mode or assaulting your ears with janky GSM signal noise (it also docks regular old iPods, of course). To boot, it charges the thing and has incoming call support -- more than slightly mitigated by the fact that you still have to actually remove the phone from the dock to take the call, a drawback the Altec Lansing rep said was because Apple neglected to include support for passing call audio across the docking interface. Still, if you happen to use your iPhone as jukebox at home or work, you can pick up this quite decent-sounding speaker system in February if it's worth $200 to you.

You can't run around launching fancy new music players these days without a secondary offensive of cases and car chargers following close behind, and Microsoft's new Zunes have a veritable cavalry behind them. In addition to the official accessories we've already heard about from J Allard and crew, the company's lined up a number of third-party manufacturers to crank out 60 different Zune-friendly products, including Polk, Belkin, DLO, Monster, Altec Lansing, Targus, iHome, Memorex and Griffin. Microsoft's new pals will be releasing everything from speaker docks to RCA cables, so it looks like you'll be able to build a happy little home for that new Zune of yours when it launches next month.

Altec Lansing is getting seriously serious about your output -- or rather, the lack thereof. The company -- known for making all kinds of funky gear to facilitate rockin' good times and totally bodacious partying -- has just released a handful of new products aimed at the iPod or PC user who needs to get his or her sound heard. First on the list is the $129.95 IMT521 Soundblade (pictured), a totally righteous device that uses your wireless waves to blast the latest Rihanna jam from whatever Bluetooth-equipped device you happen to have laying around (mobile phone, PMP, the truck from Maximum Overdrive... er, wait). Also in your musical future is the $39.95 IMT207 Orbit-M and the IM207 Orbit-MP3, circular speaker devices that let you pipe your 100,000-million-song playlists into an actual speaker (via the headphone jack) and rock for 24-hours straight on three AAA batteries. The company is also offering the cute-as-a-button IMT127 Nobi ($39.95), a small, square speaker that's aimed at Nokia XpressMusic users, and the $99.95, PC-centric SoundBar; a strip-speaker that sits between you and your monitor for full-blast audio action. No word on street dates, but rumor has it these are headed out sometime in October.

Altec Lansing's unveiled its own entry into the sound bar market, designed to cut down the number of components and match up with that sleek new flat panel TV. The PT8051 consists of two parts, with left center and right channels up front, and left/right channels in the rear wireless speaker, while the PT7031 uses virtual speaker technology from Dolby Labs to give 5-channel surround through one piece with three speakers in it. Whether the sleek design and easy setup can provide a surround sound experience comparable to discrete systems remains to be seen, as both will be available in August: the PT8051 for $999.5 and the PT7031 for $599.95. Check out the latter after the break.

We caught a glimpse of Altec Lansing's iMV712 audio / video iPod superdock during CES, but they haven't been available until today. Looking like the unholy love child of the ubiquitous iM3 and a portable DVD player, Altec's new top-of-the-line speaker dock sports an 8.5-inch "high-resolution" LCD, a universal iPod dock, a remote control, a "stage" for non-iPod MP3 players, and two 3-inch drivers backed up by a 4-inch subwoofer. While that screen seems a little superfluous -- it doesn't show cover art or anything during audio playback and we're not quite certain where you'd watch movies on it (kitchens? prison cells?) -- at $350 this bad boy's a no-brainer over, say, the iPod Hi-Fi.

While iPod speaker docks are getting to be pretty commonplace these days, we haven't seen too many video docks. Altec Lansing's just rolled out its iMV712 ($350), an 8.5-inch "high-res" LCD paired with 3-inch speakers and 4-inch woofer. Yeah, and it's got a remote, too. However, and 8.5-inch screen won't do you much good unless you're situated pretty close to it. Meanwhile, good ol' Altec's also released a more traditional speaker dock, the iM600 ($150) has an iPod dock, FM radio tuner, remote and a "Sound Field Expander" to get your "artificial spacialization" on (whatever that is). There's also a rechargeable battery, aux in, woofer out, composite video out and mini USB, all for good measure. We're still waiting on when these speaker docks will actually be ready for purchase, so until then we'll just have to make do with our old docks, or heaven forbid, headphones. Slide on over to the next page for a glimpse of the iM600.

Altec Lansing just announced the M812, a complete wireless speaker solution for the iPod. The set features a dock and speaker which communicate to one another via 802.11g, as well as an IR remote. Altec Lansing claims that audio can be transmitted as far as 100 feet, but your mileage may vary if you have other devices connected to your network. The speaker itself has two 4-inch woofers and a 1-inch tweeter, with the most notable feature that each speaker can be assigned a left / right channel so you can put a pair of them together for a true stereo experience. Better still, the word from ol' Uncle Alt is that one dock can be linked to a maximum of 9 speakers. The dock also sports an FM tuner and an auxiliary input for connecting other portable media players that aren't the iPod. Should be available this spring.

Altec Lansing wants you to know that they've got another cheapazz, 5.1 surround sound rig ready to enhance your gaming, music, or movie experience. For $79, you can treat yourself to the VS3251 which features five, 9W satellites with 2.5-inch full-range drivers and a 25W subwoofer with 5-inch driver. The kit ships with a remote control, a couple of unspecified inputs for audio sources, and a headphone jack located inconveniently on the sub which will more than likely find itself tucked away in some corner. Perhaps the most interesting part of this set-up is that Altec Lansing thinks the look is "chic" -- er yeah, that's the word.

While iPod speaker docks are a dime a dozen, third-party Zune docks are still mysterious little vixens with only the HiFi-esque Octavio as yet semi-revealed. Now this from Altec Lansing which is touted as one of them "designed for Zune" accessories, but looks exactly like their "Made for iPod" M602 only in a color scheme designed to swaddle the Zune in earthiness. Well, at least now we know what they meant by a "universal MP3 cradle." So go ahead, ogle this one for a bit, no need to feel ashamed... or jaded. Still, smart move on Altec Lansing's part dontchathink?

[Via Zune Insider, Thanks lt.milo]

If you've settled on picking up a SanDisk Sansa e200 or c200 but feel a bit left in the cold in terms of specialized accessories, Altec Lansing is rushing in to heat things up. In what appears to be a spinoff of the "Made for iPod" agenda, Altec Lansing has partnered with SanDisk to create a lineup of accessories geared specifically towards the Sansa music players. The flagship device -- dubbed the inMotion iM510 -- is a black docking speaker station that doesn't veer too far from the company's iPod-friendly versions, save for its Sansa compatibility, of course. While details thus far are a bit slim, we do know the portable system will dock, sync, and charge the e200 and c200 series DAPs, and will play nice with the (optional) BB2001 subwoofer. Although no word on pricing nor availability has been given, the coinage should be a tad lower (we'd guess, um, 10 percent or so) than the iPod-conforming units when it hits the street.

[Via MobileWhack]

In a push to potentially set the record for most sound systems designed around one particular digital media player, Altec Lansing is releasing a "high end" iPod sound system to presumably take on the likes of the iPod Hi-Fi and the Bose SoundDock. The M602, proudly sporting the Made for iPod badge, is ready and willing to accept your third-generation (or later) iPod care of the dock connecting cradle, but also includes a "universal MP3 cradle" and an aux-in port just in case you'd prefer to use something else. The unit is a bit thick at 5.4-inches, and stands 8.2-inches tall and 14 wide. Sporting two full-range drivers and two tweeters, this system pumps out 60 watts of block-rocking beats, and also includes a wireless remote with your basic volume / track controls. The M602 is a bit limited in functionality, but throws in individual bass / treble adjustments and a composite video-out that are occasionally missing from lower-priced units. Taking the ho hum iPod sound system to the ranks of, well, plain 'ole average, is the hidden LED lights behind that grille that provide a visual representation that your remote commands are being seen (just like the Hi-Fi). Unfortunately this unit cannot be powered by batteries, so your soundwaves are limited by proximity to an AC outlet, and although an absolutely free (just add shipping) wall-mount kit is available when ordered direct from Altec Lansing, we beckon: would it not have been easier to just toss that in? Just in case you haven't picked up an iPod sound system yet, and somehow see something here that stands out from the baffling array of alternatives, the M602 can be picked up now for $199.95.

[Via Playlist Mag]