Both products are attractive in their own way, but stumble over the same minor detail. The MX6021, picture above, is another one of those pretty "Expressionist" speakers Altec keeps making, and this time they've opted for some kind of auto part/heavy machinery/1990s space movie aesthetic. As far as sound goes, it's a fairly standard 2.1 system, though Altec stresses its gen-u-ine 200W rating.

The iMT800 is pitched as a modern-day boombox, with five inbuilt speakers, digital FM radio, an iPod dock with a device stabilizer (so you don't shear off the connector), a remote and a pair of auxiliary inputs for other devices. I sort of hope the eight D-cell battery requirement is a sly nod to the device's battery-hungry ancestors, but I'm not so sure. To Altec's credit, though, those eight batteries last 30 hours and get their own battery capacity readout, so you shouldn't be too worried about unplugging this thing.

Now, about that "minor detail": Price! In both cases—the iMT800 at $300 and the MX6021 at $150—it's a little high. Both are available now. [AltecLansing]

Dvice says the digital camera and the MP3 player were the only prototypes on display, which are limited both in function and technical prowess (1.3 megapixel sensor for the cam, 2 gigabytes of storage for the MP3 player). But it's the quirkiness of the stop motion cam that appeals to me. If you ever had a box full of Lego bricks and a video camera growing up, I suspect you've made some stop motion shorts in your time. Now, you can apply that same aesthetic to real world videos.

Lego plans to release the digital camera and MP3 player in the fall for $40 and $50, respectively. Who knows about the rest of the stuff—Lego didn't reveal many details on those. [Dvice]

While Bill Gates was becoming a one-man megapower, Steve Jobs was getting lost in a sea of ego and suck, and Nelson Mandela was inspiring people across the globe, I was sitting by my cheap RCA CD/Tape boombox trying to get the hang of long division.

Most my school nights in the fourth grade were spent doing homework by my boombox listening to San Francisco hip-hop radio station KMEL when it was still great. Bay Area hip hop, top 40 hip hop, classic joints, R&B, whatever—they played good music back then. And I recorded it.

Like I mentioned in the tribute to boomboxes, it was all about timing when you made a real mixtape; tape had to be queued to the right place, you had to know just when to hit play (before the lyrics started, after the DJ stopped talking), and you had to pay attention so you could stop recording right as it ended.

My tapes of choice were the Memorex joints with the bright colors and geometric shapes. Classics. What I chose to put on those tapes wasn't always as classic, but the fact that I pulled it together to craft this one mix makes me proud of my younger self.

The best part was when we got to go on school field trips, because I not only got to pop my tape in my walkman to keep me entertained, but my friends had mixes and walkmans of their own. So we'd swap and share during the bus rides to wherever. Those were better days.

Back to my main point— the mix is filled with West Coast hip-hop from the era, but imbued with a splash of east coast and a touch of R&B. This is my handcrafted, childhood masterpiece. I'm sure, due to the faults of time, a couple songs are missing or mentally amalgamated in from other tapes. But the essence is more or less the same. Enjoy. (Photo courtesy of TapeDeck.org)

Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog - "Ain't Nuthin But a G-Thang":

The "1, 2, 3 and to tha 4" still gets me happy to this day.

Domino - "Ghetto Jam":

I had completely forgotten about this song until I started thinking about the mixtape again. When that happens, you realized it's a song that only could have come out of a given era.

Tevin Campbell - "Can We Talk":

Ok, maybe not as imposing as some other selections on this mix, BUT I WAS 9! And it's still a good song.

Snoop Doggy Dog - "Gin and Juice":

I have memories of sitting in my dad's car listening to this track: me rappin about endo, and gin, and money, my dad looking at me like I was a damn moron.

Dru Down - "Pimp of the Year":

A wise friend once said, "Dru Down sellin' bitches quick dreams here mane!" I concur.

E-40 featuring The Click, D-Shot, B-Legit and Suga T - "Captain Save A Hoe":

Worth it just for the line "Look up in the sky, it's a bird! It's a plane! What's dat fool name? CAPTAIN SAVE A HOE MAAAANE!"

Masta Ace - "Born To Roll":

I still don't know how Masta Ace was pulling west coast airplay back then, but I'm happy he was. I still find my self singing the chorus without even knowing it's from this song.

Aaliyah - "Back and Forth":

This song really deserved a spot on any 94-era mixtape.

Warren G and Nate Dogg - "Regulate":

Don't care what anyone says. This was THE song of 1994.

Rappin 4 Tay - "Players Club":

A mid-90s Bay Area gem.

Soul 4 Real - "Candy Rain":

This was the last track I added to that tape before it was time to move on. Not sure how I remember this being the very last, but I would like to know where I stashed that tape.

Perfectly timed to complement (or perhaps aid in) the rise of hip-hop, the boombox rose to prominence in the late 70s and early 80s. Panasonic, Aiwa, JVC, Sharp, Conic, Yamaha, Sony and Lasonic were all kings of the street.

In it's most idealized form, the boombox was monolithic—both in stature and cultural relevance. Companies began competing to see who could make the loudest, flashiest machine around. Those big, beautiful graphic EQs that would rise and fall with the music became commonplace on machines like this, looking like a bot-send from the future.

While walking around town blasting a tape as loud as one possibly can is the imagery that first comes up (peace to Radio Raheem!), I think the tape-making ability of the boombox is what I loved best. You always hear stories about rappers, producers and DJs talking about how they used to spend all day dubbing tapes from the radio. By the time I got a boombox of my own in the early 90s, they had passed their marketing prime, and the ghettoblaster of my dreams had been reduced to a boring, black piece of plastic. But it was my own, and it still had a radio tuner and a record button!

As a kid, I was addicted to compiling tapes full of my favorite songs from the radio. I used to sit by the boombox, finger always at the ready, waiting for the song I wanted to come on. It was a precision artform—the tape had to be queued up to the right spot, you couldn't hit record too early and get too much DJ jibba jabba and you had to make sure to stop recording before the next song hit.

But I digress. The point is that while the iPod might be the new way to show off your standing in the social pecking order, the boombox might possibly have been the first piece of musical gadgetry to signify one's cool. Before the Walkman. Before the car sound system. Before all that. Long live the boom box. (Top photo courtesy of Photo Courtesy of ddefranza)

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

The boombox, posted on the blog for streetwear label Mishka, is the handiwork of artist Bill McMullen. We don't know much else about the piece, except that it was part of McMullen's "Hype, Hustle, Rip-Off" gallery opening (in fact, I think it might just be a plaster mold). But hey, it still looks completely pantsable. [Bill McMullen via Mishka Bloglin]

The main appeal of the i931 is it's nostalgia factor, hands down. If you have any sort of infatuation with the 1988, boom-bap era of hip-hop, you can't help but be in love with this thing. And after I spent a few hours with the i931, I was ready to march down to the nearest 7-Eleven, boombox in hand, and yell at the guy behind the counter for D batteries (This boombox takes TEN D batteries, but there's also a power cord, so fear not). The i931 also stays true to the historical design of Lasonic boomboxes. The speaker grates, the cheesy color graphics, the volume knob and power button, all taken from Lasonic designs of the past. The iPod dock even pops open like a tape player and you insert your iPod like a cassette. Awesome.

The iPod function works about as well as you could expect; the menu system is semi-complicated to learn, but functions efficiently with the external button interface, and the window in the dock face makes the screen clearly visible. The i931 is compatible with any iPod up though the 5.5g model iPod and the 1g and 2g iPod Nanos. I assume its also compatible with the iPod Classic and 3g Nano, but I wasn't able to test that, so I cant confirm. There is also an AV out in the back if you want to route video playback to your TV.

On the technical side of things, the i931 has an AM/FM tuner (w/telescoping antenna), 3.5mm stereo auxiliary input, USB input and an SD card reader for direct MP3 playback. It has a glowing spectrum analyzer and a 1/4" headphone jack. The two 15w speakers are powerful and clear, with no distortion until level 35 of a 40 point volume scale (with the bass turned up).This is all controlled by 10 buttons on the right, with the standard array of play/pause, stop, track up/down, random, repeat and function buttons. It also has a folder button for browsing file structures.

There are, however, a few issues I have with the i931. The most glaring problem is the lack of support for the iPod touch and iPhone. They don't close into the iPod dock, and they can't be controlled by the button interface. And the plastic on the door of the dock means you can't get to the touch screen. There are other minor issues like the omittance of the physical EQ sliders (pure nostalgia), which are replaced by presets and bass/treble controls. The AM/FM tuner graphic doesn't actually do anything, and the former tape deck buttons have been replaced with generic graphics that don't do anything. Also odd, is that the i931 will occasionally and randomly shut off during playback. Not enough to be an annoyance, but enough to notice.

That said, the i931 gets a big, fat Giz stamp of approval. The '88-'94 golden era of hip-hop occupies a special place in my heart, and the boombox was one of it's universal symbols. This isn't the most technically advanced or well-built audio gadget around, but that's not what this is about. The i931 gives a nod to the past with it's head in the future, exuding charisma along the way. At $170, you get a that sounds good, and it doesn't break the bank if you buy it just as a novelty item. Personally, this will be one of my favorite gadgets I ever play with. [Lasonic on Giz]

This review is dedicated to Radio Raheem, who was killed on the fictional streets of Brooklyn by the fictional N.Y.P.D.

Video by Chris Mascari

Also on display were Bluetooth micro systems including the $150 CMT-BX5BT that plays MP3 files and reads ID tags. It's pictured in the gallery, and a similar-looking model was the CMX-HX7BT, another micro component system that's satellite ready and has a digital amp with 50 watts per channel. It will retail for $300 in April.

See the gallery below for pics of these devices and more. – Charlie White

Being rugged with the iSplash costs $149.95. Testosterone not included. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [The Sharper Image via Popgadget]