Today is Friday - what better way to start off the weekend than with a brand new giveaway? Up for grabs is the SOUL by Ludacris SL100 high-definition headphones. What makes these on-ear headphones special? Besides the fact that they were created in collaboration with Grammy award-winning artist Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, these professional sounding headphones deliver true studio level sound quality AND feature a stylish urban look – a combination hard to find in personal audio options available today.

The SOUL by Ludacris SL100 headphones are lightweight, yet packed with an advanced driver and circuitry design for powerful, deep bass with midrange and high clarity. The SL100's have a sleek folding design, breathable headband pad and ear cups and come with a hard protective case for on-the-go storage.

Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod players and also most smartphones and multimedia devices with 1/8" (3.5mm) or 1/4" headphone input jack, the SOUL by Ludacris SL100 headphones have gold-plated connectors for a seamless signal transfer. Also included are standard and iPhone detachable cords with in-line remote control. They have an MSRP of $149.

To win the SOUL by Ludacris SL100 on-ear headphones, simply go to our contest page and fill out an entry form - that's it! Read more

After CES, Sony is still coming out with new announcements. The latest is a spring refresh for its line of VAIO laptops. The Z Series now sports a Carbon Fiber Silver option, and have LTE 4G radios as customizable options. The laptops also now feature the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and RAID solid state drives. Prices start at $1949.99 for the new Z Series.

The S series have been upgraded to the latest Intel Core processors, while the 13" and 15" models can be upgraded to a Core i7 processor. The S Series also includes Hybrid Graphics with an AMD Radeon HD 6470M (512MB VRAM) or AMD Radeon HD 6630M (1GB VRAM). The 15" model will come standard with a 15.5" Full HD display (1920 x 1080) with IPS technology. Prices start at $799.99 for the 13" S Series and $979.99 for the 15" S Series, and they will be available early February.Read more

Over 20,000 new products were announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making it impossible to cover each and every product the week of the show. One little gem we wished we would have experienced hands-on is the iharmonix Q-i-sound Bluetooth speakers by Qmadix. Not your typical boxy design, these ultra-portable wireless speakers deliver stereo sound for a better music listening experience and also feature microphones for hands-free calling.

Great for use with laptops, tablets, smartphones, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, the speakers – once paired with the device – can be separated from each other by up to 15 feet, and can be placed up to 33 feet away from the tablet or smartphone itself. Each speaker is equipped with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which charges in 3 ½ hours and lasts for up to eight hours of continuous playtime, 240 hours (10 days) on standby.

A handy zip-up carrying case makes traveling easy and keeps the iharmonix Q-i-sound speakers protected when you're on-the-go.Read more

PENTAX added a new compact superzoom digital camera to its arsenal this week – the Optio VS20 featuring a 20X optical zoom lens (28-560mm equivalent). This camera also has a unique design – it features a shutter release button on both the top and side of the camera which gives it added stability at long optical zooms, as well as a more comfortable grip when shooting portraits, high-rise buildings, sports action, and panorama frames. There's even a vertical tripod socket for stabilized vertical support.

Additional features:

• A 16.0 megapixel CCD sensor with mechanical sensor shift Shake Reduction for stabilized, blur-free images even in low lighting
• A large 3.0 inch, wide view (approx. 170 degrees) LCD for easy image capture and review
• Auto Picture mode that automatically chooses the best camera settings
• Triple Shake Reduction (SR) for sharp, blur-free images and video
• A new Handheld Night Snap mode captures images with minimal blur and noise in low light settings
• Other new scene modes including Fish-eye, Sketch modes and a Stretch filter for more creative options

A lot of new notebooks are coming out of CES 2012, and ASUS seems to be leading the pack with their new Ultrabook line. But it's also got a high-end ultraportable ready to go for business users as well. This device is known as the B23E and will be available with Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processors under the hood, complete with a 12.5-inch 1366 x 768 pixel LED backlit anti-glare display. Its ultra-simple profile and black hood look the part for your everyday computing action in the office or in the home.

The ASUS B23E business Ultrabook also features 8GB of RAM and a maximum 750GB hard drive in a magnesium-aluminum alloy case. Other expected Pro-series niceties are also in tow, including a spill-proof keyboard and an anti-shock mounted hard disk. Additionally, it will connect along 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course there's also a single USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a USB/eSATA combo port. Inside you'll find such business oriented gems as LoJack, BIOS password protection, and a fingerprint reader. The whole package comes with a magnesium alloy case and the contents are protected with an anti-shock hard drive. It also has a three-cell 4,400mAh battery, which should provide plenty of juice.Read more

Are "smart windows" in our future? GM challenged students from the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel to develop a new concept in backseat entertainment technology that…get this…uses the windows themselves!

GM's "Windows of Opportunity" (WOO) project gave researchers and students from FUTURE LAB free reign to design applications that will turn car windows into interactive displays for rear seat passengers. What they came up with is amazing!

The apps include:

• Otto, an animated character projected over passing scenery that responds to real-time car performance, weather and landscape. With Otto, passengers can learn about their environment in fun, playful ways.
• Foofu, an app that allows passengers to create, explore and discover through finger drawing on window steam.
• Spindow, an app that provides its users a peek into other users’ windows around the globe in real time.
• Pond, an app that allows passengers to stream and share music with other cars on the road, downloads favorite tracks, and share messages with other passengers on the road.

Where will you be watching the Big Game? How would you like to view it using your very own Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD projector? Epson has announced a new giveaway on Facebook, with a chance to win the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector!

Whether you're a Giants or Patriots fan, you'll want to experience this year's Big Game like never before – on the big screen with the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector. Delivering crisp 720p high-definition resolution, football fans no longer have to worry about missing a field goal, tackle or interception by their favorite team.

The MegaPlex MG-850HD makes it easy than ever to watch movies, view presentations, share photos, or enjoy content saved on portable devices on a big screen. With a built-in digital dock, you can easily project, play and charge an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, or share high quality imagery from a variety of devices – from smartphones, PCs and tablets to gaming consoles and more. Equipped with two built-in 10W stereo speakers, MegaPlex also delivers great audio sound and can even be used separately as a speaker dock.

To enter, all you have to do is "like" Epson's Facebook page! The giveaway ends on January 31, 2012. Get full details at www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica.

Nike has announced the Nike+ FuelBand. The bracelet is similar to others you may have seen before which includes the Jawbone UP. Nike has a slightly different approach with this device and uses a calorie counter on a display. The device connects via Bluetooth to an iPhone or can be synced by USB and can be monitored online so that you can set goals and track those goals.

The +FuelBand is much in the vain of the original Nike+ SportBand, except boasts a more attractive 20 LED dot-matrix display and can measure activity in a new unit the company calls NikeFuel. That latter bit is a normalized score that, unlike calories, awards equal points for the same activity regardless of physical makeup.

The system uses an interesting method of telling you how you are progressing through the day. If you are not moving enough then the band lets you know with a series of lights. If they burn green then all is well, likewise if they drop to red then you need to get more active. On the technical side, the band tracks activity by what it calls Oxygen Kinetics, which looks at a mixture of signals to give an accurate reading of activity.Read more

January 24, 2012 marked the 28th anniversary of the original Macintosh launch and on this important date in history, Zero1.tv announced that its new VooMote Zapper is now available at Apple.com and will be in Apple stores February 7, 2012.

The Voomote Zapper converts your iOS device into a smart universal remote that controls virtually all of your A/V gear. The lightweight dongle is the size of a paperclip, and is compatible with all mobile iOS 5 devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod).

Unlike base station solutions, VooMote Zapper provides "room to room" functionality that allows users to access entertainment whenever and wherever they want, with whichever iOS 5 devices they please.

What also sets the VooMote Zapper apart from the rest is its hassle-free set up and usage. It is extremely simple and intuitive. Once you connect your VooMote Zapper dongle, the free app automatically downloads, and prompts the set up. You immediately have full control over hundreds of thousands of electronic devices. This easy set up means no manuals or PCs are necessary. Users can also enjoy the freedom from having to connect to Bluetooth, the Internet, or buy batteries for their remote ever again. Read more