Warmer weather means it's time to pack up for vacations, and the one thing us tech-savvy vacationers need is something to pass the time on the way to our destination. I think I have found a gadget to do just that: the Philips DCP951 docking entertainment system.

Nearly a year ago, Tivoli announced the the NetWorks, a free-standing device designed to let you tune into and stream Web radio independent of a PC. It didn't quite happen. But today, Tivoli CEO Tom DeVesto announced that the NetWorks is finally going into production and will be shipping within a few weeks. The price? $600, which DeVesto defended by claiming terrific audio fidelity. More details after the jump.

Over here at Gearlog headquarters, we've been intrigued by Jada's Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker since the company first busted it out back at CES. While the device officially launched back in February, its availability has been fairly limited--well, as limited as something that's widely available online can be.

If you've been waiting for the full nationwide rollout to get your hands on this guy, it looks like you're finally in luck. Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker is available today through all the major retail channels, including Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Toys R Us, for the heroic price of $29.99.

Jada also announced the release of forthcoming "Encore Packs for Air Guitar Rocker with new belt buckles and cartridges featuring "legendary heavy metal and '80s rock riff." The expansion packs will be available this summer, for $14.99 a piece.

Mvix Medias new MV-2500U Portable Media Center is a hard disk-based media player designed to port videos, movies, music and family photos from your computer to your home entertainment system. The Media Center--which can also operate as a USB hard-drive enclosure--houses a 2.5" P-ATA / IDE drive (not included, but available separately) and supports capacities of 250GB or more.

Lets face it, we all hate wires. Whether they're refusing to stay hidden behind your svelte new TV, or eating peripherals alive in a deadly web of tangled death behind your PC, wires are the bane of an electronics-obsessed existence. And no music-lover's commute can commence without spending several tortured moments in the Rubic's-like pursuit of tangle-free tunes. So when a company comes along promising to make my portable music tangle-free, I tend to take notice.

The Grandmax Music Band-It is essentially a pair of retractable ear buds and a neoprene iPod pocket that attaches to a backpack strap. It's a nice idea, but in practice, I found it far from perfect.

Vendors selling fake purses and low-quality DVDs on the street might want to take note: A powerful House committee this week approved a measure that would further crack down on intellectual property violations.

The bill, dubbed the PRO IP Act, was introduced in December by House Judiciary chairman John Conyers of Michigan and would create several new government positions with the power to enforce the new law.

Among those new positions would be a permanent intellectual property division within the Department of Justice, and an IP enforcement representative who would report to the White House. DOJ was not thrilled, telling Judiciary in December that such a move would be unnecessary and counterproductive to the work it has already accomplished.

The bill now moves to the House floor for a full vote.

We just got the Intunition Clari-fi in the office today. It was handed off to me as something that might potentially be "Gearloggy." After getting the quick rundown on what the device does--or purports to do--I was forced to answer with a decided, "Fair enough."

The Clari-fi is a small white box and the end of a 1/8th-inch jack that sits between your headphones and MP3 player like an extension cord. The device is designed to make your music sound better. Since most loss in MP3 sound quality is a result of overly compressed files, logic might suggest that the device would attempt to decompress things a touch. But the Clar-fi actually attempts to do the opposite, by filtering out "the edginess or sharpness inherent in most MP3 recording playback."

While the rest of us sit in satellite-radio-merger limbo, Sirius is making hardware deals. The provider announced today that it would be bringing more than 80 of its music, talk, and entertainment channels to various Logitech hardware devices, including the Squeezebox Duet network music system, Squeezebox network music player, and Logitech Transporter network music player.

Yesterday I took a trip to the Samsung showroom a few blocks away from PC Magazine's headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The company likes to put on a show, hauling out the latest and greatest in its ever-increasing number of consumer electronics lines. I'll spare you the washers, driers, and refrigerators, but check out some of my favorites of the company's newest digital audio players, camcorders, home theaters, and HDTVs after the jump.

Portable media player manufacturer Archos made a slew of announcements today: Altogether the company is making it easier than ever to capture, carry, and consume your digital music and video.

TVportation: Available next month for the Archos TV+ WiFi Digital Video Recorder as a plug-in ($49.99 or free if the ARCHOS TV+ is registered with Archos), the feature lets users watch live TV on the device wherever they take it.

ARCHOS Web TV and Radio plug-in: Adds support for Adobe® Flash® 9, Windows Media Video® (WMV) 9 and ON2 video formats to the Archos 605 or 705 WiFi devices. It'll be be available next month for $19.99.

GPS In-Car Holder for the Archos 605 WiFi portable media player (PMP). Just pop your 604 WiFi into the holder to turn it into a GPS nav system complete with mapping and voice directions. The accessory will provide "complete navigation support with Tele Atlas maps, available for the European version covering 22 countries, the North America version covering the U.S. and Canada, and a Chinese version." Look for this in May. Sold separately, $199.99; bundled with a 30GB player, $399.99.

Paramount Digital Entertainment partnership: Lots more movies in Archos's online store, and it says many will also come preloaded on future players.

For more details, check out the individual press releases at Archos's site. Also look for analysis from PC Magazine's Tim Gideon on PCMag.com.

iRiver announced today the availability of its Disney-branded Mplayer Season I. Inspired by Mickey Mouse's silhouette, the player comes in five colors: black, white, blue, pink, and silver. Users can adjust volume or advance tracks with a twist of Mickey's ears.

The Mplayer Season I is USB-powered and has 1GB of Flash memory. The $69.99 player is available now through DisneyShopping.com and at Disney theme parks.

Around these parts, spring is just beginning to rear its head. But in the world of gadget manufacturing, summer is already in full swing. Take JBL, which has announced a slew of headphones, iPod docks, and other accessories that will "make this summer the best sounding yet."

So what makes these products summer-themed? I'm not really sure, but at the very least, they should help drown out the sound of the Mister Softee truck that has been parked outside your apartment building for the last 12 hours.

Who would've thought that a Web site adorned with skulls and handguns would market earth-friendly products? That's right. Link Hydro Pack is a creature of Skullcandy and is here to give you one more reason to leave the car in the garage.

In addition to hauling stuff and letting cyclists hydrate without stopping or taking their hands off the steering bar, the hydro pack comes with Skullcandy's patent audio LINK technology. LINK to bikes is sort of what Sync is to new Ford models. It allows users to listen to MP3 music and experience hands-free calling through the headphones or speakers located on the straps, without ever touching either device. The 3-season pack offers a sturdy H2O extension and pockets wired for a mobile phone and any portable MP3 player.

Link Hydro Pack comes in orange and silver and will run you $150.

Tattoos are way more
hard-core, dude, but the skulls on
these are...tough, too...right?

—Tim Gideon

For the full-length, free-verse Skullcandy iPhone FMJ review check out PCMag.com.

Kleer's finally here.
Sennheiser, these cost too much,
But they're truly cool.

—Tim Gideon

For the full-length, free-verse Sennheiser MX W1 review check out PCMag.com.