Honey, the clock radio is ringing

The iHome clock radio for the Apple iPhone has not changed radically from versions of the iHome for the iPod. It allowed you to insert the iPod into a dock built into the top of the clock radio for recharging and -- here is the cool part -- play the contents of the iPod through the clock radio's speakers. Thanks to a set of adapters that comes with the new iP99 model of the iHome, the iPhone as well as various versions of the iPod can be docked. Once you've docked your iPhone, you'll hear a call coming in, although the iHome doesn't play the calls -- you'll have to reach over and grab the phone for that. It has a remote control, but that is used to choose the songs on the phone's playlist.

Most speakers are built into large square boxes, which poses a problem for those without much space to spare. JBL's Control Now speakers are quarter-round, which means that four of them can fit together to make one round speaker. The $250 indoor speakers come in black, and the $270 all-weather outdoor model comes in white. They can fit on a wall or in a corner, or sit on a bookshelf. You can also suspend the speakers from the ceiling on a rod, creating a circular cone of sound with a look reminiscent of a high-quality train station announcement speaker. Very futuristic -- or retro. The speakers have ¾-inch tweeters and 4-inch woofers and weigh 6.6 pounds each.