As an engineer I have a great deal of respect for any thing (product, device, tool, whatever) that's able to serve multiple functions and more importantly do them all well. I understand the need for laser-focused, niche products (and own a few) but there is something very valuable about a device that can serve multiple masters without disappointing any of them. And so it was with no small amount anticipation that I unboxed the final pre-production prototype of Headamp's (www.headamp.com) latest portable offering, the Pico Power.

Editor's Note: I used to tweet interesting news items, but I don't think it did justice to some stories. So, I'm going to keep surfing the news for headphones stories and make comments as I see the need, and when I build up a little chunk of interesting news stories post them here. I expect you'll see something about every two weeks or so. Here's the first.

Some closing thoughts on CES 2013.

When I first saw the Harman/Kardon NC, BT, and CL I thought they looked cool, but I didn't try too hard to get some shipped to me. Big mistake, methinks.