House of Marley

The House of Marley booth was one of our favorites from last year, and it was definitely the most jammin' at CES Unveiled — an event where we get to check out what's to come at the big show before the expo opens — last night, too. Something new for 2012 is this Block Party Audio System ($250), which comes packed with Bluetooth wireless connectivity so you can stream your tunes without docking your phone or iPod. Super portable, the Block Party comes enclosed in a canvas exterior, and unzips to reveal two powerful 3.5-inch subwoofers and 1-inch tweeters to produce impressive sound on the go.

You can keep the Block Party running via a power supply when at home and juiced by the built-in rechargeable battery when you're at the beach, lake, or wherever warm weather beckons. Expect to see Marley's Block Party on virtual shelves soon.

After two full days of scouring the floor for the coolest, most exciting, and most original new gadgets, here is a list of my five favorite gadgets from this year's CES.

• House of Marley iPhone and iPod Dock — Take a look at this gorgeous dock, called the One Foundation. It was one of the first products I had a chance to look at during CES and remained one of my favorites throughout. The entire House of Marley collection is made from eco-friendly materials, and the sound quality is excellent. This $500 beauty is high on my wish list.
• Samsung 7 Series Slider PC — After initially knocking the device for its slide-out keyboard, I got a firsthand look at the tablet/PC hybrid and am impressed with both its form and function. While it would take some serious power to convert this Apple girl into a Windows fan, Samsung's answer to the tablet craze hits closer to awesome than I expected.
• Speck TimeToRock iPod Nano Strap — I love my perfect-for-exercising iPod Nano, and this wrist strap takes it to the next level. It's lightweight, but keeps your Nano accessible. And an included arm strap keeps a long cord from getting in the way during your workout.
• Kodak's 3D printing software — Kodak All-in-One Printer owners can now print photos in 3D with new software. The technology is so cool, I even waited in line myself to check it out. To print a 3D photo, take two photos of the subject, shifting the camera about three inches to the right for the second picture. It's very important your subject stands perfectly still as you snap the photos, but combining them using the Kodak's new software yields a great 3D image that can be printed on most recent Kodak printers and viewed with traditional red and blue 3D glasses. A little bit kitschy, a little bit geeky, all awesome.
• Laptop bags and sleeves from PKG — PKG is a Canadian company who I saw for the first time at CES. After nearly two days of looking at hundreds of bags and accessories, their excellently designed bags and sleeves stood out from the rest. They aren't in US stores just yet, but you can check out some of their offerings on their website. I'm especially in love with an orange version of the Quilted Laptop Sleeve that also has an outer pouch to accommodate the iPad.

After checking out the awesome debut collections from House of Marley in the morning, I had a chance to sit down with the man behind the brand (or, at least one of them), Rohan Marley, son of Bob. Fittingly, since House of Marley is a family product, many of his younger family members were on hand too, and the entire group rocked most of the showroom floor with loud reggae. We were even lucky enough to catch Rick Fox jamming with Marley toward the end of the set. Also spotted: actress Eliza Dusku.

I chatted quickly with Marley about the inspiration behind the line, how it honors his father, and the show that rocked the CES floor — take a look!

We briefly heard about House of Marley when news of its new iPhone boombox hit earlier this week, but after stopping by its booth this morning at CES, we had a chance to check out its entire awesome line.

House of Marley was created by the family of Bob Marley and in conjunction with HoMedics has released a complete line of eco-friendly products embodying the spirit and values of Bob Marley. The collection is made up of three lines, Jammin', Freedom, and Destiny, with earbuds, headphones, docking stations, speakers, and boomboxes. Jammin' aims to bring the joyful spirit of Jamaican life to sound products, with earbuds, headphones, speakers, and speaker bags. Freedom's earbuds, headphones, and speakers deliver a more high-end audio experience, and the Destiny earbuds and headphones offer professional-quality sound.

A portion of all sales will benefit 1Love.org, dedicated to spreading Bob Marley's message of unity and peace.

Learn a bit more about the House of Marley and its passion for working with sustainable products after the break.