GADGETS: MP3 Player Literally Spins Tunes; Wooden You Like New Headphones?
This month's gadgets have a distinct yin-yang theme. A new MP3 music player is powered by the throw and dance of a yo-yo, and a high-tech set of headphones cures its musical brews in a cask of mahogany.

The Regen MP3 player may be wireless, but it's not stringless. Its batteries are charged by the motion of the yo-yo that houses them. A copper wire around the yo-yo shaft is surrounded by magnets, so each spin creates a current to feed the batteries.

The ingenious new player was named "Grand Prize Winner" in Core77 magazine's most recent design challenge (the theme: Human Powered). But not much human power (or skill) is required to make the Regen work: 10-12 good tosses are enough for an hour's worth of charge.

The yo-yo holds around 200 songs, and it transmits the music to the accompanying headphones using wireless Bluetooth technology. The collapsible headphones, when folded, become the carrying case for the entire system.

Read about the latest Core77 design challenge, including the winning Regen MP3 player and the runners up, which included the music-related Handy Drum and Tinkle Tunes

Grado's RS1 and RS2 series incorporate a hand-crafted mahogany resonance chamber that, according to a review in WIRED magazine, result in "a complex bouquet of decreased distortion, accentuated bass response, warm harmonic tones and supersmooth top end. Sweet!"

Visit Grado Labs or read the WIRED review of their product