Sure, you could buy the same celeb-endorsed headphones that everyone else has. But for the ultimate in quality and personalization, a pair of custom-made in-ear earbuds is hard to beat. Custom buds used to be the exclusive province of musicians and sound engineers, but they’re becoming more affordable.

With webOS down for the count and BlackBerry on life support, Microsoft is now the sole challenger to the smartphone domination of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Just in the nick of time, Windows Phone is finally receiving much-needed attention thanks to the Nokia Lumia 900, a handset as seductive as anything Cupertino has produced to date.

Until recently, my ideal bag was big enough for my laptop, iPad, iPhone, chargers and cables, plus a sweatshirt, a sandwich--anything I could shove inside. And the more space I had, the more I shoved.

So what changed? I had a kid. Now when I leave the house I’ve got not only my laptop bag, but also a baby strapped into a bulky car seat, plus his giant diaper bag. When I got desperate to shave some of that weight, my own oversized bag had to go.

Once you move beyond simple computer speakers and speaker docks, audio equipment can quickly get extremely complicated, not to mention expensive. Orb Audio’s line of modular products aims to bring audiophile-quality components at relatively affordable prices. And best of all, you can start with a small desktop system, then later expand into a full home theater setup using your existing speakers.