Minimal Desktop Speakers With Maximum Sound

Three things distinguish the new Logitech Z600 desktop Bluetooth speakers. The manufacturer, Logitech, uses two as selling points and doesn’t say much about the third.

The Z600s have an eye-catching design. At about 9.5 inches high, the tapered, cloth-wrapped cylinders look a bit like miniature nuclear power cooling towers, and a textured silver-gray material that wraps them gives the speakers a Moderne look.

Another distinguishing feature is the three drivers. Two face the listener and the bass faces down. The Z600s pump out some serious volume. I thought their sound was very detailed; you can hear every little finger pick, but they are a little bright. After adjusting my iTunes equalizer, they were quite pleasing, but if you are looking for a hip-hop bass sound, these aren’t your best bet.

Keeping ornamentation to a minimum, the on-off switch is discreetly flush with the cabinet, as is the concealed auxiliary input jack. Volume is controlled by swirling your finger on the top surface of the speaker cabinet.

The one thing that Logitech doesn’t mention is all the wiring these little towers require. They are wired to one another and to a power source by stylishly flat cables. It would be nice if they could coil up in the speaker to maintain their sleek look. But how much can you fault them? After all, the speakers aren’t meant to be portable, and to maintain sound quality, sacrifices must be made.

The Z600 speakers are $150 through Logitech and other online retailers.

Gadgetwise: With New Stylus, LeapFrog Tackles Reading and Writing

With New Stylus, LeapFrog Tackles Reading and Writing

The LeapReader from LeapFrog.

For years, LeapFrog has developed tools to help children learn to read. Now, the company is turning to the second of the three R’s, writing.

Creativity Camera, a case and app that work with an iPhone or iPod Touch, from LeapFrog.

LeapFrog’s newest device, the LeapReader, is an update of its Tag Reading System, a chunky electronic stylus that sounds out words and sentences printed in LeapFrog books. The LeapReader, aimed at children ages 4 to 8, takes the lesson a bit further by instructing young learners to trace letters, encouraging them to then write their own and correcting them if the letters go astray.

The pen works only on LeapFrog books, so parents don’t have to worry about scribbles on the coffee table. And it’s compatible with the older Tag library of books.

LeapReader has a USB port to connect it to a computer for charging and downloading additional content. The pen contains 256 megabytes of memory, enough to hold up to 40 audiobooks or 175 songs, which are available from LeapFrog’s site.

Keeping in mind that children like to play, too, LeapFrog developed the Creativity Camera, a case and app that work with an iPhone or iPod Touch. Once the device is locked inside the protective case, the app uses the device’s camera to take pictures, which can then be edited and morphed to create funny faces. The camera, intended for children ages 3 to 6, includes an augmented-reality game that children can use to take pictures of imaginary fairies flying around the room.

My boyfriend and I took the Creativity Camera and the LeapReader on a recent trip to visit his nieces, ages 4 and 7. The girls responded intuitively to both devices, turning them on and getting started immediately. They were unable to choose a favorite, although the camera produced more giggles. Their mother joined in, too, helping identify words and posing for portraits.

The LeapReader starter kit, which comes with a sample activity book, costs $50 and is available at most national retailers. Additional books cost about $12 to $20. The Creativity Camera case costs $20, and the app is free.

Gadgetwise: Pro-Grade Headphones With a Striking Look

Pro-Grade Headphones With a Striking Look

The Pro40 headphones from Munitio come with an audio cable, a carrying case and a carabiner.

Munitio, an audio company based in San Diego, partnered this year with the makers of the video game Call of Duty and the sci-fi movie “After Earth” to make custom audio products. Now, it wants to bring a pair of professional-grade headphones to consumers.

Munitio has a keen eye for detail, and it shows in the construction of its new over-ear headphones, called Pro40. The headband is made of a heavy-duty polymer that still allows plenty of flexibility, and gimbal technology gives the ear cups some swivel, providing a better fit without disturbing the speaker drivers. Other features include padded ear cushions made of leather and a golden ring on the outside of the ear cup that is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and coated in titanium, giving the headphones a striking look.

Inside, you’ll find titanium-coated 40-millimeter speaker drivers and a chamber that enhances the bass. This is great for listening to pop and rock music, but the bass tends to overpower vocals. Some of the quieter music I listened to sounded murky and fuzzy.

The headphones come with a detachable, Kevlar-reinforced audio cable that has an in-line three-button remote control and microphone; a molded, hard-shell carrying case; and a metal carabiner. Munitio also provides a coiled cable and quarter-inch audio adapter.

Those durable materials and finishing touches are nice additions, but they become irrelevant if the fit is uncomfortable. I found the grip tight on my head and the ear cups hot on my ears, and I had to take the headphones off after about 30 minutes.

The Pro40 headphones are available at Munitio’s Web site for $350, but you can find them at electronics retailers for closer to $300, comparable to other high-end competitors.

Gadgetwise: Watch 3-D Spectacles, Minus the Spectacles

Watch 3-D Spectacles, Minus the Spectacles

The Neo3do tablet.

The Neo3do tablet is designed for people who like 3-D but hate the glasses. It plays 3-D video and converts standard video into 3-D that you can see without the goofy spectacles.

The 3-D effect is sometimes excellent; other times ... not so much.

The most impressive demonstration I saw used a clip from the 3-D Blu-ray version of the movie “Predator.” It also worked very well with games like Angry Birds Rio and Fruit Ninja. Using Google Earth, you can also zoom into a city and then move the image with your finger, making it look as if you’re flying a helicopter over a downtown.

Streaming videos from the Web were less predictable. While some videos looked quite good, others (even some produced for 3-D) had little depth and a ghostly edge floating around some images. You also have to be holding the tablet in just the right place to get the most out of the effect.

Using the 3-D features takes a couple of steps, because you have to go through some intermediary software. For games, you have to start a 3-D games app first. To watch streaming videos you have to first start with the included jetVD app, then choose the video quality, then choose the 3-D player. When the video is running, you choose 3-D, then pick the correct format of the 3-D â€" side-by-side or over-and-under. It’s not as bad as it may sound, but it certainly makes the effect seem less magical.

But there were problems. The processing required to make 2-D video into 3-D is very demanding, and I experienced repeated freezes and errors that required me to restart the tablet.

Besides the 3-D effects, with this device you have a competent little tablet with an 8-inch screen and Android operating system 4.0.4 (better known as Ice Cream Sandwich). It has all of the familiar Google services, like Gmail, Maps, Messenger and YouTube.

It has adequate cameras in front and back - although no 3-D camera, which would seem a natural. The tablet comes with 1 gigabyte of RAM and 8 gigabytes of storage, which can be expanded with a MicroSD card of up to 32 gigabytes.

The $350 tablet is available only online, through neo3do.com and Amazon.com.

Gadgetwise: Watch 3-D Spectacles, Minus the Spectacles

Watch 3-D Spectacles, Minus the Spectacles

The Neo3do tablet.

The Neo3do tablet is designed for people who like 3-D but hate the glasses. It plays 3-D video and converts standard video into 3-D that you can see without the goofy spectacles.

The 3-D effect is sometimes excellent; other times ... not so much.

The most impressive demonstration I saw used a clip from the 3-D Blu-ray version of the movie “Predator.” It also worked very well with games like Angry Birds Rio and Fruit Ninja. Using Google Earth, you can also zoom into a city and then move the image with your finger, making it look as if you’re flying a helicopter over a downtown.

Streaming videos from the Web were less predictable. While some videos looked quite good, others (even some produced for 3-D) had little depth and a ghostly edge floating around some images. You also have to be holding the tablet in just the right place to get the most out of the effect.

Using the 3-D features takes a couple of steps, because you have to go through some intermediary software. For games, you have to start a 3-D games app first. To watch streaming videos you have to first start with the included jetVD app, then choose the video quality, then choose the 3-D player. When the video is running, you choose 3-D, then pick the correct format of the 3-D â€" side-by-side or over-and-under. It’s not as bad as it may sound, but it certainly makes the effect seem less magical.

But there were problems. The processing required to make 2-D video into 3-D is very demanding, and I experienced repeated freezes and errors that required me to restart the tablet.

Besides the 3-D effects, with this device you have a competent little tablet with an 8-inch screen and Android operating system 4.0.4 (better known as Ice Cream Sandwich). It has all of the familiar Google services, like Gmail, Maps, Messenger and YouTube.

It has adequate cameras in front and back - although no 3-D camera, which would seem a natural. The tablet comes with 1 gigabyte of RAM and 8 gigabytes of storage, which can be expanded with a MicroSD card of up to 32 gigabytes.

The $350 tablet is available only online, through neo3do.com and Amazon.com.

House Democrats Crafting Immigration Proposal

House Democratic leaders are working on a broad immigration proposal that they hope will reinvigorate the debate on Capitol Hill and pressure their Republican counterparts to pass legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country.

With an immigration overhaul languishing in the Republican-controlled House, taking a back seat to the fiscal fights that promise to occupy most of the fall, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, began working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as well as with Representative Xavier Becerra of California, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, to put forth an alternative bill that she said she believes could garner bipartisan support.

Though no final decisions have been made, aides familiar with the strategy said, Democratic leadership hopes to introduce the bill in the next few weeks. Ms. Pelosi met repeatedly â€" in person and over the phone â€" with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus over the past two weeks, working closely with Representative Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, the group’s chairman.

The proposal would combine the broad immigration bill that passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee in May with bipartisan support, as well as a border security bill that also passed the House Homeland Security Committee in May with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The border-security component, drafted by Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, requires the Department of Homeland Security to draft a plan to gain operation control â€" defined as a 90 percent apprehension rate of those who have crossed illegally â€" of the Southwest border within five years.

Ms. Pelosi’s proposal, however, does not include the border security amendment tacked on at the end of the Senate process in June, and spearheaded by two Republican senators, Bob Corker of Tennessee and John Hoeven of North Dakota. Though the Corker-Hoeven amendment helped garner the support of roughly a dozen Republicans for the overall bill, promising $40 billion over the next decade to secure the southern border â€" including doubling the number of border agents to 40,000 and completing 700 miles of fencing â€" many were wary of the border security plan, which they said was a waste of money and would “militarize” the border.

House Democrats said their proposal will, in the words of one aide, “shake up the environment” and offer an option that can win bipartisan support.

“Any member of the House â€" Democrat or Republican, who wants comprehensive immigration reform â€" can support this bill,” the aide said. “This is something that can get the support of House Republicans who have said they’re for a bill, and obviously we believe there are more that would vote for this at the end of the day.

“There are certainly enough votes in the House to get this bill across the line.”

Though the bill would most likely pass with the help of Democratic votes, Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio would still have to agree to put the proposal on the floor for a vote, something he has been hesitant to do. The goal, Democratic aides said, is to create a situation where House Republicans are pressured to either vote on this plan â€" or to offer an alternative of their own, which very likely includes at least some form of legalization, and could proceed to negotiations between the House and the Senate.

“Leader Pelosi is proposing something closer to her ideal bill, and her intention is to keep the House moving forward, which is a good thing,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York and a member of the bipartisan group in the Senate that drafted its immigration overhaul.

Though Democratic leaders had already begun talking about this new immigration strategy in recent weeks, the plan became particular urgent after two Texas Republican congressmen, John Carter and Sam Johnson, last week dropped out of a bipartisan group in the House that was hoping to introduce its own broad immigration plan.