The Starck-designed Parrot Zik.

It has the technological sophistication of a sonic screwdriver. Its design elements look as if pulled straight out of another dimension. And there may not be another set of headphones on this planet — or any other — baked with as many ingredients as the Parrot Zik.

But we were curious — would all this tech work? And how would the Ziks sound? So we poked them with a stick, and here’s what we discovered. Allons-y!

You can’t get Altec Lansing’s new The Jacket iMW455 Bluetooth speaker/speakerphone from anyone other than Verizon, which explains the red and black skins the Jacket comes with.

Don’t like red or black? No problem — because, like a moulting lobster, The Jacket’s special trick is its ability to swap skins. The speaker comes with the two free skins, with more colors available for a price — though we’re not yet sure which colors or how much.

HTC finally rolled out the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean release to the HTC One over the weekend, but it appears the Taiwanese company has also been hard at work on Android 4.3. An HTC One Google Edition with Android 4.3 installed has just passed by the Bluetooth SIG.

Android-powered game consoles have really started to take off this year, what with devices like the NVIDIA Shield, the Ouya, the GamePop, and others arriving. But they could be set to receive a big boost from Google, which is reportedly developing a game console of its own.

Sources claim the search giant is also working on an Android-powered smartwatch that could launch before the end of the year.

Hot on the heels of its Xperia Z Ultra announcement, Sony has unveiled the new SmartWatch 2, its second attempt at conquering the intelligent wristwatch market before its competitors throw their efforts into the mix. Like its predecessor, the new device is powered by Android, but this time it offers a bigger display and a waterproof body.