If you've got an iPhone 5 and are looking for a new speaker dock without the old connector, the Libratone Zipp might be up your alley. It's a bit expensive, but the warm, fuzzy design is weirdly complementary to the dark, slick iPhone.
It's not a dock, and won't charge your phone; instead, it uses AirPlay, Apple's wireless protocol for sending music to speakers minus the cables. Macs and iOS devices are all compatible. You'll have to find another place to juice up your device, but wireless accessories like this are definitely the future, not bulky docks.
Libratone has a few other speakers of this type, wrapped in dyed wool, but this Zipp is cheaper and more portable. It's meant to fill a room with sound and be super easy to set up, making it something like a party in a can — covered in wool.
They claim it has a "true" digital amplifier and enough speakers to actually send sound 360 degrees. More importantly, it looks nice and runs for eight hours cabled to your i-device or four hours wirelessly. That's at least enough to get the party started.
You can pick one up in grey or red at the Apple Store for $399 starting in October, or for $449 you can order one that comes with two back-up colors.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.