Last year, I reviewed the Eos Wireless iPod Speakers and Dock and came away impressed at the build quality, sound (from such small speakers) and the rather impressive wireless range. In fact, they gathered RTL’s very first 5 out of 5 score.

This summer, Eos Wireless sent their newer Eos Converge system that will connect a PC/Mac as well as just about any other music source. So for the 175 or so Microsoft Zune fans out there – I count myself as one of them – you can actually connect via the auxiliary input and share your tunes throughout the house without having to drill once. Just add music and power and you’re good to go.

Of course… I like to test things differently.

For my long-term test, I played with these things outside on my acre of so immediate backyard and used them to entertain folks during my July 4th weekend outside and during my recent birthday celebration last weekend. And each time, I’d plug into either my Zune, my Mac or once my own stereo without issue. Just take one of the black plastic wireless transmitters, plug in your audio source, and pair it with a wireless receiver, attach some speakers and play your music however you wish. With an effective range of 150 feet, I didn’t anticipate any problem given that I was limiting my area to one acre – which is 212 feet by 212 feet.

The setup… well, there isn’t really any. If you ever conquered the whole square peg toy when you were a kid, well you can handle this too. It’s simple enough to where this is the kind of gift that works well even with a luddite. On the back of the wireless transmitter, there’s an miniUSB connector, an audio in/out connector. On the back of the powered wireless receiver, there’s an RCA connector for some speakers and a power plug input alongside the power switch. Again, it’s so gosh darn easy to set up. And this time, Eos Wireless sent along their Eos loudspeakers that have a black ash finish and are made of solid wood with a 1 inch dome tweeter and 5.5 inch ported woofer. And the speakers do not feel cheap and light by no means. They’re solid enough to where you do not want to drop them on your foot – I did once, my toe still hurts.

So how does it sound? After connecting up everything, the transmitters, receivers and speakers all combine for an expandable – up to four wireless receivers – and spread your music to all around you with a solid, good sound that doesn’t sound out of balance and does not bottom out on bass-heavy music nor too bright on the highs. The Eos loudspeakers are studio grade in build and sound; balanced and nearly good enough to sit alongside my much more expensive Polk Audio and Paradigm speakers that I tend to us in the house. And that’s a good thing.

Are there any cons? Yes. The build quality, while great does leave a bit to be desired in the looks department. They’re functional, non-obtrusive, but are not as smooth or “cool” as the Sonos multi-room offerings. The speakers are $99.95 per pair – you can purchase Polk Audio studio speakers for cheaper if you’re watching websites like Dealnews.com or so. Beyond that, the system does what it says it will do and without fuss. And the cool part… I was using my Apple iPhone to connect and control my iTunes library from the patio via the Apple Remote app.

During the festivities, all of my guests asked where they could buy the Eos Converge system and how much it cost. The Eos Wireless Transmitter and Receiver sells for $99.95 each, while the powered version of the Eos Wireless Receiver costs $149.95. The Eos Loudspeakers are $99.95 for a pair. It sounds a bit expensive, but the fact that you can move, connect and never have to drill or worry about making holes in your walls. To me, that’s worth the level of entry. You can still order then from the Eos Wireless website and they’re still offering free shipping – which is a good thing, the speakers are heavy.

Yet again, Eos Wireless receives a 5 out of 5 (Highly Recommended) from Remove The Labels. Just sad that I have to send back the review system after using for so long. It works very well and I’m sure I inspired a few purchases.

[ Links: Eos Wireless, Eos Converge System ]

Spanish blog MuyComputer (via Gizmodo) indicates that Microsoft is about to unveil their new Zune phone, co-developed with Nvidia.

The device should be unveiled at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress 2010. According to the leak, the Zune Phone will have a 480 x 272 screen, HDMI video connection, weigh around 2.45 ounces (70 grams), and use Windows Mobile 7. There’s no word yet on any time frame for a launch, or what American carriers the device will work on when it arrives on U.S. shores. The Mobile World Congress takes place between February 15-18, so if you’re interested in a Zune phone, you shouldn’t have long to wait for more detail.

Link to the original article…

Finally, Microsoft Zune HD owners finally have something that they can show off to their Apple iPod Touch mp3 player brethren. Microsoft has updated the Zune Marketplace and added free 3D games like PGR: Ferrari Edition and Vans Sk8: Pool Service that take full advantage of the Nvidia Tegra chipset and the Microsoft Zune HD multi-touch capabilities to show off some serious 3D capabilities.

The update and the games are free from Microsoft.

[ Microsoft Zune ] [ Microsoft Zune Games ] [ Related: Microsoft Zune 4 Quickplay ]

Just like clockwork, Microsoft updated their Zune software to go alongside the Microsoft Zune HD release. This means that the Zune desktop software also got a fresh new update too.

Upon restarting the Zune software, you will now be greeted by an all purpose “home page” named the Quickplay page. You will see a quick rundown of a Welcome message, what’s new in the Zune Marketplace and your playback history – which… didn’t pick up on anything I’ve played in the prior iteration of the Zune software so far.

The side to side scrolling of within this window… seriously Microsoft. The Zune software breaks every last one of your design conventions for Windows applications and guess what… it works so damn well. Keep it up.

All of the past issues I had, sluggish interaction and the inability to hover over one track or highlight it and just click once to start it… gone. The Zune desktop no longer feels as sluggish as it once did. It transitions, plays, changes colors and looks like no other Microsoft product. The playback screens look just like the Zune 3 software initially, but they behave a bit differently.

I’m still playing but so far… I’m loving it.

UPDATE: It seems like the Zune 120 will get updated to version 3.2 (34) from 3.1 (50) – does that mean that we’re not getting the 4.x update for the player that’s on the Zune HD?