High-tech music players are alright, but they’re not nearly as cool as vintage ghetto blasters. Old-school boomboxes were made for sound as well as stylin’ and profilin’. An iPod may be able to hold thousands of songs, but you’ll look like an idiot trying to roll around carrying one on your shoulder. To celebrate the beauty of the vintage boombox, photographer Lyle Owerko made the Boombox Project, a collection of photos of 80’s and 90’s radios. After the jump, check out some of the highlights from Owerko’s portfolio.

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Not for those with severe scoliosis, the Reppo II Backpack Boombox from designer Joonas Saaranen packs in a pair of full-range speakers and an amplifier for jamming to tunes as you stroll around campus, as well as providing everyone around you with a bass-induced migraine. Needs more sub-woofer (and cowbell).

So far, Saaranen has gotten as far as creating a functional prototype for the Reppo II, yet has no comment on whether he plans on pursuing a mass-production of the backpack. Could it be the reestablishment of the boombox as we know it? — Andrew Dobrow

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The new i-Station Traveler made by Logic3 is one small boombox; one very small boombox. This new speaker set is perfect travel companion for all those mp3 players out there, especially the Nano. This is because Logic3 was sticking with its iPod love (i-Station?) and are coming out with colors that match the colors of iPod Nanos. These speakers also follow suit with the Nano in that they are absolutely tiny. However, if you couldn’t afford a Nano, have no worries because these speakers will work with many other mp3 players as well. These deliver 4 watts of power so all your friends can hear you when you walk around. You shouldn’t have a problem carrying the i-Station Traveler around because it’s only 156g. When they come out at the end of January, they will be priced around $25, which might be worth it if you like projecting your music on the move. The one other great thing is that they are battery-powered, so no wires for you to deal with. — Nick Rice

Logic3 i-Station Traveler [Gadget Candy]

How many of you have the new Apple Hi-Fi? Really? Probably not too many. While it looks nice, it carries a price tag just about as large as the actual stereo. Apple describes it as having a “clean, compact design”. It is clean, but it’s far too big, even if it sounds amazing.

Speck Products has released their SpeckTone Retro that fixes both the size and price problems. Its sleek design can compete with the best (ie. Apple), while contrasting against how the competitors looks. Most devices/add-ons for Apple products have the rounded corners and white color style that Apple made so popular, but the SpeckTone Retro has sharp geometric corners with a high gloss piano finish (black or white). The sharp corners seem very appropriate; they blend in well with the new 5G iPod’s flat face. The Retro is compatible with the iPod (4&5 G), iPod Photo, iPod Mini, and iPod Nano. This stereo costs only $99 and comes with a 90 day warranty. This baby puts out 28 watts and has a 4″ subwoofer on its bottom. — Nik Gomez

Speck Products releases a groovy iPod Hi-Fi competitor [SlashGear]

Miuro never leaves you alone. It will follow you until your within an inch of your life, and then it will just follow you more. Though, if you have come accustomed to listening to your iPod on a dock system, but have a tendancy to not be in one place long enough to enjoy a complete song, the Miuro might not be as annoying as it sounds. The robotic boombox is controlled through a remote control where you can command Miuro to follow your every movement and then get your mail. At first look, we thought the Miuro looked a little flimsy, but on further research, we discovered that the Miuro is equipped with Kenwood speakers and costs a whopping $939. If you want to spend that much money to be followed, hell, we’ll follow you for cheaper. — Andrew Dobrow

Miuro the Robotic Boombox [SlashGear]