Gizmodo: Speaker

Sony HCB-108 Bluetooth Car Speaker Has Longest Standby, Talk Times

Kit Eaton — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:31:00 EDT

Yeah, I know: Bluetooth car speaker/microphone systems blah blah... but this one's got a such a battery lifespan it's a bit different. Clipped to your car's sun visor (or on your desk as a speakerphone) it'll sit on standby for a full month, and if you choose to chat using it, you can do so for a chunky 25 hours, which is apparently the longest time for both options that you can buy. It's also got "superior true duplex audio quality" with echo reduction and noise canceling, to try and stop you from sounding like you're speaking using the local cabbie's dodgy CB radio. Due at the end of the year, price still to be announced. [Pocket-lint]

Hello Kitty DJ Speaker Brings Out the Disco Pussycat Lover In You

Jesus Diaz — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Who else would spend $25 in a Hello Kitty Action DJ Speaker—which moves pretending she's a DJ at the rhythm of the music played in your digital audio player—but a twisted disco pussy lover with probably too much Jack Daniel's running through his veins and listening to ABBA right now?

FedEx says they are delivering it this monday. Oh. Yes. [Think Geek]

iRiver Concepts Feel Straight Out of Terry Gilliam's Brain

Jesus Diaz — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Apart from their Spinn 70s-retro analog goodness, iRiver had two beautiful concept products in their IFA 2008 stand which had a design that looked further into the past, as far as the beginning of the 20th century. As you can see in the video, both their Clix speaker—inspired by the shape of cathode ray tubes—and their pipe music player—which you can blow to mute (insert joke here), and connect it to a speaker resembling a phonograph horn—look both intriguing and beautiful. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

iPower Backup Battery for iPhone Has Built-in Speaker too

Kit Eaton — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:38:00 EDT

Brando's new extra-juice supply for the iPhone (both gens) sets itself apart from all the others by having a built-in speaker, making it its own speaker-dock. Though it's a clunkily large beast, this is because it's got a 2400mAh battery inside, which can give your iPhone three hours of life and speaker action—probably handy if you're into movie-watching on the device. It's got an extending grip arm to secure the phone inside, a power on-off switch and the 3G version has external volume control buttons. Available now for $44. [Brando]

iHome iH41 Rotating iPod Alarm Clock Released, Gets $80 Price Tag

Kit Eaton — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:33:31 EDT

Back in May we alerted you to the unusual iHome iH41 iPod dock alarm clock, which can swivel around its own corner to let you display a docked iPod touch as widescreen or portrait. Well, it's now available to purchase, with an $80 price tag. It's got Expanded Bass and Reson8 technology to give its sounds a little clarity and oomph, and has a remote that controls the iPod and clock functions. It still looks as if it's compatible only with touches and iPods, so if you're an iPhone owner maybe it's not the one for you. [Business Wire]

Sounger Vin 1/8 MP3 Violin Speaker System is Fiddle-Shaped, for Style

Kit Eaton — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:08:00 EDT

MP3 speakers play music, so they may as well look like a musical instrument: that seems to be the thinking behind the Sounger Vin 1/8 Violin Speaker System with amp. And before you dismiss the device as a gimmick, you need to know it's crafted from spruce and maple wood, each speaker is 20W and stands 19-inches tall and the amp is violin-themed too. Does a wooden speaker-body, echoing the shape of a violin (which itself is optimized to make the great sounds) mean it'll sound better than nasty plastic speakers? Hard to say: but you can't deny that in terms of stylish, unusual looks, this is a winner. It's available in Korea, but you'll have to save up, violin fans, since it costs $770. [TFTS]

Boynq's Iris Webcam Has a Touch of Anglepoise in its Design

Kit Eaton — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:40:00 EDT

*Squeak* Hello. I'm Pixar's famous Anglepoise lamp... yes, the one from the CGI film. *Squeak* I'm here to complain about this new Iris webcam from Boynq, which takes a few too many design cues from me and my fellow lamp kind. Look at it: it's unmistakable isn't it? As well as a VGA webcam, it's got a 5W RMS speaker and an 8-LED light. Now, call me a drama queen but I think that's taking things a bit too far.

Looking like the classic Anglepoise and acting as a desk lamp? Naughty. *Squeak* At least that other 4-in-1 webcam looked pretty different. I know it's just $59, but you can't beat an original, know what I'm saying? *Squeak* Right, now we understand each other, I've got stuff to do. Where'd that ball go? *Hop hop hop...* [Everything USB]

Lightning Review: EOS Wireless iPod Dock/Speaker System Gets Sound To Every Room Cheaply And Easily

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The Gadget: EOS Wireless iPod Dock/Wireless Speaker system, which has one base unit that can take either an iPod or anything that can feed into its 3.5mm aux input (wire included). With this one base unit you can feed up to four satellite wireless units up to 150 feet away (or less through walls and floors).

The Price: $250 for the base unit and one satellite, $130 for each additional satellite.

The Verdict: Dreamy. The ability to put music in five separate rooms simultaneously (base + 4 sats) is a dream we've had since we were in elementary school planning on buying our first house. (That's right, other kids wanted to be astronauts, we wanted to be Bruce Wayne, homeowner and bad ass crimefighter.) The base unit has excellent sound, great bass response and SRS WOW! sound enhancement. The satellites are a bit lower quality, but definitely listenable. As a bonus, it also supports all the way back to the 3rd generation iPods—in our opinion, one of the best iPods ever made. Rocktastic.

Shooting iPod music everywhere was cool, but we discovered something way cooler. Step one was plugging our iTunes output from our Mac/PC into the base unit and switching it to AUX input. Step two was using our iPhone and the new Remote app so we could control our iTunes from anywhere inside the house. It's as close to an ultimate audio setup as we could get with equipment this easy and plug-and-play.

Is it worth $250 + $130 for satellites? Think of it as an investment. As long as you're alright with the sound quality and your home isn't any taller than three stories (just about the limit we found for the sound to not cut in and out all the time) you'll be able to use this as a home-wide music solution for years. [EOS Wireless]

USB LED Light Tube Speaker is Like Bad Sci-Fi Prop For Your Desk

Kit Eaton — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:51:00 EDT

This transparent, glowing USB speaker is either missing one glowing arm to make it look like a flux capacitor, or has one arm too many to be the light on top of the TARDIS. It's weird. But if you're into EL-wire PC case modding, then I suppose this blue LED-lit USB speaker from Brando might be up your street. Measuring 5.9-inches long, it takes power from USB, has an audio-in socket and costs $22. [Brando]

Bright-F Clothes Scanner Lets The Blind Hear Colors

Jason Chen — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Did you know Daredevil's costume was supposed to be black, like the night, instead of bright flaming red? That's because Matt Murdoch is blind, and the bastard couldn't tell one material from another. Did you know I made this story up in order to introduce the Bright-F design, which scans clothing and speaks the color so you don't match lime green with puke brown. We have a hard enough time dressing ourselves as it is, so we could see this being a tremendous help to the visually impaired. You know, if it were real. [Yanko Design]

Dealzmodo: $8 Plant Watering Meter

Sean Fallon — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:10:00 EDT

Here's an electronic plant monitor that measures pH, light and moisture for $7.50. [American Science Surplus: Plant Monitor]

iTam Tam iPod Dock Is Strangely Unique, Expensive

Jason Chen — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Close to 99% of all the iPod Docks we've ever seen look about the same. This iTam Tam looks nothing like those. Imagine making a dock that's shaped like a stool or a gong, and this is what you'd get. A concave cylindrical thing that's got a slot for an iPod/iPhone at the top. How does this sound? Who cares! At $570, you're not buying this for the audio quality. You're buying this because you need something that screams "I had $570 and I have spent it." [iTam Tam via Branexdesign via Born Rich via DVice]

Bird-Electron EZISON 0 is Chunky Portable Speaker Bliss, Almost

Haroon Malik — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:22:49 EDT

The EZISON 0 speaker has Bird-Electron written all over it; it's pricey, utterly ridiculous and has a design that makes us swoon. Available in white, red, gold, blue or silver aluminum finishes, the EZISON 0 is quite the looker whatever color you should choose, but we just cannot get our heads around the 7350 Yen ($73) price tag. After all, a portable speaker that relies on your MP3 player for juice via the 3.5mm jack connection isn't going to pump out the tunes. In fact, standing in at only 73×76×32mm, the EZISON 0 probably sounds just as good as an electron sized bird. (See what I did there with the old semantics? Please, stay seated.) [NewLaunches]

USB Mini Mouse Speaker Forgets its Input Obligations

Haroon Malik — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:59:59 EDT

Brando's USB Mini Mouse Speaker is a great little portable speaker, which connects via 3.5mm stereo jack to any sound output. The speaker charges via an included USB cable and it is sure to bring the house down with the thumping 2W output. If you are worried you won't look the image of cool with the USB Mini Mouse, put those ludicrous notions aside, it comes with a neck strap so you can pimp Flavor Flav styles effortlessly. Phew!

The only thing is, we were hoping our $14.00 would get us standard mouse functionality, too. Perhaps the omission is a slight technical oversight by Brando? [Brando via Geek Alerts]

DLO's Portable Fold-up iPhone Speakers Are Necessary

Jason Chen — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:00:20 EST

Everyone knows how completely horrible the built-in iPhone speakers are for listening to music or talking on speakerphone, which is why this DLO Portable Speaker for iPhone is totally necessary. You can carry it around in a little oval pod when not in use, but when you want to get down with the teleconferencing, just open her up and splay her to either side of your phone. It's even got a little stand to prop up the iPhone, and the whole thing looks quite nice playing back music (it's shielded from the GSM buzz) with its black and silver motif. $49 gets you one. [DLO]

MCube Concept is a Wireless Charger and Display Companion For Cellphones

Kit Eaton — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:20:37 EST

Drop your phone near the MCube concept and it charges via short-range induction. There's a Bluetooth link, which means SMS and caller info get shown on its Cocoon-like hidden display. Meanwhile, calls and MP3s stored on your phone can be played through MCube's speakers and controlled by touch pads on its surface. Why do these great ideas just end up being design concepts? We want one. [Yanko Design]

Otto Suction Spy Speaker Lets You Hear Your Parents Argue

Jason Chen — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:50:09 EST

The Otto may look like one of those suction cup gadgets that turns any surface into a sound generating speaker, but it's actually more like a stethoscope than a speaker. If you latch it onto a window, a wall or a glass of ice water, you can hear "subtle tremors and vibrations." Because if you have to listen to your upstairs neighbors going at it every night, you might as well hear it clearly. [Duncan Wilson via Random Good Stuff]

Mini Speaker Add-On Recycles Your iPod Shuffle Box

Kit Eaton — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:00:42 EST

Plug this tiny stereo speaker system into your iPod shuffle's plastic box, and you get a mini boom box plus the satisfaction of using something that you'd normally have thrown away. This (slightly) eco-friendly system from Bird Electron also fits inside a first- or second-gen iPod nano box and costs just $40. [Geek Alerts]

Newertech's iPhone Speaker Dock Lets You Rock, Talk, Own Accessories That Don't Match Your iPhone

Haroon Malik — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:01:13 EST

Newertech's iPhone Speaker Dock allows you to rock out in between calls, and will further function as a loudspeaker when a call is received or made. The flexible microphone means you will be able to comfortably speak at a distance, with limited loss in calling quality. As if that was not enough, the iPhone Speaker Dock will also charge your iPhone whilst it pumps out your tunes. At $34.99, it doesn't matter if it's black or white; it's a steal whatever the color. As well as the dock, Newertech shall be introducing other iPhone specific peripherals.

A headphone jack extender ($7.99), a microphone extender cable ($14.99), an auto charger ($12.99), and a handsfree headset ($19.99.) The handsfree headset is a welcome addition, as the options for suitable alternatives are somewhat limited at present. [Product Page via Chip Chick]

Crapgadget Column Actually Full of Cool Stuff

Brian Lam — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:30:30 EST

Engadget's got a new column called Crapgadget meant to take the piss out of goofy electronics, but I think the examples they've picked are gadget-weirdness at its finest and deserve some defense. There's something inherently entertaining about a USB Microphone disguised as a rose, a rechargeable speaker cube the size of a golf ball; they're original, test new boundaries in gadget usage, and they're the epitome of the softer side of usually sterile technology. Plus, like a building block, they take creativity to use. That Rose would be a great gag in a singing video podcast, and that speaker could end up dangling from an iPod Shuffle as a little boombox. Maybe I'm wrong, but you know, like double-oh-negative, I'm just Goony like that. [Rose Mic USB Cube via Engadget]

Samsung YA-BS900 Speaker Turns It Down When Your Bluetooth Phone Rings

Brian Lam — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 01:25:30 EST

Samsung's 3-way speaker dock has a Bluetooth connection that detects when your cellphone gets a call, and turns down the volume. Neat trick.

iPond Combines Portable Speaker With a Fish Tank, Enrages Animal Rights Activists

Adrian Covert — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:31:53 EST

Pet stores in Australia have been selling a portable speaker with a built-in fish tank, designed to hook up to portable audio devices like the iPod. (The cleverly named iPond, which is currently drawing fire from animal rights groups for not providing adequate space for a fish to live.)

Melbourne Aquarium officials say the Betta fish sold with the iPond need a 10 liter tank to swim and get a proper amount of oxygen, but the iPond's tank is only 650 milliliters. Acoustics experts also say sound from the speaker, which is built into the bottom of the iPond, could transfer into the fish tank, bringing up another potential hazard.

But even if Aussies are ambivalent to bleeding heart animal rights activists, they should still avoid the iPond because it looks like a cheap piece of garbage selling for an inflated 70 Australian Dollars (60 USD). [Sydney Morning Herald]

iPod Nano Speaker Kit Helps You Recycle the Packaging

Sean Fallon — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:35:09 EST

After the thrill of unboxing your new iPod nano is over, you are left with a clear plastic case that will undoubtedly take millennia to biodegrade. Thanks to the folks at Bird Electron, turning your case into a fully functioning speaker kit takes all of five seconds, a boon for the environmentally conscious yet lazy and unskilled person. The kit works with 3rd generation nano cases, and the speaker fits neatly inside. After that, all you need to do is plug and play. 2100 yen ($20). [Product Page via Trends in Japan]

Vers 2X Wooden iPod Sound System

blongo3 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:22:54 EDT

Metal or plastic, it seems like if you want to be a part of today's gadget world those are your options. Well, no one told Vers Audio that. Their new iPod sound dock, the 2X, is handmade with cherry veneer. I know, veneer? Yuck, but it's better than plastic and is hand-crafted. It comes with two 15-watt 3" speakers, dual rear-facing subwoofers, a remote, as well as an input to attach any other type of MP3 player you might have. So basically you're paying $179 for a run-of-the mill iPod speaker that lets you keep that "all natural" look. [Product Page via Core77]

Omnidirectional Speaker Works as Jedi Training Drone Too

AddyDugdale — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:53:52 EDT

This is actually a 32-sided speaker from CEATEC, although I think it would work very well as either a steampunk microphone, a glitter ball for the Tin Man, or a lollipop for Ro-lita, a sexy underage she-bot. [Gizmodo Japan]

Altec Lansing Sends Ultra Portable Speakers Into Orbit

Christopher Mascari — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:00:14 EDT

Altec Lansing's release today of five new speaker systems brought about another line of ultra portable speakers, branded Orbit. Simply designed and weighing only 8oz, the iMT207 Orbit-M and iM207 Orbit-MP3 offers Altec Lansing's Fusion360 technology; which produces a full 360-degree sound field. The iMT207 Orbit-M is mobile phone specific with a 3.5mm stereo connection that is iPhone compatible and also includes a 3.5mm to 2.5mm converter cable for use with compatible music phones. Both models are shock resistant and feature 24 hours of continuous play off 3 AAA batteries. With a release soon, these $39 speakers could serve as an adequate sounding ultra portable speaker. [Altec Lansing via infoSync World]

Eyes-on, Yamaha NX-B02 Bluetooth Speaker

Mark Wilson — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:30:12 EDT

The Yamaha NX-BO2 provides wireless streaming audio from any Bluetooth-enabled device. Utilizing the Enhanced Data Rate standard, it provides the fastest Bluetooth 2.0 connection available. Powered by either A/C adapter or 4 AA batteries, we doubt it will rock your socks off, but Yamaha claims their 2x5W amplifications sounds pretty good. We'll support the product if only for the awkward family moment when someone's cell streams audio from a...non-family video. 150 euros this December in Europe (though it's supposed to come Stateside as well). Bonus pics post jump.

Speaker Chair Looks Like Furry Egg Plant

AddyDugdale — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:35:42 EDT

This concept chair, designed by Pinju Chen, has an absolutely massive speaker buried deep inside it. Switch it on, and I guess you feel like the bass is buried deep inside you. I can't decide what I think it most resembles:

A tongue? One of those chairs you stick a baby in and bounce it up and down? The right-hand armrest contains a CD player, the left-hand one a jack for your MP3 player. I'm just not sure about the hippie-ish purple crushed velvet finish, though. [Yanko]

Meizu mDock Speaker Dock Coming Soon For M6, M3 Music Cards

Jason Chen — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:10:46 EDT

Meizu Me reports that Meizu will release a speaker dock slightly reminiscent of iPod speaker docks for their M6 player. The M6, if you recall, is a small nano-ish player that's actually quite good, despite taking much of its design influence straight from Apple. This dock will be 88 grams and measure 208x87x86mm. That's 0.2 pounds and 8.1x3.4x3.3 inches. That weight seems a bit off, but the mDock will have replaceable docks to fit the the M3 Music Card as well. [MeizuMe]

XMI X-Mini, Tiny Subwoofer/Speaker

Mark Wilson — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:53:43 EDT

XMI's X-Mini claims to be the "the world's first pocketsize speaker with a built-in bass support and rechargeable battery." Apparently either feature alone is not a world's first, but together...stand back. You have the stuff PR is made of.

Focused on portability, the X-Mini features an extendable, accordion-style vacuum tube that attempts to mimic the resonance of a subwoofer (we don't mean to be complete dicks by saying "attempts" but we'll believe it when we see it). Mids and highs are represented through that top speaker. Playback lasts anywhere from four to six hours, after which time you'll need to pack up the portable party and call it a night. Well, that, or just put on some headphones instead. $37 [product via ohgizmo]

The normally $300 Sonic Impact iPod speaker ...

Jason Chen — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:15:36 EDT

The normally $300 Sonic Impact iPod speaker dock and LCD screen is now only $75 on Amazon. [Amazon via Gadget Madness]

NES MP3 Player and Speakers Made From a Cart and Controller

Jason Chen — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:20:44 EDT

People are making the NES controller into optical mice and voice recorders, so why not make it into an MP3 player? Better yet, why not take an actual NES cartridge and make that into speakers and get a horrible, yet awesome NES speaker system going? The only thing better than this would be if the set played all Minibosses, all the time. [Hacked Gadgets via Geekologie]

TwinMOS BooM1 iPod Speaker Dock Offers Big Boom, Takes Up Little Space (Except the Giant Sub)

Adrian Covert — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:30:35 EDT

TwinMOS's BooM1 speaker dock is a solution for those who want a big sound that takes up little space. Powered by two 8-watt speakers and a 25-watt subwoofer that offer a little more power than comparable speaker docks. While the name and design are eyebrow raising, it is the $199.99 price tag that really has us wondering if the thing is extraterrestrial in origin. [Tech Digest]

Angel Speaker Looks Like a Mint

Haroon Malik — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:40:00 EDT

Do you like your portable speaker looking like a large, oddly shaped, Tic-Tac? Well lucky you, because Brando has just released such a device. The Angel speaker boasts nothing out of the ordinary, except making buyers simultaneously appear stupid and cheap. Available in orange or green, the Angel Speakers are powered via USB and come with a standard 3.5mm stereo plug connection. At $10 each, you could purchase enough to cover yourself, head to toe, creating a cunning, giant Tic-Tac disguise. Seriously though, this whole mint obsession isn't healthy. Seek help; excess consumption may have a laxative effect. [Product Page via Technabob]

PodXtreme Loud iPod Speaker

Travis Hudson — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:00:56 EDT

Sometimes you can't annoy the other patrons at the coffee shop with a puny iPod speaker. The PodXtreme Sound Box is a small add-on speaker for the iPod that is capable of generating a "powerful sound" and "powerfull bass boost" even though the device is half the size of your actual iPod. It runs on lithium-ion batteries and is juiced with a USB connection. And it really isn't limited to the iPod, given that it plugs in via the standard audio jack, but they have to milk the iPod market somehow. $30. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Red Ferret]

The Wassup Speaker Looks Like a Pokemon, is Ten Years Too Late On Catchphrase

Jason Chen — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:00:27 EDT

The strange company b2 has announced their newest speaker line, the Wassup. Normally naming a speaker "Wassup" would be strange enough, but these guys have put in the extra effort and made their speaker shaped like a rabbit Pokemon. Buneary, is what we'd say it was.

There's no doubt these speakers are going to sound fantastic when they're released this July for $25, so we're preordering a whole bunch right now. Stay tuned for our 10 page review of this as well, since we know you're totally excited too. – Jason Chen

Product Page [b2 via Gearlog]

Hands-On: Lifepop Mini '80s Boombox

Brian Lam — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:52:07 EDT

This little vinyl boombox gets pretty loud considering the 9v powerpack and the quarter-sized speakers. Another gem found in the WTF section of CTIA. The kit comes with a minijack adapter, a keychain, and the pouch itself can hold a cellphone or Shuffle, but controlling the device while inside would prove to be challenging. $25.

If only I had a matching G.I. Joe-sized LL Cool J action figure.–Brian Lam

Boombox [Lifepop]

Logic3 Cutesy iStation Traveller iPod Speaker Dock

Travis Hudson — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:17:17 EST

This cutie pootootie iPod speaker dock is from Logic3. The iStation Traveller is a portable speaker system that can fold up for portability, comes in six colors and has the iPod dock connector along with a standard auxiliary input for any other audio playing device. It pumps out your tunes with four block-rocking watts of power. The size is nice. Portable iPod docks are the perfect way to annoy everyone wherever you are at. $35. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via iLounge]

Keyboard/Mouse/Speaker Set - Frog Family

www.gizmodo.com — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:05:00 EST

If googly-eyed penguin speakers just aren't quite creepy enough for you, how about the Frog Family PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse/Speaker set. Suggested by commenter wolfrider (thanks!) who says "go big or go home", every piece of this set, the keyboard, the mouse and the speakers are green frogs with wiggly eyes. Fun for kids sure, but bordering on freaky for adults. Although that's never stopped you before has it? –Dana Bushman

The Frog Family PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse/Speaker Set [Geeks.com via wolfrider]

Sharp DK-A10 iPod Dock Reminds us of a Toaster

Travis Hudson — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 19:24:16 EST

This is the latest iPod speaker system from Sharp that has an iPod dock. It will be available in black and white and also includes AM/FM radio, front-loading CD player, alarm, sleep timer, etc. Surprisingly, it sounded pretty damn nice, even in the very overcrowded Sharp booth. It will be available in April for $330.

This DK-A10 also has a little brother, the DK-A1, that lacks a lot of the cool movable parts for $230, also available in April. –Travis Hudson