Gizmodo: portable speakers

Eggy Speakers Clip Together Magnetically For Transporting, And Fooling Chickens

Kat Hannaford — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:50:40 EST

With any luck, your PC isn't next to your oven, so these S&J Co "eggy" speakers won't be thrown in a pot of boiling water accidentally. Mind, I don't know what type of bird lays black eggs...

Dubbed as being ultra-portable, these speakers come in two magnetized halves and connect to PCs via USB. I wonder if they'd also double up as one of those fake eggs to convince chickens to lay? [S&J via Coolest-Gadgets]

Yuen’To Music Ball is Great for Listening to Music, Bopping Heads

John Herrman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:32:57 EST

Clearly a product of the deep-sea geothermal vent creature school of cuteness, the Yuen'To Music Ball is an adorable, albeit expensive, powered portable speaker.

Unlike most products in this category, the Music Ball was designed with usability in mind. This foamy ball will sit anywhere, dangle or swing during playback, demanding no support beyond your device's headphone jack. The single white wire and range of appealing colors let the Music Ball double as a fashion accessory (though admittedly not the most masculine one), and the powered speaker ensures that you'll actually be able to hear your music. The battery only lasts about two hours, but it's USB-rechargeable.

The only catch is the price: it's kind of expensive even without importing costs, and once it's shipped over from Japan it comes in at just below $80. If that's not too rich for your blood, the Yuen'To ships in February. [Akihabara]

Headphonies: 3-Inch Vinyl Figures Make Unique Portable Speakers

Sean Fallon — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:15:00 EDT

Portable speakers for the iPod are a dime a dozen, but these limited edition "Headphonies" are a little more eye-catching than other generic models. The set includes 5 figures created by several artists (including Frank Kozik), and 2 blank versions that you can decorate yourself. Naturally, you don't expect to get a booming sound with speakers this small, but those who have heard it claim that the sound is "surprisingly good." Each viny toy speaker will sold in 500 to 1000 limited quantities starting on November 30th. Fortunately, Headphonies are fairly inexpensive collector's items at only $30 apiece. [Headphonies via SpankyStokes via Ubergizmo]

Orbitsound T3 Portable Speaker "Plays Music in the Air Around Your Head"

Haroon Malik — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:30:00 EST

The Gadget:Orbitsound's T3 is meant to act as a portable speaker for on the go listening. However, the guys at Orbitsound claim their patented airSOUND technology means you will only hear the music in one distinct area, thus causing minimal disturbance to others. It works by using specialised amplifiers to convert stereo sound into spatial (left/right) and main audio signals, which is supposed to produce sound of one constant intensity no matter what the distance from the source may be, but only in a defined area and the defined area for the T3 portable speaker is the "air around your head." The range will also include a valve and speaker set, as well as a swanky iPod dock.

The Catch:It doesn't work. The sound quality is good at best, but the airSOUND technology this speaker set is pegged on is far from what it promises to be. Avoid. . [Orbitsound]

i.Dear Portable Wooden Speakers: 1.5-Watts To Annoy Your Neighbors

Gizloco — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:44:20 EST

i.Dear enters a crowded field of wooden electronics with its 1.5-watt keychain speaker. The market for uselessly small speakers must be a burgeoning one. It works with any audio source that has the standard audio out jack, while its Korean designers laud its ability to output sound from devices like the all but failed PSP and music-friendly cellphones. After all, who wouldn't want to hear hottt ringtonez from today's latest RIAA-approved "artist" bellow out of a small wooden speaker?

Come to think of it, portable speakers rarely do anybody any good. Firstly, show me someone who wants to listen to Fall Out Boy for the thousandth time (and makes me listen to it, too) and I'll show you a member of the Communist Party. Secondly, portable speakers often sound like wet mud, to use only the most scientific terminology. You're better off investing in a solid pair of headphones. Not only will they sound better, but the people around you will be grateful. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page (in Korean) [Funshop via The Red Ferret Journal]

Brightonnet Cylindrical Active Speaker: Pretty, But No Boomtube

Charlie White — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:59:40 EST

Take an aluminum pipe, stuff a tiny 2.2-watt amp and a couple of speakers inside and you have a cylindrical active speaker from Brightonnet Japan that works with just about any iPod. The speaker draws power from a PC's USB port or runs on a quartet of AAA batteries, and is pleasingly portable at just 7 inches long, weighing in at a light six ounces.

These little portable speakers, available December 11 for $26, remind us of the Boomtube speakers that have proven themselves invaluable in our adventurous outdoor jaunts in warmer climates, but then those lightweight yet cradle-rocking 40-watt babies cost $155. They're not nearly as pretty as these, but who cares; it's the sound that counts, and you get what you pay for. Usually. – Charlie White

Brightonnet Tube Speaker for iPod [FarEastGizmos]

QDOS Genesis for Portable Surround Sound

Charlie White — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:24:15 EDT

Take the QDOS Genesis vivre en musique portable speaker out into the world, and you'll be carrying 360-degree surround sound wherever you go. Plug your iPod into its dock connector, and its four AA batteries will power four amplified speakers, each driving 3 watts of power, for eight hours of continuous music.

Back at home, it functions as a dock, where you can synchronize and charge your iPod for your next foray out into the wide open spaces. It's $164. – Charlie White

Product Page [QDOS, via Shiny Shiny]

Philips SBA1500 Portable Speaker System

Charlie White — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:53:00 EDT

As soon as we told you about those little egg-shaped MP3 players, we were hoping to find a little something to go along with them, and now here it is: the Philips SBA1500 Portable Speaker System. You might be tempted to take them along with you because they clip nicely together with their amplifier-packing base unit, making a small yet powerful package. The clever design also stores cables inside.

Primarily sold in Europe, if they become available in the US they'll sell for around $47. We'll leave it to the commenters to crack the egg jokes. Take it away! – Charlie White

Product Page [Advanced MP3 Players, via Shiny Shiny]

World Cup K1000 Speakers

Gizloco — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:00:55 EST

Call it shameless marketing, call it insipid design, call it what you will, but MiniSpeakers is jumping onto the World Cup bandwagon by releasing portable speakers aimed at people who support the Three Lions, England. The K1000 speakers boast two watts of sonic power and provide 22 hours of playback on three AAA batteries. When folded like a clamshell, the speakers proudly display St. George s Cross and the word England across its face. While not earth-shattering, the speakers do have a sort of appeal certain to make Wayne Rooney wannabees all across Albion plop down $43.

World Cup portable speakers [Tech Digest]

Product Page [MiniSpeakers]