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WOWee and MicroVision offer 200-inch viewing and 'booming sound' on your mobile
Despite all the product rivalry at CES, a little romance was inevitable -- and not just in the Engadget trailer. WOWee, purveyor of the ONE portable speaker, has paired up with MicroVision and its dashing PicoP laser projector technology (shown above) to create a "marriage of sight and sound." It looks like the two companies will start out by simply bundling their respective wares, which will be available together in 120 countries from this quarter, rather than rushing to announce a hybrid device straight away. A wise decision, no doubt.
WOWee portable speaker brings the bass through gel and your table, window or wall
WOWee (not the robot company) launched in mid-2010, selling a rechargeable portable speaker slightly larger than the original iPod. The WOWee One features a 20-hour rechargeable battery that you charge via USB, a small speaker on the top and a pulsing bass driver that transmits your lower frequencies through their patented gel onto whatever surface you place it on. I was told it will reproduce bass two and possibly three octaves lower than competitors. The WOWee One retails for US$79.99 and comes with a USB cable for charging, audio input cord and carrying case. Some demo videos are after the break, but my microphone is a poor substitute to hearing this speaker in person. When the speaker was placed on a coffee table at their booth, I could feel the bass in my feet. It's shocking to hear such bass from a small speaker, and the treble isn't muddied by this, either. The higher frequencies are nicely balanced, providing a truly remarkable listening experience. With an additional wall attachment, called the WOWee Hug (pictured above with the One inside), you can securely stick the unit onto a wall for some incredible sound. Honestly, any surface that allows vibration or resonance (like wood or glass, but certainly not stone) will provide some astoundingly thumping bass. There are also gel pads available for a less secure stick, although the gel sticks to gel quite well. Currently, the WOWee One can be purchased online via places like Amazon, but they hope to pick up some physical distribution soon outside of a few small shops (Apple Stores would be ideal, in my opinion). They just announced the WOWee One Slim, which is about the size of a candybar cell phone and features a 10-hour battery and little LED light that changes color. It retails for $89.99. The WOWee One comes in four color combos, with black, black and chrome, white and chrome and white and pink. Be sure to check out the rest of our CES coverage on our CES page.
WOWee One portable speaker latches onto surfaces, iPad's coattails
Portable devices that turn any surface into a speaker are hardly anything new, but the folks behind the WOWee One portable speaker (not WowWee) seem to be making some slightly bigger claims than most, and are even throwing out the increasingly popular "perfect companion for the iPad" phrase for good measure. As with other similar devices, the WOWee One conducts sound through any surface you rest it on (even a wall with an optional attachment), but it also has the benefit of patented "Gel Audio" technology, which promises to produce bass frequencies about three octaves below any other comparable device. You'll also apparently get about 20 hours of use from the built-in rechargeable battery, and your choice of three different colors -- all for the not so low price of $79.99. Head on past the break for a quick video.
