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.
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