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Elemental Designs boasts green speakers
As (typically) passive devices, loudspeakers are low on our list of components we'd look to for making our systems more eco-friendly. But the MDF (medium density fiberboard) that most affordable speakers (yeah, not these) use for cabinet construction is a material straight out of the fast-food age -- bits of wood held together by some not-so healthy chemicals. But speaker manufacturer Elemental Designs is moving away from MDF in favor of Environmentally Friendly Substrate (EFS), a wood composite material without the nasty binders. Better still, EFS is actually more dense than MDF, which is always a good thing for speaker cabinets; the EFS enclosures produce smoother response curves and higher SPLs than the MDF ones. Here's to a better sounding, greener planet![Via audiojunkies]
AV8OR Multi-Function Display works well on highways, friendly skies
Okay, so the vast majority of you won't be needing a navigation unit that also provides pertinent information while cruising several thousand feet above your nearest freeway, but for the amateur pilots out there looking for the best of both worlds, take notice. Bendix/King's AV8OR is a self-proclaimed handheld Multi-Function Display, which gives pilots "enhanced situational awareness" by providing "real-time satellite weather information, topographic terrain and aeronautical navigation information." You'll also find more traditional GPS capabilities suitable for ground transportation routes, and the 4.3-inch display ought to be large enough for most. 'Course, the $749 price tag will likely keep most non-pilots at bay, but those thinking of picking up an ultralight aircraft probably won't flinch at such a comparatively minute figure.
