portablespeakers
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Axent Wear's cat ear headphones are the stuff of anime dreams
New Yorkers have perfected the art of looking but not looking. You know, where you let your eyes glaze over someone as you pass, so you can take them in without making it obvious that you're studying them. For this reason I wasn't entirely sure if anyone noticed the giant glowing cat ears on my head as I walked down the street on my way home from work.
HP unveils first NFC-enabled mouse, various other PC accessories
In addition to unveiling all those laptops, HP just announced a boatload of peripherals. Of the bunch, the most compelling might be the NFC-enabled Touch to Pair Mouse, which, as the name suggests, can be paired with another device simply through tapping. (Good thing lots of computers currently have NFC, right?) If, by chance, you don't have NFC on your laptop -- and you probably don't -- the mouse will function just fine as a regular old Bluetooth device. Look for it in November for $39. Elsewhere on the wireless mouse front, HP announced the X6000 (pictured), which has four-way tilt scrolling and can be used on most surfaces, including glass. That arrives this month for $59. Finally, if your tastes are a bit simpler, there's also the Wireless Mouse X4500 and X5500, which will be available this month for $29 and $39, respectively. Beyond mice, HP also trotted out the $29 Wireless Classic Desktop keyboard, along with the $49 Wireless Elite v2. For audio lovers, there's the HP Portable Bluetooth Speaker, which will go on sale next month for a cool $79. Eighty bucks (or thereabouts) will also get you a 90W universal power adapter that claims to be compatible with most notebooks. It also has a built-in USB port, allowing you to charge a mobile device at the same time. Rounding out the list is the Webcam HD 4310, a $69 $89 shooter capable of 1080p video, autofocus, autoexposure and three-way video calling. All that in more digestible form in the PR after the break.
JBL freshens its portable speakers with Micro II, Bluetooth-toting Flip and Micro Wireless
JBL has been on a wireless speaker kick lately -- it might as well throw some truly portable models into the equation. Accordingly, two of the three speakers it's shipping today, the Flip and Micro Wireless, sport Bluetooth audio and a 5-hour battery to cut the cord. The Flip (seen above) is the multi-talented athlete of the bunch: its design can work either upright or on its side to stuff into small spaces, and a built-in mic provides speakerphone duties. The Micro Wireless' puck shape isn't as clever, but it fits a standard 3.5mm input jack and space to clip to a carabiner or lanyard. Both these and the Micro Wireless' strictly wired counterpart, the Micro II, have a bass port to improve the low-end frequencies that are so often missing in this class of speaker. Prices may be the real incentives here: the Flip is the most expensive of the trio at $99, while the Micro Wireless and Micro II are even lighter on the wallet at respective $59 and $39 price points.
iLuv outs Mo'Beats Bluetooth speakers, looks to live up to its name
All name jokes aside, iLuv is at it again. The company keeps the speaker / dock ball rolling with Mo'Beats, a Bluetooth audio stand for your compatible, on-the-go tech. Sporting a cradle design, the iSP245 allows your slate or smartphone to rest while connected to its speakers, located on each end of the kit. If you're lacking the wireless capability or if you're looking to keep things wired, the Mo'Beats also features a 3.5mm jack. While you'll have to wait until May to throw down your $89.99 on one, you can scope out the full PR just beyond the break.
Altec Lansing debuts new ultraportable iMT630 speakers for iPhone and iPod
Altec Lansing just debuted a pair of new portable speaker docks for the iPhone and iPod dubbed the iMT630 Classic (which we saw at IFA) and Sport. What separates the two? The Classic comes in black, while the sport has options for teal and red (ooo... fancy). That's it. Otherwise they're the same units with a pull out connector and a compartment on the back that holds and conceals the remote when the stand is flipped up. Both docks also feature a rechargeable battery and the ability to interact with Altec's apps, like Alarm Rock and Music Mood. Both are shipping now for $150 but, before you go, check out the gallery below and the PR after the break, won't you? %Gallery-133940%
Scosche BoomCan ups your mobile device's sound for $25, annoys anyone near you
Sure, you could use the built-in speaker on your tablet or cellphone to crank your tunes on the bus or at the office, but Scosche's BoomCan may be the ticket for those looking to pump out a bit more volume. It's not wireless like some other options, but twenty-five smackers gets you a 2 x 2.5-inch aluminum Can loaded with a 40mm driver, an audio / USB charging cable and a pouch for scratch-free traveling. You'll have seven hours to rock on its internal battery, and although any chance of stereo separation looks pretty slim, you'll be able to daisy chain a few of them together for a mini rig. The BoomCan is up for order now at Scosche's website in red, blue, black or silver if you haven't heard of the breakthrough in portable sound technology known as headphones. Full PR past the break.
UCube speakers run off USB, are coming to an Amtrak quiet car near you
You can use these USB-powered UltraLink UCube speakers on a bus, on the beach, or on the table at your favorite McDonald's, but please -- for the love of god -- don't. Remember: with great convenience comes great responsibility, and if these speakers are as impressive as the dramatic marketing video below implies, disruption of the peace is about to know no bounds. At $150 per pair, these sleek sound machines aren't cheap, but each speaker is able to pump out 15 watts of peak power -- you won't be filling a large room with crisp, distortion-free sound, but they're probably loud enough to play your tunes or flicks for a group of friends, or to annoy strangers in a park. UltraLink claims that the speakers use DSP-controlled power supplies to "store energy during quiet passages," allowing the 3.25 inch cubes to reach their 15 watt peak output with 170-degree listening angles. We haven't had a chance to go hands on, but if these speakers sound half as good as they look, we may have a better solution for playing music in the CES trailer next year.
Altec Lansing's Orbit USB Stereo trumps your laptop's speakers, has split personality
USB speakers aren't exactly headline-grabbing gadgets these days, but the fact remains that most laptops could still use a little help on the audio end. If you're in need of a quick fix for your weak-sounding machine, then Altec Lansing's $49.95 Orbit USB Stereo (iML247) might be worth your consideration. As the name says for itself, both power and audio input are managed through one USB cord, meaning no batteries are required here. Better yet, when not in use, you can simply fold up the legs, stuff the cables into the hollow ends, and then twist the speakers together to form one smooth tube for storage. Of course, note that this Orbit won't work with devices sporting the common 3.5mm headphone jack, and obviously don't expect cinematic sound quality from these tiny canisters -- hey, there's always a trade-off. Hands-on pics in the gallery below. %Gallery-122790%
Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers
Well, it's not exactly the announcement we were hoping for following Razer's impressive showing at CES earlier this month, but the company has just gotten official with another product that will soon be available: its new Ferox portable gaming speakers. Described as a "sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers," the speakers promise to deliver some "room-filling," 360 degree omni-directional sound, 12 hours of battery life from the built-in rechargeable batteries and, of course, full compatibility with anything sporting a 3.5mm jack. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and look for the speakers to be available by the end of the month for $60. %Gallery-115071%
JVC introduces SP-A230 and SP-A1M: portable speakers for portable players
We'd tell you these things are probably too easy to lose, but it probably matters not -- after all, you've already been suckered into buying one based on how insanely janky / adorable it is. JVC has just introduced the SP-A230 and SP-A1M portable speakers, with the former being shown above. That guy is a bar-styled stereo unit with a pair of 30mm drivers, a brain-melting 160mW x 2 of power and a 3.5mm auxiliary cable for connecting to any 'ole PMP. The A1M ships with a single 30mm driver and relies on a pair of AAA batteries, compared with a pair of AA batteries necessary on the larger A230. Pricing remains elusive, but you can expect 'em in a variety of colors this November... well, in Japan at least.
Twelve South's BassJump subwoofer improves your MacBook experience via USB, not parachute
The speakers on the MacBook line are generally quite good -- for a laptop. Rock your world they won't, but Twelve South's BassJump might just add that low-frequency kick your unibody workhorse has been missing. The solitary speaker connects via USB and, through an analog-styled tuning app, augments the built-in speakers of the laptop with much-needed bass. If the styling didn't clue you in this is only for MacBooks and, at $80, seems to come at quite a premium over your average set of portable speakers. It's certainly nicer looking.
Retro Cassette Stereo Mini Speaker gives a (tinny) voice to iPods
Those poor, poor speakerless iPod Nanos, Minis and the like -- how long have they had to suffer without a set of ultra-awesome speakers to give life to their music? Sure, there've been plenty of pretenders for the crown, but nothing quite as elaborately detailed as this Retro Cassette Stereo Mini Speaker. You read that right folks, stereo -- that means two, count 'em, two sweetly ornate sources of utterly unimpressive sound. Has the iPhone 3GS got an app for that? 'Course not. Read link details the full features, such as blister packaging (always good to know), and provides you with the means to acquire one in exchange for $32. Most righteous, no? [Via Gear Diary]
Piggy speakers are so cute they make us wish we were still vegetarians
We've seen enough little portable speakers in our day, and we're pretty hard to impress at this point. Now, we're not saying that we're "impressed" with the little ceramic pig speaker that you see in the image above, but... there's something somewhat special about it. While we don't have any specs on this one, we can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that this little speaker's not going to impress even the beginner audiophile, but still, we think it's cute enough to warrant a place on our desk, right between our Fender Mini-Deluxe amp and the tiny reproduction Parrothead visor we made for our Chihuahua. These little porkers (which can be plugged into your favorite PMP for maximum blasting of "Margaritaville" on-the-go) seem to be available in Japan only for the time being, and they run ¥4,725 (about $50). They also come in several different colors -- a photo of the other options is after the break. [Via Technabob]
Devotec Solar Sound Bluetooth speaker hands-on and nano-review
So we've been playing with the Devotec Industries Solar Sound Bluetooth speaker system for a couple days now, and we've got to say we're pretty impressed -- we just wish it could run directly (and indefinitely) off the solar panel, instead of requiring an internal battery that takes 12-24 hours to charge from the sun or four hours to charge off USB. That said, you will get eight hours of decent audio when the battery is full, and it's actually relatively loud -- you'll be more than fine indoors and in quieter spots, although cranking things up all the way results in some audible distortion. Of course, it's A2DP, so setup is a breeze with most Bluetooth devices, including 3.0 iPhones, and you can hook most everything else up with the included 3.5mm headphone cable. (Just keep in mind that Apple doesn't properly support AVRCP, so the forward and back control buttons don't work correctly over Bluetooth.) Not bad for $79 -- and you won't have to burn through endless AAs to take your tunes on those summer picnics and beach trips.
The portable, rollable X-mini II speaker gets a refresh
The kids over at CNET have got their hands on the new X-mini II portable speaker for laptops, PMPs, and the like -- and they've been gracious enough to give us the lowdown. The speaker is an update to the X-mini, incrementally larger than its predecessor and packing a 40mm driver. Powered by a rechargeable battery, this bad boy can be juiced up via mini-USB cable (included) and boasts a pretty impressive eleven hours of run time before it needs to be recharged. And if that weren't enough, several of these guys can be daisy chained together -- so if you should find yourself in your dorm room with nothing to amuse yourself but your iPhone, an acoustic guitar, and some Dave Matthews Band MP3s, you can string up a half dozen or so of these things and have an old fashioned grape jam. Look for the speaker sometime in March, with a probable MSRP of $29.
Sony announces four new desktop speakers and a choir of angels rejoice
Sony has announced that it will be manufacturing and selling at least four more products, contradicting rumors that the company has "packed it in," because "we have enough money, don't you think?" The four new desktop speaker systems will find their homes in the SRS line, consisting of the SRS-M50 (the 5W travel speakers that we first saw last week), the SRS-Z50 (a two piece system featuring a 38mm Neodymium driver unit and "rich bass reproduction"), the SRS-D25 (a 25W three piece set featuring a stylish "hatbox" subwoofer) and the crème de la crème, the SRS-Z100, whose 25W speakers boast "enhanced bass response" and "detailed and crisp high frequencies." Capping off this stunning news, the speakers will be available in a number of stylish colors, including "urban black," "luxury pink," and "blazing red." But not so fast! Pricing and availability will be announced at a later date
Xpod Active Sound speakers put your pocket change to use
These new Xpod Active Sound speakers now available in Korea (and apparently only Korea) likely won't win many points for sound quality, but they at least forge a bit of new ground in pocket change usage, and that's got to count for something. The speakers are also small enough to toss into a bag or pocket and forget about 'em until you want to share a song or, say, a podcast, with someone, and they pack a built-in rechargeable battery that can be topped off using any available USB port. They also shouldn't cause too much heartache if they should mysteriously go missing someday, as they only cost the rough local equivalent of $17, although you can expect to pay a bit more than that if you plan on importing them.[Via technabob]
Targus unveils NXT-based Portable Speaker Book
We've seen some far-out portable speakers, but Targus is keeping it simple with the upcoming Portable Speaker Book. The folding speakers feature NXT flat-panel Balanced Radiator drivers, and can be powered by either four AAs or USB power. We've no word on pricing, but we wouldn't expect to break the bank when these hit the UK sometime this summer.[Via Randomly Accessed]
DLO's iPhone-shielded Portable Speakers
Recognize this sound? "Blip da da blip da da blip da da blip da da bliiiiiiiip." If you answered yes to any of the preceding questions, you may own an iPhone. The little bugger wreaks havoc on your average unsuspecting, unshielded desktop speaker -- and most iPod docks, as it turns out -- emitting audible blasts of interference from up to three or four feet away. Luckily, the DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone don't have that problem, since they're shielded from TDMA interference. You can power 'em off of AAA batteries or an AC adapter, and since they plug into the iPhone's headphone jack, you can use plenty of other audio sources. The speakers detach from the rotating base, and you can even use the setup as a speakerphone if you'd like. They're out now for $50.[Via iLounge]
