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IPEVO Tubular wireless speakers aren't quite totally tubular, still slightly rad
IPEVO's products may not always push the envelope in terms of design, but the company definitely seems to have stepped things up for its new Tubular wireless speakers, which we can only hope sound as good as they look. Intended primarily as a portable solution, the speakers are Bluetooth-based, can be charged via USB (for up to 8 hours of playback time), and they can even be locked together to form a tube (hence the name). At $79, however, they are far from the cheapest option around, but you can at least get a closer look at them in the video after the break courtesy of IPEVO itself.
Tubular finally makes it to public beta
For a fair while, the future of Tubular -- a YouTube-downloading, converting and playback app -- has been in doubt. After a pre-order way back in 2006 to get in on the private beta, the application (and pre-purchasers) haven't really been given the love that they deserve, with the developer seemingly disappearing for swathes of time, giving less than intermittent updates on the Tubular blog. Today, however, pre-purchasers received an email that a public beta has finally arrived, and that the application will indeed continue to move forward. The developer has committed to fully updating users on the progress of their purchase, and has held up his hands and apologised for the lacking development that pre-purchasers experienced over the last 15 months or so. While we're pleased to hear that Tubular is still alive (and that customers are going to get the wares they've paid for) we can't help but feel that right now it's entering a particularly busy and well-represented market. With apps such as the long-established TubeSock ($15), CosmoPod and new (free) hard-hitter Tooble leading the pack, Tubular may be alive -- but it looks as though it'll have a struggle ahead of it. Thanks to all those that sent this in!
Sony debuts tubular, non-directional speaker
Finally, Sony is striving to incorporate its technology into our "everything everywhere" lifestyles with a stereo speaker that matches our fast-paced, Jetsons-esque, 21st century "chill sessions." What are we talking about? Mainly, the company's new non-directional speaker prototype, a thin, tall, acrylic tube with a woofer at the bottom, a mid range "unit" at the top, and a tweeter created through the use of the vibrating, resin cylinder. Apparently, the speaker is capable of projecting sound in a omnidirectional fashion due to it's circular shape and unique speaker placement, though there's no telling how accurately it reproduces Mastodon's harmonized guitars. The speaker is self-powered (i.e., active), and as far as we know, Sony has no immediate plans for release, Stateside or otherwise.
Tubular - YouTube client with presale offer
Tubular is an upcoming YouTube client allowing you to browse videos (keyboard shortcut goodness included) and save them for your iPod with a mere click or two. It used to be known as InnerTube, but CBS sued for some odd reason to force the name change. Fortunately, while development is rounding up on what looks like a slick Mac OS X app for YouTube, users can pre-order the $19.99 app for only $12.99. Even better, Phill Ryu has a $9.99 offer at his blog (at the bottom of the post). If you want a little more information on Tubular and its abilities, check out the Tubular blog and Phill's preview from back at the end of August. For the YouTube junkies, this looks to be a pretty useful app.
