Items tagged with speaker
For some, digital assistants are a part of everyday life. They're all around us. In mobile, they take the form of Siri, Google Now, and Cortana, depending on your platform of choice, and thanks to Amazon, similar functionality can be had at home without a phone through its Echo speaker. It's been a popular seller for Amazon, so it's no surprise that the company is working on a second version.Supposedly an announcement in imminent in the coming weeks. Early chatter suggests Amazon's second generation Echo speaker, code named Fox, will be smaller and portable. To put it in context, the current generation Echo measures 9.25 inches high and has a diameter of 3.27 inches. It's a slick looking device,...
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There's a reason the Lenovo Stack has a ThinkPad logo emblazoned on each component. Over the years, the name ThinkPad has become synonymous with mobile professionals. For the most part, ThinkPad has been reserved for tablets and laptops, but with the Lenovo Stack the company is introducing the brand to an entirely new category: accessories. First unveiled at CES 2015, Stack is as much a new concept as it is a product line. In a nutshell, this is Lenovo's take on a line of peripherals that all work with one another - or stack together - via a custom connector. It's applying the modular computing concept to the world of peripherals. Razer did likewise with its Christine modular PC, and Xi3's Piston followed...
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Whether it's barking commands to Siri (or Cortana or Google Now) on our smartphones or interacting with Amazon's Echo speaker, digital assistants are all over the place. You can go ahead and add another one to the mix. Meet Ivee, "the first multi-room voice assistant for the home" that draws inevitable comparisons to Echo. Ivee is available to pre-order for $99 through crowdfunding site Indiegogo. That's just over half the price of Amazon Echo, which sells for $180. If you buy two (or more), you can put your Ivee speakers in different rooms for convenient access or to let little Johnny know it's time for dinner without yelling across the house or firing off a text message. The speaker also connects...
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Once upon a time, Amazon was an online e-tailer. Now, the company has become a full-on technology maker, with loads of hardware and software to speak of. There's the Kindle, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablet range, Fire Phone, Amazon Appstore, and plenty more. The company is continuing its foray into the hardware realm with the release of Echo, which is a voice-controlled speaker that not only supports streaming music, but also order commands for items on Amazon. It's black, sleek, and quite impressive. Design-wise, it does a lot of things right. On the functionality side, it provides information, music, news, weather and more, and it's completely controlled by one's voice. Supposedly, it's...
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You'd think that speaker technology was pretty well disrupted, given that it has been around for about as long as any technology... ever. As it turns out, there's still more to be down. A new kind of headphone taps into the power of carbon nanotubes in order to deliver sounds, with a tiny internal speaker relying not on moving parts, but producing audio "through the thermoacoustic effect." According to a new report, the nanotube speakers could even hit a sweet spot in terms of pricing. Essentially, the new invention bypasses moving parts and instead relies on expansion and contraction of air to create sound. “We found that processing the carbon nanotube film into thin yarn arrays doesn’t...
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At a glance, the item shown here looks a lot like a Roomba automated vacuum cleaner. Turns out, that's not the case. It's a new Panasonic speaker, and it's more rugged than you may think. The SC-NT10 Portable Wireless Speaker System is designed to be used at pool parties the world over this summer, and because of its support for Bluetooth streaming, you just need a phone or tablet nearby to send the sound waves without a tether. Four "tough" performance traits allow for the Panasonic SC-NT10 to be used in nearly any outdoor setting. The device is Splash Proof, which enables use near water areas like the pool or beach; Dust Proof, making it well suited for areas such as sandy beaches; Shock Proof,...
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Fancy a disco? Got a need to utilize Bluetooth a bit more? Then, listen up. SuperTooth has just introduced a set of $199 Disco Twin speakers, alongside an $89 HD Voice apparatus at CES 2013. The former is a pair of portable, rechargeable speakers featuring true right / left stereo, each unit equipped with 16 watts RMS audio power, double speakers in front and a high efficiency bass reflex system in back, pairing together for a combined 32 watts of pure sound. Music can be streamed wirelessly from any Bluetooth-enabled device, and the built-in batteries are said to be strong enough to handle 3-4 hours of nonstop playback. (Or, up to 10 hours if you don't crank 'em to 11.) HD Voice, on the other...
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There are just under half a billion iOS devices in the world, all of which use the "old" 30-pin Dock Connector. Starting with the iPhone 5, that connector is out, and Lightning is in. As the world must go on, eventually we'll see accessories shipped to support the new adapter, despite the overwhelmingly huge market share advantage of supporting the older one. Bowers & Wilkins is leading that charge into the future, with the introduction of the A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers. These join the pricey Zeppelin Air, enabling users of any iPhone or iPad that supports AirPlay to stream without a cord. The A7 is expected to ship next month for $800, while the A5 will go for $500. Not surprisingly, this...
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WOWee ONE, a company well-versed in ultra-portable speakers, and MicroVision, an outfit responsible for a number of ultra-miniature laser display technologies, are joining forces at CES. They're unveiling their collaboration to bring enhanced mobile visual and audio experiences to smartphone and tablet users in more than 120 countries, and they're teaming together to bring customers a portable, immersive digital consumption experience, by combining WOWee ONE’s revolutionary Gel-Audio based portable speakers with MicroVision’s award winning products based on PicoP portable display engine technology giving users the ability to instantly share and enjoy their content with colleagues,...
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So why on earth didn't more of the major players think of this one a long time ago? With all these people walking around with Bluetooth-ready music to stream, why not design speaker systems with Bluetooth connectivity as well? Perhaps I've been living under a rock. I mean sure, there are a few Bluetooth ready speakers out there from the likes of Bose and Creative but there really aren't that many worth considering, when you think about it. And who the heck wants to "dock" mechanically? Uggh... dude, that's so 90s. Then, out of nowhere, Logitech pops into my inbox offering up their Wireless Boombox for evaluation here at HH. I'm thinking, okay, who was...
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Creative is on a serious roll this week. First, the D80 Bluetooth speaker, and now a line of new BT headphones. The new WP series is comprised of the 450, 350, and 250, ANC all three feature support for Bluetooth calling and music listening. The company is really playing up the invisible mic angle, and they're insinuating that these were specifically designed to work with mobile devices. You'll find a degree of noise killing powers throughout, with the 450 able to last around 8 or 9 hours when listening to music. Pricing on the trio ranges from $60 right on up to $129, with the 350 on sale this month and the other two on sale in September. MILPITAS, Calif. -- May 5, 2011 – Creative Technology...
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Wireless speakers are a dime a dozen these days, and even Bluetooth versions have grown increasingly popular of late. Creative, which has made a name for themselves in audio, is joining the fray this week with the introduction of the D80 Bluetooth one-piece speaker. The company calls this their most affordable Bluetooth speaker ever in this form factor, and the $50 price tag is indeed very inticing. Creative is hoping that the rampant adoption of Bluetooth enabled devices such as phones, PMPs and tablets will product a huge market for something like this, and given the portable nature of the D80, we wouldn't doubt if it proves successful. The device streams Bluetooth audio from just about any...
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Altec Lansing has been cranking out speaker systems for years on end, and it doesn't look like that flow is slowing anytime soon. This week, they announced the ltra-portable Orbit USB Stereo (iML247), a USB powered speaker system engineered for the multimedia user who needs an on-the-go audio solution with plug and play functionality. It uses a unique compact design that interlocks two speakers and stows the cord. To use it, you just pull apart the drivers and connect it to a computer via USB. Retractable stands let the user aim the sound in any direction, and since it's USB-powered, there's no battery or power outlet needed. On the flip side, no battery means that you'll have to have it...
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Apple's AirPlay service is definitely becoming one of the more popular protocols in the A/V space, and while it's certainly a long ways from being as mainstream as something like Bluetooth, the simple fact that Apple's name is on it is giving it serious mindshare. Harman Audio has just introduced a new JBL product, and obviously the key feature is AirPlay. For those looking to stream their iTunes library library wirelessly from their computer or iDevice, it's probably a solid option. The On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock has a fairly unique shape, with 360-degrees of audio able to fill an average sized room. You can pop your iPhone or iPod touch into the dock itself, and it'll charge; but...
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