Looking to expand its expertise outside imaging products, Fujifilm researchers have developed what’s called an electroacoustic film—which is basically a fancy way of saying an ultra-flat speaker that’s flexible enough to roll up and stash in your jacket pocket. More »
There are many products which have been sold as a “party in a box,” but I’ve never heard the term applied to a music player. This audio player is named thusly because it’s completely self-contained, and aims to be the life of your next party – hopefully waking up your neighbors very late at night.
The Soul Party In A Box P910 is a room-rattling portable speaker system. It has a dock for your iOS device, Bluetooth with AptX support, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio port. It has a total of 8 speakers, including dual 6.5-inch subwoofers, 3-inch midrange drivers, front firing 1.5-inch midranges and 1-inch tweeters.
It’s also got an HDMI output, a karaoke mode with microphone input, and a remote control. It’s also got an FM radio with RDS track and artist display. There’s also a built-in handle, and a universal world power supply so that you can take the party anywhere. While functions are managed using a modern LCD screen, the old-school analog VU meters are also a nice touch.
So how much will all this party rockin’ set you back? Priced at $999.99(USD), the Party in a Box is definitely no cheap boombox. Let’s hope its sound lives up to its price tag. At least Soul softens the blow a little bit by throwing in a pair of their high-end SL300 headphones ($249 value) with your purchase for now.
[via Uncrate]
It has long been rumored that Apple might be working on a streaming service for iTunes along the lines of Pandora, but Apple being Apple has kept mum over it. Then again it could just be a groundless rumor for all we know, but the folks at 9to5 Mac have spotted several new “Radio Buy” buttons which was revealed in jailbroken iPads, and interestingly not on iPhones. Considering that the iPad Music app does not have the Radio functionality, it is being speculated that this could be indeed the long rumored streaming service that Apple might be introducing to compete with the likes of Pandora and Spotify.
Back in 2012 it was even “confirmed” by Bloomberg that such a service does exist, and that Apple’s negotiations with the record labels were going well and that such a service could be launched sometime later this year. Assuming these rumors are true, it is unclear as to when exactly this service will launch, but with Apple typically holding a WWDC event in the middle of the year, it might be announced then. Either way we’ll keep our eyes peeled, but what do you guys think? Will you be interested in an iTunes streaming service, or would you rather stick with Pandora or Spotify?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPad 5 Expected To Resemble An iPad Mini And Release In October [Rumor], Apple’s Rumored Pandora-equivalent Radio Service Predicted For 2013 Announcement, 
Speakers now come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so it’s quite a feat when someone announces that they’ve developed a speaker that no one else has thought to make before (except maybe these guys). That’s the position Fujifilm currently finds themselves in with their Beat diaphragm speakers.
The Beat Diaphragm is a portable speaker technology made up of ultra-flexible materials. It’s so flexible, in fact, that you can curl and roll it up when you’re done using it. At Tokyo’s nano tech 2013 tradeshow, Fujifilm also showed off the speakers in a variety of form factors, including shiny flat panels, and even in a Japanese folding fan.
The speaker is constructed with a soft polymer on the surface, which makes the rolling-up action possible. However, when sounds from 20Hz to 20kHz are coursed through the speaker, the material hardens. Additionally, the sound is provided by piezoelectric ceramics.
The potential for this is huge, although the technology has yet to find its way into any actual products you can buy.
[Tech-On! via Engadget via Dvice]
Stitcher’s Android app can do many things with radio and podcasts, but one thing it hasn’t done lately is blend in — its interface is out of sync with a platform that has had its own distinct style for more than two years. A major remake today helps make amends. The new Stitcher app relies on the Action Bar and overall concepts of Holo-native apps for input, simplifying things for anyone who’s comfortable with Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean — and more than a little prettier, we’d add. It’s more than just eye candy, though. The Android build now has a dedicated Smart Station to listen to recommendations, browsing that keeps interruptions to a minimum and Jelly Bean-specific playback controls in notifications. While there’s no fundamental changes that would lure someone who’s wedded to a single-purpose app, the Stitcher refresh could be worth a look if previous versions ever felt like strangers on Google’s turf.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Google Play
If you think about the iPod today, you wouldn’t think that Apple would have needed help trying to sell the device, right? That might be true today, but 9 years ago might have been a different story because it seems that Apple and HP teamed up to create an iPod with HP’s logo at the back. It’s a rare piece of gadgetry and if you’re a collector of gadgets of the past, or if you know someone who is, it seems that an auction on eBay has been spotted where the seller is auctioning off a “rare vintage collectors iPod”, which is basically the iPod with HP’s logo on the back.
While this device might be news to some, what came as a bigger shock was the asking price which is set at a staggering $25,000! We’re not sure who will be willing to pay for such a device, but considering that this joint venture with HP ran from 2004 to 2005, we expect that there aren’t too many units out there. Either way if you’re interested in checking out the auction (which is ending in 15 hours at this time of posting), head on over to its eBay page for the details.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Belkin Thunderstorm iPad Speaker Case, Apple’s Rumored Pandora-equivalent Radio Service Predicted For 2013 Announcement, 
Google recently submitted FCC filings for their upcoming Google Glasses. The pair includes 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, but they also include bone conduction technology, meaning that you can listen to audio without having pesky earbuds or headphones. Vibrations that travel through bones near your ears allow you to listen to music, while still hearing what goes on around you.
In the FCC application, there’s a paragraph referencing to an “integral vibrating element that provides audio to the user via contact with the user’s head.” Of course, just a few days earlier, Google filed for a patent dealing with a bone-conduction earpiece for glasses, meaning that there could very will be a connection between the patent and the FFC filing.
Bone conduction technology isn’t anything new by any means, but we haven’t really seen a breakthrough in the technology, and it hasn’t become that popular yet. If Google Glasses does, in fact, include bone conduction technology, we finally might see it fly into the mainstream quicker than it would otherwise.
We first saw glimpses of Google’s “Project Glass” earlier last year, as well as at Google I/O over the summer, where the company demonstrated the new technology to developers and press. Developers will be able to get their hands on a pair in a couple of months at a price of $1,500, while regular consumers are said to be able buy a pair sometime within a year from when devs get theirs.
[via Business Insider]
Google Glasses to include bone conduction technology is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Logitec Japan (And not Logitech), launched last week the LBT-AVP7000 a new desktop/house speaker designed to offer a better sound quality that the one coming from most laptop nowadays. Unfortunately not battery powered, the LBT-AVP7000 comes however with a nice 5Wx2ch output with a pair of 54mm driver unit. But, what’s more interesting here is that the LBT-AVP7000 comes with USB Audio, Bluetooth 3.0 +A2DP, and Aux IN as well as the support AAC and apt-X codec! Announced for mid-february …
There is a lot of garbage in the world, which is probably why Coca-Cola and will.i.am partnered up to create EKOCYCLE, an initiative that helps market gadgets, clothing and other products which use up to 100% plastic and aluminum waste as source material.
Among the products in the line are the EKOCYCLE Beats by Dre headphones – which contain 31% recycled materials, and have three different recycled PET plastics, while still delivering optimal sound.
Levi’s has created the 29% post-consumer recycled 501 Waste<Less Jeans thanks to the fact that its polyester is a byproduct of waste thermoplastics. They use an average of eight different recycled plastic bottles per pair of jeans, and Levi’s expects to repurpose over 3.5 million recycled PET plastic bottles in the Spring of this year alone.
The Barely There smartphone case from Casemate uses 100% recycled materials, and extends the life of discarded waste while protecting your shiny new tech.
These products are pretty cool, and I hope that more of our gear is made out of garbage, because there is certainly plenty left over in landfills everywhere.
[via designboom]
We appreciate any product that lets us not only openly reference Lamb, but also blast that band’s tracks in our backyard. Which is what Bowers & Wilkins weatherproof AM-1 (Architectural Monitor) was built to do: blare out the tunes no matter the weather while retaining a subdued, stylish look. The rustproof speaker, which comes in black or white, is made for easy mounting, can rotate 110-degrees from either landscape or portrait orientation and, according to the company’s claims, should provide better sound when positioned high up (thanks to an inverted drive unit). Of course, you don’t have to fasten this fella to your outdoor veranda — it’ll also be right at home from inside your… home, bar or even that meticulously maintained secret cellar. Look for the AM-1 to hit retail for $300 sometime next month, but buyer beware, you’ll have to supply the trip hop tuneage yourself.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
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