Hasta La Gadget!

We haven’t heard a peep from Emo Labs since it was plugging its invisible speaker technology all those years ago, but now it’s back with a fresh name and a full bank account. The company has dropped its previous title to become ClearView Audio, and has secured another $1 million in funding which it will use to launch products with its Edge Motion technology. To jumpstart your memory, the reimagined speakers consist of a clear acrylic glass membrane, which produces sound when the sides are flexed by piezoelectric actuators. “Commercially ready products” are expected to be revealed at CES 2013, and we’ll be interested to know whether the original strategy of integrating them into displays remains the same. Given the long period of silence, we hope to be pleasantly surprised come January, but we’ll just have to wait and see hear.

Continue reading Emo Labs becomes ClearView Audio, assures product unveiling at CES 2013

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Emo Labs becomes ClearView Audio, assures product unveiling at CES 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You would have thought that a name like the Edifier e10 Exclaim would have it come with plenty of bells and whistles, but the most the Edifier e10 Exclaim is capable of mustering would be it being an active bi-amped 2.0 speaker system which merges smooth curves as well as straight lines, ending up in an audio system which is pleasing on the eyes as well as delivering performance that the average ear should not have any complains against. Sporting a full integral DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and DRC (Dynamic Range Compensation), the Exclaim delivers decent tonal balance regardless of volume setting, while minimizing any possible distortion.

The individual Exclaim speaker is driven by its very own internal amplifier, merging for 36 watts RMS of power in order to power a total of 6 internal active speakers. A couple of passive radiators will be used in the midrange/tweeter housings to raise efficiency and dynamic range. Expect to fork out $99.99 for the Edifier e10 Exclaim if you are interested in enhancing your desktop listening experience.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: G-GRIP Bluetooth speaker is one tough cookie, Tokai rubber speaker might gross you out,

Bluetooth speakers are getting quite common, but it’s only when you use one yourself that you realize how useful they can be, especially if they are multi-functional. The Braven 625s is the company’s rugged version, and I decided that it should be able to survive my backpack, so when I was offered a choice for a model to review, I decided on this one.

First of all, the box it came in was frustratingly hard to open, even with the instructions on how to open it. This is the first mistake. Why do you need instructions on how to open a box? Anyway, after about 5 minutes of grunting, I was finally able to open it up, though not before I thought about taking some power tools to it. The speaker is nicely made, but immediately I noticed something odd. There was a rattling coming from inside the device. It sounded like a screw had come loose. It hasn’t hampered the device’s functions, but if I had paid for this unit, I would have immediately returned it.

The speaker itself is easy to set up, but the myriad of buttons located on both sides make it a bit counterintuitive. You need to switch it on and press the phone button to pair it with your device.

Once it’s paired, it takes but a couple of seconds for the speaker to recognize your device. Once connected, the sound is surprisingly good, especially for a small portable speaker. There is even a bit of bass coming out of the back, and the dual 3-watt-per-channel drivers provide ample sound.

What makes this speaker different from some of the other ones that I’ve seen is that it comes with some interesting add-ons. It can function as an external battery, and while it won’t charge your iPad, it will provide emergency charging for your iPhone. The 1700 mAh battery will charge up most smaller devices and it’s a nice option to have if you lug it around. The battery is supposed to deliver 16 hours of autonomy. It’s close to this number, but if you use it to charge up your devices, you’ll use it up your juice a lot quicker. There’s also a USB light attachment that will turn the speaker into a (rather bulky) flashlight. It definitely comes in handy if you use your speaker in the dark. The whole thing comes in a water-resistant bag, and includes a 40″ long USB-to micro-USB cable for charging and a 3.5mm cable for connecting audio devices without Bluetooth.

Ultimately, I like this little speaker. For its sound quality, it’s not that expensive; it functions well and the additional features make it somewhat unique. What I didn’t like was the box it came in. No device should be this difficult to get out of a plastic box. Also, the rattling is disturbing. I’m hoping that this was a fault of the single device that I tried, but it does speak to quality control.

The Braven 625s sells for $179.99(USD) directly from Braven.

JBL’s SoundFly lineup is one of the rarer breeds of wireless speaker we’ve come across: it’s much like an earlier AirPort Express made solely for audio, designed to be as unintrusive as possible while it kicks out the jams. Those who find that stealthy sound appealing will be glad to hear that the more advanced of the two SoundFly speakers, the SoundFly Air, is now shipping. The 20W box will play audio streamed from any AirPlay-capable device on the same WiFi network while it sits demurely on a wall outlet. JBL is counting on a few tricks to set itself apart from the rest of the similarly Apple-oriented pack, such as linking up to four of the speakers for whole-home audio and offering an iOS app to tailor the output to the room. About the only reservation is a $199 shipping price for something that isn’t as portable or universal as a Jawbone Jambox, but that may be the price to pay for a speaker that can offer longer range and syncing while it very nearly blends into the furniture.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

JBL SoundFly Air ships, delivers AirPlay to your wall socket for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bluetooth speakers are getting more and more commonplace these days, thanks to the proliferation of devices that already come with Bluetooth connectivity built in. The £199.99 Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker might take some aback with its price point, but do not fret – you can be sure every single quid you drop for it will be well worth the investment. With the Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker, you are able to pair it to just about any other Bluetooth audio device, ranging from smartphones to tablets and notebooks, letting you share your favorite tunes with the rest of the world – or perhaps making a statement in a public place, whether the rest of the folks share your musical tastes or not.

Definitely the ideal device to introduce a little bit of audio wallop to indoor and outdoor soirees. Apart from that, it can also function as a combined amp, PA system and karaoke kit – and just in case you have run out of MP3s to share with the rest of the world, there is always the back up plan of an integrated AM/FM radio. Your Bluetooth-enabled device can reside safely at the top of the Block Rocker for safekeeping, and with a battery life that is rated at 12 hours, you know that this is good enough to sit through the entire night’s partying.
[ Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]