Nov 01

Yamaha’s ruggedized PDX-11 iPod speaker dock lets you blast beats beyond your block for $100

Posted in: Apple, audio, iPhone, iphone 4s, ipod, ipod dock, ipod touch, IpodDock, IpodTouch, minipost, Music, rugged, sound, speaker, Today's Chili
If its past offerings have been any indicator, Yamaha’s no stranger to pumping out attractive speaker docks for iDevices. Not surprisingly, the company’s managed to pour that design sense into its latest ruggedized portable system, the PDX-11. This octagonal unit features a 4-inch woofer and a 3/8-inch tweeter that can be powered by six AA-batteries, allowing for up to eight hours of on-the-go sound. Up top, you’ll find a 30-pin connection base for your iPhone or iPod, and there’s also a 3.5mm jack around back to play nice with other PMPs. Notably, the speaker’s metal carry handle and grill should keep it ready for a mild amount of city-slicking abuse — and in a choice of blue, white, green or black, we’d imagine it’ll look extra fresh doing so. To sweeten the deal further, a remote is included for extra control options. If you’re ready to take your tunes to the outdoors, the PDX-11 is available now for a block rockin’ hundred bucks. You’ll find full details at the source link below.

Continue reading Yamaha’s ruggedized PDX-11 iPod speaker dock lets you blast beats beyond your block for $100

Yamaha’s ruggedized PDX-11 iPod speaker dock lets you blast beats beyond your block for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 01

Logitech’s Mini Boombox is a $99 Bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (video)

Posted in: audio, bluetooth, hands-on, logitech, MP3, Music, speaker, Today's Chili, Travel, video

$99? For a portable speaker? Yup, that was our reaction too — especially when the Mini Boombox’s larger sibling boasts four times as many drivers (eight instead of two) and costs just $50 extra. But then we gave this more suitcase-friendly version a whirl and discovered that it’s actually loud and balanced enough to do some justice to your tunes while you’re on the move. In fact, it could well make a smarter purchase than those $30 speakers you keep buying in airports and then deliberately losing. It’s available from the end of this month, works with any A2DP Bluetooth-equipped smartphone or tablet and incorporates a mic for handling calls — plus its rechargeable battery is claimed to last up to ten hours. Ears-on video and a quick round of ‘name that tune’ right after the break, along with the full PR.

Gallery: Logitech Mini Boombox hands-on

Continue reading Logitech’s Mini Boombox is a $99 Bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (video)

Logitech’s Mini Boombox is a $99 Bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 31

X-mini KAI Bluetooth speaker daisy chains the jams

Posted in: bluetooth, minipost, speaker, Today's Chili

The X-mini series of portable speakers may not have changed much in appearance over the years (with a few exceptions), but the company behind them has now finally made one significant upgrade: it’s produced a Bluetooth model. As with the other speakers, the new X-mini KAI is a pocket-sized device, and it can be daisy chained with additional speakers for some bigger sound (a standard 3.5mm jack is also included for your non-Bluetooth devices). No word on a North American release just yet, but you can look for it to hit parts of Asia in December for around $100, and CNET has hands-on at the source link below.

[Thanks, Jay]

X-mini KAI Bluetooth speaker daisy chains the jams originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 27

Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video)

Posted in: bluetooth, meego, mobilepostmini, Music, nfc, nokia, speaker, Today's Chili, video

Oh, Meego, we barely knew ye. Yet, the Finnish OS that could continues to shower us with glimpses of what might’ve been… more widespread, that is. At least we have the consolation prize of seeing your host hardware, the N9, effortlessly display its untapped powers of NFC. Shown off here in a demo taken at the just wrapped Nokia World, that tap-to-pair functionality we’d previously seen in HP’s webOS devices and, more recently as ICS’ Android Beam, bridges the blue polycarbonate slab to a Play 360 speaker by a mere gentle swipe. That’s all it takes to send tracks from Nokia’s Music app direct to the Bluetooth peripheral’s curvature continuous form. Like what you see? Then hopefully these tricked out features will make their way to identical twin Lumia’s Mango-fied line. Full video awaits you just after the break.

Continue reading Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video)

Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 22

Ask Engadget: best AirPlay speakers for travel?

Posted in: airplay, Apple, AskEngadget, audio, Music, speaker, Today's Chili, Travel

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Christian, who seems to be into the idea of traveling sans wires. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I am looking for some AirPlay-enabled speakers that I can use to travel with. They should support 110 to 240 volt and have WiFi built-in so I don’t have to carry around an AP. Also, it would be cool if this WiFi could connect to the hotel network, if possible. Thanks!”

It’d also be cool if you share any relevant advice down in comments below. Cheers!

Ask Engadget: best AirPlay speakers for travel? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 23

Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC

Posted in: audio, bluetooth, lenovo, speaker, Today's Chili

At first glance this looks like your average, dime a dozen, AA-powered portable speaker. But then you realize the unannounced device is at the FCC because it’s wireless — Bluetooth in this instance. Next, you notice the chunky eight-inch midriff and the large (but still cheap-looking) stereo drivers and you finally acknowledge that this thing might actually beat the puny speakers in your brand new Lenovo Ultrabook. Still, it’s not nearly as surprising as a music-playing lightbulb.

Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 23

Toyota demos Prius’ proximity notification system, touts ‘futuristic’ purr (video)

Posted in: car, demo, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, ev, hybrid, safety, sound, speaker, Today's Chili, Toyota, video
Silence may be a virtue under most circumstances, but not when you’re driving around a leafy, residential neighborhood in your Toyota Prius. That’s why the manufacturer came out with its very own vehicle proximity notification system last year — a “futuristic,” underhood noisemaker designed to alert pedestrians and the visually impaired to the plug-in’s presence. Now, Toyota has offered more details on its safety system, in a freshly released demo video starring the 2012 Prius V. The car’s artificial engine noise, as the company explains, only kicks in at speeds below 15 miles per hour, allowing it to broadcast its audible heads-up across parking lots or other low-speed zones. The sound itself, meanwhile, emanates from external speakers and consists of a blend of high and low frequencies that won’t be by muffled by background noise or physical obstacles. The vehicle’s pitch shift technology also enables the tone to rise in pitch as the car speeds up and to fall as it slows down, giving others an idea of how fast it’s approaching. Accelerate past the break to see the full video for yourself, while John Kerry nods in silent approval.

Continue reading Toyota demos Prius’ proximity notification system, touts ‘futuristic’ purr (video)

Toyota demos Prius’ proximity notification system, touts ‘futuristic’ purr (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 15

Bose unveils SoundLink wireless mobile speaker, fancies up A2DP for a premium (hands-on)

Posted in: audio, bluetooth, hands-on, Music, sound, speaker, Today's Chili, video, Wireless
Ah, Bose — give it an audio product and it’ll be sure to add that seemingly unnecessary luxury feel, minus the hard hitting details. If you’ll recall, the Massachusetts-based company had quietly pushed some new ‘wares through the FCC this past week, but with not so much as a sliver of info. Today in the Big Apple, it finally let us in on one new item, the SoundLink wireless mobile speaker. Priced at $300 and up, this unit is a “portable” A2DP Bluetooth speaker weighing in at around three pounds with less than two-inches of depth — basically, it’s massive against similar speakers like the Jawbone Jambox or foxL v2. We had the opportunity today to spend a few minutes with this opulent gizmo, and you’ll find all the details just past the break.

Gallery: Bose SoundLink wireless mobile speaker hands-on

Continue reading Bose unveils SoundLink wireless mobile speaker, fancies up A2DP for a premium (hands-on)

Bose unveils SoundLink wireless mobile speaker, fancies up A2DP for a premium (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 14

Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on

Posted in: audio, hands-on, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili
GiiNii AudioBulb

Alright, so check this out — that thing above is both a 5W LED light bulb and a 10W wireless speaker. Around the edge is a ring of glowing diodes with a four-stage dimmer, while the center is a 2.25-inch driver that speaks to a dock via 2.4GHz wireless. The AudioBulb from GiiNii is a fairly unique way to kick out the jams anywhere in your abode and they disappear into practically any lamp. A basic setup of two bulbs, a dock and a remote will set you back a surprisingly steep $299, but you can add on up to six more bulbs for $99 a pop. Speaking of rooms and bulbs, you can configure the speakers to work in stereo pairs or in mono, and set up two zones with different volume levels.

The dock is a chintzy feeling piece of plastic with an integrated iPhone/iPod connector and around back you’ll find an auxiliary jack for the non-Apple fans. The dock can connect to the speakers from up to 100 feet away, depending on the environment, and comes pre-paired with the bulbs in the box. Adding additional speakers requires just the push of a button on the base and bulb simultaneously to get the party started. It was tough to hear the tunes over the din in the hall at Pepcom’s event, but we’re confident it can’t quite compare with the Play 3. They did, however, give off enough light to keep their little corner of the convention well lit. Check out the gallery below as well as the PR after the break.

Gallery: GiiNii AudioBulb hands-on

Continue reading Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on

Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 11

Yamaha YAS-101 walks into a soundbar, orders a stiff glass of 7.1

Posted in: hdpostmini, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili

What can you get for $300 these days? A bunch of stuff, probably, including the latest soundbar from Yamaha. The YAS-101 Front Surround System offers up 7.1 sound, a built-on 60-watt subwoofer and support for Dolby Digital and DTS. The UniVolume feature, meanwhile, helps maintain a constant level through loud volume increases during commercials. IR codes can also be sent through the speaker bar, so you don’t have to worry about it blocking the set. Check out some press info after the break.

Continue reading Yamaha YAS-101 walks into a soundbar, orders a stiff glass of 7.1

Yamaha YAS-101 walks into a soundbar, orders a stiff glass of 7.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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