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Clever: The Sound Cover is an iPad case with a speaker inside

What if your iPad 2’s Smart Cover could also be a super-thin, super-loud speaker? If Petur Olafsson’s Sound Cover project takes off on Kickstarter, then maybe it will.

From the outside, the Sound Cover doesn’t look much different from a padded folio case, with a leather cover and an aluminum kickstand. It’ll even wake and sleep your iPad as it opens and closes, using the magic of magnets.

Open it up, though, and you get a pair of NXT stereo speakers, flat units which use Distributed Mode Loudspeakers (DML) to pump out sound. Petur and his company Onanoff say that the volume is 300% louder than the iPad’s own speaker.

Connection to the iPad is via 3.5mm jack, which makes sense for something always joined to the iPad. If you really hate wires then a Bluetooth version will also be available. The speaker’s battery will last for 12 hours on a charge.

If it sounds good, then the Sound Cover looks to be a fantastic idea. And even the $129 ($110 for Kickstarter pledgers) price seems reasonable when you consider that it takes the place of not just a speaker but also the $70 leather Smart Cover.

Sound Cover: iPad2 Cover with Powerful Built-in Speakers [Kickstarter. Thanks, Petur!]

ThinkGeek’s IRIS 9000 turns your iPhone 4S into HAL

I don’t know how they keep doing it, but noveltyware purveyors ThinkGeek have just knocked another one out of the park. And I for one welcome the new IRIS 9000 voice control module for Siri, which pretty much turns your iPhone 4S into HAL 9000.

The module consists of a dock with speaker, microphone and ominous glowing red eye. It also comes with a small remote. Hit the button on the remote and Siri is triggered from afar, allowing you to ask her to set a timer for your broiling steak without greasing up your iPhone with beef fat and bacteria.

The IRIS (Siri backwards) speaker then amplifies Siri’s answer, and the red LED flickers along with her voice.

At just $60, it’s hard to come up with a reason not to buy this. However, there is bad news. Don’t worry — the pod bay doors are still open. The problem is that these won’t be shipping until 2012, although you can pre-order today.

IRIS 9000 voice control module for iPhone & Siri [ThinkGeek]

See Also:

• HAL 9000
• Happy Birthday, HAL – Wired
• Siri Is Stuffed With Hilarious Easter Eggs

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Believe it or not, it was way back at CES that we first caught an in-person glimpse of iHome’s flagship AirPlay-enabled audio system — a guy dubbed iW1. We’ve seen a steady trickle of AirPlay devices announced in the time since, but the iW1’s been one of the earliest to splash down for the fall season. Priced at a moderate $300, it’s a potential option for A) those who aren’t keen on smacking down at least double the Benjamins for systems like the B&W Zeppelin Air or Libratone’s Live or B) an alternative to other wireless systems like the similarly priced Sonos Play:3.

Despite the iW1’s low(ish) cost of adoption, though, it’s packed with a bevy of tantalizing features (including app support, capacitive controls and a rechargeable battery), and a classy appearance, to boot. We put this modern-age boom box through its sound-reproducing paces for the past few weeks (much to our neighbors dismay). So, if you want to find out whether or not the iHome iW1 will pack a bang for your buck, hit that “read more” link below for our full review.

Gallery: iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

Continue reading iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review

iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless audio system review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know EVs of the future will lose their ability to silently kill, but how about replicating engine noise for the enjoyment of bonafide petrolheads? Eagle-eyed readers will note that’s a promised feature of the upcoming (but ever-delayed) Fisker Karma, but here beating it to market is BMW’s upcoming M5 — sort of. München’s implementation coined “Active Sound Design,” won’t blast engine machinations on the outside, but instead internally overlays the harmonic soundtrack of the twin turbo V8 over internal speakers as you drive. That audial racket is based on throttle position, engine revs and speed, and gets even louder when the car is set in Sport or Sport+ modes. No word on if you’ll be able to customize with other soundtracks (a la Karma), but there’s nothing a little enthusiast hackery can’t fix…

BMW’s Active Sound Design is like putting your head under the hood of the new M5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The DockBoss puts your Android phone into an Apple dock

Problem: You own an Android phone, but you live in an iPhone world. Every device, from cars through speakers to refrigerators comes with a 30-pin dock connector.

Solution: The DockBoss. This adapter lets you take anything with a 3.5mm jack and hook it up to an iPhone dock, including your Android phone or even your Zune.

Inside the business end — which plugs into the dock itself — is a mess of electronics which are powered by the dock (both USB and ancient FireWire docks are supported). These make sure that the sound is sent properly to the host device, so pretty much anything should work.

And yes, you could even use this to plug your iPhone into Apple’s Universal Dock.

It’s a smart idea marred only by the fact that almost all iPhone-compatible accessory come with a 3.5mm jack socket too. On the other hand, for just $23, the DockBoss means you’re ready for absolutely everything.

DockBoss [Cable Jive]

See Also:

• TARDIS iPhone Dock Pumps Out Transdimensional Tunes
• MiniDock Turns iPhone Charger into Tiny, Wall-Mounted Dock …
• Fast Work: In-Car, Dash-Mounted iPad
• It Was Bound to Happen: Kitchen Scale With iPod Dock and …