Hasta La Gadget!

Just in time for that big summer pool party you’ve got planned, Creative is introducing the Sound Blaster Wireless Rock Speaker. With its granite-like exterior, it’s meant to blend in with your landscape while keeping you and your guests entertained. It’s designed to withstand “moderate weather conditions,” the press release says, so you don’t have to bring it in every time it rains. Apparently you do if it rains really hard, though.

The Sound Blaster Wireless Rock Speaker works with Creative’s Sound Blaster Wireless USB audio system, which you can use to transmit audio from your computer (including iTunes content and Pandora streams) to connected speakers up to 100 feet away. This speaker is powered by a removable rechargeable battery good for six hours of playback. The list price is $199.99. It’s not up on the Creative site yet, but it should be soon.

The Fingerist is a $150 iPhone holder that makes you look even more like an idiot when you pretend to play guitar. The little box has a slot into which you slide the phone. You then fire up your favorite music-playing app (a virtual guitar or keyboard, for example) and commence to play (what I believe the kids refer to as “rocking out”). Because of its size, and two metal nubbins to connect a strap, the Fingerist makes the experience a little more like holding a guitar, and a little less like strumming a slab of glass and metal.

For that $150 (the price of an actual cheap electric guitar) you also get a 3-watt built-in speaker (3 AA batteries required) and a line-out socket to hook it up to an amp.

I suppose that it could be fun as a novelty, but the still-tiny size means that when playing, you’ll always look like you’re performing hammer-ons up at the top of the fretboard, which is the guitar equivalent of crossing your arms at the wrists whilst playing air-drums.

Despite this, I love the retro, blocky faux-wood design. It would make a great iPhone speaker dock, too, without all the guitar-playing shenanigans.

Fingerist [Evenno via Uncrate]

See Also:

• Make It: iPhone Guitar Connection Kit
• Hook Your Guitar to Your iPhone and Rock Out with iRig
• Turn Your iPhone Into an Electric Guitar With iShred
• PocketGuitar is Best iPhone Hack Ever
• Mobile Phone Guitar Makes Sweet Music
• Guitarbud Hooks Axe to iPhone

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If there’s one thing America needs, it’s more gadgets. So, it’s wonderful to hear that Gear4, a U.K.-based iPhone and iPod audio company, has announced its entrance into the U.S. market. Gear 4 will offer a selection of its best products for purchase in the U.S. by October 1, 2010.

Having become the market leader with a 30 percent share (by volume) of speaker docks in its home market, Gear4 is a big name abroad. Gear4’s focus for the U.S. launch is on its iPhone and iPod Touch speaker systems, as well as the company’s app-enabled accessories. One of these accessories is the UtilityRemote, which lets users turn their iPad, iPod, or iPod touch into a universal remote. For the home, Gear4 will sell the SoundOrb Aurora, a high-end stereo speaker that features a built-in ambient light display. Prices will range from $49 to $349.

It’s a rugged case for rugged people. If you like to hike through rocky terrain while playing your songs loud enough for everyone around you to hear, consider the Eco Extreme by Grace Digital Audio (or better yet, consider a pair of earbuds). The Eco Extreme is a tough waterproof case for your MP3 player, and it includes a built-in speaker. It’s been tested under three feet of water for 30 minutes, with no leaks at all.

The Eco Extreme’s internal compartment is big enough for an MP3 player, as well as credit cards, cash, and whatever else you’d like to keep dry. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack that works with any music player. The speaker is powered by three AAA batteries. Grab it for $49.99.

She’s but a concept at the moment, but David Boyce’s flOw mockup certainly has legs. The five-speaker set can be arranged in a fanciful iPod docking station for in-home use, and on a whim, any of the speaker balls can be grabbed and taken elsewhere, all while the music follows via a touch of wireless magic. But that’s hardly the kicker — each ball has integrated gesture sensors and accelerometers, enabling the user to quiet the volume by turning it over or switch from “Smooth Operator” to “Master of Puppets” by simply jostling the speaker with an intense level of force. Talk about revolutionizing a played market sector.

[Thanks, Paul]

flOw wireless speaker concept flips jams based on your handling originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 May 2010 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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