Hasta La Gadget!

LAS VEGAS — We’ve seen more than a few “wireless boomboxes” that can stream music from your computer to a set of remote speakers. Few promise as much as the inMotion Air from Altec-Lansing.

Announced here at CES Wednesday, this unit seemingly has all the bases covered. It can stream your music library from your computer up to 300 feet away via its own wireless adapter, and it can stream the songs stored on your phone or your iPad via Bluetooth. It’s smart enough to be able to navigate your existing shared iTunes or Windows Media libraries, and it comes with a remote control that works with both file systems, so you can call up songs, playlists or internet radio stations while the thing sits next to you on the back porch. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will be good for seven hours, the company promises.

The design of the inMotion Air is stark but monumental: It’s an austere, slim wedge with silvery buttons on top and a handle built into the back to carry it. It weighs a little more than a pound, and it comes in a matte black finish or in gunmetal gray. We haven’t had a change to hear it yet, so we can’t comment on the sound quality. It will cost $200.

Connecting wirelessly involves plugging a small adapter into the host computer. The adapter also has stereo outputs on it, you can just plug your desktop speakers into the adapter and leave the thing plugged in without having to swap any cables whenever you want to switch from one speaker system to another.

Anyone sitting nearby can sync their phone or iPad to the inMotion Air by connecting over Bluetooth and make it play the songs stored on their devices. Audio playback over Bluetooth is notoriously sub-par, but Altec-Lansing says it’s tried to keep the quality higher than average by using the Apt-X codec. The technology boosts the fidelity and clarity of the audio coming over the Bluetooth signal, Altec-Lansing claims.

See Also:

• TDK Resurrects the Boombox
• Ears-On With the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Boombox
• Sonos S5: All In One Wi-fi Boombox
• AirPlay Can Stream to Apple TV From Any iOS App – Not Just iTunes

You’ll be forgiven for being a little misty on who exactly Orbitsound is — the British company has only sold its T12 soundbar in the domestic market — but today it’s reminding everyone of its presence with a brand new product for CES-goers in the T14 you see above. The company’s patented “spatial stereo” sound is still the big selling point, promising a revolutionary aural experience that eliminates the need to occupy the traditional sweet spot for enjoying stereo sound. That’s achieved via six 2.5-inch drivers and a studio-class amp that “senses” surrounding acoustic conditions and calibrates output for best results. A bold claim, to be sure, but you’d expect no less for something that will cost $600 when it becomes Orbitsound’s first global launch later this year. Wireless technology is also put to good use, with the T14 communicating through the air with its accompanying subwoofer and wireless iPod / iPhone dock. We’ll be tracking one down while here in Vegas and trying to figure out just how spaced out its sound really is.

Continue reading Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on)

Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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 question is coming to us from Colin, who needs his jams on the cheap. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I have been looking for a decent set of speakers that can kick out fairly good sound. Ideally, I’d use these in a bedroom, mostly for television viewing and Xbox gaming. I don’t need anything too powerful as I’m not filling a gigantic room with sound. I’ve heard good things about Logitech boxed kits, but have also heard that soundbars are great space-saving alternatives. I’m open to pretty much anything: HTIB, soundbars, etc, but am hoping to spend around $100 or less. Thank you!”

We know, you’re looking to pinch pennies in order to take that special someone out on a fantastically fine date tomorrow. We get it. But these days, $100 can actually buy you quite a bit of sound. We’d echo those positive sentiments on Logitech’s boxed kits, but if anyone has any other input, comments are open down below.

Ask Engadget: best sound system / soundbar for around $100? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Somebody call up Radio Raheem. We have some good news: The boombox is back.

TDK’s retro-styled portable speakers ditch the tape deck (although they do still have a radio), but otherwise you get an authentic 1980s experience. The “2 Speaker Boombox” puts out 20-Watts, and the “3 Speaker Boombox” goes up to 35-Watts. Both boxes have six-inch drivers, and the 3-speaker model adds a six–inch sub to the mix.

The Boomboxes have a variety of ways to get music into them, from a 3.5mm jack to a USB-port. Thus you can hook up your iPod as well as a guitar or mic to jam along, or just walk the streets with the thing on your shoulder, as God intended. If you have a USB-stick, hard-drive or iPod plugged in, you can use the Boombox’s controls to skip tracks.

The smaller box has a handle as well as a shoulder strap – the bigger unit has a handle only.

Despite all this modernity, there is one part of this that is a real throwback to the days of breakdancing: D-cell batteries. They don’t need 20 of the things, like Radio Raheem’s boombox, but they get close. Depending on which one you buy, you’ll need 10 or 12 D-cells to run the thing. Available April 2011, for $400 and $500.

2 Speaker Boombox [TDK via Core77]

3 Speaker Boombox [TDK]

See Also:

• Ears-On With the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Boombox
• Sonos S5: All In One Wi-Fi Boombox
• Rad Blaster, a Tiny, Tinny Boom-Box for the Suburban Gangsta …
• Bicycle Boombox from IHome
• Flatpack Cardboard Boombox for iPod
• Five Antisocial Gadgets That Should be Banned
• Review: 21st-Century Ghetto Blaster Makes Us Want to Do the Right …

You have to go to great lengths these days to distinguish your iPod dock from the teeming horde, but that’s exactly what Speakal did here. To state the obvious, it’s a pig, wearing sunglasses, and filled with stereo components. The beast has four-watt stereo drivers for eyes, a down-firing 15 watt subwoofer in the belly, controls in the snout, and ports in the tail region. There’s also an internal lithium ion battery good for up to eight untethered hours on a charge. We’re not sure what would possess you to buy the hog, especially for its $150 asking price, but it could be just the item you’ve been looking for to bolster your eccentric reputation… or ward off particularly annoyed fowl.

Speakal’s Cool iPig blasts iPod tunes with extra badassitude originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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