Audio

While there seems to be an unending stream of wireless speakers designed primarily to stream audio from iOS or Android mobile devices using AirPlay or Bluetooth, Oregon-based Aperion Audio is showing Windows-using music fans some love with the ARIS wireless speaker. The unit is designed to work with Windows 7’s “Play To” feature that makes it easy to stream content from a PC over a home network. Read More

Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral senses motion inputs using a combination of a depth sensor, RGB camera and a multi-array microphone. Now Microsoft’s research division, Microsoft Research, has developed a gesture recognition system called SoundWave that relies on sound instead of video to bring gesture recognition capabilities to a standard laptop or desktop computer without the need for any additional hardware. Read More

Matrix Audio is showing a new addition to its line of pocket-friendly portable speakers. We spied the new iPro unit at CTIA Wireless 2012 alongside the company's existing nrg, aura, duet and one models. Read More

If you've ever dabbled in the creation of crazy sound effects for home movies, other-worldly audio to complement the battle sequences in a new alien gaming app or strange new loops for digital dance music, you quickly start to appreciate just what a complicated process sound design can be. What with noise generation, pulse and velocity modulation, parallel and series filters, and various other filters, oscillators and envelopes to contend with, the process can hardly be described as fun. A new sample-based synthesizer suite from iZotope seeks to change all that. Both a powerful tool for design pros and an enjoyable and easy way for newbies to dive in and experiment, Iris allows users to manipulate, tweak and layer sounds using the kind of visual editing tools you might find in graphic design packages and discover otherwise hidden sonic treasures. Read More

Sonic technology that allows audio to be specifically directed at a limited audience, as opposed to booming sound out as far and as loud as possible, has been around for a good many years but has yet to penetrate the mass consumer market. That situation could well change very shortly, however, thanks to the Soundlazer. The low-cost, pocket-friendly, open source, and completely hack-friendly parametric device developed by Richard Haberkern uses ultrasonic carrier waves to transmit sound from a connected music player on a narrow beam to a select listener. Read More

Jawbone is looking to please more of the crowd with a new, larger version of the JAMBOX portable Bluetooth speaker it brought to market in late 2010. The aptly named BIG JAMBOX weighs 2.7 lbs (1.23 kg) compared to its smaller sibling's 0.8 lbs and promises longer battery life as well as bigger sound - its rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 15 hours of continuous playback, and 500 hours of standby time on a single charge. Read More

As any parent knows, there are only so many times you can listen to your child's favorite song on repeat before you want to pull your hair out and stuff it in your ears ... and listening to The Wheels on the Bus on your highly specced hi-fi can feel like overkill, can't it? Well the hörbert – a wooden MP3 player aimed at kids – promises to give you your stereo back. Read More

While most folks find the speakers on their iPads adequate, they can be difficult to hear clearly in noisy environments or when they're several feet away. Recently, we covered an accessory that amplifies the iPhone4 by about 13 decibels. Now, to help the third-generation iPad (and the earlier iPad2) be all that it can be, Evan Clabots and his team at Brooklyn's Nonlinear Studio have come up with a similar clip-on solution that simply and effectively boosts output - the Amplifiear. Read More

BRAVEN is looking to stand-out from the Bluetooth speaker crowd with a new line that offers the versatility of integrated phone charging plus speakerphone and daisy chaining functionality. The BRAVEN SIX Series comes in three flavors - two aluminum models and a ruggedized unit - which boast between 12 and 20 hours charging time. Read More