Audio

For anyone who has ever needed to give presentations on the go, playing audio from your built-in computer speakers can sometimes be a problem. Battery-powered portable speakers that plug into your audio jack are one possible solution. But I'm inclined to favor this new adjustable speaker from Sanwa, which draws all its power from your computer's USB port. Read More

Bang & Olufsen has added some serious bottom-end to its speaker line-up with the BeoLab 11 subwoofer. Sporting a small footprint and typically slick design, the tulip-shaped BeoLab 11 unit uses two opposing drivers to take advantage of the "Acoustic Balance Principle" - a first for B&O in subwoofer design. Read More

Sanyo's Xacti line-up is welcoming a new addition to the family, but this time it's not a video camera. Announced earlier this month the new Xacti sound recorder looks about as awesome as a sound recorder can possibly look, showing that the company still sees potential in the sound recorder market. Read More

A cardboard record player created as a mail promotion has become a chart-topping success for Vancouver-based sound design company GGRP. The six inch record in a corrugated cardboard mailer sleeve folds into a make-shift, human-powered player which, when turned using a pencil, transmits vibrations through the needle and amplifies via cardboard corrugations. Read More

Portable navigation company Mio has announced a new product at CeBIT 2010 which is set to further blur the boundaries between GPS navigation, entertainment and Internet devices - the Mio Moov V780. Not only will users be able to find their way around but with the flick of a finger they'll be able to scroll through photos, watch high definition videos or play their favorite music. There's even the option to view digital TV thanks to an integrated receiver. Read More

Even if your lip-reading skills are first-rate (mine are absolute rubbish) you’ll still struggle to ever comfortably watch sport on TV in a pub or club if you can’t hear the commentary when the sound is either turned off because not everyone wants to listen, or it’s the audio of another sports channel you’re not watching, or the ambient noise of the venue is drowning out every word. Australian University of Technology student Tim McBride knows first-hand how frustrating it can be to sit down to watch your sporting heroes strut their stuff and not be able to closely follow the game. He invented The 13th Man (an extra, extra man in the game of cricket) that is a personal wireless speaker unit that sits atop your table and lets you listen to your favorite game. McBride’s invention is another shortlisted submission in our ongoing series of the Australian Design Awards - James Dyson Award 2010. Read More

Product designer Matteo Cibic has come up with a very distinctive desktop speaker in the aptly named Hi-Fido. Shaped like a headless dog wearing an Elizabethan collar, Hi-Fido sports a 150-watt speaker that “uses the acoustic properties of ceramic to diffuse the high quality sound with a bass reflex system”. Read More

The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays. Read More

Logitech's in-ear monitor maker, Ultimate Ears, has announced the forthcoming release of a new member of its professional audio family - the UE 18 Pro six high fidelity speakers per bud, noise canceling monitors. Aimed at professional musicians or dedicated quality-at-any-cost music lovers, the earphones on steroids are claimed to give the user crystal clear sounds across the whole frequency range. Read More