Tag Archives: speaker

Amazon Reveals How to Build an Echo Speaker With Raspberry Pi

Posted on by Robert Ainsworth
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Amazon wants to push its Alexa voice assistant as far and wide as possible, so much so that one of the company’s employees has released a step-by-step guide to building an Alexa-powered speaker yourself with a Raspberry Pi.

The DIY echo can be made using a cheap USB microphone, speaker and several other easy to obtain parts. The code is shared on the Github platform and was posted by Amit Jotwani, Amazon’s senior evangelist for Alexa. It’s his job to help developers and tinkerers. This in turn generates interest from a technical perspective and all of a sudden – millions of people are tweaking code, modding parts and making some really nice inventions with the Pi and Amazon’s software.

It would take some basic technical knowledge to assemble and make the echo work via the Raspberry Pi. However the guides are very good and it should be fairly easy for the average joe to make. The Echo is now on sale for $180 – it hasn’t been released in the UK as of yet.  There is one downside to running it off the Rasberry Pi, though, you can’t wake it up by saying “Alexa” and to run a voice command you have to press a button.

Beats Launches New Beats Pill+ Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Posted on by Christopher Files
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The brand Beats and its Pill lines have been somewhat a revelation since entering the market in 2012, from celebrity endorsements to a booming sales forecast, this form of portable wireless unit has certainly captured the imagination of consumers. Now, the company has announced a new incarnation of the successful Beats Pill series with hopes of expanding its base even further.

Today, (7th October 2015) Beats have introduced a new product by the name of the Pill+ speaker, below are the announced features within the press release.

Sound – The Beats Pill+ is slightly larger than the original Beats Pill speaker, allowing for a bigger and fuller sound. The stereo active 2-way crossover system creates an optimized sound field for dynamic range and clarity across all genres of music. Tweeter and woofer separation uses the same acoustic mechanics found in professional recording studios around the world.

Design – . Compact and durable enough to throw in your bag, the Beats Pill+ has implemented convenient button controls which are now at the top of the speaker.

Power management – The Beats Pill+ speaker has a 12-hour battery life to stay charged on the go. The lightning cable and power supply provide a quick full charge in just 3 hours. Keep track of your power levels with the fuel gauge so you always know how much battery is left and use the USB port to charge out.

Additionally, a new feature by the name of the “Beats Pill+ app for iOS and Android devices” takes full advantage of app functionally. The additional features include controlling two Bluetooth sources, allowing consumers the chance to play from two Pill Plus speakers and also the opportunity to sync two units together for dedicated left and right playback and also a dynamic experience.

These features may be “added value” in order to increase the price instead of being of use to many consumers. The product is priced at $229.95, but it remains to be seen concerning the RRP for other countries and the release date is expected to be around November 2015 for the US.

Thank you businesswire for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of wired

Inateck MercuryBox Bluetooth Speaker & Mobile Products Review

Posted on by Peter Donnell
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Introduction

Inateck is a brand name I’m seeing more and more recently. While they don’t make a lot of big products, such as PC cases and graphics cards, which we see plenty of here at eTeknix, they do make a lot of smaller lifestyle products that many of use day-to-day. From mobile devices, to desktop computers, Inateck has an interesting range of accessories and products to help improve your usage experience. Today we’re going to be looking at their very promising MercuryBox Bluetooth Speaker, but Inateck were also kind enough to send us their new 2-Port Rapid Charger and a nifty waterproof bag (more interesting than it sounds).

First up, let’s take a look at those cool little accessories. The first is the Inateck 2-Port Rapid Car Charger, which is pretty much what it sounds like, it’s a car cigarette lighter adaptor that provides you with a couple of USB sockets; but there’s also a nifty little extra!

In the box, you’ll find a fairly straight forward Micro-USB cable, perfect for connecting your smartphone, SatNav, dashcam, etc.

The actual unit is really compact and the back is slim, so it won’t stick out of your dashboard too much.

The cool part, however, is that it comes with a hard-wired lightning cable, giving you room to charge an Apple device while keeping the two USB ports free!

Even better, both ports are rapid charging 2.1A ports, always a welcome bonus.

Onto the next funky accessory, the Inateck Waterproof case. This is a simple one, it’s a 100% waterproof sleeve, which is perfect for your smartphone, but Inateck also say you could use it for money, documents, medication and all kinds of stuff. This isn’t something you’re going to need every day, but if you’re on holiday and want to jump in the sea with your kids, it could be the difference between a soaking wet phone and a dry one.

It’s pretty easy to use, come with a neck strap and while it may not look like the coolest thing on Earth, it’ll get the job done. It’s also amazingly lightweight and slim, so keeping it in your bag shouldn’t be a problem.

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Researchers Prove That Drones Can Be Disabled Using the Right Sound Frequency

Posted on by Gabriel Roşu
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Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejon, South Korea, seem to have found an easy way to take out drones from the sky using ‘the right sound’. They explained that some components inside drones are vulnerable to certain frequencies, so with the right one, you can disable them.

One of the researchers stated that components such as gyroscopes have been made to resonate with sound above the audible spectrum, but some of them are still in the audible spectrum, which makes them vulnerable to interference. In an experiment, they used a speaker attached to a drone and connected to a laptop via Wi-Fi. When the right sound was played through the speaker, the drone dived down and crashed.

Of course, you won’t be able to physically attach a speaker to a drone in most cases if you want to make it crash, but this proves that sounds can be used to crash drones. Other experiments involved attaching a speaker to a police shield and making a sonic wall, but without the proper high-tech equipment to keep aim on the drone while it spirals out of control, it is useless.

The conclusion is that drone enthusiasts shouldn’t worry about it, unless your neighbour silently attached a speaker to your drone. Using high-tech sound disruptors, as far as I know, is illegal in most countries, so if you’re not piloting a high-tech military drone, you should be fine.

Thank you PCWorld for providing us with this information

Marshall Announces Their Very First Music Dedicated Smartphone

Posted on by Gabriel Roşu
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When you hear of Marshall, you are thinking about speakers, headphones or dedicated music gadgets for your instruments. But a Marshall smartphone? That’s something completely new and somewhat interesting.

While Marshall is just ‘borrowing’ the name and not building the actual handset, the thing itself looks pretty good. However, the specs seem a bit low for what they are asking for the flashgrip. It is said that it bears a 4.7-inch 720p IPS LCD screen, Quad-Core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 8-megapixel camera and a removable 2500mAh battery. Oh yeah, and it also has a MicroSD slot to help extend your storage, should you want to put more music on it.

The flashgrip’s key parts, being a Marshall and all, stand in its music-oriented parts. The handset is said to come with two (loud) front-facing speakers, two headphone jacks, a dedicated button for launching your favourite music app at the top and, surprisingly, a volume rocker to adjust the handset volume. Also, Wolfson seems to handle the audio hub, coming with a Wolfson WM8281 Audio Hub. If you haven’t heard about them, they seem to be named the best in the mobile audio solutions.

What we haven’t mentioned is that the flashgrip is powered by the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS and comes with a lot of customized music apps. The Marshall handset will be released in the UK, Scandinavia and Baltic states on August 21st, with a price tag of £399. But really now, is it worth the money they ask for what they offer? What do you think?

Thank you Arstechnica for providing us with this information

Beam Me Up: Star Trek Communicators Are Now A Thing!

Posted on by Gareth Andrews
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So most people have seen Star Trek, in one form or another the series has helped shaped everything from television to science fiction as a whole. With alien species planning to take over the universe and rogue admirals breaking laws and rules left right and centre the show has helped captivate so many minds and created so many memories. Now you can start living that dream of being a member of the Enterprise with a Star Trek Communicator of your own.

The Wand company are dedicated to making functional copies of props from your favourite shows, and in this case they have really gone beyond the atmosphere with a Star Trek communicator shaped like those found in the original series. Based on 3D scans taken from an original prop, the device is made up of aluminium and die-cast metal with a textured ABS giving it that finished science fiction look.

Priced at roughly £100 the device is not a cheap one, but for those who are interested the device is Bluetooth enabled. This means you can pair it up with your phone or PC and have your calls taken on a star trek communicator, or even play your music through its speakers.

Being a Star Trek fan this is a great step forward, now they just need to create the comm badges from the Next Generation and my dreams will be complete!

Thank you NyDailyNews for the information.

Waterproof Rubix Cube-Like System Runs Linux, Heads to Kickstarter

Posted on by Gabriel Roşu
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Is it a new shiny rubix cube? It could look like one, but in fact Cuberox is a Kickstarter project that includes 16×16 screens on a waterproof casing, having it powered by Linux and wireless charging.

The coolest rubix cube-like project is said to give you the ability to run various applications, making it the perfect home or even office solution. Having it based on a Unix platform, it gives the user limitless possibilities of running a separate app on each side of the cube. From a developer’s perspective, the device could be a gold mine and JavaScript, which is the main coding language for the device, would be the pickaxe.

In terms of specs, the device is said to feature built-in speakers, multicolored smart backlit technology, wireless connectivity and charging, all encased with a waterproof seal.

The device has currently surpassed the $35,000 mark for its ultimate $150,000 goal and has less than 30 days to go. More information on the device and project can be found over at Kickstarter.

Thank you Kickstarter and Tweak Town for providing us with this information

Inateck BP2001 Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Portable Speaker Review

Posted on by Peter Donnell
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Introduction

Inateck may not be a common brand name, at least not yet, but they’ve got a great range of low to mid budget products that certainly caught our attention. While many of us love the high-end flagship products, sometimes we just need something affordable, that does the job we need with ease; the Inateck wireless Bluetooth speaker we’re reviewing today is one of those products. It’s got a fairly straight forward job to do and it’s not likely a product you need to put much thought into either. If you need a stand for your tablet, but you also need a wireless speaker to enjoy your music, or hands-free calls in the office, at home or wherever, then you’ll most likely be looking at this device or something similar on a popular shopping site such as Amazon. So just what do you get for your money?

The Inateck Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is a nicely designed unit. It has a hard black speaker grill on the front of its extra wide design, as well as a little bit of silver trim around the edge and around the control switch on the front.

The wide design makes the Inateck ideal for mounting your smartphone or tablet on the top of the speaker. There’s a hard rubber slot that runs the full width of the device for maximum compatibility with a wide range of devices. There’s also a small cut-away in the middle, which makes accessing the home button on tablets such as the iPad a whole lot easier.

There is only one control on the front of the device, which can be used to play or pause music (via Bluetooth), answer or reject calls, or redial the last number on your paired device.

The base of the speaker is wider than the top, giving a little extra stability to the speaker, but it’s not so thick that you couldn’t chuck it in your backpack.

Around the back, you’ll find a fold out speaker bracket and the I/O ports.

There’s a master power switch on the back to help save power, an AUX line-in jack and a DC5V port for charging the built-in battery.

The speaker bracket is very handy, as putting a 10″ tablet on the top of the speaker in portrait mode could make the whole setup prone to tipping; a problem easily solved by deploying the bracket.

Included in the box you will also find a USB to Micro-USB cable, which is perfect for keeping the speaker charged, as well as a 3.5mm cable for connection devices such as MP3 players.

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New Lightbulbs Feature WiFi Boosters, Speakers and Cameras

Posted on by Bohs Hansen
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The Internet-of-Things (IoT) aims to connect pretty much every aspect and gadget around us to the internet with smart features and functions, and such a simple thing as our light bulbs is part of this too. There are several companies out there creating smart light bulbs with additional features, which in itself is a great idea. Light bulbs are used in all our homes, everywhere and in sockets and plugs that in themselves have a direct power connection. What would be more obvious than to add extra features to these bulbs.

The Shanghai-base company Sengled unveiled a line of app-controlled LED bulbs at CES that can be set to turn on your music, boost your Wi-Fi signal and recognize your faces. The newest bulb in their lineup is the Snap and it features both a built-in security camera, microphone, and speakers as well as support for motion detection and video recording. However, it will not come cheap with a price tag of $199.99 per bulb that will have to be completely replaced once burned out.

Sengled has three other models where the Boost features a built-in Wi-Fi repeater while the Pulse and Solo bulbs come with Bluetooth speaker. The $59.99 Solo has dual 3-watt speakers and the Pulse will set you back $169.99 but will in return bring a JBL multi-channel stereo wireless speaker.

All of the bulbs use default light sockets and can be controlled with the accompanying Android and iOS apps. The bulbs are rated for 25,000 hours of use according to the company.

Thanks to Mashable for providing us with this information

Images courtesy of Mashable and Sengled

TRENDnet Announced WiFi HD Baby Cam

Posted on by Bohs Hansen
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There is no doubt that the most valuable thing we have in this world is our children, they are our future as we know. And to keep an extra and easy eye on them, TRENDnet has created the WiFi HD Baby Cam that allows you not only wireless and internet based monitoring, but also to send sound or voice back trough the built-in speaker.

The WiFi HD Baby Cam can be universally placed on either a wall or tabletop. It can record up to 2.5 days continues video onto an added 32GB memory card while it also allows you to save your recorded video onto a connected NAS device for nearly unlimited recording time. The 720p camera comes with night vision to provide you with the video feed of your loved ones no matter how much light there might be.

It further has built-in motion detector to trigger recording, 5 pre-recorded classical music tracks to sooth your toddler, and a built-in thermometer to monitor the room temperature.

“The 720p HD TV-IP745SIC is easy to install and packed full of features,” stated Zak Wood, TRENDnet director of global marketing. “Users will also be excited about the ability to save video to a MircoSD card or NAS device without having to pay a monthly recording fee.”

The TRENDnet TV-IP745SIC WiFi Baby Cam comes backed by a 3-year warranty and should be available now for an MSRP of $139.99.

Thanks to TRENDnet for providing us with this information

Image and video courtesy of TRENDnet

LG Introduces Music Flow Wireless Speaker Series

Posted on by Bohs Hansen
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LG will be introducing their new Music Flow series of wireless speakers at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, consisting of the companies first battery-powered wireless speaker, normal speakers, and soundbars. The LG NP8350 is the company’s first wireless speaker with a built-in battery for easy portability from one room to another in the home, or on the go. The battery is pretty much what sets this one apart from the other ones, so anything else goes for them all.

The Music Flow series makes it real easy to create your personalized wireless home cinema. Each soundbar allows you to connect two speakers wireless (left and right) and each speaker allows the connection of another speaker with the dual band 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi connections. Just place your speakers where you desire, connect them, and immerse yourself in optimal surround sound. LG’s BP550 Streaming 3D Blu-ray Player or LAB550W SoundPlate can also both be connected to the Music Flow speakers to stream sound from any CD or a connected USB drive.

The Music Flow speakers further increase the convenience factor with the Android or iOS compatible mobile apps. When your phone comes within on foot of the speakers, they can take over the playback running on it. This means that when you get in the door while singing along to your favorite tune playing on your earpieces, you just place it near a speaker and they will take over. They also come with LG’s HomeChat feature that allows you to SMS text commands to your speakers or integrate it into your alarm system.

The lineup that will be presented includes the company’s first battery-powered Portable Wi-Fi Speaker; model H4 (NP8350) additional Portable Wi-Fi Speakers; models H7 (NP8740), H5 (NP8540) and H3 (NP8340); and upgraded Sound Bars; (models LAS950M, LAS851M and LAS751M).

Thanks to LG for providing us with this information

Images courtesy of LG

This Sound System is Loud Enough To Kill

Posted on by Peter Donnell
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I’m betting most of you have had a moment in your life with a noisy neighbour, their music is too loud and all you want to do it tell them to STFU. It’s likely they only have a standard stereo system, so imagine what it would be like to live next door to the European Space Agency, who have a sound system so loud it would kill any human exposed to it!

Their horn system is part of their Large European Acoustic Facility in Noordwijk. The facility uses these horns to blast powerful sound waves at spacecraft components to test if they can survive the noise of launch. There are four horns in total, each creating a different range of frequencies as nitrogen has passed through them, allowing the horns to create noises of more than 154 decibels! Yikes.

What is unclear is how you would die if exposed to these speakers, would you just have your head explode, be slowly rattled to death by the vibrational forces, or kill yourself since the ESA have a love for extreme volume renditions of Justin Bieber, either way I wouldn’t like to find out.

To keep the scientists safe, the speakers are housed behind half-meter-thick walls of steel-reinforced concrete, coated with epoxy resin in a chamber that will not operate unless all of its door are closed.

Thank you Popsci for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of Popsci.

LUXA2 Groovy Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review

Posted on by Ian Viado
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Introduction

LUXA2 is a name that not many have been introduced to. The current market for mobile accessories has been flooded with brands that are trying to make a name for themselves, but for the last several years LUXA2 has been in a constant pursuit of feature-rich products with modern aesthetic appeal at affordable prices for everyone to set themselves apart. Apple centric accessories has been the company’s forte, but at CES this past month LUXA2 has shown that they have narrowed down their wide array of products that had included iPhone/iPad cases and misc device accessories to a more focused product stack that is nothing short of impressive.

LUXA2 has split their products into three categories: Portable Battery Packs, Audio Solutions, and Mobile Device Holders. Today we are going to look at the first of their entries into the audio solutions market; the Groovy Wireless Bluetooth Speaker.

Out of the box you are provided with a very easy to read user guide, 3.5mm analog cable, micro USB charge cable, two interchangeable leather straps (in both black and tan), and an attractive black leather carrying pouch.

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Kitsound Hive Bluetooth Speaker Review

Posted on by Robbie Khan
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Introduction

Whether you’re at the beach or having a party in the garden, music will no doubt feature within the ambience. In the past this would mean hooking up a portable stereo to an outlet somewhere or carrying a portable radio with an average  quality speaker. Not the best way to get the best out of music I’m sure many will agree!

Thankfully wireless technology has evolved dramatically over the last few years and we have a whole range of portable speakers that can pair up with phones and tablets to stream all media and communications with little to no loss in quality.

Today I’m going to review the Kitsound Hive Bluetooth Speaker which Gearzap have kindly provided.  Kitsound have a healthy collection of products in the portable audio market. They say “By understanding music we stay true to its craft. Pure, rich, incredible sound. We settle for nothing less.”

I am reviewing it based on my real world usage experience with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Note 3, S3 and a Google Nexus 7. So without further ado, let’s explore the Hive and see if the above statement holds true.

The front of the box features a nice image of the speaker.

The packaging is interesting, it mirrors a very similar design style to their website which is minimal, professional and functional. It gives a hint of things to come and sets high expectations of the product I feel.

Specifications

  • Bluetooth: v2.1
  • Range: up to 10 m
  • Play time: up to 10 hours
  • Output: 5 W RMS (2.5 W @ 4 ohm x 2)
  • S/N Ratio: 78 dB
  • Frequency response: 50 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Aux in: 3.5 mm
  • Unit size: D49 x H64 xW165 (mm)
  • Weight: 400 g

For those worried about potential sound quality issues because it’s only rated at Bluetooth 2.1 instead of the current 4.0 have no fear, this will be talked about in a moment. The speaker comes bundled with a soft pouch, MicroUSB cable for charging and 3.5mm stereo cable for to hard wire in a media player should you not wish to use Bluetooth.

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Computex: Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P) Present New Speakers

Posted on by Peter Donnell
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Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P), manufacturer of consumer electronics and audio technology announced new A.M.P speaker models at Computex 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan.

At only 6 inches in length, the most powerful SP3 is designed to bring powerful audio to mobile lifestyles. The SP3 by A.M.P offers music lovers a feature filled portable speaker at an economical price. Integrated dBs1TM driver technology delivers a powerful bass experience while Bluetooth HD technology provides 33 feet of wireless connectivity. In addition to amazing audio, the SP3 contains a rechargeable battery for 8 hours of continuous playback, and instantly receives speakerphone calls at the touch of a button.

The model SPzero offers premium audio quality in a smaller, portable form factor. With eight hours of playtime and measuring only 86 mm x 57 mm x 94 mm (3.4 in x 2.2 in x 3.7), the SPzero allows music enthusiasts to move with their media. The SPzero pairs with any smartphone, laptop, or media player to create an audio experience to share with anyone, anywhere. Integrated dBs1TM high-response driver technology delivers powerful bass in a compact and portable size. In addition to phenomenal sound quality, the SPzero is capable of expanding its acoustic capability with a Daisy Chain Function which allows users to connect multiple SPzeros via auxiliary port. A.M.P’s SPzero also contains a speakerphone function for conference calls at the touch of a button.

With the ever expanding tablet and smartphone landscape, the SP1+ is the definitive portable solution that allows you to play your music on the go with wireless Bluetooth connectivity. The SP1+ portable Bluetooth speaker uses dBs1tm technology to bring stunning hi-fi audio in a small and portable package. It also contains an internal microphone for speakerphone functionality which activates at the touch of a button. This extension of the A.M.P portable speaker line includes features such as tap-to-pair NFC and dual connection. Simply pair your device with the SP1+ and get thirty feet (10m) of freedom, just press play.

The A.M.P wireless speakers improve the mobile experience by bringing music and games to life everywhere. Simply pair with any tablet, smartphone, laptop, or media player to share your music like never before.

Thank you Antec for providing us with this information

Image(s) courtesy of Antec at Computex 2013

Antec Mobile Product Bundle Winners Announced

Posted on by Andy Ruffell
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Not too long ago, we hosted a competition in partnership with Antec to give away five a.m.p bundles of their latest products from the range, and we had a lot of interest from people all over the world wanting to win one of these amazing bundles, but sadly there can only be one winner per bundle and we have randomly chosen 5 lucky readers as our winners.

The prizes were as follows:

  • 1st Prize: SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker + PowerUp 3000 Portable Charger
  • 2nd Prize: SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
  • 3rd Prize: SP1 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
  • 4th Prize: Gain Bluetooth Receiver + dBs In-Ear Headphones
  • 5th Prize: iso Active Noise Canceling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

The winners have been chosen as:

All winner(s) have been notified requesting address details for your prize(s) to be shipped out directly.

THX Sues Apple Over Speaker Patent Infringement

Posted on by Roshan Ashraf Shaikh
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Apple is being sued by THX Ltd. who filed a case accusing Apple of stealing speaker technology which is used in iPhones, iPads, and other iMac products. It specifically infringes patent No. 7,433,483’s “Narrow profile speaker configuration and system” which describes methods to enhance the sound quality in compact speaker arrangements in consumer electronics such as computers and TVs.

The patent also describes a system which uses a sound reflecting surface being parallel to the speaker and its mounting surface with sound dampening material viz. placed in a way that sound can be channeled towards a narrow duct in a right angle in relation to the speaker unit. THX claims that Apple has caused monetary damage and irreparable harm, as a consequence demands royalties and damages for recovering its lost profit.

THX was founded in 2002 and holds multiple patents associated with speakers and acoustics technology.

The devices that infringe this patent are iPhone models from 4S onwards and certain undisclosed iterations on iPad and iMac. Apple’s latest iMac speakers feature a very thin profile which uses the acoustic design with down-facing speaker units, allowing the speakers to be hidden within the machine. Its still not clear if the casing of the speakers uses designs mentioned in THX’s patent, but the designs look to be pretty similar.

But apple has own speaker design patents which is related to its incorporation in devices such as iPads and iPhone models. Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,385,568 specifically describes “low-profile speaker arrangement for compact electronic devices” which shares certain details in THX’s patent. But the problem is that the Apple’s patent was only granted in February 2013, whereas THX’s patent was approved in 2008.

The deadline for the initial disclosure is June 7th, while the case management conference is schedules for June 14th.

Via: Apple Insider

Bayan Audio – Bayan 7 iPod Speaker Dock Review

Posted on by Tim Mammatt
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At eTeknix, we’ve rarely ventured into the audio world (other than headsets of course), but recently we’ve been given the opportunity to expand into this unexplored arena and luckily we’ve  managed to get our hands on a speaker dock by Bayan Audio. Whilst we primarily focus on PC hardware, we have also covered some of the mobile peripheral market for some Apple products, so we jumped at the the chance to get our grubby mits on Bayan Audio’s flagship speaker dock.

Bayan Audio are a UK based company (a division of Radiopaq Ltd), that specialise in design, development and manufacturing of home audio products. Their mission is to produce top end audio products that are compatible with the latest media devices, such as  android based smart-phones and Apple products. The current product range of speaker docks include the Bayan 1, 3, 5 and 7, with the Bayan Grand being released later on this year. What we have in today is the Bayan 7, the current flagship speaker dock of Bayan Audio, that has some very interesting features and a unique design, but before we delve into the specifics, let’s just have a quick overview of the current speaker dock market.

Currently when people think speaker dock, they immediately associate it with Apple products – mainly the iPod; the world’s most popular media player. There are many companies that have tapped into this very popular market, producing a variety of products that can be used in conjunction with Apple products. The speaker dock is one of the more popular products that nearly everyone who owns an Apple device, possesses. At the moment there is a large range of speaker docks available, ranging from the very top end brands like Bose and Bang & Olufsen, and scaling all the way down to budget brands like logic3 and Gear4. In most cases in the audio world, quality is reflected in the price (with some exceptions of course), so the more you pay, the better the sound and design of the product. Will this be the case with the Bayan 7? Lets find out.

First up, a brief look at the features we are to expect:

  • Power Performance: A massive 120W power capability, channelled through a twin amplifier set-up generates undistorted monster volume output with depth, definition and zero distortion. When the Bayan 7 is turned up you will literally feel the music.
  • TDMA Noise Rejection: Bayan Audio products are approved with Apple’s stringent TDMA Noise Rejection tests, to ensure there in no interference from mobile phones or other radio transmitter devices when in use.
  • Charge and Play: When you dock either your iPod or iPhone into any of the Bayan Audio systems, they will automatically charge whilst playing music.
  • Twin Amplifiers: The Bayan 7 is driven by two amplifiers. One drives the four mid and high range speakers, and a second is dedicated to driving the 8 inch bass speaker. The amplifiers are linked to produce just the right power, depth, detail and balance through each of the speaker drivers.
  • Music and Voice sound profiles: If you love to listen to internet radio, audio books or podcasts from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, simply switch your Bayan speaker dock from music mode to voice mode. The result is a clearer, more pronounced voice ensuring you don’t miss anything.
  • IR Remote Control: The remote control shipped as standard with all Bayan Audio products allows you to control all aspects of the docking system. You can select tracks, play, pause or mute. You can also change the level of bass, treble and volume as well as switch the system to standby mode.
  • iPad or Tablet charge and play ports: As standard on all Bayan Audio Speaker Docks for iPod, we have incorporated ports at the rear that let you plug in your iPad or Tablet and play it through the docking system. You can also charge the iPad directly from these ports (3.5mm audio + USB A type ports)
  • Apple Approved: Bayan Audio is an Apple licensed partner. This means that all the systems we use to connect to your Apple device are original Apple parts, including certain control components. Our products have been tested and certified to Apple standards. This ensures you can use your Apple devices with Bayan Audio products with confidence.
  • Quality:The choice of materials used to build Bayan Audio products is key, not only to how they look, but also how they perform. We have encased the main speaker in 12mm thick wood to produce a more natural sound and to reduce the reflections internally. All speaker frames (which are critical to the sound performance) are made from metal, not plastic. And finally, the amplifier is built using the best components, enabling us to finely tune each Bayan Audio product to achieve the best sound possible for its configuration.

(taken from Bayan Audio’s website)

Now we know what to expect from Bayan Audio, so now it’s time to have a look.

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