All posts tagged: Bluetooth

Boombotix & Globe Introduce World’s First Bluetooth-Enabled Speaker Skateboard

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Two new Bluetooth-enabled speaker skateboards from the San Francisco-based audio technology maker Boombotix and the Australian board brand Globe were designed to help eliminate the isolation of skating with headphones and let users more easily share their music with others. The GSB Blazer, a mini cruiser board and GSB Pinner, a long board, are outfitted with a custom wireless speaker module that plays continuously for two hours with a full charge and at full volume. At 70% volume, the music lasts for up to six hours or more. The dust, water, and standard-impact resistant boards were engineered to retain their rigidity, while allowing for the audio components. The boards feature a vibration easing system and a high-impact ABS construction. They charge with a 6′ USB cable and work with any Bluetooth-enabled device. A custom 5W amp with an integrated passive radiator lets users feel the bass as they ride. Can speaker-friendly snowboards or surfboards be far behind? $249.95, Blazer; $299.95, Pinner   Images courtesy of Globe.

Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone

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While this isn’t the first time a gramaphone has been adapted to amplify digital music, this is the first bluetooth-enabled version that I’ve spotted on the market. The Gramovox is not only a piece of home decor and an obvious conversation starter, but a new technology that offers the bold design and vintage sound of a 1920s gramophone to accompany any kind of music on your bluetooth-enabled device.  When sound waves spread up from the wood base and through the S-curve horn (a 3:4 reproduction of the 1920s R3 Magnovox horn) users experience an organic, mid-range, vintage sound. Master metal fabricators have crafted the horns using some of the same manufacturing methods used in the 1920s (the horn is made in China and assembled in Itasca, Illinois). The cone component is spun on a lathe and the neck is stamped out of sheets of steel. Afterward, these parts are hand-welded together, polished, and powder-coated black. The inner cavity of the walnut wood base (which I wish was a bit more elegant than a brick-shape) is CNC-milled to accommodate the horn hole, speaker, and …

Zephyr Wireless Speakers

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Although our portable devices are extremely handy for listening to music, unless you wear headphones the sound quality needs to be enhanced by an outside source. Also, the darn things run out of power at the most inconvenient times (the middle of an eight-hour flight, with someone else’s toddler sitting next to you, for example). The Zephyr line of Bluetooth, high-definition speakers from SPAR, double as mobile phone chargers, making them the first portable, speaker/speakerphone/charger combination according to the manufacturer. A competitor to the JAMBOX, the line comes in three models: The Zephyr  300 can fit into a pocket and offers 12 hours of playtime; the 500 model fits into a bag or purse and runs for 18 hours; and the 550, encased in aircraft-grade anodized aluminum, is the largest of the three and offers 28 hours of battery life. You can throw one in the backpack for a picnic or beach trip or get one for a teen in place of an expensive sound system. With 28 hours of battery life, it would have …