CES 2010: Final Thoughts

The Consumer Electronics show, the behemoth of tech, the Valhalla of gadgetry, has come and gone for yet another year. But this time, rather than arriving with a bang, it slinked into sight with something more like a whimper. CES…

CES 2010: Day 2 Round-Up

It may have gotten off to a dull start thanks to the lacklustre showing from Microsoft, but CES 2010 today threw up some really nice surprises. Keep an eye out for the Light Blue Optic's Light Touch here in today's…

Shiny Video Reivew: iMu Vibrating Speaker

Yes, it looks like a stunted dildo. But this isn’t a dildo. It’s the previously reported-upon iMu “Singing Table” that’ll turn any surface you place it on into a speaker. Awesome, right? Shame it costs £50.

I know! £50! I couldn’t believe it either. Seriously, what are you going to use this thing for? Especially as it plugs in to mains power. If you can think of a situation where this would be a lifesaver, and a cheap pair of travel speakers wouldn’t, then let us know in the comments.

iMu Vibrating Speaker – less rude than it sounds

Although the name conjures up memories of the Ohmibod, the iMu is totally safe for work. So long as people don’t get annoyed by you turning the big conference room table into a huge speaker anyway. That’s right – the iMu claims to turn any hard, flat surface into a speaker.

How does it work? Well, it turns music signal into vibrations via a compound called Terfenol-D – developed by the US Navy. Place the Terfenol in an aluminium case, wrap a coil round it and pass a current through, and it’ll vibrate with the current – playing your songs.

The frequency response isn’t great – 70Hz to 30Hkz – but you’ll get 30W out of this thing. I’ve asked if we can get one in to see what it sounds like in person, and how loud you can get it without shattering whatever you’re vibrating. That could be fun. If you’re already convinced, then it’s £50 and available now.

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