Hasta La Ideas

Seven wireless speakers that push the boundaries of sound and design

With Apple’s unrelenting dominance of the consumer marketplace for mobile devices, most high-tech electronics companies are making the push to join in and offer AirPlay-enabled devices capable of wireless streaming directly from iTunes on an iOS device or OSX computer. The following are seven of the newest AirPlay-compatible speakers pushing the limits of technology and design.

Audyssey

The Lower East Side Audio Dock Air, which launches today, 19 October 2011, is a bass-heavy, single-unit system compatible with all iPod and iPad models. Sharing the same advanced engineering and similarly inspired by the same New York neighborhood as the LES Speakers, this new wireless system delivers pure, distortion-free sound with plenty of power. The compact design favors two one-inch tweeters and two three-inch mid-range woofers, giving it its deep bass. Available today for $400 from Audyssey.

Bowers & Wilkins

By one of the first brands to directly target the AirPlay market and to be backed by Apple, the Zeppelin Air is a near perfect blend of superior audio technology and beautiful design. Available through Amazon for $600.

Although the Zeppelin Air isn’t the newest kid on the block, they’ve recently released the Zeppelin Air mobile app. Compatible with all AirPlay systems, the free downloadable app acts as a real-time jukebox by allowing multiple users to create individual playlists, and then collaboratively edit each other’s lists from separate mobile devices, while their tunes continue to play seamlessly..

Philips

The design-driven Dutch company has created a bold, beautiful wireless system in the Fidelio SoundRing. The speakers deliver 360 degrees of surround sound, and look brilliant from any angle at the same time. The compact design allows the circular speaker to be taken from its dock and moved wirelessly throughout the room for stellar audio anywhere. The Fidelio SoundRing, powered by 16W RMS of total output power, will be released in November with a retail price of $300.

Loewe

The unassuming design of the Air Speaker doesn’t do justice to its sound capabilities, or maybe it’s that the designers wanted the audio to speak for itself. Either way, this wireless system is one we can’t wait to try. Inside the minimalist, box-like speaker are two subwoofers, two tweeters and two mid-range speakers for a total power of 80 watts. Unfortunately for those of us in the States, the Loewe Air Speaker will not be released in North America. The European market launch is set for late November 2011 where it will be available in multiple colors for $999.

Altec Lansing

The inAir 5000 blends clean lines and plenty of technology. Packed inside the sleek teardrop shape are two mid-range drivers, two tweeters, three amps, and one banging four-inch subwoofer. With a total output of 110 watts, the inAir 5000 is quite a bit larger than the others and clearly aims for the power seat among its competitors. This system also launches next month, for a price that’s yet to be released.

Klipsch

The Gallery G-17 takes the most impressive speakers from the brand’s larger Gallery Series speaker line to deliver the same rich sound in a pared-down body. The sleek design and high-gloss finish make for an elegant system that sounds just as nice. Designed for wall-mounting or as a tabletop set-up on the dark glass base, the G-17 is set to be released in November 2011 for $550.

House of Marley

The One Foundation Speaker Dock disguises a bundle of advanced features in a handsome, earth-conscious and FSC-certified-wood exterior. The two-channel, all-in-one audio system outputs smooth sound as an iPod/iPhone charging dock with an aux-in connection to hook up any other device as well. Housing two substantial, 5.25-inch woofers for a strong bass, the One Foundation—whose improved, second-generation iteration (pictured is the original) drops in early 2012—makes for a beautiful set-up, inside and out. Once released, it will sell for $600.

Voici des nouvelles photos officielles du concept car “E-Tron Spyder” par le constructeur Audi avec ce prototype actuellement en développement en Californie. Il s’agit donc d’un véhicule hybride électrique rechargeable et diesel, doté d’un style moderne et futuriste.

Previously on Fubiz

• Citroën Tubik Concept
• Renault Twizy Campaign
• Renault Captur

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Xavier Barrade‘s “Epic Exquisite Corpse” has been online since the beginning of the summer, but the artist recently brought it to our attention, lamenting two weeks of downtime due to technical difficulties.

The concept is fairly straightforward, an Information Age riff on the spontaneous method of composition developed by André Breton and his surrealist collaborators in the early 20th Century, in which different artists sketch parts of a single drawing. The original technique involved folded sheets of paper, such that one could only see a few points of contact with the other images; Barrade preserves this element of surprise with a cropped drawing board.

The tools—a pencil and an eraser tool; no more, no less—are minimal, though it might be nice to have hotkeys (i.e. “E” & “B” for those in the know) or even an “Undo” feature.

Of course, the limits of the concept are precisely what make it interesting… at least in theory.

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Reader K submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

We have a few computers that should be donated, but I’m deathly afraid of losing files that either weren’t migrated to the new machine or were created after the new machine was up and running (and therefore, not on the new machine).

Is there some sort of computer utility program that can compare the directories (and nested subdirectories) of one computer against those of another, to highlight differences (files, newer versions) so I can decide whether or not to keep or delete the files?

I could just recopy the files to the newer machine, but I really want to make a conscious decision to bring over files, not just by default.

After the comparison is done and the files are copied over (assuming there are some), I know it’s important to have the hard drive destroyed so we don’t let our personal data into anyone else’s hands. I also know it’s important to recycle the components, not dump them. We will do those steps only after I’m satisfied that there aren’t files (i.e., older photos, important random documents) that need to be saved first.

Oh, by the way, I’m talking about Windows computers, not Macs.

My assumption is that you are using a Windows 7 operating system since it has been the OS-du jour the past couple years. As a result of this assumption, I’d start by trying SyncToy 2.1, which is a free Microsoft program that works with Windows 7. (Free! Free!) It will help you to transfer documents from multiple old machines to your current machine and also compare all the files to identify duplicates. It’s easy to use and all you do is click on boxes to make decisions about your files.

When the comparison is complete, I recommend spending 15 minutes a day weeding through all the documents on your new computer. You no longer need to worry about duplicate files, but there are likely still files you transferred that you don’t need or want. Eventually, you’ll sort through all these old files, and your machine will be uncluttered. At this point, be sure to do a much needed backup of your computer to an external hard drive or online, or, better yet, both.

For new content you create on your new machine, consider using a method that regularly has you deleting unnecessary and temporary content. I like the method Brian Kieffer uses — it’s the one I detail in my book Unclutter Your Life in One Week — which he describes in detail in “Managing computer file clutter.”

Finally, when it’s time to say farewell to your old machines, check out “How to dispose of old electronics” for advice on how to delete data from your hard drives.

Thank you, K, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Be sure to check the comments for even more ideas from our readers.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

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We’ve seen some awesome work from Delaware’s House Industries in the past, from a cast-iron ampersand to a one-day pop-up shop and most recently, a sweet limited-edition Eames LTR.

Their recent identity and design work for Cannae, LLC, is on par with the rest of their masterful typographical portfolio.

The QDrive concept is based on the shape of the slots cut into a circular sealed cavity, so we adopted this shape as the Q stroke for its serendipitous efficiency in reflecting ocular waves. Custom neoretrofuturistic Kubricist lettering peppered with counterintuitive counterspaces and crossbarless As reference current notions of space travel while honoring Guido’s fascination with the Roman battle of Cannae.

Yet for all the modernist clarity of the identity, the actual concept of QDrive technology is challenging in equal measure, if not more so. Inventor Guido Fetta leads the team at Pennsylvania-based Cannae, which he formed to “develop, test, and commercialize the QDrive technology.” According to their website, “the QDrive is a revolutionary space drive that breaks the stalemate between current technology and our imaginations.”

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