The BeoPlay A3 from Danish designer Steffen Schmelling.Molouk Y. Ba-Isa Saudi GazetteThere's lots of focus on mobile devices these days. They stream video, play music and even read books aloud. But let's face it, the speakers in a smartphone or tablet usually leave something to be desired. And if you want to share that song or video, then external speakers become a necessity. Vendors are responding to the demand for audio equipment with fresh designs. New products range from the personal, in customizable headphones, to portable speakers that can bring a party to life anywhere. Take a look at some of the best and most innovative offerings to excite the audiophile in you. First up, there's Eton's Rukus Solar (www.etoncorp.com), a portable Bluetooth sound system with a solar panel. This sound system is perfect for a country such as Saudi Arabia where the sun shines all the time. That means the speakers can play all day long. Rukus Solar can stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled device. It has two full-range speaker drivers and an E Ink SURF segmented display to provide information including Bluetooth connectivity, solar charge indicator and battery strength. Power aspects of the Rukus Solar are impressive. The embedded 40 square-inch high-efficiency solar panel harvests the sun's energy for power. Six hours in direct sunlight provides a full charge. The sound system also features an integrated USB port that can charge mobile devices on the go. For late night use switch to the AC adaptor to recharge the internal lithium battery. The next sound system to show today is specifically for the iPad. The BeoPlay A3 from Bang & Olufsen is a sound system that makes clever use of an accelerometer. According to Bang & Olufsen, “the dedicated motion sensor inside BeoPlay A3 knows what's up or down, and helps render the best possible listening experience depending on the iPad's orientation." It's part of Bang & Olufsen's Adaptive Stereo Orientation. An omnidirectional two-inch woofer is always in play, and delivers solid bass all the way down to 60 Hz. Half-inch tweeters are placed in the other three corners of the sound system. BeoPlay A3 decides which two of these to activate according to landscape or portrait orientation. This means that the listener is always met by highs coming from equidistant sources to enhance the stereo experience despite the small footprint of the sound system. Weighing in at just 1.5 kg, BeoPlay A3 is designed to make your music mobile. The battery keeps the tunes coming for five hours between charges, and it charges itself as well as your iPad when connected to the mains. The system is priced at $549. Sharing is great but most likely a personal sound system is what you'll use most. With Tracks Remix on-ear headphones from Sol Republic, your sound system can be very personal. Pick the color you want for headband and cables. The music performance of Sol Republic's Tracks Remix headphones comes from the detachable Sound Engine on-ear speakers. Pick from either the standard black-gloss-finished v8 Sound Engine or for a better audio experience with higher clarity and vocals, select the optimized v10 HD Sound Engine which includes solid aluminum discs. All the major Tracks remix components are interchangeable and can be combined to suit your style at any given time. The headbands retail for $30, the cables $20 or get a complete pair of headphones for $100. And while you're upgrading your own personal audio experience, consider that your cat might enjoy a pair of headphones too. Sol Republic and Professor Meowingtons Enterprises have created the world's first headphones for cats. It's a style statement only for the most discriminating felines. These limited edition headphones retail for $1,000. Unfortunately, they are currently out of stock, selling out quickly after they became available at specialty retailers.
