Sounder Wood Dock Offers Passive, Natural Amplification

Passive speakers have come a long way since they started appearing, and I have to say that this one does look pretty appealing. It’s basically a solid hunk of wood, but it’s not too big to be unwieldy.

sounder natural ampflifier kickstarter audio

The Sounder packs a warm natural look, and it’s made out of 100% reclaimed wood that’s been fashioned by hand by the New York-based designer Howard Fink. There is a slot that will hold your tablet or smartphone, which directs the sound through a carved horn. It’s supposed to work pretty well and mimics the human mouth in its shape. Howard is also using some specialized wood, from 19th century buildings and from the Coney Island boardwalk to make each one.

sounder natural ampflifier kickstarter audio ipad

The Sounder was launched as a project through Kickstarter, though it has only raised $8,000 out of a $50,000 goal with less than three days left. It doesn’t look like it will get funded, but maybe you’ll see the Sounder pop up on Etsy at some point.

sounder natural ampflifier kickstarter audio iphone

[via DVice]


Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video)

Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video)

We don't know about you, but most of us Engadget editors live in a perpetual state of inbox insanity. Keeping on top of voicemails, text messages, emails, IMs, Twitter DMs, Facebook and Google+ messages -- to name just a few -- is a herculean yet unavoidable task. As a result, personal messages often get drowned out in a sea of work-related correspondence.

Sounder is an app that aims to ease the inbox pain a little by providing a simple and immediate way to speak with those people that matter. Pick a few important Facebook friends and the app lets you talk to them directly at the push of a button via VoIP. The goal is to keep you connected to the folks closest to you. Sounder -- which launches today for free -- supports the iPhone and iPod touch, with iPad, desktop and Android versions in the works. A $0.99 in-app upgrade enables a super slick "flip-to-talk" feature which lets you reply without waking your phone -- just turn it over and speak.

After meeting founders Nancy Broden (of Twitter fame) and Michael Fortson (former Qik Director) at SXSW, we got the chance to take an early prototype of Sounder for a spin and came away impressed with how simple yet effective it is. Since our demo in Austin, the company's been busy fine tuning the app and putting in the final touches -- like that "flip-to-talk" functionality. Want to know more? You'll find some screen shots in the gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video)

Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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