03-15-2002, 08:08 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Soundbug turns flat surfaces into speakers
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2106596,00.html
If there's one thing I can say with certainty about CeBIT, it's this: you simply can't see everything in one day. Dale Coffing, Ed Hansberry, and myself were on the show floor from 9 am when it opened (companies were still setting up their booths) until 6:30 pm (30 minutes after it ended) and we only covered perhaps 25% of the show floor. I wish I would have seen this device - it sounds awesome! Imagine having your Pocket PC and this device, and walking up to a window at a party and spinning your own tunes. Cool!
"The desks are alive with the sound of music at the CeBIT show in Hannover, as Olympia launches a cheap device that will turn any flat surface into the biggest speaker on the block. It may be more famous for making typewriters, but Olympia has just revealed what some observers are calling one of the sexiest gadgets of this year's CeBIT -- a small device that can turn pretty much any flat surface into a soundboard. The Soundbug can be plugged into the headphone socket of, for example, an MP3 player or a walkman, and then fixed by suction to the flat surface -- effectively turning a desk or window into a speaker....
...The Soundbug transmits the sound to the flat surface by way of a small piece of Terfenol, which is a mixture of rare earth metals and iron. This substance is placed within an aluminium case, around which is wrapped a coil. Passing electricity through the coil causes the piece of Terfonal to slightly expand, resulting in a force of 400 pounds, explained Newlands Scientific managing director Brian Smith. Once attached to a flat surface, Soundbug will transmit electronic signals into mechanical energy -- causing the flat surface to vibrate and broadcast the sound."
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03-15-2002, 08:29 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 100
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I guess you dont want to stick it on someone's back...
:twisted:
Aceze
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03-15-2002, 09:04 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 9
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Where can I get it!!!???
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03-15-2002, 09:30 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 14
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This is definatly the next gadget on my list! :lol:
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03-15-2002, 09:33 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 513
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Will it work on hard-rippled, washboard abs such as mine?
Wait a sec, this reminds me of those abs-shaker get-thin type informercials... but 400 pounds? oh mama...
(Will this be sold in the states soon?)
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03-15-2002, 10:36 PM
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Swami
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
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Soundbug turns flat surfaces into speakers
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
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Imagine having your Pocket PC and this device, and walking up to a window at a party and spinning your own tunes. Cool!
...
"...The Soundbug transmits the sound to the flat surface by way of a small piece of Terfenol, which is a mixture of rare earth metals and iron. This substance is placed within an aluminium case, around which is wrapped a coil. Passing electricity through the coil causes the piece of Terfonal to slightly expand, resulting in a force of 400 pounds, explained Newlands Scientific managing director Brian Smith."
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It generates 400 pounds of force and you want to attach it to a window? That seems like a recipe for disaster....
Steve
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03-15-2002, 10:46 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 792
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Soundbug turns flat surfaces into speakers
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Pony99CA
It generates 400 pounds of force and you want to attach it to a window? That seems like a recipe for disaster....
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I was just going to say that...and why would you want it to vibrate and make sound on your window?
Though it is an interesting concept, I don't really see what the advantages would be to it? I really don't think my wall would give me very wonderful sound quality compared to my speakers.
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03-15-2002, 10:49 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Technology for house
I can see this kind of technology being applied to living structures... can you imagine that instead of speakers along your wall, to have your walls actually vibrate the sound... even have a sub in the floor!
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03-16-2002, 12:26 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 414
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This looks really clever. Can't wait to see what they could do with video. What if I could just hook a wire to my wall and see a 1600 by 1200 display of my favorite movie, book, or whatnot?
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03-16-2002, 01:38 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 117
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Hmmm...from a technical standpoint, this gadget is intriguing. From a practical standpoint, it "sounds" like a solution looking for a problem.
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