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Sonos Play:1 now available for $199, lowering Sonos price of entry

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Music,

Sonos Play:1

Sonos has formally announced the new Play:1 wireless speaker, bringing the price of entry into the Sonos world down to $199. This is a welcome addition to the lineup of what Gear Live considers to be the best speaker system on the planet, making it more affordable to get into. Even better, those who pick up the Play:1 between now and the end of 2013 will also get a free Sonos Bridge thrown in ($50 value) to get the system going.

A custom-designed mid-woofer and tweeter deliver deep, rich and surprisingly big sound. With a powerful low-end and crisp mids and highs, new smart processing technology pushes Sonos’ drivers further than ever before, minimizing distortion even at full volume. Plus, PLAY:1 projects a wide field of sound, delivering a great listening experience no matter where you are sitting in the room.

The new Sonos Play:1 is available in two colors (black and white,) and maintains the same feature set as the other Sonos standalone wireless speakers--it's just smaller, with two drivers (despite the name) powering the sound. There's a 3.5-inch extended-throw mid-woofer paired with an extended-throw tweeter. You can grab two of them and create a true stereo pair with audio separation for even better sound, or pair two of them with a Sonos SUB for even better bass. Heck, throw two Play:1 units, the SUB, and the Sonos Playbar together and you have a fantastic 5.1 wireless surround sound system that you can also use to play your music (see our Sonos Playbar review.) Or, just grab one Play:1 and put it in the kitchen or bathroom as an extra Sonos zone--they're wall-mountable and humidity-resistant.

The Sonos Play:1 is available now throughout the US, and will see its international release on October 29. Again, you can pick up the Play:1 now and get a free Sonos Bridge thrown in if you buy before the end of the year.

Read More | Sonos Play:1

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SOL Republic x Motorola Deck review

SOL Republic Deck review

The world of the portable Bluetooth wireless speaker is a crowded one, but SOL Republic is confident that its Deck speaker can stand above the rest, what with it's unique feature set. The SOL Republic Deck is a $199 speaker that comes out of of a collaboration between the company and Motorola (which took care of the Bluetooth connectivity side of things,) resulting in a flat, eye-catching design that can pump your beats with relative ease. Is it worth your time and money? Join us for our SOL Republic Deck review as we answer that question.

Click to continue reading SOL Republic x Motorola Deck review


Bleeding Edge TV 482: Play-Fi multi-room music streaming

We chat with Play-Fi in this episode, a company focused on helping you enjoy your music in any room, no matter where you are in your home. Play-Fi allows you to use either their speakers, speakers from third-parties with Play-Fi built-in, or their receiver which can be connected to any analog speaker, and you are done. The devices connect to your Wi-Fi network, and you can then stream content from your Windows 8 tablet or PC, as well as your Android devices, directly to any Play-Fi speaker on your network. Get a look at how it all works here in this episode, and get a look at Kelsie dancing as well.

Don't forget to subscribe to Gear Live's YouTube channel!


Sonos Playbar starts shipping on March 5th

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Music,

Sonos Playbar march 5 shipping

The Sonos Playbar is an exciting piece of gadgetry coming from one of our favorite companies, and it's now been announced that it ships on March 5. The Playbar connects to your television using a digital optical cable, offering massive sound through its nine drivers. Since it's a Sonos device, you can also play all your music through it as well. Throw in a Sonos SUB and a pair of Play:3 units, and you've got yourself a 5.1 surround sound system. March 5th is the date, and you can pre-order it now for $699.


Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker launches at $199

Beats Pill review

It's not just the Beats Executive on-ear headphones that are new from Beats Audio, as the company has also released it's own portable Bluetooth speaker: the Beats Pill. Yes, it's a pill-shaped speaker, likely a play on the fact that it's part of the Beats by Dr. Dre line, and doctors prescribe pills. Anyhow, cheesy concept aside, the Pill brings 12 watts of power across four 1-inch drivers into it's contoured frame, made up of metal grilles and soft-touch plastic. The rechargeable battery can pump out up to 7.5 hours of tunes, and offers NFC support for easy pairing with Bluetooth devices that support the standard (including the upcoming Lumia 920, HTC devices, and all Android Jelly Bean NFC smartphones--the iPhone doesn't have NFC support at this time.) A microphone is also built-in, allowing the Pill to also work as a speakerphone, and a physical audio input lets you connect devices that don't support Bluetooth as well. You can pick up the Pill Bluetooth speaker for $200.

Read More | Beats Pill

Jawbone Jambox to get customizable colors beginning August 28

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Design, Music,

Jawbone Jambox remix colors

You probably know by now that we're big fans of Jawbone and the Jambox speaker. Previously, you had a few color combinations to choose from, but couldn't really make it your own. That's all set to change though, as the company is set to begin allowing customers to choose between 9 different cap colors and 13 different colors for the speaker grill. There won't be any additional charge for the color remixing, so the Jambox will continue to sell for $199. Do note that the Big Jambox doesn't apply, and will remain available in its three color choices. With all that out of the way, who's down for a little gold and orange?


Unboxing Live 094: Jawbone JAMBOX Bluetooth speaker

In this episode we give you a look at the Jawbone JAMBOX. The Jambox is a Bluetooth loudspeaker that can connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device like a smartphone, PC, Mac, or tablet. Once paired, the JAMBOX can then function as your speaker for audio, as well as hands-free phone calls. It's small, light, compact, and stylish - but the best feature of the JAMBOX is that it offers great sound. It's available in multiple colors and designs, including a model that helps Charity: Water. We open up the Jambox and give you a look at it in this episode! You can pick up the Jawbone JAMBOX for 28% off.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings.


Zach Weiner Speaks

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions,

SMBCAre you familiar with the TED Conference where all the world’s smarties get together and speechify about the future?

If I were going to a TED event this year, I know which one I’d attend. And so should you.

Zach Weiner, the creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, one of the best and most successful webcomics, is going to be a featured speaker at TEDx, at Carnegie Mellon University on March 4.

What’s TEDx? It’s “a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

Click to continue reading Zach Weiner Speaks


ChicBuds Chicboom keychain speaker review

Chicbuds Chicboom review

I usually listen to music on my MacBook Air rather than on my iPhone or iPad, so initially I wasn't sure how much use I'd get out of the ChicBuds Chicboom. The Chicboom is a small, portable 2W amplified speaker that is attached to a key ring that lets you have a speaker wherever you are. It's super small, so it's not inconvenient by any means to have with you. You connect it to any device using the included 3.5mm stereo jack connection.

Click to continue reading ChicBuds Chicboom keychain speaker review


Unboxing Live 071: Sonos PLAY:3 wireless Hi-Fi speaker system

In this episode we open up the Sonos PLAY:3, the latest wireless Hi-Fi speaker system from Sonos. The PLAY:3 is the smallest wireless speaker system that Sonos offers, allowing you to plug it in and set it up just about anywhere, but still getting big sound. You can pair two of them together for a wide stereo sound stage, and you can also turn it vertical and it will automatically go into mono sound mode. We open up the PLAY:3 and show you how it looks - be on the lookout for our PLAY:3 review over on Bleeding Edge TV!

You can get the Sonos PLAY:3 now for $299.

Big thanks to our sponsor - GoToMeeting makes it easy to collaborate with anyone, anywhere - and they have just released their new HD faces feature that lets you see the webcams of up to 6 users as a time. Also,  be sure and grab a free $5 credit from JackThreads now!


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