The Los Angeles based company CyFi has recently introduced the CyFi Wireless Sports Speaker, compatible with most music players on the market. According to the company, it is the first iPod compatible wireless speaker and it is suitable for outdoor activities such as hiking and biking.
The new gadget was exhibited at Interbike 2008, which took place in Las Vegas last September. Currently, two models are offered: one is exclusively designed to support Apple’s various iPod models and the second supports devices that use Bluetooth connectivity, such as mobile phones and PDAs.
According to CyFi, the speaker has a wireless range of 30 feet. Moreover, a unique harness is provided, enabling users to strap the speaker to bicycles. Its battery life is little over six hours, and the sound quality is said to be similar to the one found in most CD players. In the Bluetooth model, stereo transmission (A2DP) is supported as well.
The speaker was jointly designed with Kleer, implementing the company’s advanced sound technology. Jeff Lotman, CEO of CyFi, said: “We’re excited to announce the availability of CyFi, the world’s first iPod compatible wireless sports speaker that features Kleer technology. Working with Kleer has been a great experience as Kleer’s reference design and extraordinary support helped us bring CyFi to market quickly. We also heard loud and clear from our customers that they wanted to be able to also use their cell phone or PDA to play back music as well, so that’s why we developed an A2DP Bluetooth version, to satisfy that requirement for tech-savvy consumers.”
Currently the speaker is offered in one of three colors: black, silver, or red. Although exact dimensions were not given, it seems that the speaker is slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes and according to its maker it weighs less than three ounces – making it smaller than most speakers available today (such as Nokia’s MD-7W Bluetooth Speakers, also covered by TFOT).
Ron Glibbery, VP of marketing for Kleer, said about CyFi: “They are a true visionary and have raised the bar in the wireless-audio product landscape. We look forward to working with CyFi on future wireless products.” The CyFi runs at $200 for the iPod version and $180 for the Bluetooth version, which might be a little steep for some costumers.
As aforementioned, TFOT has also covered Nokia’s MD-7W Bluetooth Speakers. Other related TFOT stories include the Phoenix Mobile Communication System, designed to provide a seamless and simultaneous hands-free communication in a conference configuration, the Olympus’ LS-10, a portable 24 bit/ 96 kHz linear Pulse Code Modulation recorder that allows for digital audio recording outside of a recording studio, and the recent development of the flexible, transparent nanotube-based ;loudspeakers made by researchers from Tsinghua University and Beijing University.
For more information about the CyFi Wireless Sports Speaker, see the company’s website.
