AirCurve: Music without speakers or wires

I know the couple of entries have been relating to the iPod and iPhone but I promise we are not turning into fan boys, there are just some interesting accessories appearing on the market recently. This iPod docking station from Griffin is no exception.

The AirCurve for the iPhone and iPhone 3G is described as “breakthrough acoustic amplifier dock”. It uses a coiled waveguide within its base, which works by collecting and amplifying the sound from the iPhone’s own speakers. There are no moving parts to wear out and because all the amplification comes from the clever shape of the translucent polycarbonate base there is no need for power.

Griffin claim the sound quality will be akin to a pair of desktop speakers, and the sound amplification will be enough to get you up in the mornings. In fact Griffin is touting the iPhone and AirCurve as an alarm clock combo. I find the iPhone’s speakers are enough to get me up in the morning anyway a little extra volume couldn’t hurt.

There is one downside to the £9 ($20/€12) accessory. If you want to charge your iPhone while in it sits in the dock you will need to buy an additional Griffin Dock Connector Cable.

The AirCurve is a cool idea; acoustics have worked well for Romans in their amphitheatres and have done wonders for modern theatres but as the sole method of amplifying an iPhone’s speaker I think there is something lacking.

[Source:ilounge]