Ever Wanted A Bluetooth Speaker So Advanced, It Levitated? The Om/One Does That And More
Bluetooth speakers have become quite common. Owing to their simplicity of operation and extensive portability, music lovers are increasingly drawn towards Bluetooth speakers. However, manufacturers are finding it difficult to add differentiating features that help their speaker stand out from among the crowd.
Om Audio, a company that is currently seeking crowd-funding, might have just got it right in the looks and functionality departments. With its prototype, the Om/One, the company is confident it will take the world by storm. Considering what’s on offer, they might be right in aiming high.
Looking eerily like the Death Star, according to Yahoo’s Alyssa Bereznak, the Om/One Bluetooth speaker has all the necessary features that any standard wireless speaker should have. It’s easy to sync to your phone on the go, it can reach an impressive volume level for its relatively small size, and it has a relatively lengthy battery life. However, the most striking feature of the Om/One is its ability to float!
Yes, but does your Bluetooth speaker LEVITATE and spin around? Without aid of demonic possession? http://t.co/dawi6tGiS5 #omone
— Omar L. Gallaga (@omarg) August 12, 2014
Yes, you read it right. The Om/One Bluetooth speaker orb actually floats weightlessly above its docking station. Oakland-based Om Audio is planning to launch and sell the Om/One levitating Bluetooth speaker via a crowd-funding campaign on its own site.
The Om/One appears futuristic right from the start. The orb has a 75-mm driver that the company claims delivers crisp sound without distortion even at higher levels. It’s also equipped with a built-in microphone for having awesome futuristic conference calls, reported NBC News. Oh, and did we mention, the maker appears to have bestowed the ability of wireless charging too?
But why should it float and how does it do it? Though the magical levitation will certainly serve to be a powerful USP, being able to remain suspended in the air is actually an important feature, “Its unique form is not just some sales gimmick — the unattached design makes it a more efficient speaker,” shared David DeVillez, Co-Founder Om Audio.
The Bluetooth speaker is able to float because there’s a powerful electromagnet inside the base, which also serves as a dock for the floating orb and contains a micro-USB port for charging from a standard wall socket. The electromagnet’s South Pole is facing upward, toward the ball. The ball contains a Neo magnet, and its South Pole is facing downward. This creates an electromagnetic field, in which the weight of the ball and gravity allow the ball to float at a precise height from the base. Another advantage of the suspension is that given a spin, the orb will continue to rotate, seemingly endlessly.
But there’s more to the levitation than what meets the eye. Despite a relatively miniscule 3-watt amplifier, the Om/One Bluetooth speaker can crank out tunes at 110 decibels. Other Bluetooth speakers, which usually rest on the ground, need about 10-watt amplifiers to blast at equal level as the Om/One.
[Image Credit | Om Audio]
