The Libratone Zipp a CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award Honoree
In that arena of “cool gear”, one of the biggest surprises for me this year has been the Libratone Zipp. When it arrived, I was struck by its unusual appearance; it is a cylindrical column. I was also taken by its design flexibility thanks to the interchangeable wool covers. Yes, the Zipp can be “dressed” to match pretty much any decor. But it wasn’t until I went to listen to the Zipp, that I was blown away. The speaker is rather small, but it pumps out huge, excellent sound. Add in the onboard AirPlay AND the AirDirect feature, something that gives the speaker AirPlay functionality without the need for a WiFi zone, and you have something rather powerful. PLUS, the speaker has a battery, which means you can take it anywhere and stream your tunes directly from your iOS device on the go. As the company notes:
Libratone Zipp – No wires, no hassle, no compromise With the battery-powered Libratone Zipp, you are able to take wireless high-end audio to the outside world, eliminating the need to be close to a wireless network. A full charge provides up to eight hours of playtime wired and up to four hours using the wireless connection.
The fashionable Libratone Zipp not only gives anyone the freedom of music anywhere, anytime, it also features changeable wool covers in eight vivid colors to suit all tastes and occasions. As with the rest of the Libratone product family, the Libratone Zipp works seamlessly with iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Mac, as well as PC.
I love this speaker and said as much in my review. (Read it.) Apparently I’m not the only one smitten with this speaker.
The Libratone Zipp was selected in the category “Personal Electronics” for presenting a technology and a product that embodies the industry’s future –Libratone Zipp delivers the performance and convenience of AirPlay without the need for a Wi-Fi network and complicated setup thanks to Libratone’s all-new PlayDirect™ technology.
Check out our review and video and visit the Libratone website. The speaker is pricey, but it is also pretty awesome!