This is a floating Bluetooth speaker. It’s suspended above its base thanks to an electromagnet and can play music from any Bluetooth source. It’s called the Om One. It also looks really cool. If you want one of your own, Om Audio is launching a crowdfunding campaign at its website where you can preorder the Om One for $179. It will cost $199 when it goes on general sale next year. Technical specs include 15 hours of runtime, 110db output from a 3 watt speaker, and a built-in speaker for conference calling. The floating orb can be taken with you, so it acts as a portable speaker too.
The field of audio is so mature and saturated that coming up with a genuinely novel approach to speakers is a rather steep challenge. But a new product created by a team in Oakland, California, takes audiophiles into new territory by delivering a speaker that levitates — no, really, it levitates. Using the now well-known idea of magnetic levitation, the speaker floats about an inch off its base, allowing the user to spin it around in mid-air while listening to the audio. After we had a chance to test the Bluetooth speaker out in person, we can confirm that the product does indeed work as described. The Om/One device also contains a microphone, allowing the levitating orb to take calls, too. On its surface, which looks something like cross between the Death Star and a soccer ball, is a hidden sensor that allows you to turn the device on and off as well as pair it with your audio source, such as a smartphone.