The MONOCLE from Native Union is a wearable speaker and speakerphone that also works as a visually interesting retro accessory. The MONOCLE looks a bit like a very old-time telephone receiver, and hanging around your neck it looks like a super-stylish sporty piece of jewelry.

The device is paired with your phone; every time a call comes in when you are wearing the dangling speaker, it transforms into a basic phone handset. You can use it as a hands-free way to keep in touch with friends and family when you’re away from home.

It’s even possible to connect up to 10 MONOCLE units together to create a unique and ideal listening experience. Nice little design elements like a built-in volume knob and a universal 3.5mm jack round out the experience and make this a device that’s sure to turn heads.

The post Wearable Speaker Also Serves as a Retro Phone + Jewelry first appeared on Gajitz.

When you’re reading a text message and someone sends an Emoji, do you ever make a little sound in your head to go along with the picture? The TeleSound is a cute little speaker that puts sound to over 1000 Emoji icons, letting you send a unique kind of message to your friends.

Styled after a vintage rotary phone, the small round speaker is wireless and features Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone or tablet. People on your friends list send Emojis to you and they’re automatically played as sounds from your TeleSound. It’s kind of like a language, with every character representing its own unique sound.

If you get sick of the sounds and want to escape for a while, you can just turn the TeleSound upside down to go offline. When you get more than 30 feet (10 yards) away from the speaker you’ll go out of range, but when you get back into range you’ll be automatically re-connected.

The project is on Kickstarter to raise funds for their first round of production. You can back the project and get your own TeleSound in a variety of colors. Even if none of your friends get their own, you can use the TeleSound’s “play” mode to just mess around with all of the sounds.

The post Sounds Emotional: Little Speaker Gives Voice to 1000 Emojis first appeared on Gajitz.

The usual iPhone dock is a little short on design – even the “designer” ones still only serve one purpose and look kind of empty when the phone is gone. The Bloombox is a ceramic iPhone amplifier that doubles as a planter, giving it a dual purpose as well as a layer of beautiful design.

The small box is an amplifier, not a speaker, so it uses no power. It’s a docking station that serves to not only make your music louder but to beautify your space also.

Unlike other iPhone docks or speakers, the Bloombox is just as lovely on its own as it is when it’s doing its job. The pair behind the concept have started a Kickstarter page to raise funds for their project. Pre-order units through Kickstarter are $50, which seems like a pretty good deal for such a modern, elegant object.

The post Blooming Lovely: iPhone Amplifier Doubles as a Planter first appeared on Gajitz.