What's in the box?
The cube is perhaps the most perfect polyhedron, second only to the sphere as possibly the most perfect form known to man: in the past few days alone, we've seen new ways to make them and new ways to inhabit them. Similarly, I've noticed that a handful of recent Kickstarter projects—specifically, iPhone accessories for a target market at the ever-growing intersection of smartphone-toting urban professional and space-saving citydweller—have adopted the highly symmetrical form factor.
It should comes as no surprise that the "1Q" Bluetooth speaker by Vers Audio (a.k.a. David Laituri) has been hyped to the effect that they've raised nearly 20 times their $10,000 funding goal with less than a day to go. It takes the shape of a 3” wooden cube that acts as a miniature speaker cabinet to produce "warm, surprisingly natural sound" via a Bluetooth or wired source. They can be paired for true stereo capability, and the 10-hour charge comes via USB (of course).
I'm curious to actually hear it myself, but I can see the appeal: it's a perfectly understated portable speaker that would be useful in any social setting. Backers can pre-order a standard bamboo or walnut 1Q for roughly 20% off the $119 MSRP (the KS limited-edition in red beech is slightly more expensive), and Laituri & co. have promised earbuds for $180+ backers as an additional incentive in the final push to cross the $20K mark in these last 20-odd hours.
If the name '1Q' is a subtle reference to the cube, an eponymous iPhone dock might be considered as an equally subtle homage to the iconic flagship store, a transparent 100%-polycarbonate desktop dock that's roughly the size of a teacup. Unfortunately, KC Lee's "Cube" fell short of didn't make the cut, garnering two-thirds of the $70,000 funding goal by the deadline earlier this week.
Savvy smartphone users know the old trick of placing the device in a cup or bowl to amplify the unsatisfactory speakers of handheld electronics, a physical limitation of an object that fits comfortably in one's pocket. The "Cube," then, is a refinement of the makeshift vessel, with a compartment in the base to accommodate the charging cable.
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