Aether – a new San-Fransisco based hardware and software company set up by former Nokia, Google and Apple employees – has launched the Cone wireless speaker as its first product.
The Aether Cone is, first and foremost, a music player that the company says will learn what you like to listen to, when, and where. A computer or mobile device is required for the initial setup, but after this, the Cone runs by itself.
It connects to your home wi-fi network and then to a streaming music service of choice, although details of which services are compatible haven't been announced yet. You'll also be able to send music via AirPlay.
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The Cone has just one control – a dial. Turn it, and it will instantly play music it thinks you'll like, podcasts or Internet Radio. A turn to the right will go the next track, to the left will repeat the song you were listening to, and a complete turn will change the artist or genre entirely.
The Aether Cone features a 3-inch woofer and a dual tweeter design for stereo sound, a Class D amplifier and an ARM Cortex-A9 1GHz processor. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery, which claims to offer up to 8 hours of playback.
The Aether Cone will be available later in 2014 for $399. It will initially be available in a Black/Copper finish with a White and Silver model expected at a later date.
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