The clock radio used to be as ubiquitous as, well, clocks. With the explosion in smart phone sales and more advanced forms of alarm clocks as well as more advanced home audio systems, though, they’ve fallen by the wayside. A new project on Kickstarter aims to bring this familiar paradigm back, while also updating it to meet modern expectations.
The GGMM E3 Smart Cloud Speaker — not to be confused with the videogame convention — is a home audio speaker with a ton of wireless connectivity options. The difference between this speaker and most of its type is that while the E3 can be used with phones and other devices, it doesn’t need them, as it can play music all on its own.
Users can quickly connect via Bluetooth or the auxiliary input to play a few songs, but the E3 also uses Wi-Fi to play music on its own, with multiple services like Spotify, Tidal, and Pandora among those supported, and controlled using the GGMM E Series app. The speaker also features a clock, built-in alarm, and USB port for charging your mobile devices.
While a lot of speakers focus on being as big as possible to provide full sound, the E3 takes a different approach in order to accommodate its goal of fitting easily on a bedside table or kitchen counter. The speaker claims 40 watts of power and uses a 2.5-inch full-range driver in addition to a 3-inch passive radiator for bass. That may not sound exactly like an audio powerhouse, but that’s why this speaker is designed to use teamwork.
Two E3 speakers can be paired for stereo operation, but it doesn’t stop there. “We have designed GGMM E3 with the ability to connect not just with one other E3 speaker, but with as many as you want,” a GGMM representative told Digital Trends. “Connect three or four or even six E3 speakers together to create powerful Hi-Fi sound using Left/Right channel play for each.” This likely won’t replace a Sonos, but it’s also a whole lot more affordable.
The E3 will eventually sell for $100, but the campaign is offering early bird deals that allow backers to grab it for less. 300 backers will be able to pick up an E3 for $80, while 1,000 are available for $90. Two units can be had for as little as $160, while $600 will see backers getting a total of six E3 speakers as well as two pairs of Alauda headphones and a spot in the Hall of Fame on the GGMM website.
There are no stretch goals for the time being, but once the campaign is funded, that could change quickly. “We cannot release all the details right now, but we are thinking about possible new colors or additional customization possibilities,” GGMM said. “We are also very open to hearing what backers want and encourage them to leave comments with any stretch goal ideas on our page.”
The campaign for the GGMM E3 just kicked off earlier this week and has already pulled in a quarter of its $20,000 goal. The campaign doesn’t end until May 5, so there’s plenty of time to head over to the Kickstarter page and back the E3 if it seems like your home needs one (or a few) of them.
