Wireless speakers are incredibly handy, at least until they run out of battery life right in the middle of your favorite song. Lemon California — self-described as the “Tesla of audio” — is looking to make sure that never happens with its new solar-powered speaker.
Dubbed the California Roll, the speaker is currently a hit on Kickstarter. The company has already passed its $100,000 goal with more than a week left in the campaign. It seems that users are as excited about the prospect of a high-quality, solar-powered speaker as company founder Vincent Dupontreué is.
“One morning, I realized how much I hated the hassle of cords and cables from all of my electronic devices, especially when I travel,” Dupontreué said in a statement. “For the typical businessman, I am traveling all of the time, and often will go places that do not have the same outlet to charge my electronics. I realized that this burden could be relieved with the use of solar power on any of these devices.”
For connectivity, the California Roll relies on Bluetooth 4.1, and offers easy pairing thanks to NFC. In addition to keeping you supplied with an endless supply of your favorite tunes, the speaker also features a built-in microphone for both speakerphone and the included voice recognition features.
Lemon claims roughly 20 hours of battery life for the speaker, though this is at 50 percent volume. In a nice touch, the speaker also includes a USB port in order to charge your mobile devices on the go. This is always a plus in speakers, but the ability to effectively double as a solar-powered charger is a major point in the California Roll’s favor. Charge time is stated as roughly 4.5 hours via Micro USB, or 7.5 hours when using the solar charging feature.
The speaker is powered by a two-channel 10 watt amplifier powering a total of three drivers with a frequency range of 60Hz to 22kHz. Lemon California mentions a 3D sound effect that is enhanced when using two California Roll speakers in tandem for full stereo, though we haven’t had a chance to hear the speaker, so can’t comment on how exactly the effect comes across.
The Lemon California Roll will eventually retail for $250, but those who back the Kickstarter campaign have a chance to grab it for less. Many of the early bird specials are already gone, but the Kickstarter price for one speaker is $200, while a two-pack can be had for $390. Looking for even more? A pack of four goes for $760, while users can buy 55 at once for a mere $10,000.
As mentioned earlier, the campaign has already successfully been funded, but those willing to brave the risks of crowdfunding in order for a lower price have until August 25 in order to jump on board. See the Kickstarter campaign page for more details.
