Soundflow docks use magnetic coupling to pump out smartphone tunes without cables, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

We’ve spotted a rather interesting audio solution among the madness of the CES crowds here in Vegas, and it gets bonus points for using magnets which, as well all know, lie just beneath lasers on the list of desirable science tech.

The new Soundflow technology which is gracing RCA and Acoustic Research docks uses magnetic coupling technology to ‘flow’ your smartphone’s audio to the larger dock speakers. Simply place your phone on the right spot and the fancy tech will be able to detect electronic signals before pumping your tunes out of the dock speakers. No Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi, no AirPlay, no pairing. Easy.

Working with practically any phone with a pair of speakers (though this might mean mono-only sound), it’s the simplest solution we’ve seen to an all-encompassing dock. Well, minus plugging in an audio cable that is. But who wants messy wires? Not us. Innovation and magnet technology all the way we say.

Check out more of our CES 2013 coverage

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Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home