Yes, these speakers are actually meant to be cracked open | Gadget theory

When it comes to speakers, especially laptops, you might think you’ve already seen it all. What else could the manufacturers think of innovating? Well, if you have not seen Lumio’s Teno speaker, you have not thought out of the box lately.

Lumio Teno speaker

The company, which is also known for its book-shaped folding light Lito, has followed up with another innovative design: the small and discreet Teno speaker. When you first see it, you see a small, round black speaker with a crack running down the middle, and you may ask what is so special about it. That crack is exactly that. Pull the speaker apart and you will detect a warm light inside and you will also release the sound of the speaker. The light and sound are both touch sensor adjustable.

The company’s founder, Max Gunawan, showed up Haj Tank in 2015 with his idea for the collapsible light Lit, which led to many knock offs of the product. Instead of fighting knockoffs, he actually collects them. It remains to be seen if he will do the same with the Teno speaker.

Crack Teno open to reveal light and sound

Teno seeks to emulate a nature-based and meditative mood, and the company describes it as a “modern interpretation of a sound bowl.” The exterior is made of cast resin with sand, which explains why it looks more like a sculpture as opposed to a piece of technology. Gunawan explains that his vision for it was that it “has a handmade quality instead of a typical industrial-looking product that you see everywhere.”

The Teno speaker is inspired by the Japanese concept of kintsugi, which is a practice of repairing broken pottery and painting the visible cracks gold. This aims to highlight the history of the object as opposed to throwing away everything that has broken. Teno’s “crack” reveals a golden light, and it is also lined with gold paint. Gunawan hopes the product can be timeless and break the unsustainable cycle of constant technological upgrades.

The sound and light are touch sensitive

The warm glow from the speaker is 250 lumens, which means it provides ambiance as opposed to being used as a lamp. Lumio states that the 45 mm full range driver can deliver sound for 50 to 200 square feet. The company proposes to get two Teno speakers that can be paired to achieve stereo sound.

The battery life of Teno’s lights is four hours at 100% brightness and eight hours for sound, while at 50-100% volume. It weighs about two pounds and is two inches high by a five inch in diameter. It boasts Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and also a noise canceling microphone for calls.