Bang and Olufsen has provided news to launch its Beolit 12 iPhone Speaker later this month at B&O stores and through the Apple store, which will be released under its B&O Play sub-brand that will focus on high-quality portable audio-video products. As a line geared to the “digital generation,” items will cost lower than Bang and Olufsen’s high-end audio installations, but don’t expect any huge price breaks since the items will still cost a pretty penny.

The Beolit 12 is definitely a premium portable iPhone speaker with a price tag of $799, but its specs will defend its steep price. With a full-grain Italian leather carry strap, the speaker features a sleek, minimalist design with its anodized aluminum speaker grill. It’s going to launch in a grey color scheme, but more colors will become available at a later date. Its top is finished in rubber and is supposed to be non-slip so you can place you iPhone on it with no worries of damage when charging or playing tunes. It’s AirPlay compatible. It measures in at 230 x 150 x 188mm and weighs 2.8kg.

The speaker’s insides feature a 120-Watts class D-power amplifier, two 2-inch full-range tweeters and a 4-inch woofer. Which is more than enough to fill a medium-sized room with your favorite music. It also has an internal battery that’s supposed to provide 8-hours of playback (with wireless switched off) and charge your iPhone (or iPod) via a USB port hidden down the side.

The Beolit 12 is designed to be portable so comes with an internal battery that is said to give you 8-hours of playback (with wireless switched off) and will charge your iPhone (or other device) thanks to a USB port hidden down the side.

This is B&O’s iPod/iPhone dock.  It costs a mind altering $1,400, though that is based off the UK price of £900.  Still though, this is an earth shattering price, especially when you consider every other iPod Dock speaker system on the market today.

The discs are in fact the speakers and can each pump out 70 watts of juice, which is damn impressive given their size.  If the iPhone isn’t your main mode of audio playback there is also a USB plug, AUX headphone input and the ability to stream tunes “using the Apple Airport Express”.  Seriously? Like we didn’t know that you could stream tunes over Apple’s Airport Express?

Despite its small size, you’ll need to plug this overpriced piece of kit into the wall to get it running.  But if that caveat is too much for you, perhaps you’ll take solace in knowing that it can come in black in addition to a white finish. The speaker grills that can be switched out with different colors for added individualism. Word is that you can control it using a B&O phone – does anyone even own one of those – and there is a remote, which is pictured here sitting in the device.  Lastly, there is a “manual room adaptation switch with 3 positions which allows it to be placed anywhere without compromising the sound performance”.

Expect it to hit store shelves in the UK this November.  No word on a US price or release date.

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Bang & Olufsen are renowned as creators of super-stylish, super expensive audio systems. The BeoLab 11 subwoofer is their latest effort, and its definitely not lacking in the design department. The system consists of two 6.5-inch drivers that can play frequencies below 300Hz, with 200W of bass pumping it out. It will be available in either white or silver anodized aluminum, with blue, gold, and red to follow later in the year. I need to hear the bassline from Pink Floyd’s “Money” on this thing.

The BeoLab 11 will be available in mid-May starting at $2,000.

Bang & Olufsen Announces New BeoLab 11 Subwoofer

Combining excellent bass performance with unconventional design and versatile placement possibilities

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., April 14 /PRNewswire/ — Bang & Olufsen, the Danish manufacturer of high-end audio and video products, launches its newest audio solution – the BeoLab 11 subwoofer. BeoLab 11 features a modest size but delivers amazing bass quality nonetheless. With BeoLab 11, Bang & Olufsen is introducing an entirely new look into the subwoofer category. In spite of its strong sculptural presence, it has a discreet presence which makes it easy to integrate into any home environment while maintaining a design-conscious appeal.

The unique acoustic design of BeoLab 11 allows it to be placed on the floor, in a corner, or mounted on the wall. Due to its minimal vibrations, it is one of the very few subwoofers in the world that can be mounted on a wall. With its interesting sculptural design, customers will likely prefer to put BeoLab 11 on display instead of hiding it behind a sofa.

“We are very happy to introduce BeoLab 11,” states Zean Nielsen, President of Bang & Olufsen America. “This product is so versatile with a very unique design that will appeal to a vast array of customers.”

Powerful bass wrapped in aesthetic discretion

Based on Bang & Olufsen’s renowned sound competences, BeoLab 11 offers enhanced sound experience and outstanding acoustic performance. BeoLab 11 represents a significant addition to the bass experience in any small to medium loudspeaker setup, adding low frequencies from 300 Hz and down.

BeoLab 11 is composed of two identical loudspeaker cabinets with baffles facing each other. The outer shells are made of aluminum and easily pop on and off for color customization. The concept is based on two 6 1/2″ drivers with electronics making BeoLab 11 fully active and suitable for both Bang & Olufsen and third party applications.

Utilizing the Acoustic Balance Principle for the first time in a Bang & Olufsen subwoofer, BeoLab 11 features uncompromising bass performance with minimal vibrations. It adds a presence to surround sound systems and reveals the subtle nuances of one’s favorite music tracks.

Placement flexibility

Due to the omni-directional properties of the bass, the performance is not dependent on the product’s orientation; therefore BeoLab 11 can be ‘rotated’ as wished when positioned on the floor.

“Thanks to its acoustic principle, which reduces vibrations normally experienced from a subwoofer to a minimum, BeoLab 11 can be placed either on the floor or it can be hung on a wall – and it will offer great performance in both positions. Hanging a subwoofer on the wall is quite unorthodox. However, in many home environments this may be the preferred placement, as it will be possible to hide the cables and it will free up floor space,” states Michael Jensen, Product Manager Bang & Olufsen.

Rediscover your music collection

By adding a BeoLab 11 to a simple stereo setup, one will experience things in his or her CD collection that were never noticeable before. This is because many audio CDs contain bass information that is not possible to reproduce with smaller loudspeakers as they do not cover the entire frequency range.

BeoLab 11 produces a richer sound not only in the bass area but also in the other frequency areas as it takes over smaller loudspeakers’ reproduction of the lower frequencies. This means that all capacity in the smaller speakers can be used to handle upper bass, midrange and treble.

BeoLab 11 will be available in all North American showroom locations by mid-May 2010. Color options upon launch will include silver anodized aluminum and painted white. Shortly following, it will be offered in black, dark grey, red, blue, and golden anodized aluminum. MSRP ranges from $1997 to $2574 depending on color and mounting options.

Bang & Olufsen have a reputation for making incredibly stylish (and expensive) products, and their new 46-inch BeoVision 10 HDTV is certainly no exception. It features a LED-based, 240Hz LCD panel as well as motion compensation technologies that will add the smooth video feel companies like to tout nowadays. They claim that it’s the slimmest flat screen they’ve ever created.

Once it’s available this summer, this thing is going to set you back a staggering 54,990 DKK ( $9,940 dollars). So, whose waiting in line first?

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I must say, the BeoCom5 does look pretty, but will anyone actually buy it?  Probably not since it will probably cost an arm and a leg.  But before you poopoo this relic of a landline device, consider that it can also work with IP telephone systems and includes some new fangled speakerphone that doubles as a dock for the handset (pic after the ‘leap’).  Other features include DECT 6 connectivity, 400 person contact and 100 hour standby time.

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Would you pay $8000+ for a 40-inch LCD TV, even if it was uber cool and sleek?  Hell no!  But for some reason B&O thinks you will…well, thinks someone with an ass load of moola will.  The BeoVision 10 LCD TV measures 40-inches in size, has a 120hz refresh rate, rocks a full HD picture, a built-in speaker system and a brushed aluminum frame.  Yup, that’s all they’ve got to offer for what is the equivalent price of a decent car.

Worthless video after the ‘leap’

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Bang & Olufsen have long been known for their unconventional approach to product design, but no other product in the company’s history has been as unusual as the BeoTime.  Taking the shape of a flute, it features 3 monochrome displays that can be controlled by a square directional pad.  Function wise the BeoTime can be programmed to turn on and off your lights, TV and sound system at set times and also serve as a sleep timer for those that like to lull themselves to sleep with the sound of TV or radio.  Alternatively, the BeoTime also features a built-in chime to wake you up in the morning and a motion sensor that will not only activate its display when moved, but orientate the displays according to how it’s held.

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Word just came through that the Samsung Trance will launch on April 24th and will retail for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and 2-year contract signing.  Our partner site wrote about the Trance a few weeks ago and showed off some leaked images as well as the aforementioned launch date.  Now we’ve got the official press shots and specs for your perusal.

Verizon is billing the handset as a music phone and rightfully so since it includes Bang & Olufsen’s ICEpower amp.  It features touchpad navigation, 1GB of storage expandable via microSD card slot, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP, CDMA dual band (800/1900 MHz), 2.1-inch (176×200) screen, 3.5mm headphone jack, 300 hour talk time and is finished in Piano Black or Electric Red.

Bang & Olufsen is set to release a 40-inch version of their BeoVision8 LCD TV.  Originally available in just a 26-inch and 32-inch version, the 40-inch BeoVision8 sports a 100hz refresh rate, 1920×1080 resolution, 6ms response time, 3000:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 brightness and an anti-glare screen.  Integrated directly into the TV is a downward facing subwoofer and front facing speakers that have been tuned for the “reproduction of human speech”.

Although B&O alludes to the set’s affordable price they make no mention of it.  Release date is unknown as well.

[Bang&Olufsen]

And the leaks this week just keep on flowing.  What we’ve got here is the Samsung M7600.  Putting aside its unremarkable UI, the handset, which bears a very close resemblance to the Helio Ocean, includes a 2.8-inch AMOLED, touchscreen, media player, 3MP camera, and a couple of additional features you just wouldn’t expect: a DJ scratching app of some sort and audio powered by Bang and Olufsen.  The phone is expected in May, but like all the other leaks we’ve seen this week you’ll probably see it at the Mobile World Congress.

[Dailymobile]

Ignoring any ‘murmurs’ of an economic crisis, Bang and Olufsen introduced their latest high end home audio component today, the BeoSound 5.  The BeoSound 5 is a 10.4″ LCD (1024×768) home media center finished in the most opulent of materials and running Windows XP.  The system is supported by the Beomaster 5 – not to be confused with the Beastmaster – which is essentially a 500GB hard drive for storing the media (movies, music and photos) of your choice.  Controlling the BeoSound 5 is as simple as rotating the aluminum scroll wheel or clicking a button on the Beo4 or Beo5 remote.  Inputs and outputs run the gamut and includes HDMI, DVI, component, USB and others.

The BeoSound 5 will launch in March 2009 for £3,500 (about $5,300).

Official product page here

[Thanks, Mark]