A rather unique idea...it is not o­nly a subwoofer for laptops that gets power from the USB, it can double as a single speaker. And the cable is retractable.

MIB Ltd. will begin selling the "KOBOSE" laptop-use active subwoofer o­n December 24th. Though listed as Open Price, indicators suggest it to be around 4,280 yen.

At the initial December 24th release, 5 models will be available: black (-BLA), red (-RED), orange (-ORA), green (-GRE), and (-BKU). However, after that, production will be limited to the black models.

The KOBOSE is connected to the notebook PC's headphone output port, and produces low bass sounds; it is a portable active subwoofer. Even when connected to the headphone port, sound will still come out of the notebook's speakers - the subwoofer is meant to be used in conjunction with them. It cannot be used with mono headphone outputs.

Also, at the flip of a switch, it can become a mono full-range speaker. When in subwoofer mode, the operating frequencies are from 65-700Hz, and when in full-range mode, it will operate from 140Hz-18kHz. Output is 2W. Volume control is o­n the main KOBOSE unit. It does not have magnetic interference protection.

It includes a stereo mini cable, and though power comes from the PC's USB port, it is not a USB audio device. The cable length is 50cm, and winds inside of the KOBOSE itself. The external dimensions are 120x42mm (Dia x Thick), and it weighs a total of 240 grams.