Looks like Columbia Sportswear designed a complete range of technology enhanced outfit for the 2009/10 winter season.

First we had the heated boots Bugathermo for men and Snow Hottie for women.

Then, Columbia launched the heated jackets Radiance for women and the Refugium Jacket for men to stay comfy warm during outdoor adventures.

The latest soft technology product I found is the Super Charger™ backpack, big and rugged enough to hold your skiing, snowboarding, hiking or climbing needs.

The twist: it includes a complete sound system with water resistant stereo speakers as well as a cool, illuminated soft keypad for audio device control on the shoulder strap.

The integrated amplifier drives the 2 speaker in the shoulder straps which allows you to listen to your action tunes while out and about. The keypad gives control to the audio player from the packs outside, keeping your precious player safely stored inside the pack away from scratches, pumps, rain or snow.

Available in the colors Citrus or Black for $125.- on various online stores or directly via Columbia’s site.

I wonder what will come next from Columbia Sportswear’s techno range.

There are time you don’t want to use earphones or the use of earphone present a higher risk of accident which is the case in areas one has to be aware of his/her surroundings.

UK based Noisebag has jumped on the trend of boom bags and launched a range of Noisebags with integrated stereo speakers in the shoulder strap.

Targeted towards the cycling, walking, skateboarding and similar action/adventure folks, the Noisebags connect to any iPod, MP3 and MP4 player via a 3.5mm audio jack.

The on-bag amplifier, powered by 4 AA batteries, pumps out your tunes while enjoying whatever action your are emerged into.

The Noisebag’s audio design is exceptionally good looking, the speaker integration as well as the pocket for the audio player and the control of the music-amplifier well positioned together in easy reach of the shoulder strop.

Noisebag has to offer two of ‘mid’ and ‘big’ with a color selection of Orange, Pink, Blue and Camo. Available for £29.99 (around $47.40) via their online store.

[via: Shiny Shiny]

Sharper Image made headlines earlier this year by announcing the closure of their stores and reinvent them as a ‘brand’ rather than a retailer, leveraging the familiarity of its name to market products via retail partners.

One of their first products is the SoundBag, a top-of-the-line backpack ‘designed to transform the listening experience for commuters, travelers and digital music lovers’.

Portable audio devices connect via the standard 3.5mm earphone connector to the SoundBag. The player pocket has a transparent window and is located in the shoulder strap making the control of the player easy accessible.

A practical placement and better than having to hold a player or taking it out of the bag although for a quick change of tunes but a soft keypad in the shoulder strap would be cooler.

The flat panel speaker module contains also the audio part and battery holder and is detachable allowing the use of the speaker system as standalone solution when a quick audio presentation or party is coming up. The three AA batteries that drive the speaker offer around 8-10 hours of playback – good enough for almost a day of presenting or partying.

A word of caution: I haven’t tested this particular SoundBag but from comparable products tested before, I know that the soft, flat speaker technology is not able to produce low frequencies that give the ‘boom’ conventional boom-box are able to produce. Keep in mind this SoundBag like the other sound bags on the market will not give groovy party sound but decent enough for ‘in between’ listening.

The Sharper Image Sound Bag retails for $99.- in the colors black, blue and pink and is available for example by Macy’s online shop or other major retailers in the US.

Targus® Inc., maker of top-selling laptop computer cases and accessories, added a boom-bag for the corporate folks looking for a unique way to spice up the often ‘grey’ business world.

The Sonic Corporate Backpack is an all-in-one kit optimized for audio presentations. The sound comes from a NXT stereo speaker zipped to the front and produces loud, clear audio from most music sources, including notebooks.

When audio is needed for a presentation, the speaker can be detached to reveal a foldable stand, a smart idea as the backpack does not have to stay in front of your presentation. 3x AA batteries give playback time for hours.

While on the road to the next meeting you can turn up the tunes to energize or relax – just watch out if the people around you share your musical taste. While on a business trip, the Sonic Corporate Backpack let’s you listen in the hotel room to your favorite tunes form any MP3 or notebook without the need for earphones.

Made from a lightweight and durable nylon with scratch-resistant lining, the backpack has an internal notebook holder, pocket for MP3 players, and enough space for all other office essentials.

All in all, bags with integrated speaker like the Sonic Corporate Backpack do offer great value when it comes to the need for a quickly set up, simple but still very reasonable sounding audio system in the corporate as well in the leisure world.

The Sonic Corporate Backpack is available from authorized Targus retailers across Europe for a suggested retail price of € 99,90 ($ 147.20)

Using earphones for too long can be painful and you might wish to have an alternative. The Audio Pack from SkullCandy might be something you want to have a look at when you shop around for the back-to-school gear. Skullcandy’s 2008 Audio Packs come in 3 different color ways with improved audio system for advanced sound quality.

The Audio Pack let’s you control on/off, track forward/back, and volume functions of any iPod from a touch pad on the shoulder strap. The best feature on the Audio Pack is the integrated sound coming from two 60mm waterproof speakers hidden in the shoulder straps, giving you the choice of listening to your tunes without the need of earphones.

SkullCandy’s shoulder strap speakers are still more of an personal sound system unlike other boom bag types which are comparable to the 80s boom box trend.

External speakers might be good at some times to give your ears a break from prolonged use of earphones but it might not be a good idea if you are among other members of the society who might not share your musical taste.

SkullCanby’s new range is available on their online store for $129.95 but we have found some places on the Interweb where you can get them for just $99.99 check it out here, here or here.

Get you iPod loaded, put all your stuff in the Audio Pack and back-to-school doesn’t look as bad as usually.

[via: ChipChick]

REEBOK, a top name when it comes to sport apparel and fashion is joining the list of brands who add interactivity to their products.

Reebok’s first product in the Interactive Fashion segment is the NXT Speaker Backpack featuring a complete stereo sound system seamless integrated in a cool backpack design in Reebok’s signature style.

The NXT flat panel stereo speaker at the bottom of the bag blends into the design while delivering impressive audio quality powered by 2x AA batteries from any device connected via the 3.5mm audio jack.

Personally I like the use of the NXT speaker technology when adding sound into bags as it allows a ‘soft’ integration using the bags ‘natural’ materials such as EVA for the speaker membrane. Whit NXT technology there is no need of any additional or different material that would make bags or backpacks look geek like.

NXT’s flat-panel speaker technology transforms the backpack itself into a speaker for portable devices and even a laptop.

Reebok’s NXT Speaker Backpack is tough enough to withstand harsh conditions of school, business and travel.

The Reebok NXT Speaker Backpack is available at this UK online store for £69.99 ($ 136.77) but online for shop pick up at the moment. There are a couple of online retailers from Germany that sell it online for €129,90 ($ 201.-) like this online store.

It is a pleasant surprise to see such a low price at the launch of the Reebok NXT Speaker Backpack. Style and function wise the Reebok is similar to Quiksilver’s NXT sound backpacks which come for a very steep price of $ 500.- and more.

Getting the price of sound enabled BoomBags to a more ‘tolerable’ range will help to bring this product concept to a larger audience. The uses are manyfold: music can be enjoyed without earphones (where appropriate), have a ‘real’ sound background for a quick PSP or DS game or a magic sound system for presentations ‘on the road’.