Cellphones and palmtop organisers can now play louder ring tones and MP3 music with less drain on the batteries, thanks to a new way of radiating sound from the screen. Tiny speakers sound tinny and only produce a narrow beam of sound in one direction, says Matsushita of Japan, which makes Panasonic cellphones. And while clamping a small speaker directly onto the glass panel can make the whole panel vibrate back and forth—spreading the sound more widely—energy is wasted because the sound waves also travel sideways through the solid panel. Panasonic’s answer is its Sound Window technology, which uses a…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Earth
Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth
News

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?
News

Humans
Elite Maya people had teeth placed in a cave far from their tombs
News

Mind
Parenting may permanently improve brain health for mums and dads
Features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
2
Unapproved gene therapy for boosting longevity is set to go on sale
3
New-to-science spider builds trap that flings ants into the air
4
Faecal transplant makes the brains of old mice act young again
5
How some people's brains make an extraordinary recovery from stroke
6
Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth
7
‘Fusogenic’ neurosurgery let paralysed pigs walk again – are we next?
8
SpaceX's secretive plans to deliver cargo to Earth from space
9
Most portable air conditioners suck – but there's an easy fix
10
Parenting may permanently improve brain health for mums and dads