Rumour has it that later this year we are all going to be heavily involved in supporting England's football team in its efforts to make progress towards World Cup glory and the financial rewards it will bring.  No doubt many will be seen wearing the appropriate football shirt and sporting rosettes and the like while waving flags and decorating their cars and homes.  Of course there will be more than enough opportunities for everybody to immerse themselves in the whole media circus of television, radio, newspapers, Internet sites and mobile phone delivered data.  Die-hard fans can even show their national loyalty by adding a pair of World Cup speakers to their audio set up.

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These speakers are, in fact, a pair of K1000 portable speakers that have been decorated with the national emblem in the form of a cross of St. George positioned above the word "England".  Adopting the clam shell design, which makes it look like a mobile phone that has been on steroids, this speaker set can open out by approximately 170° to deliver its 2 watts of output power.  The speaker system can derive its power from a choice of 3 x AA batteries, giving up to 22 hours of playing time; via a USB connection to a computer; or a 6 volt AC/DC adapter.  While the batteries and USB lead are included in the box, you will need to provide your own power lead.

You can attach this speaker set to any device, such as an MP3 / CD / or iPod, that has a 3.5mm earphone socket using a permanently attached 27cm lead.  When not in use this lead can fit into a channel or gutter running around the left speaker.  The left speaker also houses volume and power controls plus a small LED light indicating when the power is turned on.

In its closed state, the K1000 speaker system measures 131 x 81 x 54mm (W x H x D) with the width expanding to 250mm when opened.  Although the two speakers are attached to each other, they are still capable of delivery clear sound.  The speakers make use of dynamic active sound separation to help deceive the ears into accepting the output as true stereo.  The results are perfectly acceptable although Hi-Fi enthusiasts would not agree.  A soft travel pouch is provided for storing the speaker set and USB lead when not in use but it would have been useful for the pouch to have a belt loop to help when transporting the speakers.

For those looking for a portable speaker system or want a useful souvenir of the 2006 World Cup then this product will be available for purchase online at www.minispeakers.com or by telephoning 01428-727003.  They will cost £24.99 plus package and postage.

http://www.minispeakers.co.uk/shop/detail.php4?id=00158