SoundBender is the brainchild that sprung forth from the creative mind of Moshe Weiss of Simply Amazinc, a start-up based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moshe set up a KickStarter campaign soliciting funding for his unique product. With a goal to get things running, backers from all over have almost tripled the amount of the requested goal. Needless to say, there are many people who believe in this gem of a gadget, and I’m one of them.

What Does It Do?
Have you ever struggled to hear the sound coming from your iPad 2? While the speakers are pretty loud, they face away from the screen as they are located at the back of the iPad 2. The SoundBender attaches to your iPad 2, and amplifies the sound emanating from your speaker by redirecting it, or “bending” it back to.

It’s a smart-looking, light-weight device that snugly attaches along your iDevice by way of plastic arms that hold onto your unit. It requires no power to use and is sturdy and looks pretty slick. It comes in a variety of colors for you to choose from for those of you who (like me) are into mixing and matching accessory colors to your device and/or case.

Features and Recommendations
The SoundBender comes with arms that have magnetic clips for a more secure hold, as well as arms that come with no magnets included. I’ve tried both versions, and both not only held steadfastly, there was no reduction in the sound quality.

I was able to experiment using a couple of cases, namely the Yaboo leather case and the Saddleback Leather Case. Yaboo has pinholes in the speaker area of its cases. The SoundBender would not fit over the casing and I would have to remove the case in order to use the device. Ironically, even though the Saddleback leather case is much thicker than the Yaboo, I was able to attach the SoundBender without any problems. This is because the Saddleback case has a cut-out over the speaker area allowing users to insert the SoundBender in the available opening.

Perhaps future versions of SoundBender could include an adjustable arm that expands or contracts and locks into place, in order to meet the varying sizes of the myriad cases on the market. This would definitely meet the demands of more people with cases, broadening the target SoundBender audience. However, in its current form, it does a great job of improving the overall listening experience.

Conclusion
Simply Amazinc has produced an essential, must-have accessory that is sure to please everyone who has ever wished that the sounds coming from the back of their iPad 2 could be enhanced and amplified. With the SoundBender, the nuanced sounds from your games or songs you may have missed because of the position of the speaker, or you simply didn’t have your headphones with you, can now be better heard with a compact and sleek, power-free device that bends the sound back to you, for a more enriching listening experience. The SoundBender is innovative, intuitive and flat-out impressive!

• Rating (1-10): 10
• What I Enjoyed: Compact and portable, yet powerful and practical.
• What Could Be Better: The accessory doesn’t fit over some cases
• Price: $15 base price with more options to show your support. Please see the website for more pricing details.

For more information and to contribute to this project, visit the Simply Amazinc Kickstarter project website.

Format

SoundBender is the brainchild that sprung forth from the creative mind of Moshe Weiss of Simply Amazinc, a start-up based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moshe set up a KickStarter campaign soliciting funding for his unique product. With a goal of $4,500 to get things running, backers from all over have almost tripled the amount of the requested goal. Needless to say, there are many people who believe in this gem of a gadget, and I’m one of them.

What Does It Do?
Have you ever struggled to hear the sound coming from your iPad 2? While the speakers are pretty loud, they face away from the screen as they are located at the back of the iPad 2. The SoundBender attaches to your iPad 2, and amplifies the sound emanating from your speaker by redirecting it, or “bending” it back to.

It’s a smart-looking, light-weight device that snugly attaches along your iDevice by way of plastic arms that hold onto your unit. It requires no power to use and is sturdy and looks pretty slick. It comes in a variety of colors for you to choose from for those of you who (like me) are into mixing and matching accessory colors to your device and/or case.

Features and Recommendations
The SoundBender comes with arms that have magnetic clips for a more secure hold, as well as arms that come with no magnets included. I’ve tried both versions, and both not only held steadfastly, there was no reduction in the sound quality.

I was able to experiment using a couple of cases, namely the Yaboo leather case and the Saddleback Leather Case. Yaboo has pinholes in the speaker area of its cases. The SoundBender would not fit over the casing and I would have to remove the case in order to use the device. Ironically, even though the Saddleback leather case is much thicker than the Yaboo, I was able to attach the SoundBender without any problems. This is because the Saddleback case has a cut-out over the speaker area allowing users to insert the SoundBender in the available opening.

Perhaps future versions of SoundBender could include an adjustable arm that expands or contracts and locks into place, in order to meet the varying sizes of the myriad cases on the market. This would definitely meet the demands of more people with cases, broadening the target SoundBender audience. However, in its current form, it does a great job of improving the overall listening experience.

Conclusion
Simply Amazinc has produced an essential, must-have accessory that is sure to please everyone who has ever wished that the sounds coming from the back of their iPad 2 could be enhanced and amplified. With the SoundBender, the nuanced sounds from your games or songs you may have missed because of the position of the speaker, or you simply didn’t have your headphones with you, can now be better heard with a compact and sleek, power-free device that bends the sound back to you, for a more enriching listening experience. The SoundBender is innovative, intuitive and flat-out impressive!
Rating (1-10): 10
What I Enjoyed: Compact and portable, yet powerful and practical.
What Could Be Better: The accessory doesn’t fit over some cases
Price: $15 base price with more options to show your support. Please see the website for more pricing details.
For more information and to contribute to this project, visit the Simply Amazinc Kickstarter project website.
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