It's a Handbag. It's a Speaker. We Love it! - Chip Chick

Sometimes, tech companies try to tout how ‘stylish’ their gadgets are, and maybe sometimes they have it right. But, it’s hard to beat a company that is building their gadgets from the ground up to be striking fashion accessories that you’ll want to be seen with. That’s what Acoustic Research is doing.

What you see above and below aren’t handbags, even though they certainly look the part. They’re wireless Bluetooth speakers done up in the guise of handbags, complete with leather detailing and a design that evokes the tufted look you might find on any number of high-end bags. No, the speaker (called AR for Her) isn’t doing double duty – no storage space here – but it’s enough to make you wonder whether or not an actual handbag-speaker is too far off.

The speaker itself connects wirelessly to mobile devices within a 30 foot range. It can be used as a speakerphone, and there are play, pause, track back, track forward, and volume controls right on the speaker itself. There’s a removable carrying strap that keeps up the handbag aesthetic, and battery life is fairly good at about eight hours.

More styles might be coming in the future, but for now Acoustic Research is making tufted black and tufted white models, along with models sporting pink polka dots and leopard print. Those four will be released as a spring 2014 collection next year, but we don’t have any information on pricing yet.