Sabine iPad Sound Amplifier Kickstarter Campaign

Many people have asked me what gadgets and other things I bring with me while roaming around the world. That's how the Inside My Backpack series was born. I do not write reviews - there are plenty of other places for that. Instead, I try point out the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly about stuff I have actually bought and used on my journeys. The intent is to give you something to think about for your own travel kit. However, today is a little different.

I present you Sabine by 7decibels - an elegant sound amplifier for iPad musicholics out there:

A good friend of mine has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring this seemingly-simple solution to the problem of iPad's rear-facing speakers to the masses.

Essentially, it is a small aluminum piece that attaches to the back of an iPad and acts as a "cup" reflecting the sound back at you for a better listening experience.

Now, I am no sound expert. In fact, I can rarely tell a difference between a 128kbps .mp3 file and a losless .aac encoding of a song. Nor do I spend more than $10 on the headphones while I travel. Heck, I do not even have an iPad!

So why am I writing about Sabine?

First of all, the idea behind this makes total sense and is basic physics! Reflecting sound waves towards the listener is bound to produce a better experience.

Furthermore, 7decibels co-founder Aleksey is a good friend and a great engineer. While still studying aerospace engineering in college, this guy has essentially designed an entire float plane by himself! And I am not talking about a CAD or and RC model. I mean an actual freaking airplane! A Norwegian company is currently building a prototype based on his design.

So while Sabine might not employ many rocket science concepts, it has been designed and engineered by a rocket scientist. I am confident that those that travel with their iPad would appreciate this little gadget!

I will shut up now. Go check out their cool Kickstarter video and consider supporting them if you like the idea. I have already chipped in even though I do not own an iPad.