Samsung Shape: Your Music Can Follow You Around the House

Picture coming home from your evening work commute with music playing through your headphones. Then, as soon as you walk through your door, the song you're listening begins playing from a speaker in your living room. That's what Samsung wants you to be able to do. Today, the company announced a new multi-room speaker system it's (rather strangely) called Samsung Shape. The idea is to let you listen to your music—from your phone, laptop, or any DLNA-compatible device—tether-free, anywhere you are in your home. 

The system starts with the M7 speaker, which can be set up on its own with your router (good for studio-dwellers or occupants of undersized apartments). The triangle-shaped speaker supports dual-band Wi-Fi, and is compatible at launch with a number of apps including Amazon Cloud Player, Pandora, Rhapsody, TuneIn Radio, and more. For one-to-one pairing with your smartphone, the M7 uses a Bluetooth link. Also available: NFC functionality, so you can walk over and tap your phone to the top of the M7 speaker and transfer your music. Playback control is done through a free iOS or Android app, whether you own one speaker or several of them. With multiple M7 speakers in your house, though, you need to pony up for the Samsung Hub so you can network them. 

Underneath its enclosure, the M7 features a Foam Core Woofer, carbon nanotube pulp cone mid-range speakers, and a couple of silk dome tweeters. According to Samsung, these components let the speaker deliver precise bass tones and clean mid and high ranges. 

The M7 speakers come in black and white, and you can also purchase an optional wall mount kit for $50. Samsung Shape will be available on October 13. Each M7 speaker will run you $400, while the Samsung Hub costs $50.