speakers made from recycled film canisters

Bird-Electron, the people who brought us iPod speakers made from gourds, has released another set of unique speakers for your portable media player. This time, the speakers are using recylced plastic containers from 35mm film to produce sound.

In addition to the environmentally-friendly reuse of materials, Bird-Electron Kodak Speakers don’t even need a battery to operate. Apparently, the low volume output from a headphone jack is enough to drive these little speakers. They use small mylar drivers to bounce sound into the film canisters, which then project omni-directional sound waves. I wouldn’t expect stellar audio from these, and the maker freely admits that they have a decidedly “retro” sound quality.

Until now, they’ve only been available in Japan, but thanks to gadget importer Audiocubes, you can now pick up a pair stateside. At $55 a pair, they’re not necessarily a bargain, but they sure are different.