Parrot hatches Philippe Starck-designed Wi-Fi speakers with Bluetooth, iPod dock

From Parrot and celebrity designer Philippe Starck come a new pair of wireless speakers that is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, as well as featuring a built-in iPod/iPhone dock. You'll pay for the convenience and designer name when the Zikmu speakers become available next spring: $1,500, to be exact.

The 2.5-feet-tall speakers use Bluetooth to communicate with one another; you can also stream music from a Bluetooth device. The Zikmu set will also stream music from your computer over wireless networks via its built-in Wi-Fi chip. The dock is compatible with the latest generation of iPods and iPhone, and doubles as a charging station for Apple's portable devices. While a remote control is included, it's unclear if you'll be able to control playback of tracks from your PC or Mac; if you can't and the speakers are in a different room from your computer, you'll be playing music blindly.

Parrot claims that the Zikmu speaker design will provide 360-degree immersive sound, thanks to an extra-flat membrane that creates small-scale vibrations that supposedly improve mid-range and treble reproduction Or, in Starck's technical parlance, "There is actually a three-dimensional feel to this vibration, meaning that the air is palpable, almost humanlike in presence, like a fragrance." We'll have to wait a few more months to see just how "fragrant" the Zikmu's performance is, but if you're the type who doesn't think twice about buying a Starck-designed toilet (yes, they exist), then this may be the speaker system for you.