A couple of former Google employees have launched a new product called Beep. It is a WiFi device that allows you to stream music to any existing speaker systems with a line-in. The device, which carries a fairly small footprint and consists of one large volume dial, is set to launch this Fall with full Pandora integration.
Beep was started by former Googlers CEO Daniel Conrad and co-founder Shawn Lewis. Conrad worked on the Nexus Team at Google and Lewis worked on the search giant's platform team.
While there are a number of other connected audio systems available like the popular Sonos solutions, Beep isn't interested in its own app or developing its own speakers and instead will focus on connecting your existing and future set-ups with popular audio streaming services.
While Pandora may be the only service available now, the company will certainly be looking to add Spotify and other popular services down the line. Conrad said the company plans to "integrate with everybody over time," and that Pandora is just the first. Hopefully by the time the device ships, the company will have added more services to its roster.
Beep is also looking beyond its hardware dial device and towards integrating the technology directly into speaker systems. While this solution works great for those that grabbed a nice sound system before streaming really took off, in the future many consumers will be looking for fully connected speakers right out of the box. Conrad and Lewis are attempting to establish Beep as a platform as much as a transitional piece of hardware and have already been approaching manufacturers to integrate the Beep WiFi tech in speakers right off the factory line.
Beep is set to ship in Fall 2014 at a price of $149, but the company is offering $50 off on pre-orders right now.