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The Monocole speakerphone is as terrible and great as you'd expect

The Monocole speakerphone is as terrible and great as you'd expect

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Native Union Monocle
Native Union Monocle

A new product called "Monocle" is on the way and, sadly, it's not a steampunk version of Google Glass. Instead, the Monocle name is being applied to a new speaker with a built-in mic that is equal parts terrible and great. The Monocle looks like one lonely headphone earpiece, inexplicably separated from its counterpart and the headband that would hold them together. Attached to this solo earpiece is an in-line microphone, so the Monocle can either be held up to your head or used as a speakerphone for calls when plugged into a smartphone.

It can also be daisy chained to as many as 10 other Monocles — in the event that you and a few friends want to listen to the same song or join in on a call. And it'll be sold in bright shades of orange, green, red, and blue. Despite looking like a device that will be no more useful than whatever earbuds you have laying around, the Monocle is handsomely designed and, from the marketing video below, seemingly built for people who could not care less about practicality. The Monocle will be available for pre-order online for about $62 tomorrow from Native Union, the company that makes the Pop Phone, a smartphone accessory you may have seen if you've ever been to an Urban Outfitters store.