Cellphones could soon belt out music of the same quality as top-notch stereos. A loudspeaker’s diaphragm needs to make large movements to produce deep notes, but in compact speakers such movements are damped by the higher pressure they create in the space behind the diaphragm. That makes music sound tinny. Now Panasonic in Japan plans to beef up its speakers with a porous material that allows air molecules to pass through so that the diaphragm can move freely.
Music-lovers will soon be able to use their own treasured turntables to turn records into MP3s. The £75 Phonobox from
