Cool Stuff: HAL 9000 Bluetooth Speaker Makes The Villainous '2001: A Space Odyssey' Computer A Reality
Few things have been more chilling than the monotone voice of HAL 9000 defying his programming and becoming the ultimate artificially intelligent threat to the crew of the Discovery One in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now you can bring the voice of Douglas Rain to your home in the form of a HAL 9000 prop replica that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. This is probably the coolest Bluetooth speaker we've ever seen, and it's a stunning prop replica too. Check out the HAL 9000 Bluetooth Speaker below.
Master Replicas Group's HAL 9000 Bluetooth Speaker
Master Replica Group got the license from Warner Bros. pictures to create this full size HAL 9000 Bluetooth speaker that features a glass primary lens, brushed aluminum faceplate, extruded aluminum trim, and built-in magnets for mounting on a desk or a wall. The speaker itself is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 devices, recognizes voice commands, and responds with audio clips from the movie.
There's no limited edition on this desk stand speaker version of HAL 9000 (below left), but it'll cost you $419 if you get the early bird special on Indiegogo right now. Otherwise, the standard desktop bundle will cost you $499.
However, if you'd rather display your HAL 9000 speaker in a more impressive way, you can get the Command Console (above right) that fits the HAL 9000 Bluetooth speaker in a wall display complete with a built-in 10.1-inch HD display screen shows HAL's dynamically changing status video displays. As you can see, there are also a bank of ten backlit tactile control buttons that let you select graphics, control various HAL functions, and interact with HAL.
The Command Console edition of the HAL 9000 Bluetooth speaker will have a limited edition of 2001 units and comes with a numbered and signed certificate. If you get the early bird special on Indiegogo, it'll cost you $889, but the regular price (while supplies last) will be $999.
For all you tech nerds out there, the HAL 9000 Bluetooth Speaker edition supports the Bluetooth 4.0 specification for connecting to and playing audio from sources such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, and personal computers. HAL 9000 is compatible with online virtual assistants that support the Bluetooth A2DP or HFP protocols. This includes Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, and others. The HAL 9000 Command Console includes Amazon Alexa pre-installed. Use and availability of online virtual assistant services is subject to the terms of their respective license.