Pioneer debuts Rayz Rally pocket speakerphone for iPhone and iPads

In other news we didn't see coming, Pioneer has introduced a Lightning-powered portable speaker that turns any iPhone into a conference speakerphone. It’s part of a growing line of Rayz branded accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod, that utilise the Apple connector.

Powered by Avnera Corporation's LightX platform, the Rayz Rally is small enough to fit in a pocket, yet claims to offer enough volume for meeting rooms and impromptu conference calls. Unlike other portable conference speakers, Rally has no battery, taking its power instead from the iPhone. Simply plug the Rally into the Lightning port, initiate calls from your device and any call is automatically transferred to the Rally speaker. The gadget could be a boon in the field and around the office.

"We worked closely with Pioneer on Rally to address the needs of today’s mobile consumers without compromising battery life, product size or performance," explains Manpreet Khaira, CEO of Avnera. "This is made possible by the breakthrough innovations in audio, voice, speech and sensor circuits in Avnera's new LightX Platform that is the basis of Apple's second generation Lightning audio module technology."

The Rally auto optimizes for conference calling or music playback. It also supports talk and charge capability.

"Rayz Rally delivers a surprising level of audio volume and call clarity, a level typically experienced from larger conference phone systems, despite its small size,” says Munenori Otsuki, CEO Onkyo & Pioneer Corporation. “Rally gives consumers the ability to instantly create a conference call for one person or a whole team by simply plugging Rally into the Lightning port of your iPhone. In addition to great voice quality, Rally sounds great for music listening too.”

The Pioneer Rayz Rally retails for £109 and is available in three finishes: white, black and grey