'Recycling speaker' is better left in the bin

(Credit: AudioCubes)

Japan's Bird Electron has always been known for the literally stripped-down design of its products, but it seems to be in a particularly minimalist mood these days for the iPod.

First we saw the industrially bare steel speaker stand made for the Touch, and now we have a decidedly DIY-looking iPod speaker. And it's not just any speaker, according to GeekAlerts, but the "one and only recycling speaker for iPod."

The EZ17-B speaker is designed to fit snugly into the clear plastic box that comes with certain versions of the Nano and Shuffle, without the need for a power source. And if you've already tossed the box, don't worry: You can also use it with an empty water bottle. Considering that the company is asking us to use our own materials, $40 seems like way too much to charge for something that looks like a grade-school science experiment.