Whether it’s kids jockeying for the floor during a classroom activity or adults at a conference struggling to hear a question — there are plenty of opportunities for voices to get lost in the crowd. That’s why Qball is such a neat invention. Created by Shane Cox and his brand Peeq, the Qball is a soft, round blue ball that serves as a throwable wireless microphone. Easier to maneuver than a mic on a stand, and more fun than passing a ruler around to take a turn to talk, Qball is already making headlines.
Shane Cox understood what it felt like to go unheard. As a student, he says he preferred to sit in the back row, out of sight. But being so far from his teachers made it difficult at times to hear the academic conversation that was happening. As an adult working in education and technology, he’s collaboarted with schools around the country dealing with similar struggles. He wanted to find a way to make things simple … and maybe even more fun.
Thus the Qball was born. This ball is designed to work just as well for young kids in the classroom as for adults in a boardroom. It can be used for group discussions and sessions, video conferencing, and even podcasting. The possibilities for use are seemingly endless and for good reason.
Qball is quirky and fun, but the way it works makes it even more interesting. It has a range of 75 feet, with a Presenter mic insert that can be used alone when the Qball itself isn’t needed. The receiver connects to almost any speaker system, from large presentation speakers to desktop computer speakers—making it a good choice for almost any environment.
Users of this throwable microphone can even connect the Qball to a phone to blend their voice with music — great for karaoke nights. The Quiet Toss feature is designed to eliminate bumps and unwanted sounds while Qball travels, being thrown about to people across the meeting space.
The soft-touch mic has made headlines for its innovative design. In 2015, Shane Cox and Peeq won the $15k Pando Prize at Pandoland, a tech conference in Chicago, Illinois. They’ve even found a way to give back, by offering buyers the opportunity to contribute to Qball donations at low-income schools.
The future seems to be bright for this brand. Their 2015 Indiegogo campaign raised more than $46k toward launching the product. Qball has been featured on popular tech websites like Gadget Flow, classtechtips, and more. It may not be long until you find yourself tossing and catching one of these innovative and interactive tools in your next meeting, and you can certainly feel free to drop the mic when you’re done.
