Though best known for using unconventional shapes to produce its sound, Bose on Wednesday released a new set of multimedia speakers that it says focus on portability. The satellites of the Micro Music Monitor system are small and light enough to be held easily in each hand without sacrificing top-end power, suiting them to both desktops as well as portable audio sources such as iPods and laptops, Bose says. While many portable speakers operate at a fixed output level regardless of their source, the Micro Music Monitor satellites can operate either at 20W per channel when connected to AC power or 2W per channel when driven by AA batteries. This gives listeners the option of using the same speakers at or away from home. As the 2.0 speakers sound better than many larger systems, according to Bose, their quality and flexibility will support a price equivalent to $427 US when they become available December 1st in Japan. A North American launch is possible but has not been announced.