Posts Tagged portable music
Nest Case for iPhone
Nest Case for iPhone
This durable iPhone case is more than just a protective cover for your mobile device. It also doubles as a stand that lets you watch movies or photos without having to hold it in your hand. The one time I tried to use my iPhone to watch a movie on an airplane before using this case, I leaned it against the armrest. Of course, I dozed off and found the phone had slipped in between the seat cushion!
The Nest case features openings on the side to allow for the ringer or audio volume to be adjusted without removing the case. There is enough room for even your thumb to push the buttons. Openings for the power switch, charging ports, and speakers are also present and wide enough to access without difficulty.
Another solid feature that I appreciate is that the case wraps all the way around the phone protecting the front of the screen as well. Many iPhone cases that I have tested do not cover the front edges, which puts your screen in danger if it unluckily falls face first to the ground. Guess what, mine did! I have three cracks on the screen as a result. The Nest case would have prevented that.
To use the display stand, simply remove the phone from the case and place it into the side grooves. It sits at a 55 degree angle. Cases are available for both the iPhone 3 and 3GS and iPhone 4. The iPod touch has its own set of cases for various models. All of which are affordably priced at www.NestCases.com or www.Amazon.com
This plastic case serves multiple purposes since it allows the business traveler to listen to music or watch movies while using a laptop. It also allows parents a hands-free entertainment option while they are taking care of kids on a long flight.
I especially like that the material on the back allows me to tape my business card to the case (in the event that I lose my iPhone). Often times, the material of the case is too rubbery to allow tape to stick to it. This exceptional case allows travelers to multitask without worrying about dropping or losing their mobile device in transit.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on October 24th, 2011
Nu-Force Bluetooth Headphones
I’m on my third pair of Sennheiser earbuds. I really like them, at least I want to like them, but they keep breaking at the mini-jack. The first pair gave out when they were so very new that I was convinced there was something wrong with my phone. The warranty has proven good, and this third pair seems to be less willing to fail. It’s the connection wire that’s failing so the clear solution? Try wireless.
The husband really likes the BT-860 headset that came from Nu-Force. His new laptop has built in Bluetooth, so the wireless headset (with a built in mic) is great for things like watching back episodes of Eureka or doing Skype calls with the far away in-laws. Pairing the headphones with your device is simple — I tried it with my phone and my iPad, no problems there. The range is pretty good, I left my phone on a chair in the backyard and wandered around on the lawn, the signal started to get a little muddy at about 20 feet away from the source, but it was still connected.
The controls for the headphones are on the ear piece — skip forward and back, the volume controls, and the call overrides. I didn’t find them particularly intuitive and I wish the little relief buttons were a bit more prominent, making it easier to know what’s what. This probably becomes second nature with more use. Don’t be trying these things for the first time while driving, okay, hands free or no.
As for comfort, I’d say they’re okay. The headband is adjustable for fit, the ear pads are your classic foam pads. Weirdly, they’re square, a design choice, but they do cover my ears. These aren’t isolation or noise blocking, they’re more for use at your hotel room desk than they are for making the noise of the airplane or bus go away. The sound quality was totally acceptable and I appreciate the fact that they’re rechargeable.
In fact, I’m not convinced that they’re for travel use. They don’t have a carrying case and they don’t collapse to a particularly small size. If I’m going to sacrifice luggage space, I want active noise cancellation. I’m going to pass on including these in my carry-on. though if you’re looking for day and/or office use, they’re totally fine.
I’m still on the hunt for those affordable, compact, active noise cancelling headphones, but if you’re looking for an affordable set to pair with your laptop, these aren’t a bad choice. Like I said, the husband rather likes them, but he’s using them on the couch.They’re 79.00 on Amazon.
More headphone reviews? Try these:
Posted by Pam in Business Gear, General Gear on September 9th, 2011
Urbanears Bagis Earbud Headphones
These sleek new Bagis earbuds from the Swedish company Urbanears will certainly turn heads. This compact device is designed to provide the most direct sound to the ear while creating efficient noise reduction simultaneously. Its most striking feature, however, are the 18 different color choices available setting them apart from any other headphone out there.
Unlike other headphones that can get their cords easily twisted whether in use or in storage, this pair features a fabric cord that reduces distortions from friction that can alter the sound quality. Others also can disappear into your jacket when running with them on, but this pair snaps together so they are always easy to find.
The stereo plug hooks up with most music players, iPhones, iPods, Blackberries, or even airplane jacks making them ideal for travel instead of using the cheap airline versions that cost a few dollars each.
The sound quality is crisp and constant, and the lightweight nature of the earbuds is not uncomfortable in the ear they way some headphones can be. It fits snugly in your ear canal with a feather-like snugness. The affordability of these headphones makes them perfect for frequent travel as they are both durable and easy to replace if lost.
Another great feature is that the cable has a microphone built into it so that it can be used for voice calls when plugged into a smart phone. The 3.5mm headphone plug and an inline remote also allow you to control tracks on your iPhone or other smart phone. It is the perfect way to make hands-free calls while driving on the highway or walking through an airport terminal.
There are even three different sleeve lengths so you can find the perfect one that meets your needs whether you need a long cord to reach your phone sitting in the passenger seat or just a short one to keep tucked into your jacket pocket while jogging.
Urbanears makes some great products, and these stylish headphones are no different. It seems the whole world is filled with zombies walking through the airport these days with headphones in their ears or talking on a hands-free call. Add some pizzazz with these fun colors and stand out from the pack!
Get the Urbanears Bagis earbuds at Amazon.
See other earbuds reviews on Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on June 27th, 2011
Foxl: Little Speakers with Big, Big Sound
Even though I’m very much a nerdy, tech kind of gal, I’m old enough (yeah, I’m a geezer) to still be blown away by the magic of technology. I don’t take it for granted. Soundmatter’s extremely portable Foxl speaker unit left me amazed by both the functional coolness and the quality of sound they produce. All that great sound coming from that little block of hardware? And look, no wires! Wow.
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the Foxl speaker unit was how heavy it was for such a small gadget. My nerdy mate said something about magnets and wires and good speaker quality; I just though, huh, it’s heftier than you’d expect such a tiny block of hardware to be. This isn’t to say it’s too much to carry around, rather that I noticed right away that the unit is kind of dense. It’s 9.5 ounces, to be exact, a little over half a pound.
In the box, there’s a stuff bag, a little square of sticky mat (to keep your unit from dancing away), and a bunch of plug adapters. There’s also a USB charger cable and a headphone jack — you can plug the speakers directly into any standard mini-jack. I plugged the unit in, waited for it to charge, and collected some iThings to test out the Bluetooth connectivity — once the battery is fully charged, you can use the speaker unit with no wires at all.
My iPhone found the speakers right away. In case you’re not clear how these things work, you set the connection from your playback device, not from the speaker unit. On my Apple gadgets, this is in Settings>General>Bluetooth. On my Windows netbook, the Bluetooth menu is in the sys-tray (the little box in the lower right corner). In the Bluetooth menu, you’ll see the Foxl — selecting it “pairs” the speakers with your playback device. You’ll know the speaker unit and (for example) your phone are connected because the light on the front of the speaker unit flashes green. Every device pairs differently — you may need to check the documentation that came with your phone, netbook, whatever, to get the connection set properly.
Once the pairing is complete, you’re good to go. Find an audio file and play it back. You’ll be amazed. I was stunned at how bright, clear, and full the sound was. I tried a few things — playing podcasts (my phone is stuffed with them), listening to ripped CDs from my music library, streaming my local NPR affiliate… I especially enjoyed the combination of the Pandora app on my phone with the Foxl speakers, and again, I was truly surprised by the sound quality. I also used the speakers while watching a movie on my Mac… wow. Don’t take my word for it, though, check the reviews page on the Soundmatters site.
The Foxl unit does work as a speaker/mic for your phone, too. The Bluetooth button on the front of the speaker unit can be used to answer and hang up calls — or you can use the phone itself. The device automatically overrides any other playback and gives priority to your phone call.
You’ll need to be aware of distance — if you move the speaker unit too far away from the transmitting device, the signal degrades or the connection drops. It’s no problem to restore it, just know that proximity matters. You also need to keep a clear line between the speaker and the transmitter, the signal dropped when I walked around a corner into the next room. If you switch devices — I went from my phone to my iPad, you may need to “unpair” the first device, or simply turn the Bluetooth off on the the device you’re no longer using.
There are travelers who simply must have their music with them wherever they go. This isn’t a substitute for headphones (manners, people, manners) but if you’re in place where it’s cool to have music playing, the Foxl speaker unit is freaking fantastic. I love the idea of listening to radio theater (a personal favorite) in the tent at night when we’re camping. It’s great for music at BBqs and picnics. It’s way better than 90% of those hotel clock radios where you dock your phone at night. And it’s small — it fits in your hand. (Dimensions from the specs: 143 x 55 x 35 mm or 5.6 x 2.2 x 1.4 inches.) Audiophile travelers will love it, as will anyone who just wants bigger brighter sound from their devices without giving up much space.
There are two Foxl units available, only one has Bluetooth connectivity. I’d go for that one and avoid the wires. You can get them directly from Soundmatters or, check Amazon for the latest prices.
Posted by Pam in General Gear on June 3rd, 2011
Altec Lansing Orbit Speaker – Comes with Bass!
We’ve reviewed a lot of different portable speakers on this travel gear blog because it’s something a lot of travelers consider an essential item. Earbuds are nice, but they’re not so hot for social situations or when you’re just hanging out in your room. This Altec Lansing Orbit IM237 one does something few others manage though: it cranks out the bass.
I like the little travel speakers like the iHome IHM7 and X-mini Capsule Speaker and they certainly don’t take up much room, so for most travelers they’re “good enough.” But it’s hard to make out the low end rumble on anything and forget the rich full-spectrum sound you get with a good pair of computer speakers. Good speakers are heavy though and while Corbett Barr put them in his 5 Things I Always Pack post, most people on the move aren’t that dedicated.
So consider this Orbit speaker a good compromise between tiny/lightweight and big/heavy. It’s significantly bigger and it weighs more (close to a pound), but the sound difference is huge. It’s just hard to get any bass out of a tiny speaker with a tiny magnet unless it’s stuck in your ear canal.
This IM237 model is actually the second version of the Altec Lansing Orbit I’ve reviewed. The first version also had good sound, but it was a poorly-designed pain in the rear in actual use. (See the review from the original version of this blog here: old Orbit speaker.) It got to the point where the only way I could turn it on and off was to insert/remove the batteries.
Speaking of batteries, that’s still the main drawback of this one. It uses 3 AAA batteries instead of something built-in that can be recharged by outlet or USB. Three being an odd number, that means you’re left one short or with one extra from a retail pack, including the rechargeable ones. Though they’ll supposedly go “up to 24 hours” without running out, that’s still a lot of landfill acid waste over time if you’re not carrying a battery charger along.
Otherwise though, this model is vastly improved. There’s a simple on-off button on the side instead of the odd method the older version used. It feels far more solid and better made, plus it’s dead simple to use: the volume is controlled through your player. Since it just uses the headphone jack, it’ll work with any type of portable MP3 player. It retains the ability to wrap the cord around the bottom and tuck it in, plus it comes with the nice carrying case with carabiner pictured here.
The big reason to get this model though is the sound. When I plugged in cheap computer speakers, then my iHome capsule speaker, and then this to test the difference, the result was, “Holy crap!” There was nothing subtle about the improved audio output. Even the official site for this doesn’t list the actual audio specs like frequency range, so you’ll have to take my word for it—or you can read the close to 300 5-star reviews on Amazon for this speaker. Trust me, it cranks.
The Orbit comes with a one-year warranty. The list price is $40 and I’ve seen it for that much in retail stores, but you can find it for $25 or less online. Considering the sound that comes out of this thing, that’s a bargain.
Posted by Tim L. in Travel Light on October 27th, 2010
