Posts Tagged portable speaker
Memorex PurePlay Portable iPod/iPhone Speaker
When my kids commandeer a product I’ve been sent to review, and it goes missing for days, that means the item is usually a winner for the tween set. Indeed, the Memorex PurePlay speaker for amplifying music on iPods or iPhones is a huge hit in my house, namely because it is so portable. My children have used it to blast their music (Katy Perry, anyone?) in their rooms, in the basement, on the front porch, on the side patio… I don’t think they’ve realized it can also work on 4 AAA batteries, otherwise, they’d be using outside, across the yard on the swingset and trampoline, too.
The PurePlay portable speaker has a clamshell design — close it up, and it’s not much bigger than a women’s small clutch purse that might hold lipstick, compact, a mirror and a hotel key. When shut, the speakers are nicely protected. When open, you simply insert your iPod or iTouch (or use the line-in jack for other audio devices), and it becomes a decent speaker. I think it’s plenty good and loud enough; honestly, I’m not a technological expert on music speakers, but for my family’s needs, the sound is perfectly fine.
You can continue to use your iPod/iTouch controls to skip ahead, pause or play the music, and control the volume of the music. Or, you can use or use the buttons on the PurePlay speaker.
The bottom surface of the PurePlay speaker is rubber that doesn’t scratch surfaces. I like that the entire unit is unobtrusive and subtle. That is, it’s classy enough to set on an office desk or a kitchen counter. (I have it in solid black — which goes with anything; it also comes in white and hot pink.) The unit is small enough — about 8.5 by 3.5 by 1.5 inches when shut — to toss in a tote bag to bring to the beach or city park (again, it does run on batteries). It only charges iPhones/iPods when it’s plugged into an electrical outlet in the wall.
The manufacturer’s retail price is $69.99, but I found it on Amazon.com for $59. You can also find the Memorex PurePlay speaker at stores like Kmart and Best Buy.
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Posted by Kara in General Gear, Kids and Family on June 21st, 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
X-Mini HAPPY Speaker/Music Player: Pleasing Sounds on the Road
Earlier, I discovered the X-mini portable speakers that can give great sound to a music player or laptop, while taking up little room in the suitcase.
Now, X-mini has come up with another clever device for travelers—the HAPPY, a small capsule speaker that includes its own MP3 player.
That’s right. Just put some of your favorite tunes on an SD/SDHC memory card and the HAPPY will happily play them from its built-in speaker.
The HAPPY sounds every bit as good as the X-Mini Capsule Speaker. And it’s very easy to use.
My Windows computer recognized it as a mass-storage device when connected through a USB port. So I just copied some of my favorite tunes to an SDHC card. The HAPPY can also be used as a card reader.
One control turns the device on and off, controls play and pause, skips tracks forward or back and adjusts the volume.
There’s also a mute button, headphone jack and mini-USB plug for charging. A two-hour charge provides about 10 hours of playback time. And a cable with a standard stereo miniature plug is included to connect it to a laptop or external music player, or chain together a series of the X-Mini II Capsule Speakers for even bigger sound. The capsule expands with a twist for improved bass response.
The only drawback is there’s no way to see a menu of the songs on the card when the player is not connected to a computer. But it’s easy enough to just load the songs you want on the card, and the track control still lets you skip forward or repeat a song. It’s possible to store hundreds or even thousands of songs on a card, depending on the size and recorded bitrate.
The X-mini HAPPY retails for $79, with discounts available at Amazon.
It’s hard to find a device that does so much, sounds so good and still fits in the palm of your hand. When you’re packing light and still want to carry your favorite tunes, the X-mini HAPPY will make you just that.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on August 30th, 2010
Tunebug Shake: Turn Your Bike Helmet into a Speaker
When I’m “going green” and using pedal power for my travels, I still enjoy taking along some of my favorite tunes. But I’ve been leaving the music player behind because conventional earbuds and earphones block out too much traffic and other sounds I need to hear while biking.
The Tunebug Shake is an ingenious solution, turning a bike rider’s helmet into a speaker. And it still allows me to hear traffic and that dog that decides to give chase—a much safer solution than earphones or earbuds.
The Shake is a battery-powered puck that attaches to the helmet. Two different mounts are included. The Shake connects to a portable music player with an included cable. Or if you don’t want a cable getting in the way, it will also connect via Bluetooth.
It can be recharged through a computer USB port and a full charge lasts around five hours.
Tunebug calls this technology SurfaceSound and I was surprised how good it sounded. It’s not the same as a $500 set of earbuds, but I wouldn’t expect that. The Shake, as promised, delivers a very listenable sound through a helmet and doesn’t drown out other sounds I need to hear. It would work just as well on skateboard or snowboard helmets.
Weighing in at 2.4 ounces, the extra weight on the helmet isn’t even noticeable. Two touch-sensitive buttons turn the unit on or off and adjust the volume.
The Tunebug Shake retails for $119.95 and is available from the manufacturer’s website or Amazon.
A helmet may be a strange-looking speaker. But the Tunebug Shake makes it sing—with no worries about the sounds you’re missing.
Posted by JohnG in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear on August 24th, 2010
