When it comes to laptops speakers, there is not much to desire because these sets are seriously limited by size. They have to be really small or else it won’t be easy to carry them around. Furthermore, they also have to give good sound quality which is quite rare. I am yet to see portable laptop speakers which give good sound quality but I am not complaining because of the limitations that the manufacturers have in front of them. These speakers should also be economical in power consumption or else you will get reduced work time on your laptop. I got the Twelve South BassJump portable subwoofer in my labs for test and I didn’t expect a lot from it either. This is just a subwoofer; the bass will complement the sound coming out of your MacBook speakers. The external body of the subwoofer is made up of aluminum and it matches quite well with the MacBook. Your friends might think this is an Apple product. On the bottom, there is a rubber sheet. Maybe the manufacturer has put it there  [...]

When it comes to headphones, there is a lot of versatility in terms of design, price and quality. Thus customers have a lot to choose from. There are entry level phones which cater to people on stiff budgets and on the other side, there are the high end Bose sets which will certainly make a big hole in your wallet. There are also the bulky headphones which are mostly meant for use at home and there are the sleek earbuds with thin wires that are ultra compact hence easy to carry. I got the Urbanears Plattan headphones for review in my labs and this is a good set for music playback. Urbanears are not fashion centric; I have seen some of their products in the past and I have noticed that they haven’t put any effort to make their products look sexy. I am not saying that the products are downright ugly; they do have a stylish edge. In this case, the style is confined to various colors options which you can choose from. There are fourteen color options for the Urbanears Plattan headphones  [...]

I first came across the MEElectronics M11P+ Sound-Isolation In-Ear Headphones at CES 2010. It belongs to the group of durable and affordable headphones and I was quite pleased when the company sent the headphones to my labs for testing. I will recommend you this set if you are a fashion conscious person. The cost of this set is $70 which is a bit high and the sound quality is nothing different from M6, its predecessors. The only feature that is put to justify the high price is the microphone and call answer button. MEElectronics M11P+ Sound-Isolation In-Ear headphones are quite impressive and the design too is durable. There are three color options to choose from – black, red and silver. The colors relate to the earpiece shiny coating. There is a 52 inch cable descending from each of the earpiece and it is covered in clear plastic. The cloth coating on the inside makes the set ultra rugged. The headphones are also  tangle resistant. On the other end, there is a gold plater L plug  [...]

If you a Mac user, notebook or desktop, then chances are that you are a style conscious person. For such people looks matter more than the performance and hence there are a few companies making stylish accessories for Apple’s computer products.Targus has come up with a new mouse and it is simply called Wireless Mouse for Mac. There’s also a Bluetooth model called Targus Bluetooth Laser Mouse for Mac. Targus Wireless Mouse for Mac runs on two AA sized batteries and there is a compartment in the pointer for storing the wireless receiver. To access it, you simply have to lift up the mouse top. The receiver doesn’t protrude too much, it only sticks a few millimeters out of the USB port so we would recommend you to have it plugged in all the time. Targus Wireless Mouse for Mac, is 1.5 inches tall (at its tallest) and 2.5 inches wide. These dimensions make it less than ideal for travel but it is not that bad either. The body curved  [...]

We got to review the first version of Soundmatters FoxL Personal Audiophile Loudspeaker with Bluetooth last year, and we were impressed by its large soundstage and small footprint. We recommended the non Bluetooth model since there was some aural degradation in the wireless audio quality. It is been a year since then and the manufacturer has now given us Soundmatters FoxL v2, another Bluetooth version set which improves on the wireless quality of audio and the wireless range to is extended. There is also a built in speaker phone for portable teleconferencing. The cost of this device is $200 which is quite expensive but we feel it is justified by the high end build quality and fidelity. Soundmatters FoxL v2 looks quite similar to its predecessor and hence you might easily confuse it with the previous model. The latest model has '2' in the bottom right side. On the speaker's front, there are two 25mm dome speakers. The company calls them “Twoofer”  [...]

Amongst the tons of laptop speakers that I have tested in the past, I can confidently say that hardly 1 or 2 of them have good sound quality and they are all high end notebooks. So what about the low end laptops or Netbooks? Do I have live with the tinny speaker quality for ever? Well, Logitech is here to rescue you with the Z 205. You can easily mount it on the top of you screen and with them facing you, the music will sound better than the in-built below par notebook speakers. The best thing about this device is that it is easy to carry around and store in your backpack. Considering the price and size, they sound awesome. There are no compatibility problems with the Logitech Z 205. You can use them on both Mac and Windows through USB cable. A single USB port is occupied on your computer and both the audio signals and power is taken from here. Logitech also gives you a good looking carrying case in order to keep the speaker safe while you travel.  [...]

The primary advantage of a Bluetooth headset is that you can wear it easily while you work out because they don’t come with any cable clutter. Lots of manufacturers are now giving headsets which have a sports centric design. We have also seen a Sony MP3 player based on the design where in the player is housed between the two ear modules and there is no cable clutter at all. Speaking of the design, Motorola Rokr S9 HD is the most popular in this category. Now it seems that Bluefox is trying to cash in on the popular theme with the BF-401. The headset is lightweight, the audio quality is decent and is now supports multipoint technology. The cost of this headset is $80 but it can be found cheaper online. On the right earpeice’s base, there is the battery and control of the headset. The latter consists of two rocker button; one for controlling the volume and for power while the one located at the back relates to controls of the music player. You can  [...]

It’s been almost a year since Wacom launched Intuos4 series, an excellent graphics tablet and now they have come up with wireless Bluetooth for the same. You will have to pay $50 more for this as compared to the USB sibling. This device is an excellent option for illustrators or artists while they are traveling. We will also recommend this to people who hate lurking wires. Wacom Intuos4 Wireless is powered by lithium ion battery which is replaceable and charges through USB. You need a driver on your computer for this and has to be charged before you use it wirelessly. Setting up the Bluetooth is easy, you switch on the device and press the “I’m here” button. You computer will then detect the device and treat it like a mouse. Wacom Intuos4 Wireless has a power saving feature up its sleeve, the device goes in to sleep mode after thirty minutes of inactivity. The driver puts an icon on the status are which gives you the battery juice information.  [...]

It is very difficult to find a cheap headphone with good sound quality. That’s why it is a pleasant experience to review the $19.99 priced MeElectronics M9 sound-isolating earphones for Apple iPhone and iPod. It has solid build and provides good sound quality. We like that the M9 earphones are shipped with case and cable wrap. However, it does not provide the richest sound. Still the MeElectronics M9 remains a good combination of acceptable audio quality, useful accessories and good design. It gives little jewelry appeal with its clear plastic cables. However, it is not comfortable to wear them for a long time. What’s more – you may notice some microphonics due to cable movement even while listening the music tracks. The MeElectronics M9 sound-isolating earphones comes with three standard sized and a double-flanged silicone tips. It has flexible and thick cord that bodes well for long-term usage. This cable feature rarely comes at such a low  [...]

Audiophiles are those persons who are very serious to get the best audio quality. Klipsch is one such manufacturer to provide the great headphones for great audio quality. Now, this company has launched new product – Image X10i headphones that costs $350. If you are a listener of high-quality and lossless songs/music tracks, then you will go for new – Klipsch Image X10i headphones. The “i” is suffixed in the end of product name to indicate that it works as playback control for iPod and iPhone. Klipsch has included five sets of outlined silicon ear-tips – three standard sleeves sizes and two double-flanged tips sizes. The standard sleeves are available in large, medium and small. We like that these standard sizes will match the ears of almost every person. One ultra-thin cable descends from each earpiece of Klipsch  [...]