Tag Archives: speakers

UGO Makes Little Speakers with Big Sound

May 26, 2013Bluetooth, Music, Speakersbluetooth, Music, speakersJenThorpe

I had the opportunity to check out these cute, colorful, speakers in person yesterday. This was completely unexpected, because the place I found the UGO speakers at was a Strawberry Festival. That isn’t the type of event where one would expect to find anything tech related. (The festival did live up to its name, however, and had plenty of desserts that were filled with some of the biggest strawberries I’d ever seen).

The name of the company is UGO (which is pronounced “you- go”). They were among the many booths of vendors at the festival. What immediately caught my attention about them was that I could hear the music that was playing through the little speaker from several feet away over the noise from the crowd. I can see where having just one UGO speaker would work well for a person to use at home (or wherever else they decide to go).

UGO speakers come in six different colors: pink, blue, red, purple, black, yellow, and silver (as shown in my photo). The UGO mini-speaker costs $39.95, and the UGO Bluetooth Wireless Mini-Speaker costs $129.95.

Each has a micro SD slot. You can load your favorite songs onto a Micro SD card, insert it into the UGO speaker, and the speaker itself becomes your music player. It also has a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. The website says it has a 30′ (9.14m) range in which the sound will carry. UGO offers a 12-month manufacturer guarantee. The vendor at the UGO booth at the Strawberry Fest said that the UGO Bluetooth Wireless Mini-Speaker can be used with any Bluetooth enabled device.

Vivick’s Latest Gadgets

February 26, 2013Accessory, battery, Bluetooth, ces, Gadgets, hifi, Speakers, Special Mediaaccessory, battery, bluetooth, ces, gadget, headphone, hi-fi, Laptop, speakersAndrew

Canadian firm Vivick produce a wide range of gadgets, covering everything from iPhone cases, laptop accessories and AV gear. Andy and Scott look at three of the latest products.

On show from Vivick is anLED desk lamp speaker that can be driven via Bluetooth but wouldn’t look out of place on the set of a 70s sci-fi movie. Continuing the theme, they had a Bluetooth headset which looked a bit more up-to-date but I can’t comment on the sound quality. Finally, they showed off a combo-laptop / USB rechargeable battery which had some really good design ideas. It seems to be a brand new product as it doesn’t yet feature on their website, but if you are a battery hogging traveller, keep an eye out for it.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the TechPodcast Network, who should be commended for keeping the interview going.

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beatpower Speakers

February 13, 2013Gadgets, geek, Information, Special MediaBeat-power, portable, speakersKL Tech Muse

Beat-Power If you start looking for portable speakers for your iPhone or iPod you quickly notice that most companies have a one-size fits all policy. Fortunately there is a company that thinks differently, beatpower. beatpower policy is to create speakers for different types of people. They have a category of speakers that are made for people who are more fashion conscious. Another category for those who like things to look more traditional. A third category for those who want their speakers to have the same design quality as their iPad or iPod and a fourth category for the audiophile. All speakers no matter what the category are bluetooth enabled and most have a microphone installed.

The final category that was shown was the beatbox which is a hi-fi system for the home. The beatbox is covered with hand-stitch leather in various colors. It has optical wireless and bluetooth capability. It also has two USB charging ports which you can use to charge your iPhone or iPod. The Beat Block comes with a remote control that allows you to control the treble and bass that is coming out of your iPhone or iPod.

You can take a look at the various speakers available at the beatpower website. The prices for the various speakers will run from $29.99 up to $199.00. For more information about availability you can send an email to sales@beat-power.com. They are also working on an e-shop, which should be coming soon.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Nick DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Zooka Bluetooth Speakers

January 30, 2013audio, Bluetooth, Gear, Information, Special Mediabluetooth, Carbon Audio, speakers, ZookaKL Tech Muse

Anyone who has a tablet, or smart phone knows that their one weakness is their speakers. One solution is to use a speaker dock. The problem with this solution is that it requires an outlet to plug the dock into. This is not very useful if you are in a park or on a beach, the other solution is to use Bluetooth Speakers. This is where the Zooka speakers by Carbon Audio Inc come in. They are Bluetooth speakers made of medical grade silicon. There are no mechanical moving parts and no dock. It slides on to a tablet or top of a notebook. It was designed so it doesn’t hide the iSight camera. There is a kickstand which tucks away into the side and screws into the back. It includes:

Two 30 mm speaker drivers at either end of the Zooka
30ft Bluetooth Range
Rechargeable battery, providing up to 8 hours of playing
Frequency response of 150 to 20,000 Hz

The Zooka is available at Target, Best Buy Amazon and at Carbon Audio Inc. It comes in a variety of colors and is priced at $99.00

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Armadillo outdoor Bluetooth speaker unveiled

January 7, 2013audio, Bluetooth, cesaudio, bluetooth, ces, speakersAlan

Outdoor Gear announced today a new outdoor speaker, appropriately named the Armadillo. The new speaker works with Bluetooth 4.0 to play your tunes outside without need of worry about the weather conditions.

The company describes the new device as “A larger version of its predecessor, the Turtle Shell®, the Armadillo is a rugged shelled boombox that will allow you to dig into the dirt and experience the outdoor terrain with your favorite tunes via AirPlay or Bluetooth. Ideal for camping and for the home, the Armadillo is shockproof, waterproof, allows for daisy chaining and provides a USB port for charging other devices.”

Details as to release and pricing were left vague with the release being set for “later in 2013” and pricing completely non-existent (the Turtle Shell is $149). While the Armadillo looks good for a backyard party, I don’t see lugging it on a camping and hiking trip as a viable option. Perhaps if you park and stay at a campground then sure, but my son and I hike from place to place and camp, mostly backwoods, and packing light and moving quickly is a priority that these luxuries do not lend themselves to.

Westinghouse announces new Bluetooth speaker line

January 6, 2013Bluetoothbluetooth, speakers, WestinghouseAlan

Just ahead of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, longtime electronics manufacturer Westinghouse has announced a new lineup of bluetooth speakers. These are compatible with most every phone and tablet, as well as the iPod touch. The “unplug” series comes in four different models.

However, these tiny systems are more than just speakers. According to Westinghouse, the AIO model “charges the phone or tablet and offers a remarkable feature set, including AC and DC chargers, a MicroSD slot for additional music files or backup, and a built-in speakerphone, thanks to an internal microphone with noise suppression and echo cancellation for amazing call clarity.”

In addition, all but the lowest end model contain MicroSD card slots and the company claims 16-20 hours of battery life for each of the models.

The devices will range in price from $99 to $229 with AIO, 200 and 300 becoming available sometime in the first quarter of this year. The Unplug 100 is available now.

Sonos Streams at The Gadget Show

April 14, 2012Android, Apple, google, Interview, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, radio, smartphone, Speakers, Special Media, Streaming, tabletAndroid, hi-fi, Internet Radio, IOS, napster, smartphone, Sonos, speakers, Spotify, streaming, Tablet, The Gadget ShowAndrew

Sonos Play 3 Sonos are well-known for their innovative audio products which integrate together to build highly controllable wireless hi-fi systems. Simplistically, you can start with one or two units and build-up over time until you can play music in any room in the house. The Sonos system can be controlled via smartphones and tablets with apps available for both iOS and Android devices.

I chat to Ian about Sonos’ latest developments including Spotify streaming, their entry-level unity the Play 3, and the larger Play 5.

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