Bluetooth headphones were suppose to give us the benefits of their physically connected counterparts but without the entanglement and limitations of wires. Outside of a select few brands Bluetooth headphones have mostly been a non-starters among audiophiles of many levels due to uncomfortable designs, poor sound quality, and flaky bluetooth connections. Designs can be improved and changed but for most there is no one size fits all solution. And when you start comparing price points, Bluetooth headphones usually don’t get the same speaker refinements as equally priced wired headphones either. So we are left to rely on and hope that manufacturers implement better available Bluetooth technologies. Continue Reading
For The iPad
Mophie has been around for quite some time creating products to keep our mobile gadgets fueled up and ready for action. So when my ZaggSparq 2.0 bit the bullet in a freak accident, I instead, took the opportunity to try out one of Mophie’s portable power supplies. The 6000mAh Juice Pack Powerstation Duo was the obvious choice because it’s the only comparable product to the ZaggSparq in Mophie’s lineup. It offers all the same power benefits at the same price. Of, course as one should expect from any competing product, there are a few design differences. The first of which, is that it’s not an all-in-one unit like the ZaggSparq, requiring a microUSB cable to recharge. Secondly, it’s a more compact design at 2.28 in. x 4.30 in. x 0.78 in. which should make it easier on pockets and small bags. The third, is that both USB ports are optimized for charging mobile devices whereas the ZaggSparq has only one optimized port. Does this work as well in day to day use? Let’s take a look.
Any good tablet purchased with travel in mind deserves a good quality case. So, when I purchased Apple’s 3rd generation iPad I decided on a cheap temporary case until I could find one more suitable to my needs and sense of style. My initial thought was to go with Twelve South’s BookBook for iPad but after seeing it and how it works I realized it wasn’t for me. The mechanics behind setting it in an upright viewing angle was made overly complicated by having the user go through to many maneuvers back and forth on a regular basis. To give you an idea, you had to open the case, unwrap the string from the leather button, flip the case over, pull the string out from behind the iPad (by removing the elastic band holding the iPad then putting the elastic band back afterwards), extending it back to the same leather button to finally wrap it around said button. All these moves just to prop it up like regular monitor.
