Securifi Almond
Does adding a touchscreen make this a must-have router? Newcomer Securifi delivers a surprising answer…
Pros
Stylish, unqiue design
Both router & wireless bridge
Breakthrough touchscreen setup & management
Reasonably priced
Cons
Limited to 2.4GHz 802.11bgn
Average performance
Three 10/100 Ethernet Ports
Review Price £64.99
Score 8/10
Key Features: 802.11bgn 2.4GHz WiFi; 2.7in 320 x 240 touchscreen display; WPA / WPA2 & WPS security; IPv6 ready; 3x 10/100 Ethernet Ports
Manufacturer: Securifi
What is the Securifi Almond?
The Almond router is the first product from new networking company Securifi. It has been available in the US since last year, but arrives this month in the UK with upgraded antennas and new firmware. It is the first router on the market to operate via a touchscreen display and it can also double up as a wireless bridge to extend wireless signal from your existing router around the home.
Securifi Almond – Design
This is not a section we usually devote much time to with routers, but the Almond is different. Most manufacturers produce dull slabs in the hope you won’t notice them, but the Almond hopes to be front and centre in your living room.
Most obviously it is the touchscreen that grabs our attention. The 2.7-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display may not match the ultra-high resolution panels we are used to in our smartphones, but colours are strong and it is highly responsive. When not in use it switches off by default, though a nice touch is it can be setup to display the time or weather. This not only makes it useful, but encourages users to display it in a prominent place, which benefits wireless range.
The other key aspect to the Almond is its size. It’s tiny. At just 122 x 109 x 48mm the Almond is one of the smallest home routers we have seen and at a mere 363g it is also one of the lightest. It helps that Securifi hasn’t integrated a DSL modem, but to be fair the vast majority of the routers on the market don’t these days and it enables the simplest setup as they just plug into the router supplied by your broadband provider.
When it comes to build quality, the Almond is less exceptional. It takes the familiar gloss piano black route, which attracts finger prints and dust in equal measure, and like every other router on the market its exterior is plastic. That said its size means the Almond doesn’t feel as hollow as many rivals and while we aren’t into the practice of beating up review samples of networking equipment it appears highly durable.
Securifi Almond – Features
While we will focus on the touchscreen shortly, the most useful aspect to the Almond is its flexibility because it can function as both router and wireless bridge. Consequently those that need a new router can upgrade, but those looking for more wireless range can simply pair the Almond with their existing router and have it beam signal to new parts of the home or office.
That said there are compromises. While the 802.11ac standard is gathering momentum, the Almond is limited to just 802.11bgn over the 2.4GHz band and it only has dual antennas rather than the four and even six antenna arrays we have seen from some models. Consequently the Almond boasts a theoretical transfer rate of up to 300Mbit per second – half many mainstream routers. The fact theoretical transfer rates have little to do with real world performance means it is not a deal breaker.
What may be a deal breaker for some, however, are the Ethernet ports. Whereas router manufacturers have been decried for years for having just four ports, the small size of the Almond means it can only fit three ports and they are 10/100 spec rather than the prevalent Gigabit (1,000 Mbit) standard. If you need a lot of high speed wired connections, this isn’t the router for you.
It also isn’t the router for you if you’re a fan of the Cloud. Linksys’ Connect Cloud, D-Link’s mydlink and Netgear’s ReadySHARE have their detractors, but all enable remote control of the router and/or remote access to local files and media. Control of the Almond is only available when you’re connected to its network.
On the plus side WEP, WPA and WPA2 security profiles are supported along with the expanded IPv6 protocol. Still if this seems somewhat underwhelming, we would urge you look beyond the spec sheet for a number of reasons…
To learn why the Almond is much more than the sum of its parts and see its performance results click for the full review @ TrustedReviews
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Jolla Sailfish OS smartphone (preview)
A hands-on look at the smartphone industry’s latest player…
Key Features: 4.5in display; 16GB storage; microSD slot; Replaceable battery; Sailfish OS
What is the Jolla Sailfish smartphone?
Jolla is the first phone by the Finnish start-up of the same name. It will be released in late 2013 and run the Sailfish OS, which is based on the abandoned MeeGo project founded by Intel and Nokia. Jolla is largely made up of ex-Nokia employees disenchanted by the handset maker’s move to Windows Phone exclusivity in early 2011.
Jolla announced itself to the world in late 2011. It has already raised $258 million in investment from the telecommunications industry to help revive tMeeGo, which has only been available to the public once before on the widely praised Nokia N9.
We got an early hands-on with the handset and its software at an exclusive launch event this week in Helsinki.
Jolla handset
Six months is an eternity in the handset market, so we were surprised Jolla was keen to demonstrate its smartphone just one day after it was formally announced and targeting a Christmas arrival. That said from a hardware perspective what we saw is extremely encouraging.
The Jolla certainly has taken style cues off the Nokia N9, but its design is as unique as anything we have seen in recent years. On the surface the phone appears a fairly angular touchscreen slab and standard connectors including a top mounted micro USB charge port and headphone jack, side positioned power and volume buttons and speakers at the base. There are also some predictable specs: 4.5in display, 4G support, eight megapixel camera, 16GB of storage, microSD slot and an unspecified dual core processor.
Look closely, however, and things become more interesting. Firstly the phone has no facia buttons or soft keys (more of later) and secondly the phone quite clearly comes in two halves. Typically a colourful rear (though black in our demo) snaps on and off not only to allow access to a replaceable battery, but to enable an array of different covers to interact directly with the phone.
Jolla wasn’t revealing technology behind this (we suspect NFC), but covers have the power to automatically change the colour scheme (‘ambiance’), wallpaper, fonts, profiles and even functionality of the user interface. Jolla calls this ‘The Other Half’. Admittedly it is slightly gimmicky, but it opens up an array of marketing and brand opportunities we’re sure Jolla will be keen to exploit.
In hand the Jolla feels angular, though by no means uncomfortable compared to the 5-inch monsters now on the market. It was noticeable on our demo unit that some of the fittings weren’t flush and it had chips and dents, but we won’t read anything into that for a handset likely in heavy testing and still five to six months from release.
The Jolla has been announced with a €399 (£339) SIM-free retail price which we find a little high, especially considering where the handset market could be come the end of 2013. That said Jolla admits this may change and with a network deal in Finland with DNA and several European and Chinese carrier deals “in the pipeline” it will be interesting to see if the company can secure those all important network subsidies.
What will attract them? The software itself… This is a sample, to read about Jolla’s highly impressive Sailfish OS click here for the full preview @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
TomTom Rider v4 2013
TomTom’s fourth generation bike sat nav is the most expensive product in its portfolio, but sadly it disappoints…
Pros
Fast, accurate route planning
Tough, durable construction
Motorbike specific UI & features
Cons
No HD Traffic support
No external speakers
No spoken directions when paired with a smartphone
Expensive for the feature set
Review Price £349.99
Key Features: 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen; Bluetooth pairing; Waterproof
What is the TomTom Rider v4?
This is TomTom’s fourth generation dedicated motorbike sat nav. It has a more rugged construction than regular TomTom units to cope with wind buffering and exposure to the elements. It has a custom motorbike-specific user interface allowing it to be operated with gloves. Marketing materials often refer simply to the ‘TomTom Rider’ so be sure to check you are buying the TomTom Rider v4 edition that is new for 2013.
TomTom Rider v4 – Design
Take the TomTom Rider v4 out of its box and the first thing you notice is the weight. Its rugged construction means at 353 grams the Rider is 40-50 per cent heavier than most TomToms and it is twice as thick – 53mm to be precise, or roughly as thick as a doorstep sandwich. It still feels good in hand, however, and is small enough to store easily.
Furthermore, it’s very durable. It is largely unchanged from previous editions, but the matt black finish is practical and scuff resistant, while a hood helps shield the TomTom Rider v4′s 4.3-inch screen from sunlight. This only works from some angles, but TomTom has fitted the Rider with a sunlight readable screen in any case.
Given the Rider will be exposed to the elements it also carries an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of X7. The seven represents water protection and specifies that the Rider can withstand limited immersion in water, so even the heaviest of down pours shouldn’t be a problem. The X is irrelevant as it represents dust and if water cannot get in, neither can dust.
It is true that the Rider is far from the most attractive sat nav in TomTom’s product line, but it is certainly the most practical and durable.
TomTom Rider v4 – Features
Interestingly, the TomTom Rider v4 is both heavy and light on features. For instance, the screen may be sunlight readable, but it is also low resolution at just 480 x 272. It remains easily readable, but feels light years behind the high density displays seen on modern smartphones and even some car sat navs.
Next to tally in the cons column is the absence of Live services, since the Rider lacks the integrated modem seen on the Live range. The knock-on effect is TomTom Places (a web-based search for businesses) is entirely absent, though Live POIs can be added manually via the company’s long running ‘Home’ PC and Mac software. It also means there is no support for HD Traffic, TomTom’s dynamically updating traffic monitoring software.
As such if there is a major hold up one morning, you’ll ride straight into it. This is less of a problem for bikers than car drivers since bikes filter, but it is still a notable omission from a premium device.
On the plus side, the Rider is customised heavily for motorcycle riders. The home screen features the addition of “Plan winding route”, which aims to pick the most enjoyable twisty method of getting somewhere rather than the most efficient.
Itineraries are also featured more prominently on the Rider than a standard TomTom sat nav, given bespoke routes and advance route planning are a major part of enjoying a motorbike for most riders. Itineraries allow the easy insertion of multiple way points in any route and they are also backed up by TomTom’s own route software. Itineraries can also be shared over Bluetooth with other Rider sat navs, which is a nice touch.
TomTom is keen to point out its tie in with motorbike-centric route making software ‘Tyre’ as well. Tyre integrates with the Rider so created routes can be uploaded directly to the Rider when it is connected into a PC. But note that Tyre is freeware and also works in this fashion with Garmin’s competing 350LM and 660LM motorbike sat navs.
Another tick in the plus column is the Rider’s Bluetooth lets it pair with a headset for spoken turn-by-turn directions and it can pair with a phone to sync contacts and make phone calls. Countering this the Rider doesn’t allow for spoken directions through earphones connected to a paired phone (like the 660LM) and it pair with both a headset and phone simultaneously to allow calls via a headset resulting in an either/or situation. Unlike Garmin’s sat navs, the Rider also has no external speakers.
That said we end on several pluses with many core TomTom features present and correct. These include Advanced Lane Guidance for turnings, IQ Routes, which provides a database of average road speeds at specific times of the day, near limitless POIs and an extensive speed camera database.
TomTom also bundles free lifetime European map updates and its long running ‘Home’ PC software allows the Rider to receive software updates, purchase additional country-specific maps and install daily map alterations.
This is a sample. To read about how to setup the Rider v4, how it performance, what value it offers for money and my final verdict click here for the full review @ TrustedReviews
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Western Digital WD TV Play
An excellent value media player, but compromises have been made.
Our Score 6/10
Pros
Attractive, intuitive UI
Wide range of integrated streaming services
Very cheap
Cons
No support for DTS audio
Poor navigation for local media
Remote has questionable layout
Review Price £55.00
Key Features: Local & network media playback; Netflix; BBC iPlayer; Spotify; Bulit-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet; USB & HDMI
Time was media players were about one thing: codecs. And time was one little media player ruled them all: the original WD TV. With the world quickly adopting streaming across both music and video, however, the war has moved on. Now WD TV maker Western Digital is back with the WD TV Play, which it claims excels at both while hitting a new price low.
WD TV Play – Design
If the premise is ambitious, the design certainly isn’t. The ‘hockey puck’ box is now as much a staple of the media player market as smartphone slabs and ‘unibody’ laptops. This isn’t to say Western Digital has done a bad job. Certainly the Play knocks off the Apple TV, but its curves are similarly graceful and it could just as easily fit in a coat pocket as under your TV.
In fact, if we had a gripe about the Play it is that it feels too light. This comes down to build materials with Western Digital cutting costs by using cheap plastics. We also aren’t convinced by the mixture of finishes with the matt black top clashing with its gloss sides, but the hint of blue created by the entirely blue base does win us over.
Apple would no doubt call the Play a cheap copy and it may well be, but we’ve seen far worse.
WD TV Play – Features
While the Play cuts costs on the outside, it doesn’t where it counts. Sticking to its roots, the Play supports a vast array range of codecs. For video lovers there’s AVI, MKV, MPEG4, MP4/MOV and WMV9 to name but a few, while music lovers get numerous formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, FLAC, OGG and Dolby TrueHD. There is also JPEG, GIF, TIF, BMP and PNG image support as well as a wide selection of playlist and subtitle formats.
Looking to the future the WD TV Play embraces a significant number of streaming options. We may lose its Hulu and Pandora support in the UK, but staples like YouTube, iPlayer and Netflix are joined by SlingPlayer, WVimeo, VUDU, DailyMotion, Spotify and CinemaNow. There are also widgets for Accuweather, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picassa, Flixster and more. If you don’t own a smart TV, the WD TV Play gives you a potentially decent stand in for very little outlay.
Connectivity is also good. Squeezed into the Play’s dainty dimensions are HDMI, Ethernet, optical, auxiliary and USB ports plus 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi. The greater speed of 5GHz 802.11n WiFi would’ve been welcome (as would 802.11ac), but it isn’t a grave omission.
There are multiple control options, too. The WD TV Play comes with a fairly uninspiring remote with overly spongy buttons, but Western Digital also supplies virtual remotes via iOS and Android apps. More of which later.
WD TV Play – Setup
Boot up the WD TV Play and what immediately strikes you is how far media player user interfaces have come. The home screen takes inspiration from the Windows 8 start screen with large, colourful tiles and a favourites area to which you can pin as many apps and services as you like.
Setup is simple since each service takes you through a setup wizard on first start, though usernames and passwords are best done through the smartphone apps as they provide access to a full keyboard. We also found the apps easier to use in general as they have dynamic layouts, a dedicated services section with quick access icons for every service and the ability to toggle between a standard control dial or touchpad for navigation.
By contrast the physical remote is limited and fiddly. Notably, the back button is positioned right below the power button (which caused us to accidentally switch off the Play on multiple occasions) and a dedicated Netflix button, which is only useful to Netflix subscribers and cannot be customised.
That said getting the WD TV Play up and running is nigh on foolproof, which means getting to your content is only minutes away… This is a sample, to read about the performance, value and to read my final verdict click here to read my full review @ TrustedReviews
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Braven BRV-1
If you’re looking for a portable speaker that can withstand the trials of outdoor life, the Braven BRV-1 could be the perfect travelling companion…
A sample of my review for ITProPortal.
Score 4/5 Stars
Price £149.99
Good Points
Stylish and extremely rugged design
Speaker, speakerphone and charger in one
Clear, rich audio performance
Bad Points
Volume could be louder
No support for AptX over Bluetooth
Battery life could be longer
“Rugged, water resistant, and built for the outdoors. The BRV-1 will keep up with you in even the most extreme environment.” – Braven BRV-1 product page.
Here at ITProPortal we like a challenge so we decided to put the marketing rhetoric behind Braven’s first rugged Bluetooth portable speaker to the test. In our exclusive review we took the BRV-1 north of the Arctic Circle to spend a week in the snow covered landscape of Finnish Lapland where temperatures in March can drop below -30 degrees Celsius.
Design
Making the 1,000km journey from Helsinki to our destination in Äkäslompolo by train meant a 14-hour ride. This was more than enough time to get a feel for the BRV-1, but it took just minutes to be struck by two significant aspects. The first observation upon opening the box is that Braven has decided to omit a wall charger. The BRV-1 charges over microUSB and a USB to microUSB cable is included in the box (plus lanyard and 3.5mm cable) and while USB wall chargers aren’t exactly scarce, it will come as a shock to buyers who first unpack the speaker on their travels as we did.
Secondly, and more positively, was the BRV-1’s build quality. To guard against water, impact and extreme temperatures the BRV-1 has a molded rubber finish, tightly sealed seams and control buttons and a large screw cap at the rear which covers its ports. At the front is an aluminium grill (coming in blue or orange finishes) to protect the drivers and the whole package not only feels solid as a rock, but measures only 115 x 60 x 85mm and weighs just 338g. The BRV-1 also looks great thanks to curves somewhat reminiscent of Dark Vader’s Tie Fighter!
Style is rarely high on the agenda with ruggedised products, but on the side of substance the BRV-1 is shock resistant and sports an IPX5 water resistance rating. The latter of these is defined by International Protection standards as “water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm wide) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects”. In real life this translates to the BRV-1 being happy out in the rain, snow, or liberally sprayed by water in a shower. It cannot, however, be fully submerged.
Features
Aside from the durability the key feature of the BRV-1, and Braven speakers in general, is its flexibility. Bluetooth audio playback is its staple fare (more on this later), but users will also find the BRV-1 functions as a speakerphone for taking calls and a portable charger. The former is aided by the inclusion of a noise cancelling microphone while the latter is enabled by the inclusion of a USB port under its rear screw cover.
The BRV-1 is fitted with a 1,400mAh battery which Braven claims is good for up to 12 hours of continuous playback, but this capacity is also large enough to virtually recharge an iPhone 5 (1,440mAh) or iPhone 4S (1,430mAh) from flat. It will also add significant extra juice to a Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy S3 (both 2,100mAh) or a Galaxy Note 2 (3,100mAh), or even an iPad Mini (4,400mAh). It won’t make much impact on the huge 11,666mAh battery fitted inside the iPad 4, but it does still make the BRV-1 potentially three highly useful portable devices in one.
Performance
So how does it all come together? The good news is remarkably well. At the heart of the BRV-1 are two 40mm drivers, a large 70mm passive subwoofer, class D digital amplifier (delivering a total of 6W) and output level of 95dB at 0.5 metres. Other than the size of the passive sub these don’t actually stand out a great deal, but for portable speakers dispersion and sound signature are far more important and Braven has got both of these right… This is a sample, to read more detail about the performance of the BRV-1, how it faired in our durability tests, its value for money and it read my final verdict click here for the full review @ ITProPortal.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Arcam rBlink
Super high quality audio streaming over Bluetooth may sound like a fantasy, but it is now fact not fiction.
Score 9/10
Pros
Breakthrough in high-quality Bluetooth streaming
Smart, rugged, minimalist design
Setup takes minutes
Cons
Fairly expensive
Could include some wired functionality
Review Price £159.99
Key Features: Integrated TI Burr-Brown PCM5102 DAC; Bluetooth with aptX & AAC streaming; Optical & Coaxial outputs; Automatic distortion and jitter control
Cornflakes and ketchup, Ferrari fire sales, open-source Apple software and high quality Bluetooth audio… some things just aren’t meant to go together, or at least so we thought. Claiming it can disprove the last of these universal truths is British high-end audio manufacturer, Arcam, which seriously believes its latest piece of kit can convince audiophiles that Bluetooth is able to deliver sound quality worthy of their ears.
Arcam rBlink – Design
The product given this herculean task is the ‘rBlink’, which follows the rPAC and rLink as the third in Arcam’s series of consumer-friendly DACs (digital to analog converters), all of which are designed to bolster the quality of our home audio. As such, the design similarities are clear: the rBlink is constructed from the same heavy cast brushed aluminium as its stablemates, has the same thick rubber base to keep it from moving and combines the same feeling of durability with stylish minimalism. In terms of size the rBlink is in the same ball park as its siblings, measuring just 75 x 100 x 26mm and weighing 350g for a tumbler-like reassurance.
Arcam rBlink – Features
That said, looks aren’t where our interest lies and it is actually the name of the rBlink which subtly gives away its controversial purpose. The ‘B’ stands for Bluetooth and whereas the rLink is a DAC for connecting any source to your speakers via SPDIF or coaxial cables, the rBlink enables the source to connect via Bluetooth. SPDIF and coaxial remain for tethering the rBlink to your speakers, but suddenly the audio from smartphones, tablets and Bluetooth-equipped PCs can be sent to them wirelessly.
The arrangement is Apple-like in its focus: coaxial and SPDIF connectors on one side of the rBlink, while a power input, a pairing button and an antenna reside on the other. Setup is a doddle too; simply connect the rBlink to your speakers, plug in the AC power adaptor (or power it using Arcam’s FMJ A19 stereo amp), press the pair button, pair your source device and hit play. Happily it works just this well in practice.
Which brings us back to the elephant in the room: Bluetooth. Arcam tackles this affront to audiophile sensibilities via two steps. The first step gives the Bluetooth spec itself a boost by incorporating support for AAC streaming and CSR’s impressive aptX codec. Bluetooth as it stands only supports 128Kbit music using its standard SBC (Subband Coding) codec, however AAC streaming enables AAC music files up to 256Kbit to be streamed to the rBlink. Furthermore aptX supports streaming of any music file up to 380Kbit (typically the highest standard before lossless files) when the source is also aptX compatible. The snag here is that Apple’s iOS devices aren’t aptX compatible, but increasingly large numbers of Android devices (including Samsung and HTC smartphones) and MacBooks are.
As for step two, it comes down to the DAC inside the rBlink. Arcam has opted for tried and trusted technology, with the rBlink using the same TI Burr-Brown PCM5102 DAC that produces stellar results in the rPAC and rLink. Consequently you’ll find an array of high grade specs including support for sample rates up to 192kHz with 24-bit depth, frequency response of 10Hz-20kHz, a signal-to-noise ratio (A –Weighted) of 106dB (24-bit) and line output level of 2.15Vrms. More crucially, the PCM5102 has a Total Harmonic Distortion Noise of just 0.002%, meaning it should put the kibosh on the distortion usually associated with Bluetooth audio and combat jitter. this is a sample to read about how the rBlink performs, its final for money and my final thoughts click here for the full review @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
D-Link DIR-845L Cloud Router
The fastest dedicated 802.11n dual band router I have seen and strong value for money too…
Score 9/10
Pros
Fastest dedicated 802.11n router to date
Excellent speeds and range over both 5GHz & 2.4GHz
Well priced
Cons
mydlink Cloud platform remains basic
802.11ac routers still best it running at 802.11n
Review Price £105.00
Key Features: 802.11n/g/b WiFi; 2.4GHz & 5GHz dual band ; SmartBeam smart targetting WiFi technology; WPA/WPA2, WPS & WEP 64/128-bit security; IPv6 ready; DLNA certified ; 6 Multi-directional Antennas
D-Link DIR-845L – Introduction
Despite high scoring reviews 802.11ac routers have yet to take off because of one simple, but fundamental thing: a lack of hardware support. Quite frankly there are next to no laptops, tablets or phones on the market right now fitted with this next generation WiFi standard and it could remain quite some time before that changes. As such D-Link steps forward with the DIR-845L, a router which sticks to venerable 802.11n but offers many of the technological innovations seen in AC models and packages it with an appealing price tag. Could the old ways be best?
D-Link DIR-845L – Design & Features
Certainly unpacking the DIR-845L gives a sense of nostalgia. Before its 802.11ac-equipped DIR-865L returned routers to their more rectangular and uninspiring roots D-Link’s 802.11n models had taken on a more elegant, cylindrical form and this ‘Dark Vader Pringles tube’ look is happily back with the 845L.
At 93 x 111 x 145 mm and 330 grams the 845L is slightly larger than its wireless n stable mates, but that is with good reason. Finally D-Link has married the best features of its 802.11n products into a single model: the 845L gets the dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz antennas and ‘mydlink’ Cloud platform support of the disappointing DIR-826L and ‘SmartBeam’, the superlative performance enhancing technology, of the single band, Cloudless DIR-645 all rolled into one.
Most noteworthy for day to day use is SmartBeam, which has made its way into the 802.11ac standard. Unlike normal 802.11b/g/n routers SmartBeam means a router doesn’t throw out a blind signal of equal radius but instead detects the location of devices connected to it and boosts signal in their direction. Think laser guided missiles rather than a single bomb.
As for mydlink, the company’s Cloud platform lets you log onto your router from any computer with an Internet connect or from Android and iOS apps and manage it remotely. Functionality includes adding and removing devices, prioritising types of traffic, rebooting, changing the SSID and passwords and enabling notification emails when new devices connect, fail to connect and new firmware is available. mydlink isn’t as powerful as ConnectCloud seen on the latest Linksys routers, but it is a solid base that will no doubt add further features over time.
Elsewhere the 845L ticks all the usual boxes: four Gigabit LAN ports, IPv6 and DLNA support, a USB port for adding external storage or a printer to the network and WPA/WPA2 and WPS security.
D-Link DIR-845L – Setup
A high point for D-Link in recent years has been the simplicity of its routers’ setup and this remains the case. Less technical users can pop in the supplied CD or download the setup software from the D-Link website and it goes through a setup wizard that lets you name the router, its 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (the latter is labelled ‘Media’ by default), change passwords and register with mydlink. Since the 845L doesn’t contain a modem (the popular option these days) connecting to the Internet is merely a case of plugging it into your existing modem via an Ethernet cable.
Meanwhile advanced users will be happy to know that unlike ConnectCloud, mydlink doesn’t do away with the more old school local admin access (via the familiar 198.168.0.1 IP address). This allows you to delve deep into all advanced settings and tinker to your hearts content… This is a sample to read about the class leading performance of the 845L and why its exceptional value for money means you have a difficult choice to make click here for the full review @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 3
B&O’s BeoLab 3 speakers are brilliant, but their asking price is plain ridiculous…
Score 6/10
Pros
Superb, rich sound reproduction
Iconic design
Premium build quality
Cons
Pricing from another planet
Highly restrictive connectivity
Needs the £350 B&O PlayMaker
Review Price £2,900.00
Key Features: 2 x 125W ICE power amplifiers; 4-inch bass driver, 3/4-inch tweeter; Power Link audio cables; 22.3x16x13.5cm and 2.6kg each
Every time a Bang & Olufsen product drops on our desk opening the box is like stepping into another world. It is a world where everything looks great, is styled to within an inch of its life and comes with the proviso that if you need to ask the price you almost certainly can’t afford to join the club. With B&O’s BeoLab 3 speakers we can tick off all three of these points as: check, check and CHECK!
B&O BeoLab 3 – Design
Much like the satisfying ‘chumph’ sound made when you close the door of a luxury car for the first time, the BeoLab 3 is desperate to make a good first impression and assure you that it’s money well spent. Shipping exclusively in a 2.0 arrangement the speakers get off to a great start. The styling might be akin to what a bowling ball would look like if it were secretly an alien spy robot, but it’s also simultaneously reassuring and radical.
Build quality is fantastic too, with a range of premium materials used. The main body of the speaker is constructed from matt aluminium, as is the silver protruding top (which could easily be confused for the stand), and at 2.6kg it has the reassuring heft of a quality speaker. That said, for their weight the BeoLab 3s are extremely compact. At just 22.3 x 16 x 13.5cm they require a footprint little larger than your average saucer and as such do a great job of being both subtle and eye catching when placed in a room.
B&O BeoLab 3 – Features
In preserving these good looks each BeoLab 3 speaker has the bare minimum of connections, and this is a bit of a snag. Elegantly carved into the back of each speaker is just a figure of eight power socket and B&O’s proprietary Power Link audio cable. Yes, their individual tuning (wall, free standing, corner) and position (right or left) can be set by sliding switches beside these connections, but the absence of a non-proprietary connector means you are tied to using them with B&O’s Power Link-equipped Playmaker (pictured below). Granted the Playmaker enables streaming over AirPlay or DLNA, but they are the only sources it can deliver so forget about feeding the BeoLab 3s from any device which isn’t AirPlay or DLNA compatible.
Of course with such a narrow focus B&O knows the BeoLab 3s need to impress and on paper they certainly do. Like all current generation B&O products, at the heart of the speakers is the company’s famed ‘ICEpower’ amplifier technology. ICEpower has been around for more than a decade, but has only made it into consumer products in recent years. The primary benefit of ICEpower is low-heat production, which means the amplifiers don’t need large cooling spaces inside and so can deliver great power from minimal form factors. In fact, according to B&O a conventional speaker would have to be about “ten times the size of BeoLab 3″ to deliver a comparable sound. So does it work?
This is a sample, to read about how the BeoLab 3 performs and why I have such major reservations about it click here for the full review @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Bang & Olufsen Playmaker
B&O makes an AirPort Express rival that supports DLNA, but gets it wrong…
Score 5/10
Pros
Excellent DLNA & AirPlay Streaming
Supports B&O’s proprietary audio cables
Touch sensitive volume and mute facia controls
Cons
Ugly design
Bargain basement build materials
No optical or 3.5mm auxilliary outputs
No way to switch output destinations
Chronically expensive
Review Price £349.00
Key Features: AirPlay & DLNA streaming; B&O proprietary cable connections; Phono Ports
B&O PlayMaker Introduction
Technology is a wondrous thing. It is evolves at a breakneck pace offering more for less every year and tech fans can find it a full time job just trying to keep up. Then again there are times when it confuses us and with the B&O PlayMaker this is one of those times…
B&O PlayMaker Design
The head scratching begins the moment you take the PlayMaker out the box. B&O is famed for its radical design and swooping curves, but the PlayMaker is flat and square. In fact at 157 x 136 x 120mm, 512g and available purely in white it looks somewhat like a bathroom ceiling extractor fan. Hands-on this unflattering comparison continues as the PlayMaker is also constructed from cheap moulded plastic with a pop off back that reveals its connections. It looks like nothing from the current B&O range yet is odd enough to drawn people’s attention and cause them to ask: ‘what on earth is that?’
B&O PlayMaker Features
The answer to this question is quite straightforward: it is B&O’s answer to Apple’s AirPort Express and being a B&O device it comes with a neat twist: as well as adding AirPlay wireless streaming support to speakers it also caters for non-Apple owners with the addition of DNLA. This brings most modern smartphones, laptops and TVs out from the cold along with games consoles. A further nice aspect is the front of the PlayMaker is touch sensitive with a circular volume dial and central mute button which brings the wow factor common to much B&O kit.
Setup is simple too. Much like AirPort Express, switch on the PlayMaker and it puts out an 802.11n 2.4GHz wireless signal to which you connect and provide the settings of your wireless network. You provide these via a browser-based setting page or B&O’s Android and iOS apps. Once recognised on the network the PlayMaker offers itself as an output to AirPlay and DLNA devices respectively. At which point you connect some speakers.
Sadly it is at this point we are scratching our head again. Predictably B&O fits a pair of its own proprietary speaker ports for the likes of the BeoLab 3 (review coming soon) but there is no standard optical output nor 3.5mm auxiliary as on an AirPlay Express, just phono ports. Furthermore as all B&O speakers are active (containing a built-in amplifier) the PlayMaker has not been fitted with its own amp meaning the phono ports will only work with other active speakers. Connecting to a HiFi is a solution, but for regular passive speakers you’ll need to connect the phono cables to a separate amp and the amp to the speakers making it somewhat messy and expensive (more of which later).
This is sample, to read about how the PlayMaker performs and which price is such a problem click here for the full review @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.
Braven 570
A portable Bluetooth speaker, speakerphone and battery pack in one for under £100? Yes it’s good.
Score 8/10
Pros
Strong audio performance
Excellent speakerphone call clarity
Will recharge your smartphone
Much cheaper than similarly equipped rivals
Cons
Battery life could be better
No AptX streaming
Loses aluminium body of 650 model
Review Price £99.99
Key Features: 6W speaker output; 10 hour battery life; Noise-cancelling microphone; Mobile device charger
Earlier this month Braven burst onto our radars with its excellent 650 Bluetooth portable speaker. Our only real gripe was cost so can Braven now address this with the cheaper 570?
Braven 570 – Design
It may be early days for Braven, but it has clearly established its style. The 570 looks almost identical to the 650 with the same rounded rectangular form factor and drilled speaker grills front and back which give it a minimalist, almost industrial look. That said this finish is where the first evidence of cost cutting is apparent as the 570 drops the aluminium finish of the 650 for matt moulded plastic polymer. Then again the polymer doesn’t look cheap, is impact resistant and means it is available in a range of colours with green, blue, purple, red, silver and black on offer. A further benefit is a weight drop which sees the 570 clock in a whole 88g lighter at 312g despite having virtually identical 6 x 2.5 x 2in dimensions.
Braven 570 – Features
When it comes to features we also remain in familiar territory. The 570 can stream audio via Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack, operate as a speakerphone for calls and cleverly charge a mobile device from its USB port. It charges itself over microUSB to avoid confusion. Interestingly the 570 packs the same pair of 40mm drivers, 40mm passive subwoofer, class D digital amplifier (delivering a total of 6W) and matching output level of 95dB at 0.5 metres.
But there are differences. On the audio side the 570 loses support for the AptX codec carried by the 650. AptX drastically improves the quality of audio streamed over Bluetooth, though notably it is required on both destination and source to work. In this regard most Android handsets have adopted AptX, but Apple has not added it to iPhones – perhaps in an effort to protect AirPlay speaker support – so if you are a Cupertino fan the omission makes no odds.
More significantly the 2000mAh battery capacity in the 650 is downgraded to 1200mAh which sees a fall from 20 to 10 quoted hours on a single charge. The knock on effect is the 570 won’t be able to fully recharge any of the leading smartphones such as the iPhone 5 (1440mAh), iPhone 4S (1430mAh), Galaxy S3 (2100mAh) and Note 2 (3100mAh).
Braven 570 – Performance
So how does it sound? Given the 570 uses the same components as the 650 we have a device that lives up to its bigger brother. The 570 packs a surprising amount of punch that belies its 6W rating and is powerful enough to fill a medium size bedroom or hotel room. If used primarily for talk radio or podcasts the 570 will work in larger rooms too.
In terms of audio quality the 570 also pleases. Despite their proximity the little speakers do a good job of outputting stereo while bass, mid and high ranges are all well balanced. Distortion does occur (primarily in higher frequencies) at maximum volume, but not to a level that destroys listening enjoyment. Given the lack of AptX where the 570 cannot match the 650 is performance over Bluetooth, but in truth while it has a massive impact on larger speaker systems it isn’t a deal breaker for drivers of this size. Only using the audio output hooked up to a proper Hi-Fi will reveal the loss of detail.
This is a sample, to read about how the 570 performs and why it is such a serious contender for your cash click on the link to the full review @ TrustedReviews.
Copyright for all reviews, editorials and features on this site belong to their respective publishers. All samples published on this website are via prior agreement with those publishers and serve to act as a portfolio and centralised location for all my work. Contact me at gordon@gordonkelly.com should you wish to commission me or supply review samples, press releases or arrange meetings.