Here are nine new affordable, innovative, portable products you’ve never seen, that are worth a good look. We present capsule reviews of: laptop USB cooler, phone and iPod battery booster, FM iPod tuner, noise isolating earphones, earbud foam tips, and laptop cases, with four photos.
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Luxa2 USB Laptop Cooler Model M2
Company: Thermaltake
Price: $80
http://luxa2.com/products/laptopcooler/m2/design.html
Luxa2’s elegant, stylish, innovative, versatile M2 laptop cooler is a product you never knew you needed, but you’ll use it every day once you own it. Tightly tucked into its gorgeous, spring-loaded white leatherette case with magnetic top strap plus belt clip is a hinged, brushed metal gem of a USB-powered laptop riser. Its fan and heat absorbing panel are “made with crystalized Swarovski Elements.” Rear laptop elevation is to just-right height for optimal viewing angle. Fan noise is a little louder than I prefer, but not a serious concern. The company provides a USB extension pass-through cable adapter that allows users to plug an additional device into M2’s same laptop port. Study the specifications page for additional product details. Summer or winter, your precious laptop runs better when it’s as cool as possible. Luxa2’s M2 clever cooler is a winner for all seasons.
Suggested improvements: Use a darker color than white for the carrying case, because white will get dirty quickly. Make the fan a little quieter, please.
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Rechargeable Pocket Booster for Mobile Phones and iPods
Company: Kensington
Price: $25 for booster
http://us.kensington.com/html/16635.html
$15 to $20 for tips
http://us.kensington.com/html/8438.html
Shown with iPod adapter tip
This versatile, tiny, 2-AAA rechargeable power pack can keep your mobile phones and iPods running when their onboard juice becomes depleted. Remove the batteries and use them to power a portable mouse or other device. Charge the booster via any USB port. The charging unit is so small and lightweight you’ll have it handy at all times when on the go. Remember that rechargeable batteries hold a charge for a long time, but they slowly trickle-down when they are not being used.
Suggested improvements: Change the spring-loaded extension cable, because it snags easily; add a battery-level indicator on the charging unit.
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Navigate Inline Controller and FM Radio for iPod and iPhone
Company: Griffin Technology
Price: $60
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/navigate
Plug Navigate into your iPod or iPhone, and you instantly have a clear, strong FM radio tuner with a convenient rear clip. Setup and button controls are a little confusing at first, but they are easy to manage by day three. Written instructions are provided in English, French, and Spanish. Having Navigate’s black navigation symbols embedded on black press keys is bad product design, and MyMac has complained to the company. Aside from that gripe, this FM iPod/iPhone tuner plays sweet music.
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MetroFi Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphones
Company: Ultimate Ears
Price: $50 to 100 (see review for details)
http://ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/products/metrofi/index.php
Reviewer David Weeks begins our evaluation:
The Weeks Division of MyMac Labs spent some time with a pair of Ultimate Ears MetroFi earbuds for iPhone. I tested the “frequency-neutral” 170vi version of the UE’s for iPhone. As advertised, the frequency response is well-balanced. Audio quality is good; not great and not horrible. Microphone audio quality was good but not exceptional, as reported by most callers.
The earbud tips themselves are very comfortable, staying in place even when I was flailing away on the elliptical trainer at the gym. Goldilocks would be happy with the cord length; it’s just right, not too long and not too short. Unfortunately, there’s no clip to keep the cord from flopping, and one is needed.
I did not care for the fact that the length of the “Y” below the user’s chin is not adjustable. You can’t adjust the location where the two earbud wires join into one, and I would have preferred to have the “Y” closer to my chin. The Play/Pause/Next button is located below the “Y,” and that location has it positioned it not far above my waist. It took me a while to get used to the button not being located by the jawbone, where the microphone is.
All in all, the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170vi Earbuds are middle-of-the-road; you may not love them, but you probably won’t hate them.
John “Nemo” Nemerovski continues with additional comments:
There are two series of affordable MetroFi in-ear noise isolating headphones from Ultimate Ears. David tested the 170 series, and I tested the 220 series. Each model comes in two versions: one with an iPhone microphone, and one without. The microphones are identical on the different series.
The 170 (audio-only) costs $50, and the 170vi (with mic) is $60. If you like this model’s “frequency-neutral” sonic delivery, described above, MyMac recommends you pay the extra $10 even if you don’t have an iPhone, because one day you’ll be glad to have that inline microphone.
Prices for 220 models are $80 for audio-only, and $100 with mic. I did extensive listening tests of the 220, with a variety of music from both iPod and MacBook Pro. These earbuds have a very live sound, with especially strong bass. Midrange through treble are easily adjusted to your optimal preferences via the Equalizer in your portable device or computer. Without equalization, the 220’s audio spectrum is unbalanced, and does not provide a satisfactory listening experience.
Construction of the speaker driver components is more robust on MetroFi 220 than on 170. Casual users will be happy with the less expensive 170/170vi, which are priced very aggressively relative to the competition. More demanding listeners will prefer 220/220vi, which are still extremely affordable for Ultimate Ears monitors.
MyMac encourages the company to provide larger cases for their in-ear headphones. The included plastic cases are too small, and are difficult to use. Aside from that complaint, the comfort and audio delivery are well worth the prices for MetroFi 170 and 220, with and without inline microphones.
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Comply Tx-Series Foam Tips
Company: Hearing Components
Price $20
http://www.complyfoam.com/
If you love your audio earbuds and you lose or don’t love the included ear tips, try Comply. Their newest generation of foam tips fit better, sound better, and have a new Wax-guard. The customer orders different black tips for different buds, in small, medium, or large size. On the package, Hearing Components advertises: “Soft Comfort, Noise Isolation, Enhanced Audio Performance, and Stay-In-Ear Fit.” All are accurate.
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Turtle Hard Shell Laptop Sleeve
Company: STM Bags
Price: $50
http://www.stmbags.com.au/
It’s a rough, tumble, existence for laptop computers. STM Bags’ Turtle will protect your computer from bumps and bruises, and from most encounters with inclement weather. Turtle is a rugged, semi-rigid, black drop-in sleeve that fastens via a pair of pull-tight bands and posts. Its interior is a soft, light pile surface. The computer is not held firmly in place within a Turtle, so don’t take it sky diving. Turtle’s styling is a combination of high-tech and retro that is difficult to describe. You won’t want to carry a MacBook Pro + Turtle in your hand as you traverse office or campus, because there is no handle, and the outside edges are severely ridged. You place your computer into the Turtle, then Turtle into backpack or tote case, and go about your daily chores without any further worries about the computer’s safety. You must try Turtle before you buy it, because it is a most unusual laptop sleeve.
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Haptique Case for MacBook Aluminum
Company: Uniea
Price: $50
http://www.uniea.com
Uniea’s Haptique is a two-piece tight-fitting plastic shell that is the exact opposite of STM Bags’ Turtle. Haptique is available in six attractive colors. Its exterior is pleasant to touch, and its interior softly embraces your precious MacBook. The time required is less than ten seconds to affix or remove Haptique from a computer, but it stays firmly in place once snapped into position. The company’s web site provides all the information you need to decide if this case suits your needs and lifestyle. Priced at $50, it may seem to be a little expensive, but given its protective capability and port access, that cost is reasonable.
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