Review – iMainGo 2 portable travel speaker for iPhone, iPod and Zune

by Scott Carmichael on

With the weekend quickly approaching (how on earth did that happen so quickly this week?), the time has come to relax, turn on some of your favorite tunes, and enjoy a cold beverage. Unless you live in the midwest, where the temperatures are already dropping to the point where hot chocolate is justified.

To enjoy your music on the go, the iMainGo 2 could very easily become your best friend. The iMainGo 2 is a combination speaker case and protection case. Unlike some other portable speakers, once your iPhone, iPod or other player is inside the unit, you can still control it through a clear panel on the rear.

The iMainGo 2 is powered off four (included) AAA batteries, and features two different power modes -on and alarm. When in alarm mode, it conserves power by turning off its amplifier until your iPod turns on – which means you can set an alarm, and wake up to soothing tunes from its speakers.

Installing your player is simple – you plug it into the headphone jack, then slot it behind a piece of padding and lock it in place with a Velcro strap. Once inside the iMainGo 2, your player is well protected.

You can access all the buttons – as long as they are on the front. This means you won’t have access to power buttons that are on the top of a device, or volume controls on the side. In addition to this, you won’t be able to make any calls on your phone when it is in the case.

Audio is crisp, loud and clear. In fact, my volume was originally far too loud, and because my iPod was in Angry Birds, I had to exit it to adjust the volume inside the music app. The front mounted speakers are amazing – they sound good at low volumes, and they sound just as good turned up to max.

The only minor downsides to the iMainGo are a tricky battery compartment and the fact that it can’t charge your iPod when connected – but the price more than makes up for that – just $39.99.

I like the iMainGo 2 – it is compact, sounds good and is well priced. Still not convinced? How about the chance to win one? Check back next week for a contest and you’ll have a chance to win your own iMainGo 2 portable sound system.

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Review – V-MODA Vibrato Remote noise isolating headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

This morning, headphone maker V-MODA unveiled the newest product for their fall 2010 lineup. For the past week, I’ve been reviewing the new Vibrato Remote in-ear headphones, and if you hate reading long reviews, all you need to know is that these are the best in-ear headphones V-MODA has ever made.

Building upon their previous headphones (the Remix Remotes), V-MODA re-engineered the headphones to look better, and sound better. The biggest change is the use of a fabric and kevlar reinforced cable – fabric cables have the advantage of not tangling as easy as plastic.

The earbuds themselves also went though a redesign – and the final result really is pretty damn awesome. The buds feature a two-tone black/silver design, not unlike something you’d find on a watch. Another very welcome improvement is in the silicone earpieces – the Vibratos come with an assortment of sizes, and for the first time, they used dual-tone silicone for each one. The end result really does look pretty neat.

The various earpieces – in the package, you get three sizes of clear buds, and three in black.

The inline remote allows for volume and track control. Even though they are designed for use on the iPod, iPad and iPhone, I was able to control play/pause on my Android devices (Nexus One and T-Mobile G2). The Vibrato’s put the controls towards your left ear, so you won’t be able to look down to see the buttons, which means you’ll need to learn to control them blindly.

Included in the box are two Active Flex ear hooks. I’ll admit that I was initially uninterested in these -but for the test, I tried them out anyway. Thank goodness I did – because they took me completely by surprise. Not only do they make the headphones very comfortable (by reducing the weight hanging from your ears), they also reduce cord noise, a problem almost all in-ear noise isolating headphones suffer from.

Now of course on to the most important aspect of any pair of headphones – audio and noise isolation. Without any audiophile skills, all I can say is that these things sound awesome. I played limited quality MP3’s and a couple of FLAC files, and found the volume and bass reproduction to be great. Best of all, because the Vibrato offers good noise isolation, you won’t need to crank the volume too high to enjoy it, reducing distortion.

The Vibrato features an angled gold-plated headphone jack – this really is the perfect compromise – it suits people who prefer angled plugs, and people who like straight plugs. The whole thing feels well made, and sturdy.

Call quality through the in-line microphone was way above average – callers never complained about excess noise, even when I made calls from a noisy or windy environment. Also, because the headphones isolate so well, hearing the other side of your call is never an issue.

The V-MODA Vibrato headphones come with a stylish carrying case, a variety of earpieces and the two Active Flex earhooks. As usual, V-MODA delivers the headphones in an amazing box – but you’ll need about ten minutes to unpack them.

The new V-MODA Vibrato headphones are available today – and retail for $129.99. You’ll find them at your local Apple retail stores and at shop.v-moda.com. Yes – $130 for a pair of headphones may be hard to justify, but in this case, you get headphones that sound as good as they look – assuming they match your personal taste of course!

Bottom line is that the the Vibrato headphones are the best sounding, and best looking in-ear headphones V-MODA has ever made. Their noise isolation properties are perfect for travelers, the Active Flex hooks are ideal for active use, and the quality seems to easily justify the price tag. V-MODA provides a two year premier warranty on all their headphones, and will even offer a 50% discount on new ones if you damaged them beyond the regular warranty coverage.

Review: Balanzza Mini Luggage Scale – avoid nasty surprises at the airport!

by Scott Carmichael on

Traveling with bags means trying to stay one step ahead of the airlines – and staying one step ahead of them, means knowing exactly how heavy your bags are. There no nothing more annoying than arriving at the airport, only to discover that you overpacked, and will either have to pay up, remove some items or move items between bags.

To help prevent these nasty surprises, you could consider investing in a portable luggage scale. Last year, we mentioned the Balanzza Ergo digital luggage scales – and now Balanzza has introduced a more compact version of their award winning product – the Balanzza Mini.

The Balanzza mini is the smallest digital luggage scale in the world. The device is about three times smaller than the original version – but still provides the same features and 100lbs. capacity.

To weigh your bag, you simply strap the scales to your handle, turn the unit on, and pick it up. As soon as the Balanzaa Mini beeps, you’ll have an accurate measurement. The scales are accurate to 0.2lbs – which is probably a better result than many uncalibrated airport scales.

The Balanzza Mini compared to the larger Balanzzo Ergo. Both are very accurate, but the reduced size and weight of the Mini has its obvious advantages. That said – with very heavy bags, the larger version may be more comfortable to lift.

The Balanzza Mini retails for $24.95, and is available directly from Balanzza, select Bed Bath & Beyond stores and a variety of online retailers.

Review: WaterGeeks filtering stainless steel water bottle

by Scott Carmichael on

The WaterGeeks filtering stainless water bottle is a water bottle with a twist – besides being a non-leaching BPA free container, the bottle features a built in water filter capable of removing water contaminants, chlorine, bad odors, lead and heavy metals.

The bottle itself comes in two sizes – 12oz or 24oz and you can chose from stainless or one of eight different colors. You can even pick from eight different cap colors, which means you’ll be able to design the bottle exactly as you want it. Depending on the quality of the water you’ll be drinking, you can chose from a basic tap water filter, or a more advanced version capable of filtering out bacteria, cysts, cryptosporidium and other nastiness.


The filter cartridge fits onto the bottle cap and is sufficient for 800 12oz servings. Replacement filters cost $10.99 and come with a new cap, ensuring you always get the best possible quality water.

If you really want to get safe drinkable water from questionable sources, you can of course combine the filtration power of the WaterGeeks bottle, with the disinfecting power of a SteriPEN water purifier.

The WaterGeeks bottle weighs just 6.9 ounces (195 grams), making it ideal of packing and carrying on a trip. The cap cover is attached to the neck of the bottle and features a pop-up valve and air valve to reduce vacuum inside the bottle.

Without access to a water lab, it is hard to tell whether the filter actually works – but there is no denying that active charcoal as used in the tap filter is a proven technology – and water filtered through the bottle really does taste better.

One added bonus of the WaterGeeks filter technology is that their cap and filter will fit any bottle with a 1.75″ thread design – including those from competitors.

You’ll find the entire lineup of WaterGeeks bottles at TheWaterGeeks.com, along with their many other produces. Their bottles are also on sale through several other online retailers.


Review – Altec Lansing iMT320 inMotion Compact iPod/iPhone speaker

by Scott Carmichael on

The Altec Lansing brand name has been around the world of iPod speaker docks since they produced the very first one back in 2003. In recent years, Altec Lansing kept churning out new and improved versions of their speaker docks – from premium versions to docks that brought us back to the boom box era.

Their latest creation is the inMotion Compact iMT320 – a more classically style dock. The iMT320 is a bit of a no-frills dock – it features a dock connector, protective cover/stand, power and volume controls and a line in jack. In the box of the iMT320 is an AC adapter, a pair of dock adapters and a short manual. Unlike its more expensive family members, this one does not come with a remote, line in cable or rechargeable batteries. This basic setup does mean the price can be kept to a minimum. Thankfully, Altec Lansing managed to keep the most important part of this speaker untouched – its sound quality.

Put simply – the audio quality from this speaker is amazing. Volume is great, with no distortion until you crank it up to “max”. Altec Lansing clearly used their experience from previous docks to ensure this dock would sound as good as possible. The end result is a speaker you can use on your desk for some peaceful tunes, or to fill a large room with party music. Under the main speakers are two bass ports – and with bass heavy music, you really hear these doing their job.

The protective (faux leather) cover unfolds from the front to form a stand on the back – slotting into a small opening and propping it up at a nice angle.

With a set of 4 AA batteries installed, the iMT320 weighs in at 5.5 ounces and measures 9.5″ (W) x 1.8″ (D) x 4.7″ (H). These dimensions put it around the largest a travel speaker could get, without having to resort to single speakers like the much smaller Altec Lansing Orbit series.

Controls are very basic – volume and power. To control your music, you’ll need to use the screen or buttons on your player. Thankfully, the iMT320 will charge your docked player when on battery power and on AC power. Of course, devices plugged into the AUX jack won’t be powered by the dock.

At $79.95, the inMotion iMT320 is priced well within range of similar docks – and since its audio is well above average, you do get very good value for money. Ideally, I’d have preferred to see the unit include a rechargeable battery, but when you need to keep prices low, you obviously have to sacrifice somewhere.

All in all a very well designed and good sounding speaker – with the perfect dimensions for making it a great travel companion. To learn more about the Altec Lansing inMotion Compact iMT320, head on over to its product page. Also, be sure to check back later this week for a change to win one of these speakers!

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