More About: infographics, music player, pandora, spotify
Edifier is an international manufacturer of a number of electronics accessories, including iPhone/iPod docks like the Tick Tock Dock. While I was less than impressed with the sound and design of that retro alarm clock dock, Edifier's e30 Spinnaker Bluetooth Speaker System (US$399.99) looks like it's going to be a winner for the company. Let's take a look at these visually striking (and great-sounding) speakers.
The first thing that hits you when you see the Spinnaker speakers is the design, which is unique amongst Bluetooth speaker systems. These gently curving cones look either like rhinoceros horns or fully deployed spinnakers on a sailboat. Available in black or burgundy, the speakers stand about 16 inches tall.
Each Spinnaker includes three amplifiers pushing a 10 W tweeter, a 10 W 2-3/4" midrange speaker and a 25 W 4" downward-firing bass speaker. The Spinnaker set includes a small dome-shaped Bluetooth remote -- and what I mean by that is that it's a manual remote that communicates with the Spinnaker via Bluetooth. You turn it clockwise to turn up the volume, just like a volume knob, and the bottom glows red to let you know that it's communicating with the speakers. The control also works to skip to the next or previous track, pause and resume playback, and adjust the volume. The remote is rechargeable via an included USB to micro-USB cable.
Not only can you bump your tunes to the Spinnaker speakers over Bluetooth, but the speakers also include an AUX input and an optical audio input (cables included) for connectivity to gaming consoles and multimedia systems. For extra bass, there's a separate subwoofer output. The two speakers are tied together via a proprietary cable, and there's a 5 V power brick that supplies juice to the active speaker.
As with all speaker and headphone reviews, it's important realize that sound reproduction methods and the sounds perceived by the reviewer are very subjective, so your results may vary from mine.
I found the sound quality to be excellent, as one would expect with three separate amplifiers and three decently sized drivers per speaker. If you use the speakers next to a Mac (the Edifier site shows one Spinnaker on either side of an iMac, for instance), expect to be blown away by the volume and clarity of the Spinnaker system.
One interesting note: when I played music from my iMac (late 2009), the sound quality was often choppy. Playing the same tunes from a late 2010 MacBook Air, iPhone 4S or third-generation iPad resulted in amazing sound quality and additional volume. My guess is that it's the Bluetooth 4 capabilities of the newer Mac, the iPhone and the iPad that work so well with the speakers. So that's a warning to potential purchasers -- pairing with a fairly new Apple product will get you best sound quality over Bluetooth.
If you want more than the plain box shape on a good-sounding Bluetooth speaker system, then you'll definitely want to take a look at the Edifier Spinnaker. The speakers look great and the sound is hard to beat. Audiophiles with recent Bluetooth devices who want to beam tunes to these speakers will be quite happy.
Pros
Cons
Who is it for?
Edifier Spinnaker Bluetooth Speaker System: Striking appearance, amazing sound originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The new iPad comes with 4G, but this is still not available in Lebanon! Check which iPad 3 to buy so that it be compatible with the 4G likely to be available in Lebanon shortly. <a href=http://www.ipadlebanon.org/ipad-3-connectivity/>iPad 3 Connectivity in Lebanon</a>
Microsoft updated its Xbox LIVE app for iOS and added a much needed remote feature for the iPad. This feature allows users to use the tablet as a remote control for browsing through the console's media and controlling playback of content. Though new to the iPad, the remote control was already present on the iPhone, Windows Phone and Android. You can download the Xbox LIVE app for free from the iOS App Store.
Xbox LIVE iOS app adds iPad support originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
While Apple's retail outlets housed in malls or shopping centers haven't needed much exterior tweaking, the freestanding stores generally get a more sophisticated architectural treatment to make sure they fit in with the other buildings nearby. This is particularly true of the stores in European cities, where the outlets are often housed in historical buildings. AppleInsider points out a construction sign at the new Apple Store that's arriving soon in Barcelona, Spain that's taking design cues from Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, with a multi-colored stained glass trencadís mosaic Apple logo catching the eyes of passersby.
The new store is located on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, near Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, two famous buildings by the architect best known for the Sagrada Familia Basilica. Gaudi was well known for using stained glass trencadís mosaic in his structures, and a sign at the construction site for the new store says that it will be "custom made to fit Barcelona." It's not clear if the stained-glass mosaic logo is part of the final store design, but at least while the construction sign remains, Gaudi's legacy continues in the shape of an Apple logo.
The store is the second in Barcelona, and Apple has signed a 10-year lease for the building for US$5.1 million annually.
Barcelona Apple Store construction sign has unique Gaudi-esque logo originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
GameCircle brings achievements, leaderboards and -- most interestingly -- makes sync APIs accessible for Kindle Fire games. Sync will save your place to the cloud, allowing you to pick up playing on one device right where you left off on another.
Amazon describes the feature thus: “Players will not have to worry about losing progress, scores or achievements between Kindle Fire devices, as all data is securely stored in the cloud.”
Curious wording, and a curious feature -- given that the Kindle Fire tablet is currently the only device with that branding.
More About: amazon, kindle fire
The next time you go on vacation, you might want to install Photo Mapo from Ripe Bytes on your iPhone before you head out. The app is more than just a photo frame. It's a photo-mapping app that will take your photo, display it on an attractive map and allow you to share the resulting composition with your friends and family.
The app lets you take a photo or use an existing image from your camera roll. It pulls the GPS data from the shot and finds the location on a map. You can customize the style and the zoom level of the map, add a description and then combine them both with your photo. In the end, you get an eye-catching composition that you can send to a friend. Photo Mapo has a fun, touristy feel that makes you want to go on vacation just so you can use it.
Photo Mapo is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Daily iPhone App: Photo Mapo turns your photo into a postcard-style map that you can share originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
