Plusus is releasing a very portable charge cable solution called Lifelink which is the size of a credit card and 2 credit cards thick.

Once opened up, it give you almost 7" of cable so you don't need to shove it next to the charge source (laptop, adapter, etc)

The flexible cable is reinforced with unbreakable Teflon so it will last a long time. when clipped to your keys, it is light and you will hardly know it is with you (until you need it).

Make sure you follow this special link to get 50% off during the pre-order phase by signing up for their newsletter.

50% off link

For transparency, I have no financial benefit from the above link (referral or otherwise). I am providing it as a service to my readers.

PlusUs LifeLink

Bose SoundLink Mini is the best mid-size Bluetooth speaker

September 6, 2013technologyEdward Kiledjian

Bose SoundLink Mini review

I love audio devices. I own several dozen headphones, amps, speakers and audio players. I have a music collection in tones of formats from MP3 128-bit all the way to lossless ALAC and FLAC.

I love testing speakers and particularly Bluetooth speakers I can take on business trips.

I recently had a chance to test he Bose soundLink mini and was pleasantly surprised. It fast became my favorite mid-level Bluetooth speaker (more than the UE Boom or Jawbone Jambox).

The Looks

A review of any Bose design has to start with the way it is built. Bose has the ability to modernize "older" looks and the SoundLink mini is no exception. It evoques images of old school 1950 style radios but is clearly a modern and stylish device. Like car manufacturers, Bose has a beautiful front metal grill that makes this device look oh so modern.

You can protect and uglify the device by using an option rubber skin.

It is smaller than most of its competitors weights in at a nice 1.5 pounds. It is an aluminium body that feels well built and solid. Definitely something that will last.

Look as you may, you won't find where the microphone is hidden. Wait.. where is it... oh it doesn't offer speakerphone capabilities.

The device is controlled with soft touch rubber buttons on the top (volume, input, mute, etc). LED lights above each button show which function is on.

On the side you'll find a power input connector and a 3.5mm standard audio input (for non Bluetooth devices). The next con on this one is that it doesn't charge via standard USB like most other devices in this space. The negative is that you have one more charger to travel with but it does charge faster than other devices using USB charging. It also comes with a charging cradle which means home based charging is as simple as dropping it into the cradle.

There is a USB port on the device but that is used for firmware updates.

Battery

Bose says the battery lasts 7 hours and they are almost on the mark with standard use.

Going from empty to full takes 3-4 hours.

Sound Quality

Unlike other reviewers, I am not enamored with the Bose name and love some of their products sound quality and hate others.

When compared to other mid-sized competitors, the Bose SoundLink mini produces a decent amount of room filling sound. It actually is louder than most of its similarly sized competitors. It fills a standard room with loud enough sound for a get together but doesn't match the loudness of its bigger SoundLink or the bigger competitors. Also the smaller you get, the flatter the bass. The bass is respectable but not "club quality".

I thew a slew of different types of songs at it and it performed very well for a Bluetooth speaker (Bluetooth having a narrower less bit intensive capability). Where possible, I always prefer a straight digital out signal or a wires connection but sometimes Bluetooth is the only option and this device provides good sound reproduction. Only a handful of aggressive soundtracks played at maximum volume showed some distortion. Most of the time music played without any distortion even at maximum volume.

Bass is medium quality but overall separate and sound-stage was fairly good. High were particularly clean and vivid. It definitely merits the Bose badge for sound quality.

Pairing

The device was easy to pair (and paired reliably) to an iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy S4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

Verdict

If you need a mid-level portable Bluetooth speaker than this is my current best pick at round $199.

The device comes with the AC adapter and the charging base. The protection skin can be purchased separately in various colors.

Do I need an amplifier for my headphones?

July 24, 2012ReviewEdward Kiledjian

Most of us listen to music while on the go through headphones and some type of portable music player (smartphone, music player, etc). In order to keep component costs low and extent battery life, most of these devices have very small built-in underpowered amplifiers. These small mediocre amps are acceptable when using the cheap $1 manufacturer provided headphones but the minute you step up to something a little more sophisticated, you

start losing clarify
degraded audio definition and detail
higher noise
poor channel separation

Just a couple of years ago, headphone amps where the exclusive domain of professionals and demanding audiophiles. They were big and expensive. Times have changed and customers can now find them in all shapes, sizes and price-points.

The first time you listen to your music collection through good headphones powered by a decent headphone amp, you will likely be blown away. If your source is high quality, you will likely hear notes and instruments you had never noticed before. Subtle nuances become clear and most people start to enjoy their collection that much more.

Types

Headphone amplifiers comes in 3 categories: Portable, desktop and full size. Since this is a business blog and most of you will use their amp while on the move, I will stick to the portable type.

Portable amplifiers are designed to be small and have been optimized for use will mobile audio sources (such as iphones, ipads, laptops, android devices, etc). The smallest ones look like an ipod shuffle while larger ones are the size of a large breath mint canister.

Technical

Without becoming an audio expert, there are a some important technical characteristics you should consider.

Total Harmonic Distortion is overall sound distortion and you should look for a rating of 1% or less at full power (the lower the number the better of course).

Signal to Noise Ratio – this measures the amount of noise output from the amplifier compared to the original source. Measures in decibels, look for a large ratio. The larger the better.

Impedance will provide the output impedance of the headphone the amp will support. Make sure that the impedance of the headphone you use is supported by the amp you are considering to buy.

Price

Like all electronics, you can spend a little or a lot. There is no use spending $300 on an amp if you are using $100 headphones. For most "regular use" headphones, you should be able to find a great amp for between $20-100.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will review some of the ones I have tested.

Most portable USB or Lightning charging cable