mini-speakers

The 'Terminator of mini Bluetooth speakers'

We recently had a listen to DBest London's tiny Bluetooth speaker, the 4001, which the company billed as the "world's smallest Bluetooth hi-fi system." Well, the U.K.-based company has more products in the pipeline, including the larger--and better-sounding--PS4501, which DBest is calling the "Terminator of mini speakers."

We're not sure what that means, but in its metallic version, it does look like a high-tech grenade.… Read more

DBest debuts 'world's smallest Bluetooth hi-fi system'

In the past, we've tested out tiny spherical accordion-style portable speakers and have always been a bit underwhelmed.

Enter the DBest London PS4001BT Solo Bluetooth Rechargeable Mini-Speaker ($59.99), which the U.K.-based company bills as the "world's smallest Bluetooth hi-fi system." It weighs a mere 2.3 ounces and measures smaller than a lot of Christmas ornaments (1.7x2.3 inches).

Of course, it's not hard to make a small speaker, but the trick is to make it sound decent, and the DBest Solo manages to do that. OK, we're not talking … Read more

Which mini-speaker annoys the neighbors most?

The mission is simple: gather three brands of popular mini-speakers and see which is powerful enough to annoy a grumpy building superintendent.

The briefing: I reside in a quiet, courtyard complex in Studio City, Calif. On most Sundays, the residents gather around the pool for a casual barbecue. Such an event recently presented the perfect opportunity to test three mini-speakers: an X-mini Capsule Speaker from ThinkGeek, a Soundmatters foxL Bluetooth Soundbar, and a Cyber Snipa Sonar Portable Mini Speaker to see which could produce enough quality sound to prod our cranky 60-plus-year-old supe to leave his recliner and tell us to knock off the hubbub. Join us, won't you?

To expedite the outstandingly unscientific experiment, I chose Dubstep, which is electronica in the extreme. In fairness, some wouldn't call it music as much as well-organized static. When the uninitiated listen to Dubstep, they're often uncertain if the CD might be skipping. As a bleeding goat will draw the hungry, Dubstep pouring from my iPhone will attract the crotchety handyman if we can get the racket loud enough. … Read more

Made to travel: iHome rechargeable iHM79 speakers

Capsule speakers remain a niche product, but they offer some appeal to laptop or iPod and iPhone users who want better sound but don't want to lug around a set of computer speakers. The only drawback to going small is that even if the speakers sound better than most internal laptop speakers, they usually still sound pretty mediocre. What's slightly different about iHome's iHM79s, is that it has made these mini speakers a tad larger than its early capsule models, and the result is that they sound better but take up a little more room in … Read more

Gadgettes 82: The Cake Tech Episode

Have you ever looked at a gadget and thought to yourself: "Self, that would make a mighty delicious cake!" Exactly. No one has. So we go where no gadgette has gone before. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 82

Lampposts mystery solved! (thanks Joe) http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/17/ padded-lampposts-in-london-not-really-being-tested/

Jeff Bezos Kindle cake: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9899249-1.html

Icon watch (easy cake): http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2008/03/icon_watch_just.html

USB slide show for your computer’s vitals (nice-looking cake): http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9899114-1.html

eMotion’s solar-powered media player http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9899007-1.html… Read more

X-mini speakers to go wireless

The folks at Singapore's XM-I are a very busy team. Besides readying a stereo edition of their current best-selling (mono) X-mini Capsule Speaker, they've disclosed to Crave Asia that they are working on a next-gen iteration that will go wireless too.

Whether the new speaker will operate through Bluetooth or radio frequencies is still a question mark, which is a key point for sound quality. But it's at least something for X-mini fans to look forward to, particularly those who'd like nothing better than to get rid of their cables. Not to mention that they can … Read more

How to make your iPod really ugly

There should be a rule: Just because you can make something, it doesn't mean you should. That's how we feel about these iDazzle mini-speakers made for the iPod, as seen on Chip Chick. Sure, they may very well work. But even if they had Bose-quality sound (which, at $10, we somehow doubt), these things are coyote ugly. And we don't mean in the good way.

(Photo: SPI)