Nick's Naked Gadgets

Cheap portable digital radio - Technika DAB-108P Portable DAB/FM Radio

Some technologies take a long time to recover from early hype. Digital radio or Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a classic example. It was supposed to offer CD-quality sound. Unfortunately it often can’t even match FM radio.

The better the audio equipment, the more DAB’s shortcomings are revealed. Away from the living room hi-fi, however, there is an area where DAB should be prospering, that’s in the pocket. Portable music player sound quality isn’t that critical because the music’s usually in competition with trains, cars, buses and all the other sounds of the city.

There have been pocket DAB radios around for a while, but compared with MP3 players they seem bulky and expensive. The smallest pocket DAB radio was the size of a pack of cards, and that doesn’t compare well with devices such as the dainty iPod Nano.

Now this is changing. New DAB chips can be put into smaller and cheaper packages such as this Technika device from Tesco. An even tinier and slightly more stylish portable DAB player has also been launched by Goodmans although it’ll set you back an extra tenner. Both, incidentally, have FM radios built in as well.

Unfortunately they haven’t shaken off one DAB radio annoyance. Both use their headphones as an aerial. So if you find the supplied set uncomfortable or are dissatisfied with the sound quality you can’t do much about it as your spare pair of buds probably won’t work.

On the quality front, digital radio could be set for a resurgence, but perhaps not here. There is a new standard called, unsurprisingly, “DAB 2” which offers superior sound and the potential for more stations. But, because the UK was one of the first countries to adopt the original DAB standard, there are loads of old sets around that could be left behind by the new technology. So it could be a while before many British broadcasters start to invest in DAB 2.

Price: £34.97 Further information from tesco.com

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Will anybody fall for the Hi-Fi Wi-Fi charms of the Creative Zen X-Fi?

 

Few manufacturers promote their MP3 players on the quality of their sound. Instead the selling points are weight, capacity, battery life, design and even their range of colours.

This seems a bit of an omission considering the main purpose of these devices is to listen to music.

It's uncharitable to suggest that most people buy MP3 players mainly as fashion accessories, although there may be more than a grain of truth in that. But how many of us would have the nerve to go into an electrical shop and ask to test a variety of players? Even if we did the results from a noisy showroom probably wouldn't tell us very beyond the way most players sound lousy.

So it's a brave move by Creative to focus on the audio quality of its Zen X-Fi series. These use technology to fill in the gaps from compressed music such as MP3s and to make the sound seem to come from outside your head. Some people will find this an improvement, partly depending on their taste in music. The problem is sound quality is so subjective.

That said, almost everybody will appreciate the quality of the earphones included with the device which are far better than you'll get with almost any other MP3 player.

The tiny device - smaller than a credit card and not much thicker - has some other tricks up its sleeve notably its wi-fi capability. This means you can stream music stored on your bedroom computer into the living room, listening through headphones or with the player plugged into a stereo.

Rather less useful, thanks to the lack of a keypad, is the instant messaging capability.

But the X-Fi does have a sharp, if diminutive, screen for watching movies, a voice recorder, an SD card slot and even a speaker to properly annoy fellow bus travellers. It may not be the most beautiful MP3 player on the market, but it does offer a lot of features for its price.

There are three models in the Creative Zen X-Fi range – 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. (NB: The 8GB model does not have wi-fi capability.) Prices are currently £79.05 for the 8GB version and £124.61for the 16GB model.

This article originally appeared in The Scotsman newspaper in August 2008

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Denon D-F103HR System - a micro surprise

When I first heard about this micro hi-fi I’ll admit I was surprised. It wasn’t a shock that a company had brought out a type of iPod for the living room. What took me aback was that it carried Denon’s logo. Denon is a company very much associated with quality  and there’s an inherent inferiority built into this system.

It’s the same as an iPod in that all the tunes are stored and played from its hard drive. The hi-fi’s CD player exists just for users to transfer discs without using a computer. However, converting music to MP3, WMA, AAC or any other TLA (three letter acronym) leads automatically to a loss of quality.

This doesn’t really matter when you’re walking down the street listening to your iPod because the external noise of the world drowns out the imperfections. But if you plug an MP3 player into a quality music system you can hear the difference compared with CDs or vinyl.

Fortunately, Denon’s equipment is sufficient to iron out many of the imperfections. But I think I’d still go for a CD-based system if I was forking out this much.

There is, however, much to be said for the convenience of a hard-drive based music system. For a start you don’t have to hunt around for CDs or even, for that matter, get out of your seat to change albums.

The Denon is also designed to play internet radio using your broadband network. This is an amazing resource. There really are thousands of stations based all over the world. Whatever your taste you’ll find somewhere playing it 24 hours a day.

One day all stereo systems may be made like this Denon. But until the price of hard drives has fallen to the point that it’s economical to store all your music uncompressed, it may be best to stick to a conventional system and just plug in your iPod when necessary.

This article originally appeared in The Scotsman in January 2007

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Interlink Rechargeable Bluetooth Laptop Remote Control

There used to be a huge price and performance difference between laptop and desktop PCs. It was really only worth buying a laptop if you were going to be spending time on the road and your computing needs were limited to word processing, email and simple spreadsheets.  

In the last couple of years, though, portable computers have fallen in price enough to be a viable alternative to a desktop as your main PC. At the same time they’ve increased in power to the point where you can even play videogames on some of them.

In fact, as a portable entertainment device a well-specified laptop is hard to beat. It’ll show DVD movies, store and play your entire music collection, display all your pictures, as well as doing all those wonderful things on the internet that you know you shouldn’t.

This can be a blessing if you’re working away from home. You’re knackered and all you really want to do is lie in your hotel bed and watch telly. That’s until you find the only English-language channels are CNN with its interminable 15-minute loop or Eurosport featuring repeats of the Hungarian rowing championship. The exorbitant pay-per-view choice is between a Chuck Norris action movie, a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy or tattooed lesbian porn in German,

But if you’ve remembered to bring a DVD with you then your entertainment problems are solved. You can watch that until you nod off. Well you could if you didn’t have to get out of bed to switch off your laptop.

But this nifty little device solves the problem for people with a recent laptop equipped with Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot for recharging and storing the device. You might even be lucky enough to justify it on expenses because, as well as acting as an entertainment remote control, it can be used up to 30 feet away for PowerPoint demonstrations.There used to be a huge price and performance difference between laptop and desktop PCs. It was really only worth buying a laptop if you were going to be spending time on the road and your computing needs were limited to word processing, email and simple spreadsheets.  

In the last couple of years, though, portable computers have fallen in price enough to be a viable alternative to a desktop as your main PC. At the same time they’ve increased in power to the point where you can even play videogames on some of them.

In fact, as a portable entertainment device a well-specified laptop is hard to beat. It’ll show DVD movies, store and play your entire music collection, display all your pictures, as well as doing all those wonderful things on the internet that you know you shouldn’t.

This can be a blessing if you’re working away from home. You’re knackered and all you really want to do is lie in your hotel bed and watch telly. That’s until you find the only English-language channels are CNN with its interminable 15-minute loop or Eurosport featuring repeats of the Hungarian rowing championship. The exorbitant pay-per-view choice is between a Chuck Norris action movie, a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy or tattooed lesbian porn in German,

But if you’ve remembered to bring a DVD with you then your entertainment problems are solved. You can watch that until you nod off. Well you could if you didn’t have to get out of bed to switch off your laptop.

But this nifty little device solves the problem for people with a recent laptop equipped with Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot for recharging and storing the device. You might even be lucky enough to justify it on expenses because, as well as acting as an entertainment remote control, it can be used up to 30 feet away for PowerPoint demonstrations.

This article was originally published in September 2006

Why the PURE AVANTI Flow is a very expensive iPod dock

I've long been slightly disappointed by the way convenience always seems to beat quality, particularly in the world of sound and vision. For instance, people started buying flat-screen televisions not for their picture quality but because they take up less space in the living room. CDs replaced vinyl because they were smaller and less fragile even if they didn't sound as good. Then along came MP3s which were of even worse quality.

I'll admit to be equally guilty - if that's the word - of valuing convenience above all else. I'm currently working while I listen to trance music on fairly crappy computer speakers. But then I wouldn't go out and spend £280 on a box such as . For about half the money you could buy a 'real' stereo from Richer Sounds. http://www.richersounds.com/information.php?cda=static&cst=hifisystems

That of course is not quite a fair comparison. The speakers in a 'conventional' separates system might be far enough apart to offer true stereo, but they don't offer the choice of music that you can get from internet radio. The PURE AVANTI Flow is Wi-Fi enabled and it's easy to set up to receive the thousands of radio stations you can find online. That's in addition to digital DAB stations, music stored on a PC and on your iPod.

In fact it's the last function I find most intriguing. The press release I received this afternoon says the Avanti Flow has: 'The same ‘connected’ functionality as the EVOKE Flow – recipient of the 2008 What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Radio Product of the Year.' Fair enough. But when I go to Amazon I find the Evoke FLOW costs about half as much, currently £132.32. Either that's a bloody expensive iPod dock or I'm missing something.

AVANTI Flow will be available in time for Christmas for £279.99 (SRP).

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Intempo rebel Radio

Once again my past flashes before my eyes as the latest gadget offers a substitute for a task I used to do myself. This time I’m impressed by the wizardry of the software, but I’m not entirely sure it’s not too clever for its own good.

 

In the olden days when life was analogue and MP3s weren’t even a twinkle in their inventor’s eye we used to record music on cassettes. Sometimes we borrowed our pals’ LPs, but just as often we’d tape stuff off the radio.

 

It was a highly-skilled process. First you’d have to place the microphone in a perfect position near the radio. Too close and you’d get distortion. Too far away and you’d pick up other sounds. There was anyway always the danger that your favourite song would be marred by your mum calling you for your tea in the background.

 

The real talent however was timing. You’d have just a split second to start recording between John Peel finishing talking and the track starting. And with the top 40 you wouldn’t even have that. You’d end up with drivel at the beginning of every hit.

 

The Rebel radio’s “PopCatcher” removes the drivel. Leave it switched on to an FM station for a day, with the sound down if you want, and it’ll store the 40 most popular songs without advertisements or deejay chat ready for you to play on your iPod or other MP3 player. It’ll do the same if you plug in a digital radio or a computer playing internet radio stations.

 

It’s very clever and totally legal apparently. With so many sources of music today, however, I’m not convinced PopCatcher isn’t a solution in search of a problem. But then the thought of restricting my listening to somebody else’s top 40 is my idea of hell even if the tracks are free. It could be heaven for somebody else.

 

This article first appeared in The Scotsman in March 2008

For more of Nick Clayton's gadget columns visit Gadgetonia

Venturi Mini

By and large driving is pretty boring. And it’s not good for global warming. This little gizmo won’t save the planet, but it might make the roads a little less dull and perhaps a bit safer as well.

It combines two types of popular device in a way which is greater than the sum of its parts. First it provides a wireless method for hooking up to your car stereo your favourite gadget for music on the move, be that MP3 player or mobile phone. At the same time it provides a hands-free set up so you can legally take and receive mobile phone calls when you’re driving.

The Venturi Mini slots into a the cigarette lighter socket, or whatever the politically-correct term is for it is nowadays given that lighting up in an enclosed space is a no-no. Once plugged in, if you own a fairly new music phone, you can stream music using Bluetooth A2DP. That’s the acronym which means you can use wireless stereo headphones. If you don’t have it you can just use a wire with your MP3 player.

The Ventura Mini is a little radio transmitter which your car stereo can pick up and play through its speakers. So now you’re thundering down the A74 listening to Bohemian Rhapsody when the gadget shows off another one of its tricks. Somebody’s trying to get in touch with you and you know exactly who it is because their number’s shown clearly on your radio’s display.

Now you can decide whether to take the call and automatically freeze Freddie in mid-fandango using A2DP or wait until he’s finished. If you decide on the latter you can call back using the integrated phone book. The Ventura Mini’s other neat trick is it’s got a built-in charger so you won’t run out of Queen somewhere near Wolverhampton. (The use of Queen examples here is purely gratuitous. I can’t stand them myself.)

iStuff iCast Universal FM Transmitter

What’s the difference between this iCast and a gram of cocaine? The answer is it’s legal to possess an iCast transmitter, but illegal to use it. With cocaine the opposite is true.

So why on earth is it against the law to use a device that does nothing more than wirelessly connect an MP3 player to a car stereo? After all, nobody literally has a criminal taste in music, although I can think of a few people whose record collections should be impounded in the interests of world peace.

But, that’s not why the iCast is illegal. It’s thanks to a 57-year-old piece of legislation, the Wireless Telegraphy Act, part of which prevents the setting up of unlicensed radio stations. When the 1949 law was drafted it’s unlikely that many gramophone-using MPs were concerned with the future of digital music.

By the end of this year users of devices such as the iCast should stop being regarded as tiny pirate radio broadcasters when laws across Europe are harmonised. Abolition of the legislation has also been recommended by the official communication watchdog Ofcom.

The reason the iCast is technically illegal is that it turns your iPod, MP3 player or any other device with a headphone socket into a very weak radio transmitter with a range of just a few metres. You just plug in the iCast to the headphone socket and tune in the radio.

The iCast is powered by an AA battery, or it can be plugged into a car’s cigarette lighter socket. With 199 available broadcasting frequencies, you should get a good signal.

Of course it would probably be easier if car stereos were equipped to connect with portable music players via their headphone sockets. Until then tiny transmitters such as the iCast are the best way to listen to your music collection while you drive. It’ll be even better once they’re legalised.

This article first appeared in September 1006 when these transmitters were still illegal in the UK

Intempo Rebel Radio

Once again my past flashes before my eyes as the latest gadget offers a substitute for a task I used to do myself. This time I’m impressed by the wizardry of the software, but I’m not entirely sure it’s not too clever for its own good.

In the olden days when life was analogue and MP3s weren’t even a twinkle in their inventor’s eye we used to record music on cassettes. Sometimes we borrowed our pals’ LPs, but just as often we’d tape stuff off the radio.

It was a highly-skilled process. First you’d have to place the microphone in a perfect position near the radio. Too close and you’d get distortion. Too far away and you’d pick up other sounds. There was anyway always the danger that your favourite song would be marred by your mum calling you for your tea in the background.

The real talent however was timing. You’d have just a split second to start recording between John Peel finishing talking and the track starting. And with the top 40 you wouldn’t even have that. You’d end up with drivel at the beginning of every hit.

The Rebel radio’s “PopCatcher” removes the drivel. Leave it switched on to an FM station for a day, with the sound down if you want, and it’ll store the 40 most popular songs without advertisements or deejay chat ready for you to play on your iPod or other MP3 player. It’ll do the same if you plug in a digital radio or a computer playing internet radio stations.

It’s very clever and totally legal apparently. With so many sources of music today, however, I’m not convinced PopCatcher isn’t a solution in search of a problem. But then the thought of restricting my listening to somebody else’s top 40 is my idea of hell even if the tracks are free. It could be heaven for somebody else.

Denon D-F103HR System

  When I first heard about this Denon D-F103HR micro hi-fi I’ll admit I was surprised. It wasn’t a shock that a company had brought out a type of iPod for the living room. What took me aback was that it carried Denon’s logo. Denon is a company very much associated with quality and there’s an inherent inferiority built into this system.

It’s the same as an iPod in that all the tunes are stored and played from its hard drive. The hi-fi’s CD player exists just for users to transfer discs without using a computer. However, converting music to MP3, WMA, AAC or any other TLA (three letter acronym) leads automatically to a loss of quality. 

This doesn’t really matter when you’re walking down the street listening to your iPod because the external noise of the world drowns out the imperfections. But if you plug an MP3 player into a quality music system you can hear the difference compared with CDs or vinyl.

Fortunately, Denon’s equipment is sufficient to iron out many of the imperfections. But I think I’d still go for a CD-based system if I was forking out this much.

There is, however, much to be said for the convenience of a hard-drive based music system. For a start you don’t have to hunt around for CDs or even, for that matter, get out of your seat to change albums.

The Denon is also designed to play internet radio using your broadband network. This is an amazing resource. There really are thousands of stations based all over the world. Whatever your taste you’ll find somewhere playing it 24 hours a day.

One day all stereo systems may be made like this Denon. But until the price of hard drives has fallen to the point that it’s economical to store all your music uncompressed, it may be best to stick to a conventional system and just plug in your iPod when necessary.

This article was first published in January 2007