February 25th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
While at Macworld in January, I stopped by the Griffin booth to check out some of their newest products. My favorite my which was the Simplifi. It is a iPod or iPhone dock, with an SD reader, a CompactFlash reader, and a two-port USB hub.
I’ve always liked products that make things simple. Why have a iPhone dock, Card reader, and USB hub, when I can one device that can do everything.
The front and back are white plastic, while the top is a very nice brushed aluminum, which nicely matches the Apple Aluminum Keyboard.
It includes a set of dock adapters so you can use it with most iPods and iPhones.
Setup is easy, as expected, connect the mini-USB cable to your Mac or PC, and connect the power cable to an AC jack. It would be nice if it was completely bus powered, and did not require a power cable, but seeing how many devices it potentially replaces, I don’t think this is a big issue.
It would be nice if the Simplifi had more USB ports on it, as it only has two, and much of the back is empty. As well, I don’t have a need at all for CompactFlash, and would have enjoyed two USB ports on the front instead of the CompactFlash reader.
Overall it is good product, that successfully does what is advertised. Along with my complaints above, it would be nice if it was a bit smaller, as it is not quite the size of a device I would like to carry with me.
For me, I already own the Apple iPhone 3G dock, and my Dell 2408WFP already has an SD reader, CompactFlash reader and USB hub. If you have an Apple display,
October 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
For around a year I’ve had the pleasure of having the Bose Companion 5 speakers on my desk. They are Bose’s premium desktop speakers. Part of the appeal of these speakers is the Acoustimass module. I have it located on the floor, beside my design. It allows the system to sound like a full 5 speaker setup with just two small desktop speakers.
This idea highly appealed to me. I enjoy high quality audio, but I’ve never been willing to have 5 speakers and a subwoofer on or around my desk.
The Bose Companion 5 speaker system uses Bose’s TrueSpace technology to spread the sound around me, replacing five speakers with two.
They plug into the USB port on my MacBook Pro for high quality, digital sound. There’s no special software needed. There’s also another audio input using via a 3.5mm connector for use with iPods, Gaming Devices or other devices.
Another important feature for me was that the speakers be magnetically shielded from interference. With speakers I’ve had in the past, when my cell phone would ring, the speakers would make a bizarre buzzing sound due to the interference. The magnetic shielding stops this annoying interference.
There’s also a small wired controller with a large volume control, a touch power button, an audio input, and a headphone jack.
So What Do I Actually Think of Them?
The Good
They are truely great. Not only do they sound great, but they look great on my desk. They’re simple to use and were simple to setup. I like the speakers because they don’t take up a lot of room on my desk as a lot of other speakers in this price range do.
I’m not an audiophile. But to me, they sound great. If you’ve got a really good ear, they might not be right for you, and you might prefer some Studio Monitors. For me though, these satisfy all my music needs. They sound great no matter what’s coming through them, be it music, youtube videos, tv shows or dvds.
The Bad
Bose currently has them listed for $399 on their website. At a time when anyone can go to their local electronics shop and get a 2 speaker + subwoofer package for 50 bucks, almost $400 is a lot to spend on a system.
For me though, the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.
Overall they are an excellent set of speakers. If you’re in need of a high quality set of speakers and don’t mind the high price, they’re perfect.
I highly recommend them, but due to the high price, I rate them 4.5/5.
