Featured Portables Reviews

We've all had that sinking feeling when we hear the plop of an electrical device hitting the water. The Bheestie company decided to do something about this problem by inventing a bag with little pellets in it. This bag is compact enough to be taken nearly anywhere. The directions are simple - place waterlogged device in bag, seal tightly, wait. While they didn't add "pray" onto the end of that, you probably won't need to be reminded to do so (especially if it is your brand new iPhone).

It's Christmas, like any dad I wanted to get the perfect gift for my son, Bruce. My son often sees his dad playing with the PlayStation 3 and when I'm feeling generous I even give Bruce a try. So, I thought… what would be better than giving my boy the smaller, portable offspring of the PS3 itself – PlayStation Portable. A crash course in PSP was a lesson in portable media and state of DRM today. But despite its heavy reliance on Sony and its DRM, I decided on the latest PSP called "Go" for a variety of reasons.

The idea of another device aimed at amplifying sound from an iPod or iPhone wasn’t all that appealing. But when I realized that it wasn’t your typical amplification device and that it was made by Altec Lansing, I decided that it was worth a shot. Altec Lansing has been a well-known name in the audio arena for many years now, so when I had the opportunity to take the MIX Digital Boombox for a spin, I was intrigued to see how they would distinguish themselves from the competition. They were not only able to set themselves apart with superior sound quality, but also with a unique design. They were able to cater to the retro in all of us by bringing back the boombox that was so popular in the 80’s, while at the same time giving it a modern makeover. The result? An appealing blend of old and new that even the most trendy won’t be embarrassed to carry around.

Very few of the portable LCD TVs available on the market are from what we would refer to as mainstream manufacturers. As a result, we are greeted with an influx of new names with which to familiarize ourselves. Eviant is a name I had not been familiar with, and indeed the company only seems to make two portable LCD TV products – the T7 7" and T4 4.3" models. That's a considerable amount of specialization and, with the wide product availability we've seen in many retailers, products need to stand out in order to be selected from the sea of available models.

Pioneers new magic "ET" box they demoed at CEDIA was out of this world. Pioneer's ETAP focus is downloading, streaming and storage of personal media with a home theater approach to delivering networked media in the living room. Think Media PC without the PC. The ability to copy what they refer to as “content managed Blu-ray discs” is pretty awesome. The Pioneer reps also talked about the ability of stacking up to 14 hard drives for an almost limitless data storage and streaming solution. During the demo, we watched Blu-ray discs streamed to an iPhone which was icing on this dream cake we are all wanting to take a bite from. Best of all, it seems the retail price is targeted to be less than their flagship Blu-ray player (around $1500-$2k). Availability is uncertain, but you can expect consumers lining up to the door when they start shipping.

With summer here, many of us will find ourselves on the road. Lately I have been spending countless nights in hotels, so I thought it was time to bring you a roundup of portable travel speakers for your laptop, iPod, iPhone, or other MP3 player. There are a wide range of choices that include tiny solutions that sound tiny, as well as some pricey options that are well worth every penny. Most of the speakers I tested fit easily into a backpack or small suitcase. From this roundup, you are sure to find a good fit for your needs.

We do a lot of travel, and stopping to remove a laptop from your carry-on luggage is one of the things that, like removing your shoes, slows down the boarding process more than all other inconveniences combined. Skooba Design has produced the new Checkthrough Brief with TSA approval that allows you to split the bag in half and feed it through the x-ray machine without any need to remove your laptop computer. It's convenient, it's easy, and it works.

The Slappa Ballistix Aura Pro-Tour Backpack is a gear-lovers dream system for porting your equipment around town or across the country. This bag has it where it counts, with a top-loading removable storage system, padded laptop storage, comfortable shoulder straps and enough mini compartments to carry all the accessories in the known universe... OK, maybe only half of all known accessories. Incidentally, our readers can take advantage of 10% off using discount code "audioholics".

The iTube Red-i from Fatman is easily the coolest docking system for iPods that I have had the pleasure of enjoying on my desk. So much more than a dock and speakers for your iPod, this system can easily be the heart of your small two channel listening setup in your home, office or apartment. If you are considering docking speaker systems for your iPod and plan to spend around $500, this is a no-brainer. For the true Audioholic, this system blows the others away. Maybe you are considering a small Bose or other "big-name" all in one speaker dock product for your den or office. I suggest you rethink your purchase.