http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/rss.xml From microscopic MP3 players to luggable projection systems, we thoroughly test portable systems and their accessories so you don't have to. hourly 12 2006-12-01T00:00 http://www.audioholics.com/static/logo.jpg http://www.audioholics.com/ http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/booq-be-ez-lowepro-laptop-bag-roundup As the annual CEDIA Expo rolls around again I find myself getting ready for another trip across the country with my laptop and accessories. I thought this would be a great time to take a look at a variety of laptop bags to find out what is on the market. For my review, I decided to cover three new bags from manufacturers offering three distinct styles. Each has it's own appeal and function, not to mention unique styling. Times have changed - these aren't your nerdy computer cases from yesterday, but rather colorful and functional totes that get the job done in style. jclarke 2007-09-04T15:31:02+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/delphi-xm-premium My first XM radio was a Delphi SkyFi, and at that time I also bought a portable speaker unit to go with it. It was sort of a modern boom box that allowed me to use my XM radio outside of my car. Delphi has updated that speaker system with the new Delphi Premium Sound System, which they recently sent me for review. jclarke 2007-08-22T00:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/magellan-crossovergps Like most of us, my first experience with GPS-based navigational systems came while renting a car with one of the units installed and I immediately fell in love. I was enthralled by the thought of being able to land in a heretofore unvisited locale and immediately be able to get where I wanted to go without consulting the slack-jawed yokels at the counter. And while I will never lose my love of the paper variety, the electronic version of the road atlas certainly does offer some enhancements (insert obligatory map folding joke here). Kent Coughlin 2007-08-21T00:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/lowepro-vertex-200-aw-backpack As a semi-professional photographer I have learned that there is no substitute for having access to ALL of your camera gear. I primarily shoot local sports photography, but also often need to travel with my gear. In either case it seems there is one thing you can count on - the piece of gear you need for that perfect shot is the gear you decided not to carry with you to that particular shoot. Gary Benfield 2007-08-06T18:04:39+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/griffin-accessories-for-iphone-review Do you have your iPhone yet? If so, are you worried about scratching it up or dropping it? How about battery life? Are you worried about running out of juice while on that cross-country road trip just as you have begun to read the latest review posted at Audioholics.com? Well just as was the case with the iPod, throngs of accessories for the iPhone have begun to hit the market, and I am here to report to you on three of them. jclarke 2007-07-31T11:10:28+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/franklin-12-language-speaking-translator-review One of the more interesting devices I saw at this year's Consumer Electronic Show was a pocket translator from Franklin. Well known for electronic dictionaries and Bibles, Franklin also has a series of translators. The new device being shown off at CES was a speaking translator that is compact enough to throw into your coat pocket or briefcase during your next trip overseas. jclarke 2007-07-17T10:31:49+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/apple-iphone-review If you are one of the legions of Apple-haters out there, stop reading now. This is my final warning, because the iPhone is a great product. Not perfect, but a great piece of gear that is nothing short of revolutionary. Read on for my first day of use review. jclarke 2007-07-03T16:33:20+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/garmin-nuvi-360-gps-review I am a directionally challenged man. But true to my gender, I still hate to ask for help. But I have had a GPS in my car for the last twenty years or so. Her name is Christine and she’s my wife. The girl has always had a great sense of direction, which has allowed me to drive and daydream, and only make a turn when she breaks my reverie with a slightly annoyed “get in the left lane“ kind of reminder. Well, Chris can’t come along on every errand, so when I had an opportunity to test the new Garmin nuvi 360, I was thrilled. Scott Dente 2007-06-19T00:53:30+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/lowepro-compudaypack Being an Audioholic does not limit us to audio and video. We all love gadgets and gear. And I would guess that if you are reading this, chances are you have a camera and probably a laptop computer. I always travel with both. And when your Audioholic team travels to trade shows such as CEDIA and CES, we are all armed with digital cameras and laptops - often on the show floor so we can capture and post as much of the action possible. jclarke 2007-06-03T19:46:05+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/trekstor-vibez-mp3-player-review It seems the market continues to be flooded with portable MP3 players chasing the iPod. And although Apple dominates the market share, their popularity encourages competition, and with competition comes choice, which is always a good thing. Germany's best-selling brand of digital portable media players, TrekStor, has introduced their first hard drive based MP3 player for the US market, and it is large capacity portable called the Vibez. jclarke 2007-05-10T15:10:07+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/philips-pmc7230-portable-media-center-review The portable audio/video device market is flooded with choices. Take a walk through any big electronics retailer and you will find everything from tiny flash-based MP3 players to mini-laptop sized DVD player/screen combos. But one emerging class seems to be the personal portable media player. Philips has brought to market an interesting device that they bill as a Portable Media Center - the PMC7230. jclarke 2007-05-04T15:55:48+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/samsung-yp-t9-mp3-and-video-player Walk into any big box store these days and you will find a flood of portable media players on display. There are many shapes, sizes and prices vying for your attention. While Apple continues to lead the pack, there are plenty of options worth consideration. I have recently had a chance to review several of these devices, and the Samsung YP-T9 has proven to be one of my favorites. Similar in form factor to Apple's Nano, this glossly black multimedia player sports a larger screen, as well as a ton of features. jclarke 2007-04-11T00:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/apple-ipod-shuffle-review There is a reason that Apple owns the market when it comes to portable MP3 players. Not just the fact that the iPod wrote the book, but how every new iPod continues to pave the way. The completely redesigned shuffle continues the Apple tradition of trendsetting. Ultra-light, ultra-small, ultra-cool, and less than $100. You have not seen anything like it. jclarke 2007-04-10T12:50:19+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/slappa-d2i-hardbody-cd-storage-review At what point do you decide you need a storage solution for your CDs? After you buy 10? 20? Maybe it is when you buy your first car with a CD player (I’m showing my age)? If you’re smart, and you really like your CDs, you’ll want to start protecting them after your first purchase. Well, Slappa's new d2i line of HardBody cases combines the convenience of a sleeve-based solution with the flexibility of jewel cases. With the d2i system, the sleeve moves in and out – not the disc. With the d2i (i=interlocking) each sleeve has a male and a female interlocking slide that allows the sleeve to be connected to the spine of each case or to another sleeve. Just slide out the sleeve with the CD you want and slide it in to the other case. No more handling of CDs (with the possibilities of scratching/dropping). No more fumbling with locations – just grab and go. Slappa has always provided the looks, with the d2i system; they’ve taken functionality to a whole new level. tom 2007-04-03T14:42:17+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/boston-acoustics-microsystem-cd-review When one gets used to great audio, it is hard to stomach little else. After spending thousands on a home theater setup, a two channel rig, a decent pair of cans (headphones) and a headphone amp… well, perhaps your finely tuned ears are just too delicate for a simple Wal-Mart special clock radio. You need something a little more… refined. The Boston Acoustics MicroSystem CD is much more than just a clock radio, this unit purposes to be able to take “tabletop performance to the next level, with big, rich sound you never thought possible in a system this size.” Gee, I think I’ve heard this one before… but where? Hmm… Well, we’ll deal with that later. What is most important here is 1) how it sounds, 2) How it looks and 3) how well it works. tom 2007-03-16T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/axion-acn-5327 Portable TVs were always a draw to those on the go, looking for a way to take the ballgame or local show with them. Within city limits, reception is usually very good and it's just the thing for “roughing it" with the guys. In the past, the problem with portable TVs was their bulk, weight and sizeable power needs. Enter the Axion ACN-5327 portable LCD television. Finally, LCD screens have become the new defacto standard in portable TVs - and we'd expect no less. Axion's 2.5" TFT offering is unique in that it is built into a very small form factor and also allows for some flexibility such as built-in rechargeable circuitry and an A/V input jack for the ultimate flexibility. clint 2006-12-07T11:45:10+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/roadmaster-vrfm9-fm-modulator You’re going on a road trip. This isn’t a question – it’s summer and I know you’re gearing up to take the family on that Griswold vacation that will leave you craving anything but fast food and screaming children. Well, I’ve taken four 9-hour car trips in the last 30 days and I’m here to tell you that you want… no, you NEED to get yourself an FM modulator for your vehicle. Off the top of my head I can think of several uses for these products, many of which will revolutionize the way you view taking your music on the road. clint 2006-05-16T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/ads-tech-simpletouch-usb-2-0-external-drive If you’re reading this it’s a good bet that you have a PC. Either that or you’re at the library or school and probably should be studying instead of reading product reviews - but I digress. If you’re like me, you have lots of music and data files that would make life difficult if they suddenly up and disappeared. I was thinking of that possibility when ADS Tech sent me an interesting product for review. The USB 2.0 SimpleTOUCH HDKit is a simple USB 2.0 enclosure that is designed to hold just about any size ATA-IDE, Ultra DMA, or AT-6 hard disk. It also has a feature which includes a backup function that can be activated with the push of a button. I like the concept. It’s simple (now that’s an aptly-named product) and it makes sense. Now it was my job to test it out and see if it held up under my kind of use. clint 2006-04-28T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/memina-pocket-rocket-drive With lower prices comes a market targeting better ergonomics, higher performance, and larger storage options. Memina stepped up to the plate with their Pocket Rocket series which is available in 512MB, 1GB and 2GB sizes (and they are currently readying a 4GB model for release this year). Like most of these style of USB dives, the Pocket Rocket is small, weighing in at only 0.3 ounces. This makes it the same weight as my wedding band, and lighter than many mainstream competing drives. It can connect directly to any computer with a USB port, and while it is USB 1.1 compatible - if you're paying the premium for speed make sure you have USB 2.0. It comes with both a USB extension cable and a custom Dock-IT, which gives you a fixed place to quickly attach/detach any portable USB peripherals (not just the Pocket Rocket. clint 2005-08-10T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/oakley-thump-sunglasses I review a lot of products... a lot of products. I was never as thoroughly impressed as when I opened up the box sent to me from Oakley which contained the first ever MP3 sunglasses. Billed as the "world's first digital audio eyewear" the Oakley THUMP is everything you could imagine. Remember that over-hyped movie you wanted to go see and then were let down by the actual event? Not gonna happen here. This is the real deal and I'll go into detail as to why these babies are going to be the NUMBER ONE Christmas present for 2004. clint 2004-12-09T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/slimdvdup From time to time I run into situations where a portable CD/DVD duplicator would be an absolute life saver. Until now, there was no such a thing as a truly portable solution. Fortunately, ILY Enterprise, Inc thinks out of the box and developed the SlimDVDup portable CD/DVD duplicator. The device is unique in that it is essentially two notebook drives set into a space-saving chassis that is not much bigger than the drive footprints. clint 2004-11-24T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/verbatim-usb-drive-store-n-go-512mb In prepping for our CEDIA coverage this year one of the things I wanted was an easy way to carry helpful website and graphics files around with me during the show. As you can probably guess, lugging a laptop around is not my definition of a good time during a convention and CDs are kind of bulky by today’s standards. No, a better solution is the use of a smaller, portable drive. The new Store ‘n’ Go USB drive from Verbatim proved to be an invaluable remedy to my data storage needs. clint 2004-09-29T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/podz-cd-storage-cases If you are interested in new ways to store your CDs and CD-Rs and tire of the center hubs and shells breaking on your traditional jewel cases, PODZ may be a good option for you. As PODZ innovator Dave McMichael puts it: "Traditional CD cases crack, shatter, lose lids, flip open and offer only minimal protection. Students are always on the go -- they need something that allows them to toss CDs in a backpack and not worry about whether their music or school documents will be damaged." clint 2004-08-21T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/verbatim-digitalmovie-dvd-rs I received some samples of Verbatim’s relatively new “DigitalMovie” DVD-Rs and got to take a close look at them. I was surprised to find that great care was taken in the silk-screening of the labels to make them truly look like miniature canisters of film. Look at one up close and you will even see sprocket holes that reveal a hint of textured film behind them. You’ll also see ribbed edges that depict film within the “reel”. Verbatim really went for a neat look and pulled it off with these discs. clint 2004-08-12T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/portables/cd-storage-cases-by-slappa Ever have one of those hot summer days where you jump in your car, rush to turn on the air conditioner, fire up your audio system to get your mind off the heat only to find your CD storage case plastic pouches have glued skin tight to your CDs? I certainly can recall more than one instance of this and I have the smudged Pat Metheny CDs to prove it. I remember saying to myself "Why can’t someone design a better CD storage case?" Well thankfully they did, and that someone is Slappa. Gene 2004-07-19T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review