audiosplitz

Motorola VerveOnes+ - True Wireless and Waterproof

June 23, 2016

Just a week back (16 June), Motorola launched a slew of 5 earbuds to light up the portable audio space. Headlining the troupe are the VerveOnes+, a pair of true wireless earbuds that are "completely waterproof".

What's the Big Deal?
These Motorola-branded earbuds are actually developed by Binatone that acquired the exclusive license rights in 2015 to manufacture certain Motorola accessories.

That said, we see the introduction of the VerveLife family of products namely 5 Bluetooth earphones - 2 truly wireless, 1 sports wireless and 2 neckband buds. In case you are wondering what the '+' is for, it's to mark the sports-centric models where they come with an IP57 rating where there is waterproof protection from sweat and rain.

1. VerveOnes+ True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
USD 249.99 - On Amazon
Headling the products are the VerveOnes+. We have seen some awesome truly wireless earbuds and this potentially ranks right up there, especially with the IP57 waterproofing. You swivel the edge of the black/orange case to unveil the buds that can last 3.5h on music playback and up to 12h with charging from the case.

The button on each bud is for play / pause and is configurable via the Hubble Connect app.

Let's check out what this can do:

2. VerveOnes True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
USD 199.99
This has the same features as the VerveOnes+ but have no waterproofing.

3. VerveLoop+ Wireless Bluetooth Sports Earbuds
USD 79.99 - On Amazon

This is a sports wireless model where there is a singular cord linking the left to right buds. It offers a top-in-class battery life of 9.5 hours, comes with 4 eartips and 3 ear loop stabilizers for better fit and IP57 waterproofing.

Like the UA Headphones Wireless, the charge point is on the in-line remote.

4. VerveRider+
USD 79.99 - On Amazon
This is a sports neckband pair of buds where you can sling them comfortably around your neck.

The buds magnetically latch onto the ring for easy storage and last for a decent 12 hours of music playback.

If you have 'em, flaunt them.

5. VerveRider
USD 69.99 - On Amazon
This has the same features as the VerveRider+ but has no waterproofing.

All the VerveLife products are supported by the 'Hubble Connect for VerveLife' app that can be downloaded from Apple AppStore or Google Play, though note that support extends from iOS 8 / Android 4.4.4 and above. In case you misplace your buds, the app will help to locate their last location. How neat is that?

Availability
They're supposed to be up for sale on 16 June on the VerveLife store. They currently can't be purchased in Singapore. However, you can support us by getting them via the respective Amazon affiliate links below:

VerveOnes+ USD 249.99
VerveLoop+ USD 79.99
VerveRider+ USD 79.99
VerveRider USD 69.99

Bluetooth

Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 - Review

June 15, 2016

Plantronics launched the BackBeat GO 3, their new sweatproof wireless earbuds, last month. We were there for the South East Asian launch and now that we've got our grubby paws on a unit, here's our full review.

Buds - SGD 169 (USD 99.99)
Buds with Charge Case - SGD 219 (USD 129.99)

Pros (+): Agreeable price point; Great fit; Good usage of voice / sound prompts; Practical charge case.
Cons (-): No cable management; Average battery life.

Design
Out of the 3 color variants of Granite Black, Cobalt Black and Copper Grey, Plantronics kindly sent the latter over.

Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 - Granite Black

Granite Black variant. Credit - Plantronics

We always love unboxing products so we start off with a view of the outer box.

Upon opening the front flap:

Unsheathing the inner box, you can see the buds held in place and the Charge Case slotted right under.

We dumped the packaging contents out to unveil:
- Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 buds
- Charging cable (micro-USB)
- Silicon buds (S / M / L)
- Charge Case
- User Guides

Onto the product proper. The Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 in-ears clock a decent 19g, comparable to the Jaybird X2 Wireless (13g). The bud exterior's design gives the impression of a wooden veneer layered with a glossy sheen, punctuated with 'PLT' smack in the middle. If not for the in-your-face wording, it would look classier IMHO.

The canvas-like material of the Charge Case (97 x 130 mm) gives the impression that it is durable enough to be thrown in your bag without worrying about scratches. There are 2 compartments - the main one holds the micro-USB cable and is allows storage of your buds. The side is sealed with a zip and is likely meant for your keys. The power indicators on the bottom right are really useful - the icon on the left shows a 3-level charge in the case and the right one shows that of the earbuds. We'll talk more under battery performance in a bit.

Features
The Plantronics buds come with a sweatproof nano coating for protection against light rain and humidity. However, there is little to suggest that Plantronics was targeting sports users. In fact, these are more lifestyle positioned buds given the marketing pix and even the rather subdued color accents of the BackBeat earphones.

Sports models usually take on bright 'active' hues. As such, we're not fretting much about the lack of a cable management clip, a standard in other sports Bluetooth earphones for reducing microphonics during jogs. We're currently running a series of articles on Wireless Sports Audio and we were sorely tempted to add this in but given the positioning, the Plantronics won't be included.

Cobalt Black variant. Credit - Plantronics

For the controls, there are lined on the right side. You get the standard multi-function button flanked by volume controls and a microphone.

The voice commands and sound indicators, are well thought out. They don't come across in an intrusive manner and instead, are succinct and used where necessary. Some examples - changing the volume interval didn't give any beeps though hitting the max prompted 'Maximum'. Checking of listening time left can be actuated by pressing either volume button when music is paused. If there's less than an hour left, 'Battery Low' is announced and the LED flashes red.

The BackBeat GO 3 runs on Bluetooth 3.0. Pairing is a breeze. Just hold the center button until 'Pair Mode' heard and the LED flashes red and blue. Start Bluetooth on your source device, select 'PLT BB GO 3' and you're good to go. Note that only one connection can be maintained at any one time.

Bluetooth connectivity can be configured either with device settings or the BackBeat GO 3 app.

Plantronics actually designed an accompanying app (iOS / Android). While it's good value add, it is not overly crucial once configured. Example - you can learn how to Bluetooth pair the earbuds and check out an online guide, something you'll have full knowledge of within hours.

Manage earbud connection to your multiple devices benefits app users, given there's only a single connection maintained. You can change voice command languages of which 8 are supported. Interestingly, the change is not instant and there is a loading time of each language to the buds.

Performance
Sound quality: While aptX, promising CD-quality delivery, is put aside, a customized SBC codec is used instead. Technicalities aside, we found that the sound is very much agreeable. The thumping bass on Armin Van Buuren's Save My Night is invigoratingly apparent. Vocal clarity on the other hand is average at best but it's clear where the BackBeat GO 3's sound priorities lie.

Fit: The default buds provided are 'S'. These are incredibly small and sound leakage was massive. This was immediately swapped for the 'L' sizing which provided an immense world of difference where there was a snug fit. The buds come fitted with a single non-replaceable pair of ear loops (or wings) to be slotted within your ear for a better fit. This may make a difference depending on your general ear size but for me, the buds worked nicely.

The noise isolation, otherwise known as passive noise cancelation, of the buds is quite outstanding. I travel on a bus and sit right at the back on many an occasion so it is apparent what ranks well or not. This is definitely above the average.

The 6.5 hours of battery life afforded is quite average where the better ones come with 8h (UA Headphones Wireless and Jaybird X2 Wireless). There's 2.5 hours for a full charge via the micro-USB port, accessible by flipping the right earbud cover open. To make up for this, the Charge Case provides 2 full charges more (an additional 13 hours) giving a total of about 20 hours.

Overall
The pricing makes the Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 an enticing proposition of Bluetooth in-ears if you want the earbuds alone. Sure it doesn't have cable management and battery life is alright but it's easy to overlook this. Loaded with decent sound quality and well thought voice prompts, it's a solid performer for its price point and we'd recommend the nifty charge case if you need the additional juice.

Where To Buy
If you like the product, you can purchase the BackBeat GO 3 (USD 100) or buds with Charge Case (USD 130) via our Amazon affiliate links.

Credit to Plantronics for a review unit

Bluetooth

Samsung Gear IconX - First Look

June 07, 2016

Truly wireless earbuds (read totally no cables) are the flavor of 2016 among audio manufacturers. We've seen companies like Earin bring them from Kickstarter concept to production and to the stores. Now, Samsung wants a piece of the pie and you can be sure the competition will start to heat up big time.

3 June - Samsung announced the launch of the Gear IconX, a pair of truly wireless earbuds that target fitness enthusiasts. Out of all the manufacturers of this product category so far, Samsung is undoubtedly a giant and has the financial clout to make wireless earbuds work and hit the mainstream.

What's the Big Deal?

1. Weight / Fit
At 12.6g for both earbuds, it's light and looks like it'll fit snugly in your ears.

2. Tracking of Fitness Data
This data is synced with Samsung's mobile app called S Health. This allows tracking of heart rate, distance and speed of your run.

3. Voice Guide / Touch Controls
This voice guide should help oodles especially when playback controls are actuated through tapping and swiping the capacitative touch exterior of the buds. They provide helpful updates on your fitness status during runs. And it comes in a massive 15 languages.

4. Internal Storage
You connect to your source device via Bluetooth (4.1) but what sets this apart is that it has 4GB of internal memory (good for about 1000 songs) squeezed somewhere. The common MP3, M4A, AAC codecs are all supported.

5. Charging / Power
The 47mAh in the really small Samsung Gear IconX gives about a decent 3.6 hours on music from internal storage and a slightly less impressive 1.5 hours on music via Bluetooth. Once you park them inside the 52g case, they will kick start the charging process and it promises a few charge cycles with its 315mAh power.

For an intro, check out this video from Samsung:

Pricing
We checked with Samsung Singapore on the SG pricing and they advised an MSRP of SGD 298. In the US, it will retail for USD 199.

Availability
They are heading to hit the stores sometime in Q3 2016 in a flurry of 3 colors - black / blue / white.

Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, feel free to support me by buying from Amazon. Going for USD 199.99, here are the affiliate links for the Black , White and Blue variants.

Samsung Gear IconX

USD 199

Bluetooth

Bose's Foursome of Wireless Headphones

June 05, 2016

5 June - Bose launched 4 wireless headphones, signaling its intent and direction in the noise canceling and sports audio space. This is jaw dropping news to say the least.

What's So Special?
This is an incredibly exciting launch for the portable music world. We had predicted last year that Bose would offer a sports wireless model but to see 4 new products released at once is heart-stopping :)

1. Bose QuietComfort 35 (QC 35)

i. Noise Canceling - Everyone was wondering when Bose's classic wired noise canceling QC 25 would go wireless and that time has come. If the active noise canceling (ANC) ability is even on par with the QC 25, we have ourselves likely the best wireless ANC pair in the market.

ii. Design - These headphones are a clear design hybrid between the QC 25 and AE2 SoundLink headphones with playback controls on the right side + NFC. In addition, Bose provides a Connect app (iOS / Android) which was previously only compatible with the AE2. We will check out its full potential once we lay our paws on a unit.

iii. Battery Life - At 20 hours, this provides a decent amount of power, considering that this serves both the Bluetooth and ANC functionality.

10 July 2016 - We have reviewed the Bose QC35 (SGD 549 / USD 349.95 on Amazon)

2. Bose SoundSport Wireless
i. Sweat and Water Resistance - This looks way different from its wired SoundSport predecessor and for good measure. These Bluetooth / NFC buds are designed for resistance to sweat and water and certainly look the part.

ii. Fit - These are fitted with what the Bose QC20 have - StayHear+ tips and they are super comfy in terms of ear fit. Look no further than the Jaybird X2 Wireless and Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 for competitors.

iii. Charging on the Go
The buds have a rather average 6h battery life. To make the deal sweeter, an optional (and intuitively-named) accessory called the SoundSport charging case (just USD 49.95 please) gives an additional 18h of juice when stored for a full charge of about 2h.

Credit - CNET

14 July 2016 - We have reviewed the SoundSport Wireless (SGD 239 / USD 149.95 on Amazon)

3. Bose SoundSport Pulse
These are pretty much similar to the SoundSport Wireless and to top it off, there's an integrated heart-rate monitor and has 5h of battery life. More to come once more info is in.

4. Bose QuietControl 30 (QC 30)
If you're familiar with neckband-type earphones (think LG TONE) and Bose's top notch noise canceling QC20 earbuds, this is a product that marries these two great features into a singular product.

Pricing
We pinged Atlas on the pricing in Singapore (SG).

Update - 21 Oct 2016:
For now, here's the lowdown (USD prices from Amazon):
QC35 - SGD ~~599~~ 549 (USD 349)
QC30 - TBC (USD 299)
SoundSport Pulse - SGD 349 (USD 199)
SoundSport Wireless - SGD 239 (USD 149)

Availability
We checked with Atlas, Singapore's distributor, on local availability.

QuietComfort 35 (QC 35):
Silver / Black - Pre-orders in June 2016