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Omaker’s fully reversible micro USB cables are pretty sweet and well worth $13(review)

Derrick Miyao
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In the past year we have seen a major shift in USB connectors from micro USB type-C. One of the biggest advantages of USB type-C is the plug’s reversibility factor.

Micro USB has been the standard for the past five plus years, and its biggest downside has been the non reversible plug. The non reversible plug makes it difficult to plug the tiny micro USB port into the female end of electronic devices.

When I was in my twenties, it wasn’t much of an issue since my eyes were perfect. But now that I am in my mid thirties, I am finding more difficult to plug the micro USB cables into my devices. I end up scratching the bottom of my phones and other devices rather badly.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge micro USB charging port

I’ve recently made the switch to reversible micro USB cables and love them. Not all of them are created equally, and Omaker’s cables are some of the best I’ve used so far.

Build and Usage

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Omaker makes quality mobile accessories. I’ve used several of its products and have yet to be let down with a poorly made product. The reversible micro USB cables from Omaker have a standard USB type-A plug on one end with a nice braided sleeve over the cable to provide better durability. Many cables break at the connection point from the wire to the plug, but cables with braided sleeves tend to last much longer.

Where Omaker’s cables differ from other reversible micro USB plugs I have used, is the quality of the plug itself. There are quite a few manufacturers who claim to have reversible micro USB cables, but many of them fit too tightly. The precision required to get quality reversible micro USB plugs is high, and of the eight brands I have tried, only Scosche and Omaker ensure a smooth and comfortable fit. Others either fit too tight or loose. Omaker sits right in the middle and gets the fit just right.

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Omaker reversible micro USB plug (bottom)

I actually purchased these cables to use, because my vision is getting worse with age. When I drive the last thing I want to do is fiddle with the cable I use to charge my Galaxy S7 edge. Omaker’s reversible micro USB cables are much safer to use in the car than the traditional micro USB cables. I’ve also replaced the traditional charging cables on my nightstand multi- port charging stand, because it’s especially hard to see at night when I am ready to charge my phone and tablets before I hit the sack.

Conclusion

Reversible micro USB cables don’t get as much attention as they should. While the industry is moving to USB type-C, there are still thousands of accessories, tablets and smartphones that still use micro USB. Omaker’s reversible micro USB cables are a pleasure to use and even make me wonder why didn’t someone do this sooner. If they did, we may not have even needed to switch to USB type-C to begin with.

I highly recommend Omaker’s reversible micro USB cables. You can get a pair for $12.99 on sale at Amazon now.

T-Mobile gives travelers to Europe free data and Wi-Fi

Andrew Orr
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Today T-Mobile announced an aggressive move to go after the other carriers by offering customers free unlimited high-speed data throughout Europe all summer long.

That’s not all. This weekend from June 24 – June 26, Verizon and AT&T customers will get a full free hour of Wi-Fi on flights with Gogo, courtesy of T-Mobile.

Additionally, starting July 1 Simple Choice customers can roam in Belize without worrying about their data. Belize joins the huge list of 140+ countries where customers get “unlimited data/texting and low, flat-rate calling.” That means all 20 countries in South & Central America are covered.

T-Mobile-Prepaid

“The carriers see your summer trip as the perfect occasion to slam you with insane international roaming charges. When you travel with the Un-carrier, you’ll never come home to surprise overages or crazy fees,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “Travel with T-Mobile, and you can use your phone the way you want to without thinking twice! Share every fantastic moment and don’t pay a penny more for your data!”

The European plan for Simple Choice customers lasts from July 1 to August 31, perfect for those summer vacations, or students going on a road trip before their first year of college.

 

Here’s where you can order the 2016 Sony Android smartphones

AndroidGuys
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Back in March, Sony announced its full lineup of Android smartphones for 2016. The releases are rolling out with some of the phones available now, and some up for pre-order with imminent releases. Here’s a breakdown of each phone with links to your favorite retailers to pick up the Sony Androids you can get in 2016.

Xperia X

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The Xperia X is the standard bearer and packs the specs you’d look for in your typical flagship device. Boasting a 5-inch (1920 x 1080) display, the phone houses a Snapdragon 650 processor and a high-performance 23-megapixel camera. Around front is a 13-megapixel sensor for selfies.

Xperia XA

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The Xperia XA dials down the resolution on the screen to a 1280 x 720 pixel image but retains the 5-inch size. In place of the Qualcomm CPU is an octa-core MediaTek Helio chipset clocked at 2GHz, bolstered by 2GB RAM. Storage is 16GB with microSD expansion support for up to 200GB. The camera drops down to 13-megapixel while the front-facing shooter comes in at 8-megapixels; battery is ever slightly larger at 2700mAh.

Xperia X Performance – available now at Amazon

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The strongest and toughest of the line, the X Performance amps up the standard model with a 2.1GHz Snapdragon 820 processor and the slightly bigger 2700mAh battery. Additionally, it offers 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and boasts a water-resistant coating, too.

Xperia XA Ultra

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The Xperia XA is the biggest of them all at 6-inches however the display resolution stays put at 1920×1080 pixels. Also powered by a MediaTek processor, this one comes with a 21.5-megapixel rear camera and 16-megapixel front camera.

Choetech Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 & USB C Ports: Charging in the car (Review)

AndroidGuys
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We have become heavily reliant on our smartphones in today’s world. For most people these devices are a must. Real Estate agents, Insurance adjusters, and more professions are on the go in their cars going from place to place conducting all sorts of business. Most of that business takes place on their phones, whether it’s emails, texting, or old fashion phone calls. Since these phones get used a lot, that means it needs charging. Enter Choetech Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 car charger for $22.

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Review

Choetech’s car charger come with two ports to cover a variety of devices. The first port is the USB C charging port. This type of port covers a range of different devices such as the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Lumia 950, Lumia 950XL, and more. You can find a list of supported devices here, but it’s likely you know if your phone’s in this category.

The other port is the more common USB port. The difference in this versus traditional car chargers is it’s Qualcomm 3.0 support. So if your phone has fast charge technology, then it’s compatible no matter which version of Quick charge it is. When I charged my Note Edge, It was charged in just under and hour and a half from 35%.

One additional feature is its built-in fuse to prevent overheating and overcharging. The people at Choetech feel so confident in their product that they offer an 18-month warranty, so should problems arise, they will have no problem clearing it up.

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Summary

This is another solid product from the people at Choetech. It’s great for many different devices at a price that is good for that it offers. You can buy this with confidence that you will get your monies worth.

Buy Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 & USB C Ports

Gentle Wakeup: Let’s wake up in a better mood (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Overview

Let’s face it, waking up in the morning is no fun. That moment the sound of the alarm clock meets your eardrums, your ready to fight. Of course, that could be more to do with having to go to work, either way, traditional alarms aren’t very popular. To that end, more developers are finding new ways to wake people up. There are apps that make you do math while there are some that make you take a selfie. Heck, there is even on that lets you receive a call from a total stranger. But today we are gonna talk about one that gently wakes you up with the simulation of the sun…Gentle Wakeup.

Developer: Dr. Alexander Rieger
Cost: Free with a $3.99 upgrade to Pro

Review

Gentle WakeupGentleWakeup 2 is a unique take on the alarm clock. It mimics what nature intended by waking you up with a gentle light. We need to first understand the process Gentle Wakeup uses. When setting your alarm you should know the process starts 20 minutes before your alarm time. So setting your alarm at for 7:30 am will have the process starting at 7:10 am.

Once the alarm process starts your screen turns on with a very dim yellow glow. As the minutes tick it gradually gets brighter. Once it’s time for your alarm, the screen is at full brightness and hopefully you are awake. This will likely work only if you have the phone or tablet placed in a way that it is on your face.

Now that we understand the process, let’s go over some of the options available in the settings. Most of the normal features are included such as repeat alarms, snooze, multiple alarms and naming those alarms. Now I mentioned that the process starts 20 minutes before you alarm time, but that can be adjusted to a more suitable time if that fits your individual preference.

Other features include having a vibration going when the alarm starts with numerous configurations to fit your needs. You can also have the clock showing if you choose. If you feel the need for a morning pick me up, you can set a message to display for yourself to start it off right. Gentle Wakeup also gives you the option to set a maximum duration for the alarm to last ranging from five minutes to two hours.

Displaying on the main screen of Gentle Wakeup is your clock. Did you expect something else? You can customize that down to the second…literally. Extra stuff that you may want to display include next alarm set and notification in your action bar.

Now you may wonder why I haven’t talked about sounds, well that’s because it’s in the Pro version. For an upgrade fee of $3.99 you can add sounds. These aren’t your normal sounds, no sir. Well, there is one normal annoying sound, but mostly you have roosters, birds chirping, white noise and more.

Summary

This is a unique take on the alarm. I’m not sure most people will be able to use it as we are more accustom to annoying noises and music these days. I would definitely not use this as a primary alarm until you’re sure you can wake up to it. But if you’re a person who could handle this then you should. Who doesn’t like waking up to a pleasant sunrise.

Download Gentle Wakeup from the Play Store

Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 review: A new standard in earphone value

Josh Noriega
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I was contacted by Rock Jaw Audio about an opportunity to review its flagship earphone, the Alfa Genus V2. I hadn’t heard of the company before, attributed to the fact that it is an underdog British audio manufacturer. But the rave reviews I was seeing really caught my eye. What could this company be doing to get such good word?

Upon opening the packaging, I could see a couple differentiating factors for earphones in this price bracket (£44 retail, or about $65). Namely, a metal build and frequency tuning filters – features you’ll only really find on high-end earphones. Let’s check out if the Alfa Genus V2 can hit all the right notes.

Design

From afar, the Alfa Genus V2 look unassuming. The earpiece design is cylindrical, with a slight taper. But up close, you’ll notice some nice design cues.

The lightweight Aluminum casing is surrounded by a glossy finish with the slightest ridged texture (you’ll only see it up close). There are accents of the true metal color at the front portion of the chassis, the cable stem, and rear cap.

A subtle but interesting aspect is that the back end concaves and there’s a tiny opening at the center. I think that this is a bass port, like on the Sennheiser IE 800, to improve the sub-bass response. When I cover the holes with my fingers, I notice that the sub-bass is dampened. You don’t really find this extent of audio detail on earphones at this price range, resulting in a deep and well-defined low-end. But we’ll talk about the audio quality a little further in the review.

The cable is fairly basic, but is done well. It’s made of a firm, rubbery wrapping, and close to 4 ft. in length. It’s a little on the thick-side, but the benefit is resistance to tangles. Shortly down the left earpiece wire is a simple one-button remote. There’s a mic for picking up calls, but the button can also switch tracks with multiple presses.

Usability

Rock Jaw is very considerate with the V2’s packaging. You’ll get four sets of silicone eartips (small, large, and 2x medium), a double flange pair, and two sizes of foam tips. There’s also a small drawstring pouch to carry it all.

I found the fit to be fantastic out of the box (medium silicone tips are pre-installed). It easily seals and stays in place. Isolation for silicone tips is decent too, but it’s great that Rock Jaw includes foam tips to improve it further.

The cable is also decently resistant against microphonics (noise from cord rubbing). Although, unlike most manufacturers, Rock Jaw didn’t put a chin slider above the y-splitter. I don’t know why it wouldn’t; it’s not like there’s much to it (just a small attachment that keeps the cords tidy.

I really praise Rock Jaw for incorporating an interchangeable filter system into the Alfa Genus V2. This isn’t a feature I’d expect on sub-$100 earphones; I’ve only seen it on high-end models. It works like most do, where you get three different ways to tune the sound signature: neutral (balanced), bass, or treble emphasis.

Changing the filters simply involves unscrewing the nozzles and screwing in one of the three included pairs. Super easy. The V2 comes with the bass filters pre-installed. It’s a little baffling why they don’t come with the neutral setting, for those who don’t care about messing with the true sound.

Sound

*I’ll be primarily be commenting about the neutral sound filter.

I’ll cut to the chase and say that I was very impressed with the sound quality of the Alfa Genus V2. When you’ve heard as many headphones as I have, you come into an expectation at a price bracket. Frankly, the V2 blew away my expectation for a sub-$100 earphone. This is the type of earphone that makes you regret spending so much on your daily driver investment.

Let’s talk about what that means. First, the V2’s articulation is notably clean. Cheaper headphones typically suffer from muddiness more or less throughout the spectrum, and while the V2 isn’t completely absent from it, it is surprisingly crisp for the price-point. Not only that, but the sounds have encompassing depth, and do a great job filling out the perceived 3D space around you (aka soundstage).

Earlier, I also suggested an excellent bass response. Particularly, the deep sub-bass is like what you’d find on much pricier earphones (assumingly due to the port on the back of the earpiece). However, it leads to a hard-hitting, punchy mid-bass, which may not be for everyone (and this is with the neutral filter). This is my biggest complaint about the sound signature, as the bass tends to overshadow. You must be a huge basshead to prefer the bass filter, as things become severely bloated at that point.

I loved the mid-range of the V2. Even with the prominent bass, it’s forward enough to still be appreciated. Things like vocals and guitar strums have a lushness and airy-ness, after the likes of Shure’s reproduction. The treble is also not just pushed to the background. It can crank out some decent detail, although, I could use more upper-end sparkle.

Final Thoughts

I am super impressed with the Alfa Genus V2. Not to sound like a snob, but I don’t expect much from sub-$100 headphones. Rock Jaw has shown me that gems are out there. No, it’s not perfect, and no, I won’t tell you there isn’t value in high-end earphones. But these challenge the price gap very well, and they’re my new go-to when recommending the best bang for your buck earphone.

The Alfa Genus V2 is sold through Rock Jaw’s UK site, but I was told that they’ll be on Amazon.com next week!

Alfa Genus V2 product page

The Oneplus 3 is far from a flagship killer

Derrick Miyao
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The news about the OnePlus 3 has been all the rage the past couple of weeks. It’s true that OnePlus has generated compelling phones over the past couple of years, but is its latest OnePlus 3 truly a flagship killer priced at $399?

The original Oneplus One was without question a phone that got our attention with its incredible price tag at $349 (or $299 for the base model). It was loaded with high end hardware like the Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM, 3100mAh battery, 13MP rear camera, and a 1080p display.04

What made this phone so newsworthy at the time was its price that was half the cost of its competition, like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 4. The major downside to buying a phone from Oneplus was the goofy invite system that was a massive failure where it took users up to six months to get the device.

Come 2016 and OnePlus released its third iteration of the device that aimed to be a true flagship killer. The only issue is the price is now $399. Sure that is cheaper than a Samsung Galaxy S7 by $200, but the OnePlus 3 does not have specs that can justify its self proclaimed title as the “flagship killer”.

$399 is almost high enough to be considered flagship pricing. The Moto X Pure and Blackberry PRIV can be had for $299 right now, and the Galaxy S7 can be found for as cheap as $450. The NextBit Robin has been selling at $299, and the very popular Nexus 6P has been priced as low as $419. Even if the OP3 is better on paper, the day to day performance is so insignificant these days that most users will not know the difference unless they have all of the devices to test side by side.

If it truly wants to be a flagship killer it needs to be better than the S7 which it is not.

On paper, the OP3 has more RAM, 6GB vs 4GB but in real world tests performs slower than the S7. While the OP3 has a nice camera, it isn’t supplanting the S7 as the best picture snapper. The OP3 also isn’t displacing the S7 in terms of battery life, water resistance, and certainly isn’t going to take the crown over for the best display with its mediocre 1080p display. Lastly, while the OP3 metal build is nice, it does not match the S7 metal and glass build that has set the standard for all other phones.

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A real flagship killer would be compatible with the largest network in the US

The OP3 isn’t compatible with the largest network in the U.S., Verizon. If Oneplus truly wants to compete as a “flagship killer” it needs to create a Verizon compatible version. With 141M subscribers, in addition to Sprint’s 59M subscribers, OnePlus is missing out on half of the US market.

It also has issues with AT&T, the second largest carrier in the US. I guess if you want to take full advantage of LTE speeds, you better make sure you have T-Mobile as your carrier.

Is the OP3 better than the similarly priced Nexus 6P?

The Nexus 6P was released last year which makes it “old”. On paper the 6P lags behind the OP3 with half the RAM at 3GB, has a lesser processor with the Snapdragon 810 vs the 820, but it ends there. The 6P has an all metal body to match, a 2k AMOLED display vs the 1080p display found on the OP3, has USB type-C with fast charging, has a battery that can last all day, and can even be purchased for as low as $419 when it’s on sale. It’s $20 more for the 6P, but you’re guaranteed updates from Google with customer service that OP3 can only dream of matching.

Hardware wise, the only thing the OP3 has going for it is the 6GB of RAM which does not matter, especially when it has issues for many users. When the full 6GB is utilized, it simply puts more stress on the battery. If Oneplus was smart, it would have dialed back the RAM and saved its customers $50 off the MSRP.

Another phone that only appeals to enthusiasts

There are quite a few AndroidGuys writers who couldn’t resist the hype and picked up their own OP3s, but almost all of them are suffering from connection issues. Many are not getting LTE, and one of them has consistent WiFi connection problems which is makes the OP3 a pain to use at home. These issues would be addressed very quickly by Google on its Nexus devices, but OP3 isn’t nearly the size of Google, so it has to scramble to get a fix out. If you have a build defect with your OP3, you have to wait for the device to ship to China and back just to get it fixed. That’s a major problem for most people who only have one phone.

I’m clearly in the minority when it comes to the OP3. I expect to get many comments from readers telling me how inept I am, but that’s okay. 

The reality is the OP3 is no better than the S7 in any way. I’d rather pay the extra $200 for a Galaxy S7 that will keep me happy with its superior camera, display, expandable memory, water resistance and dust proofing, wireless charging, and endless third party accessories.

At $399 the OP3 matches up to the Nexus 6P almost head to head. For my money I would buy a Nexus 6P any day of the week over the OP3 because of better customer service from Google, global compatibility with networks including Verizon and Sprint, and quicker updates on Android. You can also use the Nexus 6P on Project Fi which can save you money in a different way.

The way I see it, the OP3 has timing on its side. It was released after all of the major flagships when there is a lull in activity. It bridges the gap between the first half flagship releases with the Galaxy S7, HTC 10, and LG G5 and the second half flagships like the Note, iPhone and Nexus. Other than that and the 6GB which seems cool on paper, the OP3 is a whole lot of hype that I am not settling for. #NeverSettle

Clash of Clans: Our top tips for optimal gameplay

Jason Botha
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Clash of Clans players know that they have to be on top of their game in order to do well. Be it your friends or enemy clan, there is always pressure to stay on top and ahead of everyone else.

It’s also always been said that it’s the small things that matter, and that applies very well in Clash. Be it a single spent gem or an extra minion that you placed down, there’s always little things you can do to improve your position.  That’s why we’re here to give you some of the best tips for advancing your village.

Read on to get our first tip.

Use cheap units

Although this depends heavily on what your intent for attacking is, using a horde of archers and barbarians is usually much more effective than a few strong troops. Dragons, for example, are great, but they use a lot of resources and take precious time to train. If you’re saving and looting for dark elixir, you should not really be using it to train troops either.

Ultimately, if your primary goal is to save up resources, you need to make an effort to use cheap units that are quick to produce. The best units to make depends on your Town Hall level; see this Clash of Clans Town Hall Farming Guide by Level for more details.

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Save every gem

It may be tempting to spend fifteen gems on an upgrading building, but don’t do it. Every penny matters and all that quick spending adds up very quickly. Get a reasonable number of gems to work towards, and you’ll reach it soon enough. Removing bushes and completing achievements are pretty much the only way in which you can actually make gems, but it’s sufficient.

Make it a goal to complete these achievements, be it ‘Mortar Mauler’ or ‘Nice and Tidy’. You’ll thank yourself later. You can then spend them on things like shields and heroes.

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Do not rush your town hall

The awesome weapons and troops that await you at the next town may be desirable, but it is not worth rushing there. Let me explain it: when you upgrade your town hall, your new opponents get significantly harder as you are limited to attacking town halls that are one level below you. A bit confused? Say that you were a town hall 8, but rushed to town hall 9. Now you have to attack harder bases with the same troops as you had before.

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This makes it harder to get resources, and inevitably slows down your progress. Short story: don’t rush.

Use spells sparingly

Spells are very expensive and take a while to brew. You can also take a limited amount of spells to aid you in a battle. For this reason it can affect farming resources and should not be used without reason. It may be tempting to just drop them, but you’re only making the situation worse if your expenses exceed your incomes.

If you care about trophies, spells can also literally mean the difference between a 30% raid and a 100% raids. You should drop them wisely. Determine the best locations and the best times for when you drop them, be it a single troop that can get you 50% or twenty balloons that are terrorizing the base.

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Take advantage of shields

If you are inactive for some time, you can still make a neat sum of resources via your collectors and drills. But, only if no one else can get it. Use your saved up gems to purchase a shield that best corresponds with you absence time.

Furthermore, if you have an existing shield, try not to decrease it by attacking opponents. In the past, your whole shield would be removed if you attacked someone, but now it penalizes you by three hours. It’s up to you.

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Make use of bonuses

You can get bonuses from either participating in war or from getting five combined stars from attacking opponents. With a reasonable payout often in the hundreds of thousands, it’s an excellent opportunity to make some extra cash. Pushing harder in war and attacking more often suddenly becomes a bigger priority when you see how much you can make off this.

You even get a bonus from a successful attack, and more depending on what league you’re in.

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Tailor your armies in war

Don’t use any old army composition when in war. Strive to tailor your army according to the base you are going to attack. If it has weak air defenses, attack with air troops. If their walls are weak, use land troops instead. This will help ensure that you get the maximum possible efficiency in your attack.

It also helps to browse the web and YouTube for bases similar to your opponent’s. Very often you will end up finding a base that is almost matching with a solution on how to beat it.

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Watch and Learn

YouTube has a wealth of videos from thousands of Clashers on how to execute different attack styles. GoWiWi, GoWiPe and LavaLoon are just some of the more popular styles and very often result in attackers getting three stars when done properly.

Some of these videos are two hours long and require months of practice to effectively work. You should also always watch attacks of clan members and find their mistakes, making sure to not replicate them.

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That’s it, folks.

Happy clashing!

Match the Three Stooges is exactly what you think it is (review)

AndroidGuys
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The venerable “match-3” puzzle games run in the dozens in the Play Store; with the main point of variation being theme of which the blocks or items represent, along with the corresponding background, music, and sounds effects.
Well, in case you’ve been searching for a match-3 showcasing the timeless comedy and visual appeal that is the Three Stooges, you are now in luck. Available for free in the Play Store, Match the Three Stooges from the developer Polyslab Games provides authentic Stooge music, dialogue, and sound effects while you move through 100 different levels of match-3 action.

Gameplay

Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-16-34No surprises here: the game plays exactly like almost every other match-3 puzzler out there. A maze of mismatched Three Stooges faces and symbols are arranged on screen; your job is to move one block one space (up, down, left, or right) to match up three in a row. Upon doing so these three blocks disappear dropping down the blocks from above. This can and will cause a domino effect as these falling blocks create three-in-a-rows of their own, help you to clear the screen in the limited number of moves each level provides.

You have access to several ‘weapons’ you can purchase with Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-15-18currency earned through the game, and through real money via your Google account. These include pies in the face (takes out all items of the same color), bombs (blows away whole chunks of your board), and other assorted ordinance.
At the end of each level you are graded (one to three stars) based on how efficient you were in clearing your board.

Controls work fairly well, though this game is better-suited for a tablet device. The blocks on my Galaxy S5 were a bit small to accurately grab and drag where I wanted them to go.

Music, Sound Effects, and Visuals

The music, while actually fairly well done (a mix of classic stooge-esque goofy tunes and more modern rock instrumentals), does get old rather quickly, especially if you’re playing in a public space. The star of the game in my opinion is the sound effects, which are full-on snippets from a lot of the classic Three Stooges skits. These run pretty constantly through the game, whether you’re making a move, deliberating quietly, or during a board-clearing domino effect.

Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-19-29The visuals run in between these two extremes; good but not great, though they certainly won’t make you want to turn the game off.

Verdict

Again, if you’re looking for a match-3 puzzle game, you have a Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-19-43plethora of choices in the Play Store.  If you’re looking for this type of game and are a huge Three Stooges fan, then you just hit a small, free lottery, my friend.  Enjoy.

 

IdeaUSA W205: The Gateway to a starter wireless multi-speaker system (review)

Derrick Miyao
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1

At $69.99, the IdeaUSA W205 is a versatile smart speaker that connects and streams music in a variety of ways, from Bluetooth to wi-fi. It’s portable, lightweight, with good sound quality. And it’s a nice starter piece for building a home wireless speaker system at an affordable price.

Many Options for Streaming Music

Like most wireless speakers in the under $100 price range, the W205 streams music using Bluetooth, micro SD card (TF), Airplay, or connects physically with an audio cable. It also connects to wi-fi with the help of the free IdeaHome app. The app has the ability to connect and control other IdeaUSA speakers, creating a multi-room audio system. The speakers can play independent of one another, playing different music in separate rooms, or in tandem. (Sometimes IdeaUSA offers a discount when two or more speakers are purchased at the same time.)

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I had no problems connecting the speaker using all of the previously mentioned methods with the exception of wi-fi. Even though my router meets the minimum required 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n, I was not able to connect after several attempts. I was too lazy to contact customer support, which seems responsive based on a few customer reviews that cited similar issues. Most people didn’t seem to have a problem connecting to wi-fi, though.

Solid Performance

I performed the usual music tests, listening to classical, country, rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and podcasts, playing the speaker for about eight hours without needing to recharge. I even blasted “Game of Thrones” when I was testing out the ability to connect to my tablet.

The W205 performed solidly considering its size; the two subwoofers do a good job helping to project the sound. No surprise that it doesn’t handle deep bass very well, either sounding muddled or non-existent. As noted in many of my reviews, speakers in this price range usually perform well in the mid-range.

Unobtrusive Design

Simply designed with a wraparound grill, the W205 is unobtrusive with a 5-inch squareish sized ovoid, dent resistant, hard plastic/metal body. Available in either red or dark silver, its rounded edges make it easy to hold and carry from room-to-room or to the outdoors.

Controls are located on top: power, wi-fi/Bluetooth, six programmable playlist buttons, volume, play, back/forward. There’s no mic, which is not a surprise since IdeaUSA markets this as a home speaker. There are indicator lights for wi-fi, Bluetooth, TF card (micro SD), aux, charging mode, and battery level.

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I’m not sure why IdeaUSA chose to use a combination of synthesized chimes and an affected British-Asian (?) accent male voice to alert users when a function has been turned on. I am not a fan of the booming voice announcing “Bluetooth mode has been on” (sic) every time I touch the button. It actually startled my dog a few times when I booted up the Bluetooth.

Summary

The W205 is a good affordable wireless speaker and especially worthy of consideration if you’re in the market for a reasonably priced multi-room system.

Check out the IdeaUSA W205 Wireless speaker at Amazon for $69.99.

Key Specs & Other Information

 Dimensions: 5” x 5.3” x 2”

 Weight: 1.1 lbs

 Speaker output: 2 x 3W

 Bluetooth: v. 2.1

 Wi-fi: 2.4G, 802.11 b/g/n

 Lithium ion battery, lasts 8-10 hours on one charge

 Speaker comes with USB cable and 2.5 mm aux-in cable

 Warranty: 1 year + 30 day money back guarantee

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