The Gear4 Espresso Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from Digital Walker

When this arrived in my doorstep, I couldn't believe my eyes. This is the Gear4 Espresso, it's a Bluetooth Wireless Speaker from our friends in Digital Walker, the premier gadget store in the Philippines. I have never ever used one before so I had to read the manual. Although, I think it works just like any Bluetooth speaker where you just had to pair it with your gadget and the audio would immediately come out of the Espresso cup. Design wise, it's got my vote because everybody else in Facebook was telling me how cute it was on photos. They just didn't know how much power it holds which I'll tell you about in a bit. 

The box contains only a few items, the Espresso Gear4 Bluetooth Speaker, the USB cable and the Quick Start Manual. I had to charge the speaker of course, so I just plugged it in one of my laptop's spare USB port and a red light turned on the Speaker. It's on the same line with the port (on its left) so you wouldn't really miss it. 

As I mentioned earlier, it was so cute! It looks so nice on top of my office table, but I usually take it around my house and even use it while in the shower. It even saves on the batteries of my phone because I don't have to use my iPhone's loudspeaker anymore. 

The one on the top left bares the construction of the speaker itself, because it was a little concave it made the speaker's output become more on the "base" side. I like it when it becomes powerful like that. Don't ever mistake this small wonder to sound inferior to other speakers because it really packs a punch. The one on the top right shows that the side of the speaker unit, it has a hook which can be pretty useful if you want to hang it out on walls, or even belts when you are outdoors. The one on the bottom left shows the mini USB port and the status light on it's left. It basically turns red when charging, it turns off when it's full, it blinks when it's trying to pair and turn solid blue when already paired. The one on the bottom right shows the bottom part of the speaker which has the power button. Press to turn ON, then press again to turn OFF. It's a no nonsense gadget that I absolutely love because it's simple, and doesn't have to be too complicated to work with other devices.

So I went ahead and connected this iPhone to the Espresso Gear4 Bluetooth Speaker. If you detect it on the devices, just choose and connect. You will also see that the light will turn solid blue on the speaker and see the Espresso link up on the iPhone's display. 

And you'll really see it glow!

After establishing the connection, I opened up Deezer Premium on my phone so I could stream my playlist. The speaker even at high volume did not disappoint. It was like having a party inside my room and I didn't have to have huge speakers at all. This small one was enough to enjoy mood music I wanted to have in that same day, in that same morning that I'm having my cup of Espresso. This Espresso Gear4 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from Digital Walker is so good I'll probably have to get more for my love ones. As I said, don't let the size fool you... this one's really good.  

For more information about their products:

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Astroplus Has Got Gadgets Fit for Your Lifestyle!

Thank you so much to Astroplus and the people behind this awesome event last weekend. Blog Connect is an initiative of Astroplus and the brands who recently participated to showcase some of the best ones in the industry. Not to pit against each other, but to somehow just make us aware of what they have in store. Astroplus is gearing now into lifestyle products like audio, video and gaming; and part of that is having some of these devices inside their showroom and record bars. Not just plain ones, but the worlds best!

Today they are not just about CD's and DVD's. They plan to have more things in store like high end speakers, headphones, consoles and docks. 

 

That afternoon, popular media brand TDK showed a video of their boombox. They showed us that its got a variety of input ports. There's even a 2 speaker version of it that's got a strap for easy handling, much like a fashionable bag. TDK also has HIFI headphones which they say is part of their goal to put "life on record." @tdkphilippines is also launching a boombox design contest which you should look up on their Facebook page. If you end up winning that, you can probably have one of the speaker series named after you. They've got their own music prophet who did a research and found out from real people what they want, so you are sure you're getting something that is designed by people who want to use the device. Pretty neat!

 

Kathlyn, Lei and Jen from Eleksys marketing showed us a couple of monster headphones. They showed models like "Inspiration" which are over ear headphones, diamond tears (2nd photo shown above) /edge for on ear headphones (used in Philippine Fashion Week by Sasa Jimenez). They also showed Vektr a line co-designed by Diesel. They also had Ntune, Nergy, Turbine, Jamz, Liljamz, Isport (which has collaboration with Livestrong), Harajuku lovers (Japanese inspired cute ones), Wicked style, Space age, Beats by Dr. Dre (because sound really matters!), Beats pro, Beats studio, Beats wireless, Beats solo HD, Beats Tour, iBeats, Artist Series, Heartbeats 2.0, Power beats by drose, Diddy beats, and their Beatbox line. Although pricey it looks well made and believably worth every cent!

They also have other brands handled by the same distributor like Sol republic (which they dubbed as the "soundtrack of life"), which are low cost, durable and different. They also have tracks HD which are durable and comfortable even if used for hours. There is also a cheaper version of it called Tracks which has a matte finish. Their line of Earphones come in V10 and V8 drivers where the former is of better quality than the V8. They also have Tracks ultra which has gun metal finish. They also have designer grade ones like Amps HD, used by great DJ deadmau5. Astroplus1 has some of the biggest releases of house and trance on their shelves. You can check out solrepublic.com for more information. It's cheaper but they don't sacrifice quality!

World audio leader Bose had their audio headphones shown there. Monster earphones, Around ear2, In ear 2, On ear 2, it all has triport technology so air bounces and makes sound deeper duly patented by Bose. Most of their headsets have memory foams mostly for on ear ones, whilst the in ear tip for earplugs are made of silicone. Bose sound docks are small, compact but has quality sound. You should check out the soundock solutions by bose, like the soundock 10 which are available for viewing at their Bose Stores nationwide!

Aerial7 dubbed as the artistry of sound showed some of their wares that have been collaborated with Australian brands Billabong and Quicksilver. They cater mostly to DJ culture, fashion, art and lifestyle. They are not that pricey but I've held some of the models they have on previous occasions and I find them quite nice quality wise. They represent real sound instead of having deeper base/higher kind of sound quality.

 Skull candy's probably one of the most famous piece of audio hardware in the country. Design wise, they have always been so playful, never compromising just staying on the safe side. It's performance has always been quite a significant factor why people have been getting their brand for the past few years. Now they just made arrangements to make it a notch higher in lifestyle audio design. It is now at 2.0. Better audio quality than the first released skull candies. A Japanese guy dubbed as the golden ear designed these lines. He is Tetsuro Oishi, who formerly worked for Bose too. Try to check out the cool Aviator and Mixmaster lines, of which were worn by the likes of the Beastie boys and Manny Pacquiao. They've got different designs fit for different lifestyles!

I have well discussed Gear4 in a previous post before. You can check it out here! GEAR4: Amped Up. Party Ready. In The Philippines!. It's one of the most impressive brands of docks I've ever seen and they don't really break the bank. If you are finding value for money docks for your iphone/ipad/apple devices then you should really take a look at their line. Please check out my previous review because I have tons of photos there.

There was a young man who was discussing these headphones on display and he told me about how this was uniquely designed for DJ's. It's one of the world's best called Sennheiser! German engineered and tested by DJ's from Europe and around the world, I could say this is one of my favorites.

I like the fact that these headsets can fold up in a jiffy. Plus the fact that the right side of the lobe can be lifted up which DJ's can use in most of their gigs. This is the kind of detail that they need so they can work efficiently. I just hope I can borrow some units from all these manufacturers so I can put them to test, then give you the rundown.

We'll probably show you some of the products soon. A thorough review would definitely be better! Stay tuned for that!

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GEAR4: Amped Up. Party Ready. In The Philippines!

Too good to be true but it is, GEAR4 just launched their line in the Philippines.

We were witness to that a couple of days ago at the posh Craft Pub and Grill in Fort Strip. GEAR4 being the premier iPod and iPhone accessory brand seems to be spreading their wings in Asia Pacific and the Philippines smartphone market definitely is a place to reckon with. Dubbed as the texting capital of the world we are some of the most saturated phone users and the number of iPhone, iPad, iPod and other apple mobile devices are just but a normalcy in this country. GEAR4 which is owned by a UK-based company, Disruptive Limited knows we need them too to get our devices protected, made pretty and kept being used for various applications. Speakers of all forms and sizes were shown to us that evening and it was awesome!

It's none of those cheap ones (quality wise) you see out in the market. It's the real deal and I've heard them being used with smartphones that night and when it was pounding, it really did. What first caught my eye were these cute, adorable birds from Rovia.

These Angry Bird Mini Speakers boasts clear and impressive sound in its ultra portable size.
 - Link multiple speakers via 3.5mm cable
- iPod, iPhone, iPad compatible
- Android Compatible
- Expandable bass port
- Up to 8Hrs playback
- 1390.00 Philippine Pesos SRP

Airzone Series 1 
- AirPlay Enabled
- FM Radio
- Charged iPod / iPhone / iPad
- Remote Control

The Airzone Series 1 is an iPad, iPad 2 & iPad 3, iPhone 3GS/4, iPod touch (3rd/4th generation) compatible dock that is designed for the sleek and classy audiophile that not only boasts performance but not sacrificing in the looks department. With it's FM Radio capability, you won't miss that new track you've been eagerly waiting for in the airwaves or that radio show you love!

 HouseParty Rise

- I'ts got a Wireless Remote Control where you can control your speaker over Wi-Fi
- A brand new spanking Animated Weather Display so you can wake-up knowing the weather
- Auto-Sync Time and Alarm just by using the dock to sync with your Apple device
- Wake-up to your FM Radio station or your favorite Music by letting it do that so he can wake up!
- Auto-tune sound, Save and Edit your favorite FM stations
- Dim your speaker display and use swipe gestures to go to your next song. So hightech!

This particular hardware is app enhanced which means there's a corresponding app you can use in your own smartphone to control some of the features of this device aside from just using the controls on the box itself. Pretty neat eh?! It can also synch with alarms you set on the other devices you have as long as its compatible. 

The Unity Remote seen on the right side can actually control all your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Yes it can control all of them with just one gadget. Isn't that neat to see something like this? Now it'll be easier to just use and everything will just work with one thing to maintain. It makes everything convenient!

There were a lot more in the display and I find them all impressive. They have really re-branded and shown a lot of promise since their inception in 2006. Now they are gearing to other smartphone models that are compatible with Android too. GEAR4 is really more than an accessory manufacturer now. Just by looking at this full range of speakers and other accessories you are surely going to be on a thrill ride into non dedicated Apple or Android OS products. They will take this accessory brand to greater heights and show why quality wise they are number 1 in the UK!

They are also adding more things to their line so make sure you check out their website for more information. You don't have to settle with anything less. I've seen some already listed in Lazada.ph maybe you guys should go ahead and visit!

GEAR4's Website is found at

http://www.gear4.com/

Distributed in the Philippines by IONTECH