Hasta La Gadget!

Twenty-somethings are some of the hardest people to shop for. They’re changing so quickly, interests waxing and waning by the day, making it pretty difficult to figure out a great gift for the holidays.

But have no fear.

At least one of these four suggestions should be a good fit for a young professional or college student, whether they’re your family member or a friend.

Roku 3

The Roku 3 is quite possibly the best media streaming device available. Where all the tech specs are concerned, it’s got best-in-class technology under its tiny, shiny hood, which ultimately means that it works more reliably than other options like the Apple TV. For a young pupil off at University, Roku makes it dead simple to play Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, and a thousand other channels by simply hooking it up to a TV and turning it on. Plus, the Roku 3 remote comes with headphones that let you listen to the content privately, a feature which could keep roommates happy during finals time.

Fitbit Force ($129)

The freshman fifteen is a real thing, trust me. Being away at school makes it easy to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, with no one telling you to do otherwise. But a good way to stay motivated and aware of your health is to use the Fitbit Force. The biometric wristband doubles as a watch, but also offers intensive metrics on your calorie burn, steps taken, flights climbed, etc. You can even input nutritional information into the accompanying app to have a full read on your health over time.

Mophie Juice Pack Helium ($79)

FOMO has never been stronger than it is today, with the majority of humans simply addicted to their smartphones. College kids are among the worst, which means that their smartphones are always dropping like flies. The Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone ensures that the phone can stay with you through the day and doesn’t add on too much bulk, offering 80 percent extra battery. Indicator lights on the back give you a read on when the Mophie itself is charged, and how much battery it has left throughout the day. You can snag this guy for $80.

B&W P7 Headphones ($399)

Music is a huge part of any college experience, and a nice set of headphones can make all the difference walking to class, studying at the library, or hanging out in the dorm. The P7 over-the-ear headphones from Bowers & Wilkins are far more expensive than ultra popular Beats headphones, but they also stand out from what everyone else is wearing. But being stylish is only a small fraction of what the P7 headphones bring to the table, with sound quality that is truly impressive. They even come with a microphone attachment so you can switch between music and phone calls.

There’s something quite special about high-end speakers, in the way that they are often able to recreate acoustic performances very accurately, akin to what holography is to visual senses. I’m not sure that these Bowers & Wilkins speakers will do that, but they certainly look the part.

The B&W 805 Maserati Edition Speakers will please audiophiles and car enthusiasts alike. At heart, they are part of the 800 Series of Diamond speakers, adorned with lots of materials that you’d find in any Maserati. They come in maple veneer, black leather, standing tall on the stand that has a Maserati Trident logo.

These speakers are limited and the price hasn’t yet been announced, but given that the regular 800 Diamond Series speakers sell for $23,000(USD) a pair, so you can just imagine how much these will cost. They will be available this Fall, so start saving up now.

[via Uncrate]

Short Version:

The Z2 wireless Airplay speaker from Bowers & Wilkins is a perfectly suitable option for those of us looking for a sightly, powerful, and compact speaker system. Anyone who’s already invested in Bowers & Wilkins systems before, like the Zeppelin Air or the A line should be especially considerate of the sexy little Z2, as it will fit in seamlessly with your current set-up in a relatively quieter room or space like a bedroom or bathroom.

Features:

• Airplay
• Flexible Lightning Dock
• Black and White options
• 2x 3.5-inch full range drivers
• 20 watt-per-channel stereo amplifier
• Price: $399
• Availability: April for black, June for white

Pros:

• Flexible dock keeps iPhone safe
• Sleek, minimalist design
• Powerful, crisp audio
• Easy peasy setup

Cons:

• Same remote as older generation B&W models
• Doesn’t have the same recognizable design as the Zeppelin, if that’s what you’re into

Long Version:

The B&W Z2 is as easy on the eyes as it is on the ears. The dock sinks below the upper ridge of the round, compact speaker making it somewhat invisible from most angles. The rounded shape turns both drivers out to fill up the room, and it surprisingly fits a lot of power into a very smal package.

The whole thing is no more than about 7-inches tall, a foot wide, and four inches deep, and the only thing you might notice is a small LED light on the bottom right of the device to signify pairing, on and off, etc.

The Lightning dock is built onto a hinge so it bends as you insert and remove your iPhone 5. Of course, this excludes anyone without an iPhone 5 or new generation iPods from docking, since the 30-pin isn’t compatible and iPads are too wide.

Setup is a breeze. Just download the Bowers & Wilkins Airplay Setup app and follow the handful of easy steps. Just be ready to have your wifi network info at the ready.

When you’re done, you’ll be able to throw music from your phone to the Z2 (or from Z2 bedroom to Z2 kitchen or Zeppelin Air Living room or A5 bathroom or whatever combination you can afford) and achieve a much richer, fuller experience that follows you around your house and not the other way around.

Of course, not everything is perfect. If you’re putting extra strain on your Wifi network while streaming to the Z2, especially if that extra strain is coming from the same device that’s streaming, there are bound to be a few drops or off moments. However, I’ve found the Z2 to be more reliable than the A7 I tested a few months ago, so there’s progress being made.

On a brighter note, the Z2 offers a surprisingly excellent listening experience given its size. Whether it was to entertain at a loud party or have something pleasing on in the background, the Z2 always sounded great and had a deep but clear bass. It’s the cheapest offering to date from a company that’s been a pack leader in the wireless iOS audio world. And it lives up to its brand name.

The remote isn’t changed at all from the A7 or original Zeppelin systems, which is annoying if only because it seems stagnant for a company that always seems to be cognizant of the maxim: “Iterate, iterate, iterate.”

All in all, it’s a solid little speaker for a fair price, and worth some serious consideration from audiophile iPhone 5 owners and B&W loyalists.

To learn more about the Z2 and it’s companion the Zeppelin Air, check out the video below, or feel free to read up the all-wireless A7 from B&W in our review right here.

Bowers & Wilkins makes some of our favorite audio hardware. We also happen to love AirPlay—so the union of the two should be terrific, right? Sort of. The A7 speaker is tremendous—but it’s just so, so expensive. More »

When it comes to Apple-focused audio wares, Bowers & Wilkins makes some of the of the ritiziest options available. Expanding on its its existing speaker range, the company has introduced a duo of new AirPlay speakers dubbed as the A5 ($500) and A7 ($800). Both HiFi boxes are nearly identical from the outside (aside from the size difference), and feature the same black and silver aesthetic as the MM-1 media speakers. The A7 nets you a duo of 25-watt 1-inch Nautilus “tube-loaded” tweeters” (just like the MM-1s), two 25-watt 3-inch drivers for the mid-range and a 50-watt 6-inch woofer, while the A5 shrinks things by forgoing a woofer and using a smaller speaker array of two 20-watt tweeters and two 20-watt mid-range drivers. The speakers on both units are independently driven, and both systems feature an “audiophile-grade” DAC that’ll upscale music streams to a maximum 24-bit / 96kHz sample rate. As you’d expect, the units feature WiFi and Ethernet connectivity and 3.5mm inputs for hooking in sans wireless, but it’s worth noting these audio boxes lack 30-pin docks — at least you still get a remote. Check out the video after the break for a detailed look at both, and the source link below for all the juicy details.

Continue reading Bowers & Wilkins intros classy A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers, leaves out the 30-pin dock

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

Bowers & Wilkins intros classy A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers, leaves out the 30-pin dock originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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