Product review: Untangle your sound
Bluetooth has become so widely used it is difficult to believe there was little enthusiasm for this clever wireless technology when it was first launched.
And as it crops up in more and more places – from PCs, keyboards and printers to mobile phone headsets, medical equipment, games consoles and so on – it's easy to take it for granted.
But in its modest way Bluetooth really is a magic invention, clearing workstations of tangled wires and enabling the easy transfer of data and files between a wide range of devices.
One of the more recent uses to emerge is streaming music to wireless stereo speakers. And Motorola has added an extra twist with the MOTOROKR EQ5 speaker unit by making it small enough to fit in your pocket. It measures just 11.7cm x 6.5cm x 1.5cm and weighs 100g, so it really does justify the manufacturer's ultra portable description. The built-in battery provides up to eight hours' play-time per charge.
It's designed for use with a mobile phone, equipped with a music player and lets you take your tunes from room to room, out into the garden or wherever else you want to use it. The EQ5 looks smart enough – it's black with a chrome strip around the edge, rounded corners and a shiny central panel. The styling looks as if it's intended to match that of Motorola's similarly shiny black MOTOROKR E8 mobile - reviewed by Emirates Business a few weeks ago - though it also works with other makes of phone.
The sound is a bit thin and tinny, as is inevitable with such small speakers. Motorola claims the EQ5 produces surround sound but I could detect no sign of such an effect. My other reservation is that I'm not sure how much use you would make of such a device – it works well enough and looks fine but I'm not convinced it fills a gap in the market. You'd have to think very carefully about when and where you'd use it before handing over the Dh349 it costs.
There are a number of different Bluetooth standards and to get the best from the EQ5 your phone should have A2DP – it stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile and carries stereo sound. As a bonus you can use the unit to make and receive hands-free calls.
If you insist on linking the little speakers to a device such as an iPod that doesn't have Bluetooth you can do so with the supplied 3.5mm audio cable – but in this wireless age that really is a bit passé, is it not?
And as it crops up in more and more places – from PCs, keyboards and printers to mobile phone headsets, medical equipment, games consoles and so on – it's easy to take it for granted.
But in its modest way Bluetooth really is a magic invention, clearing workstations of tangled wires and enabling the easy transfer of data and files between a wide range of devices.
One of the more recent uses to emerge is streaming music to wireless stereo speakers. And Motorola has added an extra twist with the MOTOROKR EQ5 speaker unit by making it small enough to fit in your pocket. It measures just 11.7cm x 6.5cm x 1.5cm and weighs 100g, so it really does justify the manufacturer's ultra portable description. The built-in battery provides up to eight hours' play-time per charge.
It's designed for use with a mobile phone, equipped with a music player and lets you take your tunes from room to room, out into the garden or wherever else you want to use it. The EQ5 looks smart enough – it's black with a chrome strip around the edge, rounded corners and a shiny central panel. The styling looks as if it's intended to match that of Motorola's similarly shiny black MOTOROKR E8 mobile - reviewed by Emirates Business a few weeks ago - though it also works with other makes of phone.
The sound is a bit thin and tinny, as is inevitable with such small speakers. Motorola claims the EQ5 produces surround sound but I could detect no sign of such an effect. My other reservation is that I'm not sure how much use you would make of such a device – it works well enough and looks fine but I'm not convinced it fills a gap in the market. You'd have to think very carefully about when and where you'd use it before handing over the Dh349 it costs.
There are a number of different Bluetooth standards and to get the best from the EQ5 your phone should have A2DP – it stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile and carries stereo sound. As a bonus you can use the unit to make and receive hands-free calls.
If you insist on linking the little speakers to a device such as an iPod that doesn't have Bluetooth you can do so with the supplied 3.5mm audio cable – but in this wireless age that really is a bit passé, is it not?
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