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Hot Qmadix accessories for your summer fun
We started yesterday with a giveaway of three Just Mobile products; now the summer holiday fun continues with a review and giveaway of some great new products from Qmadix. Qmadix iharmonix Q-i-sound Stereo Bluetooth Speakers I'll start my review of these portable Bluetooth speakers with a negative comment -- could Qmadix have come up with a shorter name? I'm just going to call these Q-i-sound speakers (US$149.95) for the rest of the review. As seasoned TUAW readers know, we've reviewed a number of Bluetooth speakers from a variety of vendors lately. Many companies are going rectangular speakers make of a variety of materials and usually dropped into one case. The Q-i-sound Stereo Bluetooth Speakers have a totally unique design: the speakers are not only separate for optimum stereo sound, but there's no cable connecting the two. That means you can put the speakers anywhere up to 15 feet apart to get the best possible sound. The two speakers have a weak magnetic latch that holds them together into an egg shape. That "egg" fits into an included zippered case. Charging is done from an included folding AC adapter or by connecting to a USB port, with an included USB to two-ended DC connector cable. Qmadix says full charging takes about takes about 4.5 hours; that charge is good for about 8 hours of continuous play time. As you would expect from most contemporary Bluetooth speakers, the Q-i-sound speakers include a full-duplex microphone (in the left speaker) for conference calling and dialing with Siri. The speakers are lightweight -- only 4 ounces each -- and the compact size makes for a perfect traveling companion. How was the sound quality? Like most Bluetooth speakers I've used, the Q-i-sound speakers lacked a good bass sound. However, the sound reproduction on the high end wasn't all that good either. Conference call sound quality was poor -- yes, you could have a conference call, but the folks on the other end will most likely complain that the call sounds "tinny" or "clipped". At the price, I'd honestly expect much better sound quality. For the same $149.95, you can get the BRAVEN 600 speakers and at least be able to enjoy your music. The Logitech Mini Boombox ($99.99) even sounded better. Still, if you want totally wireless Bluetooth speakers with great separation, the Q-i-sound speakers are about your best bet. Qmadix iharmonix Qi-7 Mobile Earphones The next product from Qmadix is a pair of their iharmonix Qi-7 mobile earphones ($79.99), which come with a noise canceling microphone with a control button. Designed as a replacement for the ubiquitous white headset you get with your iPhone, the Qi-7s take things up a notch with a gold plated audio jack, a leather storage case and pouch, one pair of double flanged silicone ear gels and three pairs of standard silicone ear gels in small, medium, and large sizes. How do they sound? Well, when it comes to earphones, we don't test 'em if we're going to give them away (for sanitary reasons). I'll leave the testing to the winner of the earphones in our giveaway. Qmadix Smudge-Free Device Cleaning Kit Here's a Qmadix product that I use and love! The Smudge-Free Device Cleaning Kit ($14.99) provides a 3 ounce (perfect for travel) can of cleaning foam along with two anti-microbial microfiber cloths treated with Duraban. I've cleaned everything from my iMac screen to the tiny screen of an iPod nano with the kit, and it works really well. The foam tends to reduce the streakiness that you'll find with some liquid sprays, and the two 10" x 10" cleaning cloths (one high density for polishing, one regular density for cleaning) can be washed up to 50 times and still retain their antimicrobial properties. You can also order replacement cans of the cleaning foam for $9.99. Does it do a better job of cleaning screens than the tried and true iKlear solution? In my personal opinion, it does, and it's also less expensive than the iKlear kit. Qmadix Tempered Tech-Armor This is another product that I'm not going to test, as I'd prefer to give away the Tempered Tech-Armor kits ($39.99) for iPhone 4 / 4S to TUAW readers. That being said, I think that the concept is absolutely cool. These are not your run-of-the-mill cheap plastic screen protectors. Instead, they're made of .3 mm thick tempered glass that is completely shatter- and scratch-proof. The kit also includes a film overlay for the back of the iPhone, as well as home button stickers to protect the iPhone's navel. In case you need to remove the Tempered Tech-Armor at any point, don't worry -- you can remove it, wash it, and re-apply it up to 60 times. Giveaway As part of this week of giveaways from TUAW, five readers will win one of the products listed above. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before July 5, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Five winners will be selected and will receive one of the following items: Qmadix iharmonix Q-i-sound Stereo Bluetooth Speakers valued at $149.99, Qmadix Tempered Tech-Armor for iPhone 4/4S (black or white) valued at $39.99, Qmadix iharmonix Qi-7 Extreme-Performance Mobile Earphones with Noise Canceling Microphone valued at $79.99, or a Qmadix Smudge-Free Device Cleaning Kit valued at $14.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
German researchers create smudge repellent coating from candle soot
While they're working on the lack of feedback, and need for exposed skin problems for touch screens, that other gripe -- dirty smudges -- could soon be wiped-out permanently. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz obviously had enough of sleeve-cleaning their devices and created a coating that could usher in a smudge-free world. The discovery comes after the team applied candle soot to glass and then coated it in silica to keep it in place. The glass is then heated to a bratwurst-baking 600 ºC for calcination, which makes the soot transparent -- somewhat handy for screens. To test, different oils and solvents were applied, but the glass' superamphiphobic properties soon fended them off. A resilient coating sounds a little more straight-forward than what Apple recently applied to patent, but until either of these see the light of day, you'd better keep that Brasso close by.
LG.Philips readying smudge-free computer displays
LG.Philips seems to never get bored with finding ways to better the displays our dear eyes scan so, so much, and we'll be straight up, it's hard not to get excited over its latest development. Apparently, the outfit has conjured up a method for ensuring that LCD panels resist smudges, and if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the technology should also enable the screen to shun dirt, dust, fingerprints and permanent ink. Essentially, the new panel "employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," but it isn't handing out any more secrets beyond that. Think you can handle even more good news? Mass production of said panels is slated for the first half of next year, so let the countdown to smudge-free mobile computing begin, eh?[Image courtesy of Tuff-As-Nuts]
