Every portable computer, from the brawniest desktop replacement to the tiniest netbook, has one thing in common: terrible speakers. There’s no shortage of powered speaker systems on the market, some of which are very good but what’s the point of using a laptop if you have to tether it to a box to get good sound?

Klipsch has a better solution: The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless uses a USB transmitter to send audio from the host PC to the speakers over the airwaves. The speakers themselves are all hardwired, with the amplifier tucked inside the subwoofer. And lordy, what a subwoofer it is. There’s a 6.5-inch long-throw, side-firing driver housed inside a bass-reflex enclosure with a front port. The sub cabinet also houses the wireless receiver and the 200-watt amplifier that powers all three channels. Klipsch claims line-of-sight range of 30 feet and our experience backs that up. If you’re looking for a wireless audio system that will send audio from a computer in one room to speakers in another, this isn’t the right solution.

The two-way satellite speakers consist of 25mm polymer tweeters mated to Klipsch’s well-known MicroTractix horn. Mids are produced by three-inch longthrow drivers. The right-hand satellite cabinet houses a master volume control and a separate control for bass volume, a 1/8-inch headphone output, and a 1/8-inch auxiliary input. This input provides +6dB input sensitivity to compensate for the low output voltage that many portable digital media players deliver; take heed if you’re feeding it from an AC-powered source. The satellites can be mounted on either the included desktop stands or on a wall using an optional Klipsch accessory (model WB-1 wall brackets, which sell for $22 a pair).

You could splice more wire to the hardwired speaker cables that connect the satellites to the subwoofer, but there’s no way to lengthen the 10-foot proprietary control cable attached to the righthand satellite. There is no remote control, either included or available as an optional accessory, but that’s not all that uncommon for speakers in this price class.

The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless Speakers certainly didn’t disappoint on that score. The subwoofer was a kick with games (exploding Left 4 Dead Boomers practically pushed us back in our seats), but we also auditioned the system with a range of music (everything from Lucinda Williams to Herbie Hancock) and it managed to deliver a tight and coherent bottom end with everything. The satellites are a touch bright for our taste, but that just reminded us that we probably didn’t need to crank the volume quite so high. Most people will use these speakers as near-field monitors, but they filled our 13×9-foot media room with well-balanced sound and plenty of headroom to spare

Click for more: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless Computer Speakers to test the sound.

Tags: 802.11n, Wi-Fi, Wireless-G

Although nothing was official at press time, signs were pointing toward Creative working on a new Zen X-Fi packing built-in Wi-Fi. Fan site Epizenter.net posted photos of the rumored device in June, and speculation indicates the X-Fi will forego a touchscreen but offer a numeric keypad to complement the onboard support for IM (possibly Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, and MSN Messenger).

Throw in media streaming, built-in speakers, and premium bundled earphones with such standard Zen features as an SD card slot, FM tuner, and voice recorder, and the X-Fi has u genuinely curious.

Tags: Wireless

Someone come across a number of wireless headphones in the past, but have rarely been impressed by the sound quality they offer. However, Hauppage’s new XFones claim to offer cinema quality sound for just below $100.

The XFones come with a small USB transmitter that plugs into your computer, allowing it to transmit music or sound straight to the headphones. Installation is plug-and-play with no software required. Unfortunately, the Dolby Headphone feature that aims to reproduce surround sound DVD soundtracks on the headphones doesn’t work on the Mac.

Why pay for has-been shock jocks and aging rocker DJs on satellite radio when you can access literally thousands of stations over IP just as easily? The Phoenix IP Radio puts a decades-old hardware face on new age Internet radio. The 802.11b/g device streams online stations, playlists, and even RSS feeds from a Wi-Fi hotspot or your home router. The Phoenix IP Radio weighs 2 pounds and includes rechargeable batteries for total portability. The eight preset keys can tune into most of the major audio formats at very high sample rates. And, of course, what would a radio be without a clock and alarm so you can rock the neighbors at 6 a.m. at the Ramada Inn?

TV used to be so simple. You sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote control, and watched your favorite shows when they were on. Today it’s anything but simple. You have to make sense of HDTVs and LCDs and DVRs. As if all that weren’t enough, now you face a wave of “placeshifting” devices, too: gadgets that allow you to watch your TV even if you’re not in the same room or building as the set.

Hava Wireless HD offer some excellent features because of its easier setup and better video quality. Hava Wireless HD are similar to the Slingbox AV, a popular place-shifting device. Like the Slingbox, the Hava let you watch your TV from any Internet-connected computer, and even from certain portable devices. The devices work via a hardware component that you attach to your TV and video source and then connect to your home network, and include a software component that you install on your computer.

Much like the Slingbox AV, the Hava was a snap to install. About the size of a large textbook, the Hava is slightly bigger than the sleek Slingbox, but it feels less sturdy. What’s nice about both the Hava is that they possess built-in wireless capabilities.

The software (on CD) that accompanies the Hava is what permits you to watch the content of your TV set on your PC. Once the software is installed, you can connect to your Hava device, on your current network or over the Internet. On your network the software will find the device automatically; to connect via the Internet, you submit the name and password of the device.

The applications show a large video screen and a remote control for changing the channel and otherwise managing your TV remotely. One
major drawback, though: Unlike Slingbox’s SlingPlayer software, the Hava PC Player shows an exact replica of your TV’s remote control. SlingPlayer employs skins that allow you to see, for example, your TiVo remote on the screen. In this familiar interface, you can more easily do things like scroll through and play back your stored recordings and schedule your future recordings.

The Hava PC Player come with basic, industrial-looking remotes that provide most of the same functions, but not the familiarity, that the SlingPlayer remote does. Monsoon says that it will be adding skins in a future version of the Hava software.

The Hava software has certain features that both of the other applications lack, however. Within the app, you can record TV content directly to your PC’s hard drive; you can schedule recordings and play back previously recorded content from your hard drive, too. And Hava PC Player provides excellent video quality.

The Hava Wireless HD is easier to set up and produced consistently better video.

Although it was announced some time ago, the Philips SLM5500 wireless media streamer has only just reached Europe. It allows you to watch video stored on your PC on your television. You can also stream music and set up slideshows of your photos.

Philips’ device itself is extremely compact. The front of the unit houses a single button to switch the unit on and off, while a series of LEDs indicate what the SLM5500 is up to. At the rear are Scart and component video outputs; the latter is able to output high-definition video.

Audio is taken care of by a digital coaxial socket, while a wireless antenna and Ethernet socket complete the ensemble. The remote control is reasonably compact. Although it takes a while to get used to its rather cluttered button layout, it feels comfortable and sits well in the palm of the hand.

Wireless streaming devices such as this frequently look impressive on paper but prove a total pain to set up the Pinnacle Showcenter instantly leaps to mind. Thankfully, the SLM5500 bucked the trend for providing setup headaches, and we didn’t experience any difficulties getting it up and running.

Novices might come a little unstuck when it comes to locating and connecting to a wireless network, but thanks to the clear on-screen instructions and the step-by-step nature of the installation process, anyone with even a limited knowledge of wireless networks should be able to set it up with ease.

The interface isn’t the slickest, but you can got used to it after a while. Besides, if you’re going to be using it mainly to watch videos you’re not going to spend that much time navigating through the menus.

The SLM5500 supports an impressive range of video format types and managed to play just about every file we threw at it – Mpeg1/2, Wmv (including Wmv HD), DivX, Xvid. If you try playing Wmv HD files over a wireless network you’ll have to endure stopstart video, but compressed DivX and Xvid streamed wirelessly without any problems.

Audio support is provided in the form of mp3 and Wma (including those tracks with DRM – digital rights management). While listening to a track, it’s possible to browse the rest of your library as well as watch a slideshow of your favourite photos.

Being UPnP-compatible, the SLM5500 is able to hook up with any UPnP Nas (network-attached storage) drive you might have. We tested it out with an Iomega Storcenter and it worked flawlessly, picking up all our stored media.

The benefit of using a Nas is that you don’t have to have your PC switched on whenever you want to watch a movie or listen to some music from your library.

If you register your SLM5500 you will be able to access Philips’ online portal via the device. Here you’ll find a selection of music and some photos available for download, but not much else and, in truth, having to go through the rather laborious registration process really isn’t worth it.

Philips could improve on its online content and the interface could do with a bit of jazzing up, but there’s no getting away from the fact that this is one of the better wireless media streamers currently available.

Easy to set up and able to wirelessly stream DivX without breaks in video or sound, the SLM5500 comes highly recommended.

Cut the cord!

The trouble with an Apple iPod or a cell phone headset is the cable running from the device to your ears. It always seems to be at odds with your arms as you exercise or carry things around.

Perhaps the answer is a wireless headset. I-O Data’s wiREVO connects to any Bluetooth device within 30 feet, the company says.

You could listen to your iPod across the room while you pedal an exercise bike, for example. When your cell gets a call, you’ll hear the ring in your wiREVO headphones. Click a button on the headset’s remote control to take the call. After you hang up, the rechargeable wiREVO will automatically resume playing your music.

The base wiREVO model, the WRHS30, comes with earphones, a microphone, and a remote. Step up to the WRHH20 model with earbuds, and the remote will have a little LCD screen that can give you Caller ID numbers. This version also comes with a neck loop that helps keep the wiREVO’s cords out of your way.

Adapters are available for certain iPods and unsupported Bluetooth devices.

The wiREVO Bluetooth Wireless Headset:
• Lets you listen to your personal music player or place phone calls wirelessly from up to 30 feet away
• Features 24-bit stereo audio
• Includes earbuds, microphone, and a remote control
• Has a caller ID feature (model WRH-H20)
• Supports Bluetooth® 2.0 Class2 standards: HSP (Headset Profile), HFP (Hands-free Profile), A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), and AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile)

Product from IO Data

Microsoft’s new Wireless Headset rectifies the Dork Factor of the bundled 360 headset by removing the tether. Included in this package is an AC adapter for charging the headset. After juicing up, all that’s required is to sync your headset with the 360, a process virtually identical to setting up a wireless controller.

Up to four headsets can be used simultaneously with one console. There are LEDs on the inside of the microphone piece to inform users of the connection strength and power.

The round loop design comes in two sizes; the headset sits more securely on your ear than it may feel like at first. The power button/volume/mute controls are conveniently located on the outside center of the earpiece. Real-life battery usage runs between six and seven hours, which is not enough for long-haul gamers. Also, audio quality was not noticeably better than the wired headset. By the time you read this, Microsoft will have released a wireless receiver for the PC so you can use the headset on two platforms.

Why pay for has-been shock jocks and aging rocker DJs on satellite radio when you can access literally thousands of stations over IP just as easily? The Phoenix IP Radio puts a decades-old hardware face on new age Internet radio. The 802.11b/g device streams online stations, playlists, and even RSS feeds from a Wi-Fi hotspot or your home router. The Phoenix IP Radio weighs 2 pounds and includes rechargeable batteries for total portability. The eight preset keys can tune into most of the major audio formats at very high sample rates.

And, of course, what would a radio be without a clock and alarm so you can rock the neighbors at 6 a.m.

URL: www.wifi-radio.biz

Take your digital media collection on the go with the Archos 604 Wi-Fi. The fully loaded portable video player features a 4.3inch touch-screen display, a 30GB hard drive, a PDF viewer, and voice recording. The device natively handles formats such as AVI, MPEG-4 ASF, WMV9, and protected WMV video, as well as protected WMA tracks from music-subscription services.

And if that’s not enough, a built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio lets you wirelessly download media content from the road.