Price: $100
Ratings: 4/5
From: Roku
Web: www.roku.com
The
MHL connection can power the device, and it lets you use your TV’s remote to control
the Streaming Stick
The space-efficient Roku Streaming Stick
looks like a USB flash drive but delivers high-definition media streaming just
Roku’s current high-end box, the Roku 2 XS.
However, the Streaming Stick works only
with sets that support MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), a relatively new
standard for high-def connections between various devices (including cell
phones and tablets) and HDTVs.
The MHL connection can power the device,
and it lets you use your TV’s remote to control the Streaming Stick.
I tested the device with an MHL-enabled
Hitachi Ultravision S606 LED-backlit 1080p TV. Setup couldn’t have been easier.
Video quality was quite good, even in a crowded Wi-Fi network environment. I
used the Hitachi remote to control the Streaming Stick while I accessed and
viewed content.
At $100, the Roku Streaming Stick isn’t a
bad deal given its compact shape and dual-band Wi-Fi support. The Roku 2 XS
costs the same, but it also supports an Ethernet connection, which may deliver
superior video quality (though not 5GHz Wi-Fi) under some circumstances.
JBL Micro Wireless
Price: $59
Ratings: 4/5
From: JBL
Web: www.jbl.com
The
Micro doesn’t achieve a significant bass effect, but the speaker sound for its
size and price
Available in black, metallic green, blue,
or red, the JBL Micro Wireless is a highly portable Bluetooth speaker. At 3.3
inches in diameter and 1.6 inches thick, and with a weight of just 4.5 ounces,
it’s small enough to fit in a large pocket.
Along the perimeter of the speaker, you’ll
find a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) auxiliary-output jack, a power/pairing button, a volume
dial, and a Micro-USB port. The speaker charges in 2 hours, JBL says, and
delivers up to 5 hours of playback time on a full charge. I frequently got even
longer battery life. A multipurpose LED near the top of the Micro indicates when
the unit is pairing, charging or plugged in, and when the battery level is
getting low.
The auxiliary-output jack on the speaker’s
side doesn’t mute the Micro’s own speaker when you connect a cable, so you can
daisy-chain as many Micros as you want by chaining cable to jack. You won’t get
a true stereo effect, but you will get stronger volume and the ability to point
each speaker in a different direction to increase your coverage.
The Micro doesn’t achieve a significant
bass effect, but the speaker sound for its size and price. Unsurprisingly,
given that it sports a single small speaker, the Micro is greatly influenced by
where you place it, so you’ll want to experiment with positioning and angling.
Kindle Paperwhite
Price: $119 standard, $179 3G
Ratings: 4.5/5
From: Amazon
Web: www.amazon.com
The
Paperwhite’s light is bright, and I found the screen to be highly responsive to
my touch
Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite upgrades
Amazon’s flagship Kindle e-reader with a light, a high-resolution display, and
dramatically updated software.
When adjusted to maximum brightness, the
Paperwhite’s built0in light makes the display look closer to white than to the
tinted, newspaper gray typical of E Ink’s electrophoretic ink screens
(including this one, when the light is off). Four embedded LEDs channel their
light into a clear sheet of material that diffuses the light across the
display, which offers 24 levels of brightness.
The Paperwhite’s light is bright, and I
found the screen to be highly responsive to my touch. Regrettably, the
e-reader’s bezel and soft-touch back attract fingerprints.
