I’ve been rocking Speck cases for a long time. Speck Products has since upgraded their cases to the Presidio series. I’ve gone from the CandyShell Grip to the new Speck Presidio Grip case for the iPhone 7 Plus.
Design
The Presidio Grip has all the great things you loved about the predecessor just redefined. The Presidio Grip case is a one-pieced military grade case. It has a raised lip and reinforced borders. The grip lines go in diagonal directions instead of horizontally (like they did before). There are buttons and a cutout for the sound switch. The grip lines are also a bit more flushed. I have the lipstick pink /shocking pink color for the iPhone 7 Plus.
Feel
Like I said before, I am a fan of the grip cases. I put them on my phone for day-to-day use. It feels much lighter than the CandyShell series. You can also feel how much thinner it is as well. The reason I like the Presidio Grip case because it’s great for day-to-day use since it helps prevent slipping when trying to use such a large phone. The case snaps on easily and hugs the iPhone 7 Plus nicely.
The case doesn’t attract too much dust. You can clean it easily with a damp cloth. You might get a couple of scuffs on the corners from falls (obviously), but along the case there aren’t many scuffs because of the grip bars.
The case is available in many colors and also available for the iPhone 7. (Other phone models are still on the CandyShell series, as they were released before the revamp of the casesYou can shop for Speck cases on their site. The Presidio Grip for the iPhone 7 Plus costs $44.95 ($39.95 for the iPhone 7 version).
Overall
I’d definitely recommend this case for your daily driver. It’s not the most sophisticated case out there but it gets the job done for daily use. I would go as far to say to maximize protection, get a screen protector as well, since a case can only protect what it covers. You can learn more about Speck cases here.
If you didn’t know, I am at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s a bunch of new tech being announced. One of the first things I got to check out was the new LG Tone Free and LG Tone Studio headsets. They were recently announced before CES 2017 kicked off. You’ll recognize the familiar LG Tone headsets, but now they take on a truly wireless form in the Tone Free, and a sort of bluetooth speaker in the LG Tone Studio.
LG Tone Free
You can expect to see a lot of truly wireless earbuds in 2017, the Tone Free is one of them. They come with the neckband as a place to store and charge them. Just push the buttons on the side of the neckband to release and use.
The neckband vibrates to alert for incoming calls and texts.
LG Tone Studio
The Tone Studio take the LG neckband and make it a bluetooth speaker. The Tone Studio headset has 4 speakers, 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. It also has the traditional earbuds at the tip of the neckband. There’s a toggle button to switch from using the earbuds to using the speakers. The speakers are supposed to feel liek you have surround sound technology. The bass isn’t too strong on them, but the speakers are loud. You can feel the music vibrate around your neck. The build quality seems good too. When we asked LG about using the Tone Studio for fitness related activity, they said it’s not sweatproof and don’t recommend for the gym. They are more lifestyle related.
Bose is known for their premium line of headphones. They were the first to make noise canceling headphones the norm for traveling, Bose went on to be known for their quality noise-canceling headphones. They recently released the Bose QuietComfort 25 noise canceling headphones. Let’s get right into the review.
Design and Build
I’ve never owned a pair of Bose headphones, but I’ve seen them enough that I know what they look like. The Bose QC 25 have a similar shape to the previous headphones. Bose definitely keeps the look consistent, however these have a sleeker flair to them. It’s not groundbreaking change, Bose kept the QuietComfort 25 simple and classy. You can give it your own style with customizable headsets (using the ColorWare design tool). Available in 5 colors other than the black or white stock headphones. I have the black version.
The Bose QC 25 are actually quite light. Event with the AAA battery inside, they didn’t feel heavy. The leather cushioned ear cups are nice and foamy without being squishy. They do a great job of going around your ear and sort of molding to them with very little pressure. The ear cups pivot forward and backward as well (independently from the headband) which helps the grip of the headphones without applying maximum pressure. The headband has a nice suede outer coating. The cushion on the headband has suede-like material for breathable comfort (since the headband is closer fitting to your head).
On the top of the right ear cup is where you put the triple A battery. On the outside of the right ear cup is the off/on button for noise cancellation. The ear cups swivel about 90 degrees outward which should make the QC 25 adjustable to almost any frame.
Bose’s signature feature (besides their consistent look) is their sound. You can find Bose in quality cars, so I was hyped to try these headphones. I did the burn-in period of over 50 hours of music, just to make sure that I had a proper listening experience.
I must say that Bose fanatics weren’t lying when they spoke about that awesome Bose sound. Even when the volume is at 85% – 95% high, the sound is balanced and the bass doesn’t falter. As long as the song is not too bass-heavy, the QuietComfort 25 can handle the tracks with no problem. When bass-heavy tracks came on, it would sometimes sound muffled. That wasn’t the case with everything though. Vocals are smooth and there’s a more than decent delivery of mids and highs. The QC 25 do bleed at high levels.
Noise Cancellation
One of the main features of Bose headphones is their noise-canceling feature. It might be the reason you go for Bose over other brands. I didn’t have the QC 15 headphones (but I have tried them for a bit), so I can’t compare full on. The QC 25’s have microphones both inside and outside of the ear cups which take in the outside noise. The noise canceling signal comes from the chip inside the cups.
What amazing tech that is! As soon as you flip on that noise cancelling switch, you hear the noise sort of being sucked out. I thought I would get annoyed by this, but I didn’t even notice it after a while. It’s not as strong as I felt them on the QuietComfort 15. You can definitely get into your music groove, since it feels like the music is playing from every direction with nothing to interrupt it or distort the sound.
The only problem that I have with noses canceling headphones, is that sometimes it makes the tracks sound flat. Strong vocals don’t sound as loud, or the bass isn’t kicking the way it should. On some tracks it’s just too noticeable, so I’d take off the noise-cancelling.
Overall the noise cancelling feature is awesome. With the exception of a few tracks, I am sure you will find yourself using the feature often, especially if you’re running on these city streets. If noise-cancelling is always on, I suggest you put an extra battery in your carrying case (there is a slot for it). But the good thing is, that if your battery runs out the headphones will still work. Thumbs up for that. It’s so bad when you need the power even if you’re not using the feature.
Comfort
Like the name says, QuietComfort, these are very comfortable. They have a nice way of hugging your ears so you don’t feel pressure on your head or compression of the squishy ear cup leather. They don’t weigh much either, A 10 on the comfort scale.
Overall
These headphones live up to their name and the hype. You get great noise-canceling feature, superb comfort, sophisticated classy design, and good sound. But as with most Bose products, you’re paying a Bose price. It’s up to you to figure out if they are worth it. The QuietComfort 25 will run you $299.00 for the basic colors (black or white). If you decide to use their customization tool, you will be paying 399.00 for your customized headset.
Wireless headphones are the new wave. Not really new, but mainstream. In this review we’re talking about the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 headphones. Last year Plantronics came into to the game with their first pair of over-ear wireless headphones the BackBeat Pro.
BackBeat Pro 2 – Design and Build
If you recall the original Pro headphones, they were large with perfectly round ear-cups. The BackBeat Pro 2 have a more oval shape to better fit your ear. The headset itself is overall smaller. They have more a sophisticated design. You see a lot of wood accents on black / brown pattern.
They changed up the buttons a bit. Inside the ear-cups you have clear labeling of the Right and Left sides. On the back of the right ear-cup you have on the pair/ on/ off toggle switch. A bit lower you have the open-mic button. The main (large button) on the ear-cup itself is to answer/end calls. You also have the microUSB charging port. Right next to charging port you have the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The left ear-cup has the music controls. The center has a flushed small flushed play/pause button. The outer part of the button is for back and forth playback control. The patterned dial around the button is to control the volume.
Experience
Comfort
They BackBeat Pro 2 are lighter than the originals as well. The materials of the earcups and headband are breathable. The padded leather on the earcups feel nice and hug you ears without pressure. You can wear the Pro 2 comfortably for hours. When not wearing them, the earcups swivel out to place comfortably around your neck. You can even wear these with glasses on comfortably.
Just like other Plantronics headphones you get a nice carrying bag for them. It has an outer pocket for auxiliary and charging cables. I suggest you take it with you since the BackBeat Pro 2 don’t fold up. You want to keep them nice and clean in the bag.
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless Headphones – Controls
Sound
The BackBeat Pro 2 look to improve what is good sound on the original headphones. The originals were lacking a bit in the lows and bass power, especially for over-ear headphones. The Pro 2 make up with great attention to the lows. They don’t override vocals or mids either. I’m no audiofile by any means, but you get a good overall balanced sound that is more than satisfying in loud environments.
Features
Noise canceling
The Pro 2 do come with a noise canceling feature. If you push the button located behind the left earcup all the way down it turns on noise canceling. It does a decent job at it’s not the most powerful noise canceling earphones out there. Music quality doesn’t suffer too much when the noise canceling is on.
Smart Sensors: My favorite feature is available again the BackBeat Pro 2. They don’t have a name, but basically it’s the smart sensors in the headphones. If you move the headphones off your ears, the music stops. When you put them back on the music continues. When it does continue it starts at a low volume then goes back up to the volume you were listening to the music on. This helps preserve battery life. This is great for me, because I constantly take off my headphones and forget to power them off.
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Headphones Review – Analie Cruz
Open-Listening: Formerly known as Open Mic, Open-Listening is on the BackBeat Pro 2 as well. Useful when you don’t want to take your headphones off for a conversation or just want to be nosy when you hear interesting conversations.
Also you can walk pretty far from your devices and still be connected which is pretty dope too. Works well in my small apartment. Barely broke up, and when it did it was when I was in another room.
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless Headphones
Battery Life
If there is something Plantronics can brag about it’s the battery life on their headphones. The BackBeat Pro 2 are no exception. I use them for about an hour and a half to up to 3 hours daily and I charge them weekly (they charge via microUSB). If you let the battery die you can use the cable for regular wired listening. (Don’t forget your dongles, Moto Z and iPhone 7 users).
Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics BackBeat PRO 2 are $199.99. That’s a great price for wireless noise-canceling over-ear headphones. Definitely not breaking the bank for all the features.
Overall
I am a fan of the Plantronics brand overall. The BackBeat Pro 2 check off all the features needed in over-ear wireless headphones without putting a huge dent in your pockets.
I’ve been rocking Speck cases for a long time. Speck Products has since upgraded their cases to the Presidio series. I’ve gone from the CandyShell Grip to the new Speck Presidio Grip case for the iPhone 7 Plus.
