Articles by Jamie Lendino
Cobra iRadar 200 (for iPhone and Android)
The Cobra iRadar 200 ($129.95 list) delivers a compelling experience—if that’s possible for a radar detector—thanks to its companion smartphone app, which tracks your location, current speed, and direction. The iRadar 200 works by itself without the app (albeit with an extremely limited interface and no display). Unfortunately, in my tests, the iRadar 200 didn’t…
NYNE NH-5000
NYNE’s latest iPod speaker dock, the NH-5000 ($229.95 list) offers an interesting combination of a 30-pin docking connector and wireless Bluetooth capability. That means it works with older Apple devices docked, and newer Android or iOS devices over Bluetooth. The NH-5000 sounds pretty good, too, but a number of questionable design decisions, plus some EQ…
Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac
The Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac audio interface ($595 direct) brings stellar recording and playback capability to your iPad, iPhone, or Mac. Unlike the previous Duet 2, the new Duet has built-in iPad compatibility, which required some internal hardware changes. Granted, our Editors’ Choice, the Focusrite iTrack Solo, which does the same thing, is…
Focusrite Forte
The Focusrite Forte ($749.99 list) is one of a host of portable, higher-end audio interfaces that have appeared in the wake of Apogee’s now-iconic original Duet. It one-ups the Apogee lineup in that it works with PCs as well as Macs—helping not just PC users, but also musicians and engineers, like myself, who use both…
Kobo Aura HD
E Ink-based readers are beginning to take a back seat to color tablets, but they’re not going away anytime soon. Too many people like the non-glare screens, weeks-long battery life, light weight, low cost, and reading-focused experience you get with ebook readers. And with the advent of edge-lit models, you can even use them in…
TomTom Start 55 TM
The TomTom Start 55 TM ($159.95 direct) is a low-end standalone GPS device with a mission. It exists to convince you that it’s still worth buying, in an age of free smartphone GPS apps, and an oversaturated market where most people who want a standalone device already have one. To this end the Start 55…
Magellan SmartGPS
Magellan has struggled a bit in the U.S. GPS market recent years, but not because of anything wrong with the company’s products. It’s thanks to the dominance of Garmin and TomTom. The new Magellan SmartGPS ($249 direct) represents a complete rethink of how a GPS device is designed, and how it’s used on a daily…
Garmin nüvi 3597LMTHD
The Garmin nüvi 3597LMTHD ($379.99 direct) is the best automotive GPS navigation device you can buy today. While the market for standalone devices has stagnated and even contracted in recent years, there’s still plenty of demand—especially at bargain prices. That’s not the 3597LMTHD’s mission; instead, it advances the state of the art with its magnetic…
Garmin nüvi 2597LMT
The Garmin nüvi 2597LMT ($249.99 direct) inherits many of the positive characteristics of its more expensive sibling, the nüvi 3597LMTHD, while leaving an extra $130 in your pocket. But the question we ask every time we review a GPS these days is whether it’s worth it to buy a dedicated device rather than using a…
Bowers & Wilkins Z2
Bowers & Wilkins is a well-respected, high-end brand for audio equipment, but have only recently reached further into the consumer realm. The Z2 ($399.99 list) is the least expensive product we’ve seen from the company yet—and it’s a stunner. We’ve been waiting for a while for a do-it-all speaker with a Lightning connector and wireless capability….