Tag Archives: bluetooth

Sound you can see: That’s the marketing motto for JBL’s Pulse 4, which is not only a good sounding portable Bluetooth speaker, but a mini light show you can program via a companion app. It’s on sale today only for $150, which is $100 off its list price of $250. It hit that price earlier …

With everyone quarantined at home, you may find yourself with a computer deficit. Mrs. Cheapskate, for example, needs remote access for the first time, but there’s no extra machine for her to use. Sure, we could buy a new laptop, but I’m eyeballing another option: a mini-PC. Like this one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon seller …

As Cheapskate Rick Broida has mentioned many times, a soundbar is an easy way to amp up the sound quality in your home theater, because the speakers built into your TV are objectively terrible. You don’t even need to tell me what brand or model TV you have; I already know that the speakers are terrible. A soundbar sets up …

Apple‘s iPhone SE for 2020 serves as a long overdue sequel to its 2016 budget iPhone. With a four-year gap between the new iPhone SE and the older one, Apple included many welcomed upgrades, including wireless charging, better camera specs and water resistance. But for wired headphone users, another change may be more of a drag: The new iPhone SE doesn’t have …

Epitaph I’m adding to my tombstone: “Buy a soundbar!” Because as I’ve long maintained, TV speakers are terrible. But recently I realized that if you’re — sigh — over 50 like myself, you should probably consider a soundbar that can enhance dialogue, making voices easier to hear. Here’s a great deal on just such a product: For a limited time, …

I readily acknowledge that while I can sometimes be a bit of an audio snob, I know that not everyone is an audiophile. Most people are perfectly happy listening to streaming audio and MP3 tracks of questionable bitrate with their inexpensive earbuds, and that’s totally cool. Years ago, for example, I subjected Cheapskate Rick to a blinded test in which …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. As countries around the world, as well as Apple and Google, release contact-tracing apps to help fight the coronavirus, MIT Technology Review has put together a list to help people track the apps.  The contact-tracing apps are designed to help people figure out if …

JBL’s Boombox Bluetooth portable party speaker, known for delivering big bass — and big sound — has a lot of fans. Not too long ago, the company released the next-gen Boombox 2, which sells for $500. As you might expect, the original has dropped in price. It’s been selling for $400, but now JBL’s chopped an additional $50 off, bringing …

Raise your hand if this is familiar: You’re dialed into the company meeting or Zoom call and you put your phone on speaker so you can do other things while listening in. But the sound quality is terrible, both for you and the people at the other end. That’s no surprise; your phone has to rely on one tiny microphone …

The Megaboom 3 speaker from Ultimate Ears has never been cheaper. The big, bassy Bluetooth speaker was released at a price of $200 and over the nearly two years since has occasionally dipped to $170 or $180. Right now, you can get the Megaboom 3 for only $130 or $150 at Best Buy. The black-and-white Moon model is discounted to $130, …