Parrot PMK5800

Parrot PMK5800

It’s strange how a product name can sometimes be amazingly appropriate. Take the Parrot PMK5800 Bluetooth Plug and Play Car kit — wouldn’t you instinctively associate this with someone who talks too much?

My experience with Bluetooth hands-free solutions, specifically in-car varieties, tends to be that the simpler they get, the more effective and used they are. Take the PMK5800 for instance — all you have to do is simply plug it into any cigarette lighter socket, and the unit draws power from your car.

Connect it with your mobile phone over Bluetooth, and synchronise your car stereo with the PMK5800 so you can transmit sound via your car speakers. The dial interface is very intuitive and natural to use, possibly the only pleasing aesthetic in this otherwise bland looking product. You can also use a cable connection via the 3.5mm jack if your phone does not support audio streaming or if you want to use an MP3 player.

Call quality with the PMK5800 is a little bit mixed. Incoming audio isn’t as clean as I’d like for an in-car conversation over my car speakers, though the outgoing audio is rather good, with the mike picking up my voice over the traffic sounds well.

A gimmicky addition to the PMK5800 is the voice recognition feature, where you can record keywords or ‘magic’ words that the unit can recognise to perform functions like answering a call or dialling a contact. It misses sometimes, and had me fumbling for my phone, not something I’d like to do in traffic.

For a device that’s so close physically to the car audio, my personal opinion is that they should have junked FM and opted for a stereo cable — it may well be cost effective and idiot-proof but it’s just not the same as a wired set-up. More so since the PMK5800 offers to play music from your phone, and that just doesn’t cut it for prolonged listening.

Rating: 7/10
Price: Rs 4,250, available at Ezone
URL: http://www.parrot.com/uk/products/plug-n-play-car-kits/parrot-pmk5800

MetroFi 170vi & 200

MetroFi 170vi

For years, Ultimate Ears has been a familiar name to musicians and other audio professionals, but with Logitech’s acquisition, they seem to be ready for the prime time. The first two models launched in India — the MetroFi 170vi and the 200 — do not disappoint on quality or with their relatively mid-range pricing. Both are based on a standard in-ear design, with the 170vi edging the 200 out with its classy semi-transparent black finish. The ‘vi’ version is additionally compatible with the Blackberrys and the iPhones, in that it has a microphone and button for controlling the calls on the phone. The button also lets you control the music playback on all iPods, and it works similarly to the centre click button on Apple’s proprietary earphones. Build quality is good, and the 4-ft cable looks like it can take some wear and tear.

MetroFi 200

But more importantly, how do they perform? They’re easy to operate, and work like a charm with the iPods and the ’berries. There’s plenty of bass, and at times, unusually high amounts of treble on these phones, and the mid-range is capable as well though it tends to get muddy and indistinct with certain male vocals. Due to the design, most outside noise gets blocked out, but you must select the right ear-tip for the right fit. Without that, they have a tendency to fall out a little more than I’d like during heavy use. Also, Nokia users need to look elsewhere, as they are not a supported accessory for Nokia handsets.

Both sets are a great starting point for discerning listeners who don’t have a wad of cash to spend on the pricier range of headphones for their MP3 players/phones.

Rating: MetroFi 200: 8/10, MetroFi 170vi: 8/10
Price: MetroFi 200: Rs 5,495, MetroFi 170vi: Rs 3,995.
URL: http://www.logitech.com

HP OfficeJet Pro 8500

HP OfficeJet Pro 8500

If you work from home a lot, you’d be faced with the same problem I’ve had. I wanted a device that combines rich scanning features with a good printer — fax is an added bonus but not essential. Now, laser all-in-ones cost the earth for even the entry-level
models, so the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 looks increasingly like a good option. The sticker shock wears off soon after you start spending some time with the device, and the excellent but very usable feature set really only helps its case. HP even claims it’s upto 50 per cent cheaper to run than a laser.

As a printer, the 8500 got mixed results — text wasn’t as well defined as a laser’s, but the colour reproduction on pictures really blew me away. The scanner itself is peppy, and the included software, both for Windows and the Mac, is very capable.

What I really liked about the printer was the automatic document feeder and the duplexer, and that both features have been implemented rather well. Say you have a bunch of documents to scan in, the 50-sheet ADF on the 8500 lets you pile them all up and fire away the scan. The duplexer unit, which attaches to the rear of the printer, has to be manually installed when you first unpack the printer, but once set up you’ll be able to enjoy fully automatic double-sided printing. Trouble is, since this is an inkjet, the duplexer is painfully slow — the printer waits to dry the ink on the first page before flipping it around. It’s a necessity, but one that really tests your patience when you use it.

You get a lot for what you pay for the HP, but it’s clearly not a high volume printer. If that’s what you need, look the way of the laser.

Rating: 8/10
Price: Rs 20,861
URL: http://www.hp.com