MEElectronics Air-Fi Metro2 AF72 In-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headset Review: Light, powerful and portable
One thing that has always impressed me about MEElectronics is their will to perfect the products that they have produced, and the MEElectronics Air-Fi Metro2 AF72 In-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headset is the latest example of that striving for perfection. Taking into account feedback from users, MEElectronics say the Metro2′s are even better than before, so let’s check them out and see what’s what.
What’s in the box
We’ve reviewed quite a few MEElectronics products here at AndroidSPIN before so we generally know what to expect when we open one of their boxes – as expected, they haven’t disappointed. Along with the Metro2 headset itself, we get the usual suspects of spare earbuds in different sizes and a pouch to carry all your gear in, as well as a charging cable, some stabilizing ear inserts to add to the earbuds if you prefer, and a few little clips that can be used to tidily store the headset when you’re done using them.
As the full name of the device suggests, the Metro2 is a Bluetooth headset and is comprised only of the earbuds, the cord between them and an in-line control module that is used for turning the headset on and off, changing volume and houses the built-in microphone. The first thing that struck me about the Metro2′s is exactly how small it seems. My only other experience with fully wireless earphones have been the Denon Exercise Freak earphones (see that review here), and I assumed they had to be that big due to the necessary electronics. As you can see though, the Metro2 has none of that bulk and keeps an extremely slim profile – still not as small as an unpowered pair of earphones, but still surprisingly small. In fact, MEElectronics claims the Metro2′s are the “world’s lightest stereo wireless headset at 0.4 ounces”, and I’m inclined to believe them as they really are extremely light.
How do they perform?
The audio quality of the Metro2′s is impressive – despite its diminutive size and weight, the Metro2′s still pack a punch in the sound department and manage to give extremely good performance on all fronts, highs, mids and bass. If anything, it tends towards the bassy side, but this can be reeled in with some EQ tweaking. Part of this sound quality is thanks to the noise cancelling of the earbuds themselves – the Metro2′s are advertised as noise cancelling and using the passive abilities of the well-fitting earbuds, the headset is able to create a very isolated space to fully enjoy the audio exploits of the earphones.
A side-effect of the well-fitting earbuds can, however, be discomfort. Many of you who have read my audio product reviews will know I generally shy away from earphones due to discomfort they can cause – unfortunately, the Metro2′s fall into this category. By virtue of needing to engage the passive noise cancelling, you do have to quite firmly insert the earbuds into your ears and after an hour or two, I found myself with very sore ears. I do have to mention that this is a very personal critique – I’m sure many of you reading this very much enjoy using earphones, so you can take my words with a grain of salt.
Bluetooth pairing, as you might expect given the maturity of the technology, is extremely simple and will have you up and listening in no time. MEElectronics cleverly uses the power button as a multifunction button, used for powering on and off the headset as well as initiating pairing.
As a completely wireless set of earphones, you would expect the stability of the Metro2′s to be pretty good. With the addition of the stabilizing ear inserts we mentioned earlier and the earbuds firmly stuck into your ears, the Metro2′s may as well be glued in there. I found myself having to shake my head very violently to even get them to dislodge slightly, and even then, I think I did myself more of a disservice as I could still hear music coming from the headset. If you’re looking for a headset for fitness use, with the added bonus of its small footprint weight and size-wise, I would say the Metro2′s are a pretty good candidate.
Microphone performance is good on the Metro2′s, however due to the wraparound nature of how one wears the headset, it’s actually quite hard to get a good signal without grabbing the mic and pulling it into a more convenient position. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you wearing the Metro2′s dangling around the front of your face, but that would probably look a little unusual.
MEElectronics says that the music playback time of the Metro2′s is about 5 hours, and that’s just about exactly what my experiences have been. It is a bit short for my liking as it can’t really get me through a full work day (after which requires a two hour charge time), but it’s really not surprising given the lightweight design of the headset. For many people, particularly those who would use this as a fitness accessory for an hour or two, this is probably a decent trade-off.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really like the MEElectronics Air-Fi Metro2 AF72 In-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headset – they’re light, compact and manages to pack some serious punch. The audio quality is great and made better by the passive noise cancelling and its size and stability features make it ideal for people on the go or just want a headset that is distreet. At a MSRP of $99.99, that’s a decent price for the package they’re offering, and MEElectronics is making it that much cheaper by offering the Metro2′s for $79.99 as part of a sale.
If you’re interested in picking up a pair of Metro2 earphones, you can visit the product page here, or to check out MEElectronics’ other products, visit their homepage here.
Gallery of Photos
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Samsung’s new flagship NX1 shoots 28.2-megapixel stills and 4K video
This week marks the start of Photokina, the camera show where pretty much every brand will unveil their latest and greatest pieces of kit. We’ll hear from everybody in due time but right now, Samsung is in the hot seat. The tech giant just unveiled the NX1, the company’s first camera that records 4K video. In addition to doing UHD footage at 30 or 24 frames per second and Cinema 4K at 24fps, it shoots stills with a 28.2-megapixel backside-illuminated APS-C CMOS sensor. In burst-capture mode, you can snap up to 15 frames per second at full resolution. ISO sensitivity now ranges from 100 to 51,200. Similar to the NX30, a more mid-range camera in Samsung’s lineup, this has WiFi and NFC, along with a 3-inch Super AMOLED articulating display and a 1,366 x 768 electronic viewfinder. In this case, though, it’s 802.11ac WiFi, there’s Bluetooth too, and the EVF promises a shorter lag time of around 5ms.
Under the hood, the NX1 makes use of a new auto-focusing system with 205 Phase Detect points, which Samsung says cover 90 percent of the frame. It’s those focusing points pros will care about most, though Samsung also tweaked its algorithms to better predict where a subject is going to move. The AF assist light also has an improved reach — up to 15 meters. As for the body, it’s a magnesium-alloy affair — both dust- and water-resistant — with an LCD status display on top, next to the mode dial.
The NX1 arrives in mid-October, priced at $1,499 for the body only. In addition, Samsung will sell a new 50-150mm with f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range. In addition, it brings four-axis optical image stabilization and the ability to limit focus to a custom range. So far, Samsung has declined to say whether its other cameras will get a firmware update to support this new lens and its custom-focus feature, though the company does have a pretty good history of providing software updates to older models. That will arrive next month too, at a cost of $1,599. There will also be an optional battery grip, which packs a 1,900mAh cell (about the same size as on the main camera), and which should give you an extra 500 shots, give or take.
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BT and mobile operators warn of rising bills if Scotland goes independent
On September 18th, Scotland will vote on whether it will break away from the UK. As politicians ready their final campaign strategies ahead of the Referendum for Independence later this week, the UK’s biggest telecoms companies have now got involved, warning of the potential consequences of a ‘Yes” vote. BT, joined by TalkTalk, Telefonica UK (O2), Vodafone, EE and Three, issued a joint statement this weekend stating that while all parties would remain committed to “investing in high-quality, affordable services” for all of their UK customers, indecision over new regulations and spectrum allocations could force them to increase costs in an independent Scotland.
As it stands, all of the telecoms groups operate and license their networks on a UK-wide basis. If Scotland was to vote yes, it has the right to negotiate its own infrastructure deals, which the group believes would impact business costs. The country has a relatively low population density, which BT and co. say will ramp up the cost of upgrading smaller communities. The group hopes that an independent government would adhere to EU rules, allowing it to establish a level of continuity, no matter what Scotland decides.
[Image credit: camsinlux, Flickr]
Filed under: Mobile
Source: BT
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Google reveals the first low-cost Android One phones
As predicted, Google has just revealed the first Android One phones at an event in India today. Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles are the companies working with Google at launch, all three launching new handsets this morning. What can we expect from an Android One device? Karbonn, for example, is launching the “Sparkle V Red,” (pictured below) which comes with dual SIM slots, a 4.5-inch display (480 x 854), a 5-megapixel primary camera, 1GB of RAM and, importantly, the latest version of Android (KitKat).
The Android One initiative is Google’s big push into developing markets. India is a huge growth opportunity for smartphones, and Android One is designed not only to make more affordable handsets (the new ones will cost around 6399 Rupees — about $100), but it’s also a way of bringing a better Android experience. There are plenty of cheap devices that run the operating system, but they suffer from lack of updates. With One, Google can manage the software updates directly, ensuring a much better, consistent experience. The three new handsets should go on sale later today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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The NSA broke into big German networks to map their data traffic
It’s no secret that the NSA’s spies have been busy in Germany. However, it’s now apparent that their activities in the country may reach much further than just targeting important leaders and suspects. Der Spiegel has published leaks showing that the US agency broke into the networks of both tech giant Deutsche Telekom and regional provider Netcologne as part of an effort to map as much of the internet as possible. Since the initiative (Treasure Map) is meant to pinpoint individual devices as well as infrastructure, the discovery hints that the NSA can potentially monitor a huge amount of German data traffic on routers, servers and personal gadgets.
It’s not clear just what kind of surveillance is taking place. While the mapping is a concern by itself, it’s not certain that the NSA is actively tracking everyone’s devices. When Britain’s GCHQ infiltrated German satellite companies like Stellar, for example, it was interested in watching particular suspects rather than everyone on the network. Even if your average person off the street isn’t a target, though, the discovery could put the NSA into hot water once again. Netcologne’s regional status suggests that the intrusion came from within Germany, which would violate national law — in other words, the US isn’t about to improve its souring relations with der Deutschland any time soon.
[Image credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, T-Mobile
Source: Der Spiegel
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Researchers seek permission to collect whale snot with drones (video)
Apparently, anayzing the mucus that lines a whale’s blowhorn can tell you a lot about the animal’s health — think of it as the cetacean equivalent to human bloodwork. The problem is, how do you collect snot from a massive animal that lives underwater? Over at the Olin College of Engineering, a group of researchers got together and came up with a tool to collect whale mucus: a flying drone they lovingly call Snot Bot. The robocopter hovers directly above whales’ blowholes, using surgical sponges to soak up the animals’ snot when they surface to spray water out of their systems. These researchers have been working on Snot Bot for years, but now they’re trying to urge the Federal Aviation Commission to give them permission to use it on real whales.
Along with whale conservation nonprofit Ocean Alliance, the team recently tested the drone in the Gulf of Mexico, using a giant inflatable catamaran in place of the real animal. The catamaran is equipped with sensors that mimic what real whales can feel and hear, and the researchers found that the fake whale could barely detect a drone hovering 10 feet above it. In order to get the permission they want, they’ll have to convince the FAA that the drones don’t disturb the whales or stress them out. Seeing as the agency’s been pretty strict these days, though, the team’s likely in for a tough time. In the event that they do succeed, Snot Bot can be used to monitor the stress levels (due to shipping noises, among other things) of our marine mammal pals and to understand them a lot better in general.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Via: Boston Globe, Popular Science
Source: Ocean Alliance
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Olympus’ E-M1 camera gets a silver hue and a slew of pro features
Olympus’ OM-D E-M1 may still be hot stuff as far as high-end mirrorless cameras go, but it’s easy to point out flaws: it’s missing a few big pro features like tethering, and that businesslike black exterior isn’t very charming. Well, consider both problems licked. The company has just unveiled both a retro (and fairly stylish) silver edition of the E-M1 and, more importantly, a big 2.0 firmware update that could help you make a living from your photos. To begin with, tethering has arrived; like with other camera systems, you can both send photos to your PC as you shoot and control the camera from the computer’s screen. It’s now easy to use the E-M1 for studio shoots or live events, where you often need to put your photos on a computer as quickly as possible. The refresh also lets you correct lens distortion in-camera, and preview long exposure shots like you can with the E-M10. Olympus’ smartphone app is more useful, too, offering support for self-timed photos, timelapses and speed-sensitive panning shots.
The silver-clad cam will ship this month for the same $1,400 (body-only) as its all-black counterpart, and you can grab the 2.0 update on September 24th at 10PM if you’re already an owner. Whether or not you’re new, you may want to go lens shopping — Olympus is also releasing a high-end 40-150mm telephoto that touts both a bright, constant f/2.8 aperture and heavy-duty weather resistance. It’ll cost you a steep $1,500 when it ships in November, but it could be the only glass you need for that next big photo safari.
Filed under: Cameras
Source: Olympus
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Chomebook-to-Chromecast video? Yes, with Google Drive
As if Android apps hitting Google’s Chrome OS wasn’t enough excitement for Mountain View’s operating system for one week. Now, you can play movies stored in Google Drive via the OS’ video player app on your Chromecast. According to Googler François Beaufort, doing so is pretty easy too: simply open the Files app, select a video clip from Drive and hit the sparkly new Cast icon. Voila, cloud-stored videos are now viewable on the biggest screen in your house and even more media functionality for your Chromebook. Of course, since this is in the developer channel there might be a few bugs here and there — if you spot ‘em be sure to let the Chromium team know.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: François Beaufort (Google+)
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Netflix officially says ‘enchanté’ to France
Netflix’s next big push into Europe isn’t exactly secret, but its plans are finally starting to bear fruit. As announced in a not-so-subtle tweet earlier tonight, the streaming media service has finally launched in France, and it’s expected to go live in five other countries later this week, too. The kicker? France hasn’t exactly been thrilled with the idea of an American media company swooping in and romancing its customers with the lure of Orange Is The New Black or (the seriously excellent) Bojack Horseman. Competitors like CanalPlay, a video-on-demand service run by Canal+, have been busy fleshing out their catalogs and snapping up rights to shows like House of Cards while Numericable just gave its customers free access to hundreds of shows to boot. Still others are a little miffed that Netflix isn’t technically subject to a rule that would mandate that the service offer a full 40 percent of the media Netflix provides be French in origin. Naturally Netflix knows it can’t win over French hearts and minds by flouting rules, so it’s busy prepping content (like the dramatic Marseille) to help get the ball rolling.
Source: Twitter
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The Beautiful Chromecast Wallpapers Come to the Play Store
Ever leave your Chromecast on, and gazed longingly at the beautiful wallpaper it cycles through? I know I have, and I always thought they should release them to the public so we can spruce up our homescreens. That is now a reality thanks to Niger studio , who have released a new app in the Play Store so we can enjoy those gorgeous scenery shots. So hit the link below to head over to the Store and grab them all for the price of free.
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