Philips Fidelio AS851 speaker Philips’ Fidelio speakers for iOS - such as the DS9 - have gotten a big thumbs-up from us in the past, and now Philips has released a new range specifically designed for Android devices. I got my hands on the top-of-the-range Fidelio AS851, which comes in at £200, but there’s also a smaller model called the AS351 priced at £ …
1. The micro USB is only for charging
2. Most Android devices will detect a change in oriëntation and adjust the UI accordingly, so this will work just as well with devices that have a micro USB on de the side or top. It would seem that you're out of luck if the micro USB is on the back or front of the device.. but that doesn't happen often.
3. From other reviews I get the impression that they fixed the micro USB plug so it can be shifted to the front and back as well as to the left and right at least a little to accomodate different shapes of devices. Nevertheless the author's advice to try before you buys would indeed seem sound.
" the Fidelio is really just a bog-standard Bluetooth speaker with a micro USB jack on the front"
...which would be pretty good if it supported Apt-X (a lossless streaming audio codec), but it doesn't.
This dock has an analogue aux-in jack at the rear if you really wanted plug-n-play lossless audio :)
(El Reg, now that you're doing BlueTooth speakers, can you nab a Nokia Play360 for review? )
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Apple is a single company producing a single device line (or 2 if you count the fondle slab). Android is an OS and has a hands off approach that lets manufactures innovate.
You can live in a world where everyone drives a Volkswagen "The peoples car" or you can live in a world with a huge range of cars from minis to formula 1 racers and just make do with the fact that some don't have cigarette lighters.
"You can live in a world where everyone drives a Volkswagen <snip>or you can live in a world with a huge range of cars from minis to formula 1 racers and just make do with the fact that some don't have cigarette lighters."
...or have foot operated steering and dashboard-mounted accelerator, clutch and brake pedals...
Steve
"Android is an OS and has a hands off approach that lets manufactures [sic] innovate"
But not accessory manufacturers, which was the point that the AC was making. Yes, in some ways it’s good having such a diverse range of handsets available, but when it comes to the range of accessories available for a specific model, it’s not.
Several years ago, research suggested that a significant amount of iPod owners (I can’t remember how much) spent more on iPod accessories than they did than on the iPod themselves. More money than sense maybe, but that provided an incentive for third-party manufacturers - as there was a small number of different units that had to consider for compatibility, only a relatively small R&D was required for a large potential market.
...I have a wind up phone charger that cost about £10. It works with about 50% of phones out of the box. For others you buy the adapters.
So here's an idea to Philips (and others)
1. Make a set of speakers with Philips Plug that carries power + audio (and maybe even video?)
2. Make a set of phone specific adapters, bundle a few most popular ones, including "Generic" as built into this.
3. Sell other ones for a nominal price. e.g £5 - £10.
There, not hard is it.
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