REVIEW: PaMu TWS wireless earphones

The PaMu TWS is a really good addition to the range of excellent wireless earphones.

PaMu

The PaMu TWS wireless earphones are a product of crowdfunding and while that platform can sometimes be overhyped and insubstantial, it regularly turns out useful products. In this case, an excellent one.

When reviewing such products, I usually road test them myself, then ask my teenage son to do the same and he usually comes up with the better ideas and suggestions.

I’m not generally a fan of devices that keep music quiet and personal in people’s ears. I hated Sony Walkmans when they first came out and I have never really changed since that time. I like music to be shared, I like to hear it loud and I like it flawed and analogue.

My teenage son, however, is literally wired differently, his head is continually in his ears listening to music and he loved the PaMu TWS, not least because of the sound quality, but the cuteness of charging them.

There’s no need to think outside the box, the earphones are charged within the box and he won’t allow me to take repossession of them, which is its own positive story.

The company’s claim that these earphones never fall out are also credible, I tried everything I could to get rid of them, but they stayed in place. They’re also water-resistant and it’s good to use a product that seems to be made for the long-term, not just a short-term throwaway piece of gimcrack.

Available in black or white and currently retailing at $79 (£59) at a discount from the future price of $100, these earphones are an excellent option for a birthday or Christmas present.

It’s only June, but maybe it’s time to put in a Christmas order to the teenagers in your life, they’ll thank you for it, take my (and my son’s) word for it.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Roadie 2 – Automatic guitar tuner

The Roadie 2 is a beautiful product for musicians of all abilities and worth the investment.


roadie

I am a terrible musician and guitarist, but I love playing music. It’s one of the only times, like post-coital sex, when time stays still and the brain is alive with pure happiness.

However, as an unnatural musician who is diametrically opposed to pitch perfect, I am tone deaf and while I know when a guitar is untuned, I have always found tuning a guitar a huge problem.

I have previously bought tuning devices, but have found them to be cumbersome and unreliable.

So step forward, the Roadie 2, an automatic guitar tuner that is as beautiful as it is functional. Moreover, as can be gleaned from the product name, this is an update on the initial Roadie device.

It is devilishly simple. The device comes without batteries (hurrah!) and is charged using the omniscient USB charger. Once fired up, the Roadie 2 turns on with a blue light, then the user adds ‘new instrument’ to the easy-to-read menu and is then connected to the pegs of the guitar.

Then the magic begins. When the relevant string is plucked, the Roadie 2 automatically tightens and untightens the strings until the blue light turns green, indicating that string is perfectly attuned.

The musician (or in my case, guitar-owner) can then automatically tune the remaining five pegs in turn. The best way is to do it like this, not as I initially did by holding it at the side and nearly breaking my wrist.

Moreover, the Roadie 2 works by vibration, so tuning can be done in a noisy environment, not necessarily a quiet room and it is awesome for somebody like me. Instead of wasting time trying to tune my instrument with a cocked ear, it means I can play almost instantly.

While that is good for me, my family don’t agree and I am inured to them closing the door of any room I’m in when I’m playing and walking away, but I don’t care.

The Roadie 2 isn’t particularly cheap at around just over £100, but it is extraordinary value for constant use. It works for guitars, electric guitars, ukuleles, banjos and is for life.

Recommended for the amateur as well as the professional.

Ireland’s crash is bad news, but digital will save its sorry arse

Like most dark-haired* people with blue eyes, I love Ireland and the romantic bones it rattles in my soul, so this week’s invitation to do a keynote at the annual Dublin Digital Summit was accepted eagerly.

The keynote went down well, people were interesting, funny and always up for a drink… and there was great stuff shared by delegates and presenters. However it was the peripheral conversations that defined my trip because Ireland is royally screwed. Continue reading

Ireland's crash is bad news, but digital will save its sorry arse

Like most dark-haired* people with blue eyes, I love Ireland and the romantic bones it rattles in my soul, so this week’s invitation to do a keynote at the annual Dublin Digital Summit was accepted eagerly.

The keynote went down well, people were interesting, funny and always up for a drink… and there was great stuff shared by delegates and presenters. However it was the peripheral conversations that defined my trip because Ireland is royally screwed. Continue reading