Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile Review

Jul 6, 2010 by Shivendu Madhava

Turns your mobile phone into a stereo

If you have a penchant for listening to music on your phone, then have we got a gadget for you. A combination of two factors has made a lot of us depend on our cell phone as our primary portable media player: First, mobile phone companies have started coming out with handsets specialised for music playback; and second, the prices of memory cards have dropped significantly.

Indeed, 4-8GB memory cards are not an uncommon sight on a lot of mobile phones these days, and they are invariably loaded with a lot of songs. While listening to music on the move is great, there are times when you do get tired of the headphones. Sometimes, all you want to do is sit back, relax, and let the tunes fill the room over a couple of speakers.

But most docks are compatible with iPods and other MP3 players, not with a regular mobile phone. And even if your phone does support a 3.5mm audio jack, it’s not always convenient to keep it hooked up to the speakers while you sit far away. We have experienced this, so trust us, the irritation of having to get up and answer a call is worse than having to sit through back-to-back episodes of one of Ekta Kapoor’s shows.

Logitech, bless their souls, has sought to alleviate our troubled souls with a wonderful new offering. The Pure-Fi stereo speaker system is not only dedicated to mobile phone playback, but is also completely free of cords while doing so! Two slide-out stands can prop the speaker up at an angle, if need be.

Bluetooth is the way to go with this stylishly designed speaker system, that offers four 2-inch drivers that claim to deliver crisp highs and warm lows. Switch on the surround sound feature and let your room be encompassed in your tunes. Still, purists will rue the lack of a dedicated woofer that results in low bass output.

The device easily syncs up with any mobile phone or other Bluetooth-enabled device (laptops, MP3 players) by pressing a simple Source button on top that lets you choose whether you want to connect via a Bluetooth, USB or audio jack. The Pure-Fi boasts of a range of 35 feet over Bluetoooth, reproducing stereo sounds through A2DP.

Once you have your mobile phone connected to, your phone itself becomes the remote control. We suggest you preset your speaker system’s volume to about 70 per cent at the outset (using the manual keys on top) and then control the volume of your cell phone for further tweaking. If you do plan on using the speakers outdoors, then crank up the volume all the way and experience how loud this system can get!

What’s more, the system also doubles up as a hands-free unit. The Pure-Fi comes with two built-in microphones, one for recording voice and the other to damn down ambient noise. When synced up, calls can be answered through the speakers by clicking the phone’s keypad or the manual key on top of the system. Calls can be ended in a similar way.

The device also features a regular 3.5mm audio jack at the back, as well as a mini-USB port. These can be especially handy when you use a double-ended jack to connect your iPod or any other device. However, the lack of a remote control does become an issue at this point. And of course, the mini-USB port comes in handy if you have a laptop that does not support Bluetooth.

The gadget’s built-in battery can be recharged through the mini-USB port if connected to a PC or a laptop. On a single charge, the Pure-Fi claims to deliver up to 12 hours of continuous playback.

A complete package of style and substance, Logitech has come up with quite an offering here.

Product: Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile

Price: Rs 10,995