Closer Inspection:
First impressions of the iUi BeLong are pretty good. The unit feels well made, has some good weight to it while not being overly heavy, the logo lights up blue, and the design seems pretty well thought out. Upon closer inspection we found some issues that were not immediately apparent.
First we did not receive any instructions or documentation at all. There is also none to be found on the iUi website. This is actually one of the few faults of the website as the website is otherwise professionally done. The support/downloads tab takes you to a single e-mail address and that’s it. Secondly it took us some time to figure out how the clip mechanism actually works as its very loose and doesn’t really hole the BeLong to the iPad at all. This was shortly solved after we figured out that the included rubber pads needed to be attached to the clip, after which the clip works much better.
We also figured out that the phono jack has to be reversed and put back into its holder and then the device attached to the iPad with the clip simply preventing the BeLong from falling off. It’s a shame really as the product is pretty good and a simple page of instructions would have avoided this confusion.
On a positive note the BeLong is designed to be used in both Portrait and Landscape modes with the phonojack extension.
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Ultimately the BeLong is designed to attach like the image above.
Aside from these issues we found one additional problem, the specifications list the battery as a rechargeable lithium ion which in our unit is clearly not the case. The unit that was sent to us uses 3 xAAA batteries for power. While this is really not a big issue the rechargeable Li-Ion battery would have been a real perk to some users and the website specifications are incorrect in this statement. We feel that other users will see the use of standard AAA batteries as a potential perk as it gives users the option to put their own batteries in and continue playing audio after a Li-Ion would discharge and require a recharge before continued use.
The
Audio Quality:
While highly subjective, the audio quality of the BeLong unit from iUi is quite good. The specifications describe “Deep bass with clear stereo sound from a slim bar” which while the audio is clear the bass is less than deep but still not bad at all from such a slim unit.
We were unable to find any specifications for the included speakers and as such cannot share that information with you but we would describe the audio as more than adequate for a small office, cubicle, or small presentation room.
Cost and Availability:
Unfortunately here too we were unable to find any online retailers that carried the BeLong and as such the associated cost is unknown to us. Sales of this device for the present are completely through the iUi website where they request you contact them by e-mail at: sales@iuidesign.com.
Analysis and Conclusion:
Overall the BeLong from iUi is a nice product, easy to use (after you figure it out), and portable while providing good audio. We would like to see the following fixes:
- Instruction manual with simple pictures or a set of how to setup and use.
- Removal of the “Long lasting power with rechargeable Li-ion battery” specification from the website.
Other than that the product is definitely worthy of consideration if you are in the market for portable audio for your iPad.
