Want to make a smug, ageist 16-year-old feel old?
Tell her Bluetooth-enabled cellphones didn’t even exist when she was born.
Ouch.
Bluetooth, and smartphones, are now standard equipment in most teen’s hands. But Bluetooth, like “Dancing with the Stars,” needs two to tango. It can send music wirelessly from a compatible phone but it needs a Bluetooth partner on the receiving end.
There’s still a huge inventory of Bluetooth-free vehicles, audio systems, portable radios/speakers and headphones. Connect a Bluetooth adapter to any of them, however, and they act much younger than they look. They’re now linked wirelessly to a Bluetooth-ready smartphone or tablet.
Nyrius named its latest adapter the Songo Portable Wireless Bluetooth Streaming Music Receiver, and that name is about 10 feet longer than the actual device — it’s barely bigger than a USB memory stick. “Portable” is the takeaway here. The Songo Portable, in that little body, includes a lithium polymer battery that lasts up to 12 hours.
The battery distinguishes the Songo Portable from most Bluetooth receivers. Not many Bluetooth receivers can connect to a decade-old Tivoli PAL radio and play custom-made Slacker Radio channel from a smartphone in the backyard, far from the nearest electrical outlet. That was the Songo Portable’s first workout after I received the unit.
The second standout is the Songo Portable’s price, $14.96. I spent more on a fresh Irish salmon filet a couple weeks ago. Bluetooth receivers dressed up with CD-quality aptX audio streaming and a built-in 24-bit up-sampling digital-to-analog converter like Audioengine’s B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver can cost close to $200.
The top bargain Bluetooth receivers, like the Danibos NFC-enabled receiver ($20.98 at Amazon.com), might offer more up-to-date wireless technology (Bluetooth 4.0 vs. the Songo Portable’s Bluetooth 3.0) and superior audio streaming (aptX vs. the Songo Portable’s standard A2DP). It’s unlikely you’ll find many battery-powered receivers with Bluetooth’s 33-foot wireless range for less than $15.
The Songo Portable, also identified as model BR41, takes about 2.5 hours to charge via a micro-USB port. Once charged, it has only two usable components: a power/control button and a 3.5-millimeter mini-jack cable that uncoils from the Songo Portable’s rim.
Pressing and holding the power/control button pairs the Songo Portable with a Bluetooth-enabled device. When paired, the button performs basic remote control functions for your device: Pressing once pauses or plays a track. Double-tapping skips a track.
A tiny LED indicator, blinking in white, shows whether the Songo Portable has paired with your device. Flashing red indicates low battery power. If the those signals are inadequate, voice notifications also are available.
Most audio-video receivers have a 3.5mm connection. I used the Songo Portable with a Sherwood receiver that predates HDMI but includes two 3.5mm inputs — one for headphones, the other auxiliary — on the front panel. To use with an audio system that does not have a 3.5mm connection, get a female 3.5mm-to-dual-RCA-male adapter (65 cents at Monoprice.com).
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The Songo Portable will not work with standard earbuds without a 3.5mm female-to-female adapter (59 cents a Monoprice.com). Or look for headphones with detachable cords. Nyrius also makes a bigger Songo ($49.99), not a portable, that upgrades audio to aptX — remember, Apple does not support aptX so it’s wasted on an iPhone or iPad — and includes a digital optical output for highest audio quality when connected to an audio-video receiver or external digital-to-analog converter.
The Songo Portable’s greatest skill is its battery-powered portability. It also makes a good partner for a car with auxiliary input but no Bluetooth. A warhorse like my 2003 utility truck, with no Bluetooth, no auxiliary input (and roll-down windows), needs something like iClever’s Universal Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter Car kit ($31.99 at Amazon.com) that plugs into a vehicle’s cigarette lighter, connects to a Bluetooth device and transmits music over an unused FM frequency on the radio.
A truck like that defines old. Ask any 16-year-old.
What: Songo Portable Wireless Bluetooth Streaming Music Receiver.
Price: $14.96
The Good: A battery-powered Bluetooth receiver for less than $15.
Not So Good: No adapter for headphones.
Information: Nyrius.com