INTRODUCTION

   In these days of summer, who wants to be stuck inside with their sound system, or have a pair of sweaty ears from headphones? Kensington seems to agree with the release of their FX 500 Speaker to Go. Can we really break free of our air conditioned homes and enjoy our music on the beach of life? Or will we find ourselves up the proverbial creek without a paddle? Read on for the review.

AT A GLANCE
  

(all images link to higher resolution)

Wrapped up in the bright blue box is the speaker, a very Quick Start Guide (four steps), three AAA batteries, and a small adapter for the iPod Nano.

Two zippered pulls on gray fabric surround the case, making it hinge open at the bottom.

On the front of the speaker, just below the Kensington logo is the power button. A slider style with a orange LED, the switch feels very solid. Volume is controlled by your device rather than the speaker system.

Doubling as a carrying handle, the Kensington Speaker to Go has a small metal support wrapped in black rubber that allows the case to sit at a slight angle, thus allowing for better sound dispersement.

   Inside the zippered speaker case, the material is soft and highlighted with a teal strip around the edges. There is a small battery door on the right side which covers up the required three AAA batteries. The serial number, along with the rest of the FCC identifying info is on the battery door itself. Battery life was very surprising. I used this device for several hours at a time, and even when the light began to blink (indicating that I needed to replace the included three soon), I found I wasn’t disappointed with the results. According to Kensington, a set of batteries is supposed to last ten hours.

Just next to the battery door is the device cutout. Two flexible strips of velcro and one L-shaped headphone jack are all the connective bits you will see or need. It is deep enough to hold a Zen Vision:M, and just about any iPod on the market.

Installing my Zen into the speaker required no more than plugging in the headset adapter, and Velcroing the device tight against the plastic face. Since there was a bit of wiggle room with my unit, the speaker’s plastic cover did show signs of wear on the inside.

  The Creative Zen Vision:M looks fine within the confines of the FX 500. You can still see the power button, which a bit of a pain to get to (no fault of Kensington), and it does sit further than a Nano which can cause some button mispressing if you aren’t careful. The sound quality out of the Speaker to Go is decent. It wouldn’t win any awards, but makes up for this in the way that it allows you to carry, protect, and listen to the device at the same time.

To allow for a better look and fit with an iPod Nano, a small foam block is included with the speaker. After placing your Nano in the block, and connect the jack, you simply velcro it in as with any other device.

   The iPod Nano looks fantastic (and works just as well) with the FX 500. The foam adapter really makes the unit look like it is floating in the middle of the case. The sound quality is the same as with my Creative Zen Vision:M. Wrapped up in this impact resistant, shock absorbent, and water resistant case , I found myself using my mp3 player outdoors without a second thought.

THE DRAWING BOARD

   I would have loved to have an extra volume control so that I wasn’t dependant on the volume of my MP3 player of choice. The speaker quality could also use a little work. Lastly, a few color options more than black and gray would be grand.

PURCHASING

    You can purchase Kensington’s FX 500 Speaker to Go here for $49.99 USD.

PROS

• Fantastic battery life
• Easy to use
• Doubles as a carrying case
• Decent sound quality

CONS

• No additional volume controls
• Plastic scratches easily
• Only decent sound quality

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

What
do these ratings mean?

OVERALL IMPRESSION

   It is a refreshing thing to have products that designed for more than just the iPod form factor. Yes, there are other speakers that work with any device, but few act as a carrying case/dock with them too. The sound isn’t amazing, but the portable factor, along with the battery life more than makes up for this slight deficiency. I would make this a high recommendation for anyone with a touchscreen MP3 device (that will fit in the case) that they want to add portable speakers to.