Leo's Back From Down Under For The Giz Wiz - Week of November 27, 2012. Show 1392

First there was Boost from IFrogz. Now there's BoostPlus. We all know the audio from a cell phone, tablet, PDA, etc. is pretty awful. You can buy an external Bluetooth speaker, assuming your device is Bluetooth enables. Or you can buy the iFrogz Boost NearField Audio speaker. Just put nearly any smartphone or digital media device on top of the Boost and it magically amplifies the sound. Have the sound playing on the device and make sure the speaker on your device faces the blue “on” light of the Boost. Then lay it on top and it works. No wires. No Bluetooth. No Synching. No problem. An auxiliary line-in jack is provided for devices without external speakers. I also think there’s better bass sound when used with a wired connection, but a lot of the “magic” is missing! If you think the Boost has a hidden microphone, you’d be wrong. TheBoost uses iFrogz’ patent pending NearFA technology that actually syncs the audio signal from inside your device before pumping it out the two high-quality 2W x 2RMS speakers. The company says: “Your tunes are boosted with room filling sound.” I don’t know about that, but it sure does make it loud enough for several people to enjoy. TheBoost gives up to 15 hours of play time when powered by three AA batteries - or can be powered by a Micro USB cord (sold separately). Remember that this is not a stand, so it’s not ideal for amplifying sound from a video you might want to watch on your cell phone, or other device, but it probably will work with a little jury-rigging. MSRP is $39.99. If you do a web search, you can find a lower price.1The BoostPLUS works exactly the same, but it adds an additional speaker, for a total of 3. It does a bit better, but the retail price is $59.95. It isn't on Amazon as I write this - 11/27/12. But it is on the manufacturer's website:

http://www.zagg.com/ifrogz/

Here's the original 2-speaker unit for under $28.00.

http://www.amazon.com/iFrogz-Near-Field-Portable-Speaker/dp/B007CU56X2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354067033&sr=1-1&keywords=ifrogz+boost

Giz Wiz video demo of the original unit: http://youtu.be/fxyaii65EnE

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