New speaker is enabled by Alexa, but much cheaper

Last year, Amazon allowed third parties access to the Alexa code, enabling production of more voice-assistant gadgets.

The latest Alexa voice-assistant gadget to make my morning coffee is the Fabriq portable Wifi Bluetooth speaker ($49.99).

If you’re not familiar with Alexa, she is a personal assistant who can do a growing number of smart home control commands. Just press a button on the Fabriq and the assistant performs your command. It’s really that easy.

It also works as a standalone device without an Amazon Dot or Echo.

Voice assistant features pop up daily, so if ordering a pizza, adjusting the thermostat or turning on your surround system with a voice command aren’t enough, wait until tomorrow.

If you are shopping for a simple, small portable speaker, this would make a great choice.

A few other features of the Fabriq include a five-hour built-in rechargeable battery, cool exterior fabric finishes and the ability to connect multiple speakers for a multi-room system with each having Alexa controls.

More: thefabriq.com

Earbuds

What got my attention when reading about the new Starbrick Be4 earbuds ($179, available in August) was that they are made with beryllium, which the company says is the fourth-lightest metal element and four times stronger than steel.

They are the newest type of beryllium earphones and as far as my memory can stretch, I don’t recall hearing about a beryllium product, known as Be4.

Beryllium in the earbuds lowers the distortion at the highest volume without sacrificing the lows, mids and highs.

So after these tidbits got logged into my brain, I had to give them a try. Of course, it’s the sound that counts – and that impressed as much as the technology.

I used the earbuds in three different environments: while biking, watching a movie on my iPad at 36,000 feet and poolside. I came away from all three equally impressed with the sound quality.

Other features include an in-line mic control for hands-free calls, volume and music selections, a 3.5-mm gold stereo mini jack and choices of black, rose gold and silver.

Each Be4 headset is individually handcrafted and subjected to stringent testing to ensure the optimum product every time.

More: starbrickinc.com

Computer stand

When you have a simple product like the TwelveSouth BookArc ($49.99), which is designed with an Apple-esque space gray finish to match its high fashion products and it works like a champ, you have a big winner.

The hardware is a vertical stand that turns a MacBook laptop into a desktop computer, assuming you have a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Once the laptop is in the stand’s silicone slot, everything easily plugs in and you have a fully functional desktop system. Plus, it takes up a lot less space compared to a desktop computer. The bottom has a cable-catch design, so everything stays clean and organized.

Assuming you have this setup at work, when the day is done, just unplug everything and take the laptop home.

According to Twelve South, “BookArc will work with most MacBook models – from the ultra light 12-inch to the new MacBook Pro Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C).”

More: twelvesouth.com

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "New speaker is enabled by Alexa, but much cheaper."