The holidays are still months away but Philips recently showed off a range of products and accessories that are coming to market and will be available at Future Shop. Some of the notable releases are Made for Android headsets, speakers and docks; some rugged headsets for sporty smartphone users and booming smartphone docks for iOS and Android devices.
The Philips Made for Android accessories were particularly interesting. We've long had Made for iOS speakers, docks and headphones which had limited value if you owned any other type of smartphone or device.
Philips is one of the first companies we've seen that wants to give Android users great accessories that can work well with their smartphones and tablets. Making accessories like docks for Android is a lot harder than it sounds, even within one brand, the sizes and USB connector placement will vary, but this is Philips we're talking about, they've been around since 1891 and have innovated consistently.
The Fidelino Docking Speaker for Android has a microUSB dock that can be moved and angled in various ways to accommodate different devices (although Philips specifies compatibility with devices from "HTC, Samsung, Motorola and LG." so mileage may vary. It also uses Bluetooth audio for universal connectivity.
The earbuds and headsets that integrate a Mic and volume controls will work with most Android devices and are probably offer far better audio quality than the stock headphones that ship with a number of these devices.
Philips has a wide range of offerings in terms of headphones and they range in price from $10.00 to around $35 depending on features and materials while the Made for Android models begin at $29.99 up to $90.00 for the headband headsets.
Philips has also developed some headphones for the active lifestyle like the Action Fit line which are designed to fit securely over your ear while providing great sound and also have the added advantage of being sweat proof and are even washable, the ones pictured above are said to cost around $30.00 when they become available.
One more thing about Philips' Android accessories is that they all come with surprising Apps that enhance their performance and functionality regardless of what Android device they are on (provided these run Android 2.3 or newer).
For iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users, Philip still has a wide range of products including some that can use the wireless AirPlay protocol. The model above is the dual Docking System which can charge an iPad and an iPhone or iPod Touch simultaneously. Despite its small size, this dock was surprisingly loud and powerful and easily filled up the little corner area it was displayed on.
Philips really displayed a wide range of consumer electronics and accessories that cater to a wide variety of users and fit in nicely with today's dominant mobile devices.
Photos by Gadjo C. Sevilla
