What makes a high-fashion brand turn to hi-fi? Diversification? Covering your bets? Copying Dr Dre? Whatever the reason, the Ted Baker clothing empire, known for its quirky range of clothing, shoes, fragrances and watches – and some 360 fashion retail outlets worldwide – has now produced the Fastnet Bluetooth speaker. There are also more audio accessories, such as in-ear headphones and a DAB radio, and apparently there is more to come.
As you would expect, the Fastnet folding speaker is led by design, a combination of leather and brushed aluminium giving it a solid retro appearance. The flip-over cover protects the speaker grill when in transit and it all looks rather neat and smart.
But how does it sound? Surprisingly, pretty good. It has a single full-range driver, instead of backing up a normal driver with a passive radiator, which is the most common arrangement in small portable Bluetooth speakers. This, and the fact that it is a sealed unit without any vents, gives the Fastnet very accurate sound reproduction and acoustic damping that minimises distortion.
I tried it out with a range of music (from the loud urban beat of Jay Z's Empire State of Mind through to the cerebral delicacy of Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain) and it passed with flying colours whatever the music. I was also impressed with its range, and the source equipment – in this case my iPhone – worked at a distance of almost 10 metres. So it's no surprise that the normally pernickety hi-fi press has been distinctly positive about it.
The point of the Fastnet is, of course, that you take it with you on your travels and, although my first response was that it's a little too solid and heavy to slip into your hand luggage, on reflection its very robustness is just what you're looking for in a portable speaker. It also has other convenient travel-related applications: there is a built-in mic enabling clear wireless hands-free telephone calling and, if you want to connect to a Bluetoothless device, such as an iPod, you can do so with a 3.5mm stereo line-in cable, although this is irritatingly not included with the Fastnet package.
All in all, however, it's a great mobile hi-fi product. £199 (€277) from tedbaker.com.
Acqua di Parma
Here's another luxe travel accessory. Acqua di Parma, the Italian lifestyle company that produces leather accessories and fragrances, has combined these skills in coming up with a soft calfskin case into which you can place a 30ml bottle of the famous eau de cologne. It is neat, portable has a lid that snaps firmly shut and – as it is under the 100ml limit set by airport security – can go in your hand luggage.
There are four major fragrances – Colonia Assoluta, Colonia Intensa, Colonia Essenza and plain Colonia – and the travel spray refills come in packs of two. The leather case costs £74 (€104), is sold separately and available in major department stores.
Apple iPad Air 2
Amazingly, Apple iPad Air 2 is already the sixth generation iPad tablet. It is thinner (6.1mm against 7.4mm), lighter (437g rather than 469g) and faster than its predecessor, and the first of the iPads to inherit the finger touch ID sensor from the iPhone.
The major change is in the processor, a new A8X chip, which significantly improves speed. Other advances include an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, which also has slow-motion video, while the front-facing Face Time high-definition camera allows 80% more light onto the image. The iPad Air 2 comes in silver and grey as previously but now also in gold. It retails at a hefty £380, making it easily the most expensive tablet on the market.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
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