- Docks & Charges Android Smartphones
- Compatible With Android V2.1 & Newer Or Bluetooth V2.1 Or Newer
- Bluetooth Wireless Music Streaming From Android Device
- Rich omni-directional sound to fill your bedroom
- Neodymium speakers for pure balanced sound
- Shielding technology to block mobile phone interference
- Elegant and compact design to fit on any bedtable
I'm listening to smooth jazz via Pandora on my Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 (SGP for the rest of this review) through the Philips Fidelio as I type this, and it's quite nice. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much when I ordered this, but color me surprised!
This device is meant to be a bedside alarm clock/speaker dock for your Android device. So, I'm sure some people may wonder, but no, it does not run on batteries, so while it is small enough to be portable, you can't pack it and take it with you to the beach.
The Fidelio connects to your Android device via Bluetooth and there is a micro USB plug you can use to attach your device for charging only; it cannot be used for synching. Also, in regards to the USB docking connector, it can slide left and right and can also swivel and tilt, allowing for the dock to be used with virtually any Android handheld device (as long as it uses a micro USB plug). This flexibility does come at a price, though, as it makes the connection seem flimsy and weak, and I worry about repeatedly docking my SGP and removing it. Time will tell. I also think that it would've been nice if the dock also swiveled up to allow me to use my SGP in landscape mode to watch videos, but because the jack is on the bottom, it's portrait-only.
The unit itself is a disc about an inch and a half tall and six inches or so in diameter, with shiny black plastic around and a mesh on the entire top where the speakers are. On the front of the dock is a dot-matrix clock (which I find quite nice) and a blue indicator light to show when the speakers are on. In the center of the top is a flat, tall, clear tab sticking about an inch or two straight out the top and right in front of that, the adjustable micro USB dock connector. Both sit centered on the control panel that controls the power, volume, and night light (with two levels of brightness). The buttons are actual buttons and not touch-sensitive; there is a distinct click when you push them. The front center button is the power/snooze button and flanking that are the volume buttons.
Now, a major design flaw to me is the light button, which sits BEHIND where your Android device goes. So, if your phone/MP3 player docks in landscape mode, expect to have to fumble around to turn on the glowing orange night light that emit from the bottom of the dock. This is only made worse by the fact that your device is only attached by that small, flimsy micro USB connector; I'd be worried that in a late-night stupor, I might snap off the connector while trying to turn on/off the night light.
As far as pairing my SGP to the Fidelio went, it was a simple, painless process and I was listening to my music in less than a minute. I tend to keep the volume on my music low when I use headphones (15-20%), so at first, when I started playing my music, I thought something was wrong because I didn't hear anything. Only when I turned the volume up on both did I hear my music, and even at 30 on the dock and 50% on my SGP, it was still low, so I wouldn't expect this speaker to fill a loud or large room.
While on the subject of music, however, I'm no audiophile, but I'm finding the Fidelio pleasant for listening to jazz while I'm sipping some coffee and reading my book. The bass is subtle and the piano and sax clear. I've also listened to some pop and rock music and it's much better than any small/portable speaker I've tried. I'm very impressed by the audio from this little device.
The box and instructions directed me to the Android Market to download the Fidelio app and Songbird to use the speaker, but when I read the poor reviews (app crashes, glitches, system resource hog, etc.), I decided to see if I could get it to work without using Philip's app. Verdict: It works wonderfully on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread! I streamed music off Pandora and AAC files directly from my music app. I also watched a video I converted and it all sounded great! Nice and clear. So if you're worried about downloading yet another third-party app, fear not; it's not necessary.
In summary, the Fidelio is a fantastic near-universal Android dock with great sound quality. With the exception of the location of the light button and some sturdiness issues in regards to the dock connector, it's intelligently designed to handle most handheld Android devices, is very easy to use (so easy the instructions are only pictures, no words), and offers fantastic audio quality in a small package. An easy four stars!
Buy Philips AS111/37 Fidelio Docking Speaker for Android Now
The dock is very well built. The speaker can get louder than I expected and without any distortion of any kind. The Fidelio app is okay...it isn't the best. The only thing that I found useful of the app is that it turns on the bluetooth when it gets docked. The app is also used to sync the time between the phone and dock, but you can also set the time up manually.
However, I did find a minor issue when the phone is connected. When I'm not playing any music and get a call,text, or any type of notification the ringtone does not play on the speaker. Not sure if this is a bug with the bluetooth stack in the OS or the dock. I have tried to uninstall the Fidelio app and just pair it using the bluetooth menus. The only time it would play the notification is when music is playing. I think the dock/speakers turn off when no sound is playing though the bluetooth and there is a delay that prevents those short notifications to play. I wish it would play those notifications thought the dock speakers...but just a minor inconvenience.
Don't know what I would use the nightlight function for, but its a soft glow and there are two brightness settings. The clock display has three brightness settings.
I have an EVO 4G running CM7.1, which is Android 2.3.7
Read Best Reviews of Philips AS111/37 Fidelio Docking Speaker for Android Here
In a world where there are a large variety of iPhone and iPod speaker docks and clock radios, I was happy to see that Philips is producing good sounding speaker docks for the Android platform. With the debut of the Philips AS111/37 Fidelio Docking Speaker for Android, Philips has made an affordable Android docking speaker/clock radio that both looks and sounds good.
The Philips Android speaker dock is small and cylinder shaped, looking somewhat futuristic. It's all black, with just a snooze, volume and clock/nightlight buttons on the top. The unit itself is plastic, with fabric on top, covering the speakers. The top also has the dock for an Android phone, and the dock itself moves back and forth to fit any phone. The speaker dock also has an amber night light. Although the speaker dock is small, it produces very good sound and a balanced tone. I streamed music from both Pandora and Slacker, as well as music on my phone, I am very pleased with the sound this speaker dock produces. Highs are clear, and there's a good amount of bass present as well. The unit gets louds, and at its loudest setting, 32, it does not distort. Music plays wirelessly; the phone docks to the unit for charging purposes only. The Bluetooth connection is very effortless; the speaker dock found and connected with my phone almost immediately.
So that's the good news. Now here is the bad news. Because the speaker dock has so few buttons or controls, you need an app to control the alarm clock function. Philips wants you to download its Fidelio app, but the app is pretty large, (it may be a resource hog on your phone) and buggy.
The instructions, which are very bare (just a series of drawings, no real written instructions) don't really tell you much, so you have to sort of feel your way around the app to figure things out. It took me a while to find the actual alarm function on the app, which is not good if you are half asleep trying to adjust the alarm. I would suggest downloading any of the free Alarm apps available in the Android market. They are much less of a resource hog, have more features, and will not be as buggy. Waking up to music on my phone, such as Slacker, Pandora, or Sirius, is not possible, since my phone is password protected. The alarm does turn the phone on, but you have to enter a password to hear music. The alarm app will wake you to music that you have installed on the phone, or to a series of sounds (rain, waves, etc.).
I have an HTC Incredible phone, which means my phone has to sit horizontal on the connector since my charging input is on the side of the phone. The phone is somewhat hard to connect to the dock, and then once connected falls off easily since it is sitting on its side. Again, if you are trying to use this in the dark, it may be very hard (and frustrating) to connect the phone to the speaker dock.
Overall, I applaud Philips for putting out a great sounding speaker dock for an Android device. I use the Bluetooth to connect to the speaker, and enjoy listening to music. But I have to give this unit only three stars because of the weak Fidelio app and poor support for phones that have to sit horizontally on the connector. As a speaker dock, purely on sound, I would rate this unit a four, but the app (and a limited alarm function) brings to score down to a three.
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I love this dock! It think it's very much worth the $90 The sound has an amazing quality (you cannot compare to cheaper brands I had a cheap ihome for my ipod and fidelio is a lot better by far!) and I love that I can use it as an alarm clock that wakes me up softly.
It's very easy to use, and I think it's pretty smart how they came up with a solution that fits all android phones. Bluetooth turns on/off automatically and the phone charges through the mini usb port (i.e., I also like that I can also use the speakers to play back my music while the phone is not docked!)
I really don't care for the songbird app, I just use pandora or any internet radio station and it works perfectly...
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It seems to be very high-quality and the sound is surprisingly good for a small as it is.The Fidelio app. has a lot to be desired. Hopefully they will improve this over time overtime. It is not necessary to use the app for the alarm clock music player etc.but it is necessary for the Bluetooth connection. the soft glow nightlight is a really cool and It is nice to be able to listen to Pandora at my bedside.So far I love this thing.I just wish the Fidelio app.was nicer.
