Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile

Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile is a portable Bluetooth wireless speaker system that can be paired with your mobile phone to listen to your music through its speakers or receive calls with the help of a built-in microphone. It also has a USB input, so you can connect it to your notebook or desktop computer. An analogue input is also provided, so you can connect other devices such as your MP3 player to it.

Bundle

• Logitech" Pure-Fi Mobile
• AC power adapter (100-240 V)
• Soft protective travel case
• USB cable
• 3.5 mm auxiliary audio cable
• Quick-start guide

Design & Construction

The Pure-Fi Mobile has a very compact and portable design. On the front are four speaker grilles, of which, only the leftmost and rightmost grilles contain the actual loudspeakers. The ones in the middle are pressure drivers (also known as passive radiators), which are not powered drivers, but just a speaker cone suspended that move in sync with the active drivers due to the change in air pressure in the speaker enclosure. In the center is the microphone and the status light.

On the top left are buttons for answering and ending calls and a mute button.

 

In the middle is the battery status indicator, power button, source button for switching between Bluetooth, USB audio and analogue input, and indicator lights for each of these.
On the right are the volume control buttons.

On the rear side of the device is the USB port for connecting the charger or connecting it to your computer for playing the audio over USB. It can also charge over USB from the PC. The feet for the Pure-Fi Mobile are tucked away underneath and can be rotated outwards so the device can rest on them.

The Pure-Fi Mobile is fairly light and can easily be carried around in your bag. The provided pouch is also handy, as it can store the device as well as the charger, and the cables all in a neat little package.

Performance

We first tested the Pure-Fi Mobile by connecting it to an Apple iPhone 3G through Bluetooth. Pairing was simple and effortless. You first have to press and hold the source button till its LED flashes blue and green, which indicates that the device is in pairing mode. Then search for it through the phone, select it and then the two devices are paired.
Once connected, all the audio from the phone is routed through Pure-Fi Mobile. You can play your music and videos and also make and receive calls as Pure-Fi Mobile also has a built-in microphone and call and receive buttons.
We first played some music on the Pure-Fi Mobile and unfortunately we weren't much impressed. Granted that it is a portable device with small drivers and expecting a powerful, bass heavy sound would be completely wrong, but I found it lacking in clarity. The mids were the only part of the entire audio spectrum that were portrayed somewhat correctly, but they too were overly upfront. The treble was a bit muted and lacked brilliance. The bass was non-existence and the pressure drivers did not help much.
Then we connected the Pure-Fi Mobile to a notebook via the USB cable. The audio quality improved slightly but there wasn't much of a difference. Next we connected it to our Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 audio card through the analogue input. Once again there wasn't too much of an improvement in the audio quality.
One thing we must mention is that despite the small size, the Pure-Fi Mobile can go pretty loud, loud enough to be used in a small part by connecting it to your phone. They are about three times more powerful than standard notebook speakers.
We then tried making some calls through the Pure-Fi Mobile. We first paired it with the iPhone 3G and later connected it to the computer for calls over Google Talk. Unfortunately, we observed that the microphone was very weak and had a hard time picking up our voice. We had to speak really loud for the device to pick up our voice.
Battery Life

Logitech rates the battery life of the Pure-Fi Mobile at 12 hours. But when we tested the device in our lab, we paired it with a mobile phone and let it play non-stop at 60% of its volume, which was sufficiently loud and what most people would use it at. We got an amazing 17 hours of playback time. The device did take a fairly long time to charge fully though, about three-four hours.
Verdict

The Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile is a very unique product, combining a portable Bluetooth speaker system, which can also be used for taking calls, with portable speakers for your notebook and your MP3 player. It has a very compact form factor and simple design. Unfortunately, we found the audio quality a bit lacking and the microphone performance was also not up to the mark. The battery life was quite amazing though and Pure-Fi Mobile can last a whole day even if you use it continuously. Priced at Rs. 10,995 MRP, the Pure-Fi Mobile can be purchased for around Rs. 8,500, which is not a bad price for all that the device does. However, we would only recommend the device if you must have something like it, as there are not many other options available right now.