Mobility Digest Review: Clingo Parabolic Sound Sphere

We rolling old school today… I’ve got a product that does not require batteries or any type of power source to work. That in itself is very odd as everything needs some kind of power today. What I have is a sound amplifier called a parabolic Sound Sphere from a company called Clingo. If you’ve read any of my reviews then you should know Clingo by now, it’s a sticky system to hold your phone in place that I like very much. Anyway, the Parabolic Sound Sphere is very basic, it uses simple acoustics to boost the sound coming from your phone, and it works. It very much surprised me in that it upped the volume by about 50% I’d say.

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Vendor: MobileFun

Price: £20.37 / $33.66

Overall Rating: 4/5

Specs/Features:

Clingo Parabolic Sound Sphere

Amplify and enhance your music experience with this universal, convenient, and stylish dock alternative

Featuring Clingo’s unique technology
All Clingo accessories feature a unique technology that securely holds ANY phone or mobile media device. To use, simply press on and peel off, and as it is adhesive free it leaves no sticky residue. When the pad starts to lose it’s grip, simple run it under warm water and the magical sticking properties will return. Clingo have done extensive environmental testing, showing that the gel pad remains in perfect working order after over 3300 wash and wear tests, at temperatures between -24°C and 105°C, and after 9 days in a water tank. The material is certified lead-free, phthalates-free and non-toxic.

Optimized parabolic shape amplifies and enhances sound quality
The Sphere maintains a simple, elegant design which amplifies sound by about 10 decibels helping to project it into any room. The parabolic shape was engineered to enhance amplification by creating the sound of full-sized, powered speakers without requiring power.

Spherical design provides ambient light shielding for enhanced screen viewing
The special ergonomic design and recessed holding pad has the benefit of providing ambient light shielding for the device, enhancing the viewabililty of any screen. As the Sound Sphere has a detached base, you can reposition it to any angle, providing excellent viewability in any situation.

Cable pass-through allows syncing and charging
A discreet hole in the back of the Sound Sphere allows you to sync and charge your device without having to remove it.

iPhone 4 speakers

 

What’s in the Box?

The box got a bit beat up during shipping, but the product inside was perfectly fine.

Inside you’ll only find three basic parts, the sound sphere itself, stand and basic user manual.

In the center od the sphere is the Clingo sticky pad, this is where you phones sits.

On the back you’ll find a hole so you can run a power or USB cable through while you’re using the sphere.

The center piece slides in and out, there’s a cut out in the section to run the cable through out of the hole in the back.

The little included stand is just soft rubber, and the sphere just sits on it. You can position the sphere any which way really.

Impressions / Review:

Here’s my Samsung Captivate in the Clingo Parabolic Sound Sphere:

My phone just sits in the sphere, no real installation is needed at all. The Clingo pad is like the others I’ve reviewed, it’s very sticky and holds your phone in place very well.

The Captivate has its speaker on the back so the sound bounces off of the sphere and amplifies it. The sphere really does work honestly, the sounds is much louder when in the sphere. The sound is a bit muffled though, it’s not as sharp as it would be normally, but  I’m impressed at how it does amplify the sound.

The sphere is a bit large to have sitting on your desk, if you’re got a small desk you might not have the room for it.

Conclusion:

The Clingo Parabolic Sound Sphere works very well at amplifying sound, and best of all it uses no power to do it.

It is big, so space might be an issue on some desks.

The price is bit high as well I think.

 

Pros:
+Works well to amplify sound
+Can charge and sync while in sphere

Cons:
-Rather large
-A bit expensive