CyFi

Are you the kind of person who just can’t imagine life without your iPod? Or without music? If so, then the CyFi is the perfect addition for all of your outdoor adventures. The CyFi is a wireless speaker designed to work with your iPod or any bluetooth-enable device. The speaker itself is 6″ by 9″ and then there is a separate transmitter that plugged in to my iPod that is roughly 1″ by 1.5″. The bluetooth version links to your device without the need for any other equipment. The coolest thing about the bluetooth version is that you are able to use it for making hands-free calls with your voice-enable phone. Now, you may ask yourself why the heck you’d need that? However, imagine that you are riding your road bike for an entire day cranking up tons of miles. If you are supposed to get an important call, do you not go or stop to answer it? Why not just keep on doing what you’re doing and answer it at the same time? Crazy, I know. But that’s just the sort of thing that I could imagine doing with this amazing gadget.

I have yet to get the CyFi out on the trails or on the bike, but I’ve been able to play with it for a few days and I’m psyched. I have the iPod-version and have used it everywhere from out in my garden to on my deck and everywhere in between. The cool thing about it is that I don’t have to worry about these freak rain storms popping up like they have been here in Maine. All. Summer. Long. It’s water resistant! And it’s shock proof. So when I’m a complete dummy and try to carry too much in my hands, I don’t have to freak out when it slips from my grip. Another awesome feature is that it’s rechargeable and the battery life is about 6 hours. It comes with this nifty recharging base that makes it look more like a modern sculpture than a gadget. I love that I don’t have to scrounge for batteries when I need my tunes. I can just grab it and go. The other nice aspect about having the speaker versus using the usual ear buds is that it’s harder to sneak up behind me. If I’m riding along on a boring stretch of road, I want to listen to something other than my own racing heart, but I don’t want to risk not hearing a car coming up behind me or another rider blasting past. The CyFi gives me the safety I need when all my mind wants is tunes. It also comes with two sets of mounting brackets to attach the CyFi to my handle bars or just about anything else. I’m planning to attach it to my trekking poles to take it hiking later this week.

The only flaw that I’ve noticed so far is the flashing blue light that comes off the transmitter and the speaker when they are on. If I were to use the CyFi while camping to share my tunes with other (willing) happy campers, the flashing could become a nuisance. But that is the only thing that has bugged me even slightly so far.

As I said, I’ll be taking the CyFi off to the mountains this week for a hike. I’m also planning to get my bike on the road and bring the CyFi with me. I’ll post an update to let you know how it goes! But so far the CyFi has filled a niche in my outdoor life that I didn’t know I had.

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