Review - Sony SRS X11 Personal Audio System

I recently purchased a Sony SRS X11 bluetooth speaker system.  In fact, I got two of them, since they came as a pair.  That's not a normal retail package, so I took advantage when I saw it; especially as the cost was only half again for the second unit.

There are many bluetooth speakers on the market, all of varying cost and quality.  I chose these because I have a good history with Sony product, and whilst they may not be the cheapest, you can usually be sure of a quality purchase.

OK - let's have a closer look.  As you'll see from the pictures, it's tiny.  But don't let that put you off.  This pumps out 10w of music.


This cube is 61mm in each direction, and weighs just 215g.  The battery will last up to 12 hours on a full charge.  The build is solid, with a rubbery texture on the top and the back, with a plastic underneath.  The grills covering the speakers look and feel like metal.  Overall, this feels like a quality product.

On the reverse you will find a stereo mini-jack input (if you use this, then you don't need to pair using bluetooth) and there is a micro USB terminal for charging.

The top of the unit contains the controls; the power button.  Press and hold to set the unit into pairing mode.

The volume buttons are on the right.  There is also a button to initiate hands-free calling, using the built-in microphone.  Music will automatically cut out when a call is in progress.

It's simple to set up - just power up (the first time will automatically set the unit to pairing mode), search for the connection on your device.  Just select it, and the pairing will be complete.

You may have spotted the Near Field Communication (NFC) icon on the top.  Tap this with your NFC enabled device and it will automatically switch your bluetooth connection on.

Now, when you play anything on your device, the audio will output from the speaker.  Magic.

One great feature is the ability to daisy-chain two of the units together.  There are two modes available.  Either create stereo sound, or double up, and put each device in a different room.  Now, so long as they are both within the bluetooth range, you can play the same music across a wider area.  Ideal for a party!


Also included is a lanyard that is useful for hanging the speaker; maybe on a branch, tent pole, or just on a door handle.

So - how do they sound?  It isn't hi-fi.  It's not tinny; there is bass, and the volume can be turned up fairly loud (although, of course, distortion will appear at the top!)  If you're looking for pure quality, then you'll need to spend more than this!  However, for general listening; playing Spotify playlists, it's ideal.

New Tech - Episode 6 - Fitbit Fit

I will start this post by telling you that I am not, repeat not, a fitness fanatic.

It's been years since I went to the gym, or took part in any organised fitness activity.  I don't run.  I haven't been swimming for ages.  In fact, the only exercise I do is walking.

For a while I've been contemplating losing weight, and thought I'd get myself a pedometer - measure how far I walk, in an effort to concentrate my mind.

You can track various attributes such as steps, stairs,
calories burned and more...

Then I heard about Fitbit.  I did some research.  Thought about it.  Continued my walking and thought some more.  There is a range to choose from, from the small Fitbit Zip, to the top of the range Surge.

Now, that's a little over the top, but the Zip wasn't enough (even though it's exactly what I was looking for in a pedometer).

I opted for the Fitbit One.  It's a small device that can easily fit into a pocket, or clipped onto a waistband using the supplied clip.  It tracks a number of things:

• Steps (that's the obvious one)
• Floors climbed
• Distance walked
• Calories burned
• Sleep

There's even a little plant that grows or shrinks based on how active you are!

Used in conjunction with the app (available on iOS or Android) and the web interface, the entire Fitbit philosophy is about getting fit, losing weight and keeping fit.

The website dashboard is where you go to log your food and drink.  There is a database of almost every food type, as well as ranges that can be purchased from supermarkets.  You can also scan the barcode on the packaging and most of the time it finds it.  This is a little hit and miss, there have been a few occasions where my food isn't recognised.  It's not a major issue, but it would be nice if the database was kept up to date.

The Fitbit dashboard shows how you're doing
against the targets you've set

At night, slip the Fitbit One into a sleeve and wear it on your wrist. Set it going as you fall asleep and it tracks how soundly (or not) you sleep.

It's an activity monitor in reverse, recording times when you wake or are restless; and giving you an efficiency rating of your sleep.

Should you go running, cycling, roller-skating, play tennis; or any other physical activity, then you can set the timer off again, and it will record it as active time.

As I mentioned right at the start, I am not a fitness fanatic; however, using my Fitbit One is driving me to better my tracking scores each day.  Increasing the number of steps I do, watching what I eat and seeing it all reported on the website.  For the very serious, for a premium, you can get a whole host of reports - the first week is free, to try them out; and they are very detailed.

If you so desire, there's also a whole community to join in with, and compete against!  This isn't something I do, but I can see the benefits.  The website also hosts a great forum, for asking all sorts of questions.

Overall, my Fitbit One has seamlessly become part of my dress code, and I am often joked at for scanning barcodes and capturing my eating habits!

The last laugh will be on me, as I reach my goal.

Do you use a fitness tracker?  How has it helped you?