Reviewing The JBL Mini BT Reflect

The struggle to find the perfect fitting and sounding earbuds was almost seeming unending for me until I finally got my hands on the JBL Mini BT Reflect Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds.

For the uninitiated, I've been trying the following earbuds for the past couple of months.

1) Jaybird X2 Bluetooth Earphones
2) RHA MA 600 Earphones - Wired
3) Samsung S7 Stock Earphones
4) Apple Earpods

So, having tried all of the above, I didn't find the right fit anywhere. They all sounded really good. But, they couldn't stay in the way they are expected to.

I don't blame the buds, but term my own ear canals or ear shape slightly variable. So, yeah, they didn't FIT, to say the least.

The JBL Mini BT Reflect was out of stock on the Indian JBL and Harman Sites for like eternity. It was out of stock on so many online portals like Amazon, Flipkart and even Snapdeal, which I barely use.

I had almost lost hope, but found the earphones on Tata CLIQ, a portal I never thought I'd use. Found both the Blue and Red Variants in stock for Rs. 5999.

The order was placed for a blue bud and the order went to CROMA Surprisingly. So, after a long wait, due to logistical issues thanks to Diwali, received my earphones 2 weeks back and have been trying them on ever since.

UNBOXING Experience :
The box was pretty neat. The earphones were already wearing the Medium SPORT buds. Two  other options are bundled. A Small Sport fit and a regular fit. Medium is my size and decided to try the sport fin first.

My earbuds were already precharged but I don't know how much. I could instantly pair it with my Galaxy S7 and get a feel of the JBL Legacy Sound as they call it.

Pairing : Pairing is a breeze. And it connects within 2 seconds with already paired devices. I've tried the device with around 4-5 phones and they pair pretty rapidly each time.

The bluetooth range is pretty remarkable and I could listen to crackle free audio with my phone kept away around 20 ft. Bluetooth audio cracks when penetrating walls and so that's not recommended.

One peculiar thing is an annoying pause of a second when I took the earbuds for a run with the phone in my back pocket closed with a zip. Probably a minor connection instability. 

Design : 

 The earbuds fit in pretty well. And they aren't too heavy. But they aren't having a tiny footprint. I can't wear them inside my helmet. The best element of the design is that they don't fall off. Even while running very fast which is the whole point of the BT Reflect Mini.

The earbuds have a central inline controller which houses a volume up and volume down rocker and a power of pause/skip multipurpose button. This controller houses the USB Slot for charging the device. There is an indicator LED for identifying the status. It also houses a microphone.

Earbuds are made of silicon while the buds are made of plastic probably. The wires are pretty flexible and don't annoy while running. They are made of reflective materials. JBL Mini BT Reflect is IPX4 resistant.

Experience : The earphones won't fall off. They provide a fantastic seal and instantly cut off ambient sound from the background. The sound quality is good and feels like a premium $100 earphone which retails for Rs. 5999 in India. I'm not a sound techie, but from everything I've heard, they sound great for the price point.

Try a variety of EQ modes for a better experience.

The Little Things And The Cons : 

1) The earphones are slightly big and stick on your ears. Could have been smaller and better.

2) The earphones could have had a dedicated app for controlling basic properties like sound, EQ etc from JBL. 

3) Android phones cannot see the % battery left.

4) The LED lights on the device aren't too helpful. Just let us know if the device is on or not.

5) No included clip for attaching the spare wire that stays hanging at the back.

Overall, a good product for those who want a secure fit, with good sound isolation, for the price point. 

Using The Apple Pencil And My Opinions : Not quite there yet

Since was sister was coming back from the US, we shipped an Apple Pencil and an iPad Pro 9.7inch to her and I got to use them both from the 15th of August, 2016, our 70th Independence Day.

Unboxed : So, this is what the box looks like. This is the first generation Apple Pencil and retails for $99 with no student offers and discounts whatsoever. And no, it's not included with any of the pricey iPad Pro Models. The box  is rather heavy and includes a layer of documents, the pencil itself and an adapter to charge the pencil via your standard Apple Lightning Cable. Apple also includes an extra pencil tip and I wonder when I'd have to use it.

Look And In-Hand Feel : The pencil is an all white product and is a single piece of hardware with no buttons at all. The end of the pencil features the Apple Pencil branding in metal and that end detaches to reveal the Apple Lightning Port for charging purposes.

The cap features a small magnet that keeps the end well adhered though there is a small movement and play while twisting the pencil end at times. However, the pencil is build really well.

The Apple pencil is nearly as long as a standard Indian pencil. Except, it might be nearly 3 times as heavy. It could get very slippery due to the glossy construction.

Setting Up The Pencil : The Apple Pencil is really easy to set up the first time. All I had to do, was remove the end cap of the pencil and plug it into the lightning port on the iPad and the iPad on screen instructions take care of the rest.

It first enables bluetooth and then the pencil is connected. Your iPad is still an iPad after the pencil is connected. For the few seconds it needs to be there, the Pencil looks really bad. There's a fear that somebody will knock off the pencil sideways when kept on the edge of  a table. There are no special software suites for the pencil. The pencil can be used to touch and swipe across homescreens and be used to enhance performance and usability in creative drawing apps.

The only preinstalled app where the Apple Pencil can be used effectively is the Apple Notes app.






Apple Notes is a very simple interface. It has the ability to select a couple of colours. There's three instruments for typing. There's a scale for drawing straight lines. That's about it. It's pretty basic that way. I managed to compose a mathematical problem using the Notes app and this is what it looked like. There's no sketch to shape like the Samsung Galaxy Note or even Evernote style features built in. However, tilting the pencil shades very much like a pencil and that is remarkable.

The Apple Pencil, is INCOMPLETE or USELESS without a couple of great drawing apps and the product would never be recommended to anyone by me if there wasn't a comprehensive set of apps available.

Since I'm not a drawing kind of guy, I only used the Pencil to test it's ability with handwriting and basic notes.

My father tested the Apple Pencil briefly to try out the overall Notes app. He shall be using it full time in his clinic and I'll upload the details briefly.

I'll be giving the Pencil to other users who primarily draw to test the quality of the same.

I'll wind up my review very quickly now.

PROS : The pencil is a step in the right direction to convert traditional writing to digital writing. It does its job fairly well I'd say.

It is a 10X leap compared to other styluses that the market offers currently. Most of them feature no pressure sensitivity and rubberized inaccurate tips.

Palm rejection is INSANELY GREAT  on this Apple Pencil across a variety of apps. You can finally rest your wrist in a normal way on the iPad screen.

The Pencil responds to our angular dip and pressure too. The Apple app community is ever growing and that means better and better apps every day.

The pencil battery life is great provided you pair and unpair it from time to  time. Battery life is indicated on the iPad itself.

CONS : Apple does not do much to improve the productivity of the pencil. Without apps from the Apple Store, the Pencil is an Accessory you wouldn't need or would ever use.

Samsung has done their Note lineup a lot of good with great software and intuitive features.

Writing on the pencil, STILL feels Unnatural. Sure, it's a lot better than ever before, but no, it still feels digitized. The Pencil glides on the smooth iPad Pro glass and there's no friction like the conventional writing experience.

The iPad Pro does not feature Force Touch. There's no haptic feedback or feel as if we are writing on paper. It could have been done. Force Touch is clearly missed on this device. 

The pencil, is NOT very convenient to carry. It does not feature a clip. Carrying it is a bother. There's no magnetic attachment to it. No Apple official accessory actually helps own and carry a pencil. It's heavier than a traditional pencil and it's too smooth to be held for prolonged periods of time. It lacks the texture of a traditional pencil.

It lacks the ability of erasing by tilting the pencil towards the end. Pressure sensitivity is supported but FEELS unnatural thanks to the smooth iPad display, near 0 friction and the lack of a Force Touch Display.

COULD DO BETTER :

The Pencil could be a great tool in the years to come. It needs a few refinements.

1. Better Software and Intuitive Features by Apple to enhance productivity and show developers the way.
2. The design could be lighter and feature better grip and also a clip.
3. The Pencil should feature a Smart Connector pin next time so pairing via bluetooth would be a thing of the past. Currently, the easiest way to pair is plug it in 5seconds.
4. Pencil should charge via the smart connector or be made so that it never needs charging. It should become a part of the iPad Pro in a way you never imagined it to be. Just pick it up and draw and write. Never worry again.
5. The iPad should feature serious advancements to accept and respond to pressure sensitivity.
6. Apple should bundle the iPad Pro and the Pencil in one box to show customers their commitment to the pencil.
7. The price should be nearly $49, half of what it retails for.

On a concluding note, I'd say, it's a great device, but it's NOT QUITE there yet.