- Acoustically amplifies your iPhone
- Custom-engineered waveguide requires no power
- Allows syncing/charging using your dock cable
- Great for nightstand or tabletop
Product Description
Imagine hearing your iPhone loud and clear, without using earphones or powered speakers. AirCurve turns your iPhone into a no-power-drain alarm clock on your nightstand, or a mini sound system that never needs batteries or adapters. This cleverly designed acoustic amplifier for your iPhone collects the sound from the built-in speaker of your iPhone, amplifies it in coiled waveguide within the base, and projects it into the room. The waveguide has been engineered to deliver amazing amplification ¿ you¿ll swear there are full-sized speakers in there.
Griffin AirCurve Acoustic Amplifier for iPhone
I purchased the Griffin AirCurve as a bedside charging cradle for my iPhone 3G (cable and AC adapter not included). My thought behind this was that it would allow me to listen to content casually and would make the iPhone function better as an alarm clock. The Griffin AirCurve doesn’t disappoint.
The construction is solid polycarbonate with metal hex-screws in the corners holding it together. The dock has soft silicone inserts for both the first-gen and iPhone 3G that provide a snug fit. On the bottom is a cable routing channel so that when you attach a dock cable the unit still sits flush on the table. All in all, the build quality is excellent.
In terms of performance, it is surprisingly good. The air channel inside the unit really does amplify the sound quite well. It isn’t exactly “room-filling” and it isn’t stereo, but it is perfectly acceptable for casual listening at a office cubicle or for my use as a bedside alarm-clock. The Griffin AirCurve uses the same principles that Bose does to create small speakers with big sound. But keep in mind that this isn’t a Bose, and you only paid under $20 for it.
The only issue I can think of is the need for a non-Apple cable for the dock to work well as a charger. The Apple Dock Cable has a very short dock connector which does not reach the base of the docking well where the iPhone sits. It is useable with the Griffin AirCurve, but it has a hard time making connection with the iPhone when docked and often requires you to pull it out of the base and manually connect it to your iPhone then re-set the phone in the base. Griffin’s dock cable has a taller connector which works perfectly. Unfortunately it is not included.
Overall I am thrilled with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a small, space saving dock that will allow for acceptable casual listening on their iPhone.
Rating: 5 / 5
Works great, especially since it does not require power.
We have other speaker systems for the iPhone which give a little higher-quality sound, but they are powered units and the AirCurve allows you to take it anywhere.
Of note: when the iPhone volume is up 100%, the AirCurve seems to make the sound a little tinny. This goes away if the volume is decreased a little.
I am going to purchase a second AirCurve for my office.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this item hoping to find a nice stand to go next to my bed. Like most people, I imagine, I charge my phone overnight and prefer to have it next to me on my dresser. While it’s functional to just use a USB cord, a stand is preferable.
I picked this one out hoping its simplistic design would go with the iPhone nicely. The designers almost got it. It fits snugly into the base and amplifies sound nicely, considering how small the speaker really is.
What it does poorly is work with a USB cord. I was hoping to have a stand that I could easily plop the phone into and start charging. Not so with this stand. You have to reach in, pull the cord out, connect the phone, then reach underneath to pull the excess cord back, pulling the phone into the stand. Once it’s in place, it’s nice, but getting there is quite a pain late at night and early in the morning.
I’m all about functionality, and for a phone that makes sense on all fronts, this stand does not match. I’m using it for now, but as soon as I find one that’s better, I’m moving on.
Rating: 3 / 5
Considering the price, I expected a thin-plastic product. I was wrong. It is constructed of clear polycarbonate (per the manufacturer’s site, [...]) with four chrome screws each ending in a surface-protecting foot. It is heavy enough (aided by its four feet) to not slide about. I don’t know plastics well enough to identify the material used to make the three small snap-together adapters (one each to create either an iPhone or iPhone 3G/3GS cradle and one to hold the charging plug in place) but it is a perfect compromise between rigid and conformable.
Bose doesn’t have to worry; AirCore will not outperform an active amplifier/speaker system. But it does a more than adequate job for patio, desk, bedside, bathroom… use. The sound improvement is… well shockingly impressive is probably a bit much to claim, but just a bit. Greatly increased quality, greatly increased volume.
I misinterpreted reviewers as saying you had to remove the charging cable and plug it into the iPhone every time you inserted the phone in the cradle. It does take a few seconds to insert the charge/sync cable into the adapter and press it in place, but you can then leave it there. If you need the cable for use elsewhere, get an extra low cost cable (such as Apple’s Dock Connector to USB 2.0 Cable for iPod and iPhone (White) for $2.98 including shipping) and leave one cable in the AirCore. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to remove my protective Silicone Skin Case Cover For Apple iPhone. Though my iPhone would probably fit further into the cradle with the skin off, it fits securely without removing it.
AirCore costs $14.99 and provides much more value than most similarly priced products. It is also attractive.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought this thinking “I bet this does not work very well at all” but for $20 and no batteries combined with an overwhelming curiosity I took the plunge and bought one. Turns out it works quite well, fits my iPhone 3G perfectly (comes with adaptors for iPhone 3G and iPhone) and definitely increases the volume of the iPhone speaker. I will say there is some loss of clarity and bass-probably not a good choice for the audiophile among us but if you want an amusing toy and are willing to turn the bass booster up or listen to audio books this is a great product! Strong work Griffin!
Rating: 5 / 5