TECH SPOTLIGHT

Rocki gets vintage speakers into modern age

Special the the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 04/25/2014 - The Rocki (above) comes in one of several colors via a rubber sleeve (below) that fits over the device. The Rocki allows wireless signals to be sent to non-wireless speakers.
Special the the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 04/25/2014 - The Rocki (above) comes in one of several colors via a rubber sleeve (below) that fits over the device. The Rocki allows wireless signals to be sent to non-wireless speakers.

Vintage is in nowadays, from furniture to fashion to … tech?

Yes, old is new, even in technology. Take a look at that Nikon Df retro-style camera I reviewed a few weeks back, or any of the other retro-style cameras. Stereo speakers are being made to look like old radios. Turntables (my generation called them record players) are making a comeback. And recycling old gadgets to use with new ones seems to be the latest “cool” thing to do.

A little gadget I’ve been testing makes it easy to reuse that old speaker system gathering dust around the house. You know, those speakers you never use because they aren’t wireless or can’t hook up to the newer tech products.

The gadget is called the Rocki, and it’s made to look like a marquee-cut “stone.” The Rocki comes in one of several colors courtesy of a rubber sleeve that protects the device. It also comes with a power adapter and two types of audio cords - one with a standard headphone jack on one end and the other with standard RCA jacks on the end. One or the other should fit most stereo systems.

The idea behind the Rocki is simple - it turns nearly any speaker system into a wireless speaker system. It enables users to use older speakers with their newest gadgets, such as a smartphone or computer tablet.

Once set up, the Rocki is a pretty simple device. If you have an Android phone or tablet, the set up is fairly simple. But, if you have an iPhone or iPad, it’s a lot more complicated.

Android users can use the Rocki app, which can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store. The app allows a user to set up the Rocki visually and stream music from there. A few taps and password and you’re good to go.

For now, iPhone users don’t have an app to use. Instead, they have to follow some complicated instructions found on the device’s website at myrocki.com/ ios. You have to plug it up, have it tell you it has an open connection for setup (yes, it talks), connect to it wirelessly, go to another setup website to talk to the Rocki directly, set it up to connect to your wireless router, then make sure it connects before leaving the setup website.

Whew!

Yeah, it’s complicated - far more than it needs to be.

As complicated as the setup is, it got even more complicated when I discovered it wouldn’t take a password of more than 20 characters. I am paranoid about my Wi-Fi, so I have a long, complicated password. The prospect of changing it to accommodate the Rocki did not make me a happy camper.

The good news is, there was a fix to the password problem - a firmware update that upgraded the basic programming within the device. The bad news is, it’s almost as complicated to do the update as it was the setup.

Once I finally got the gizmo set up, it actually worked as described.

I knew just the system to use. I have an old Altec Lansing stereo system that can still rattle my windows and the neighbors’ windows if I crank the subwoofer enough.

Alas, these speakers came out in the days before speaker systems could connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and speak to portable music players. The only thing wireless is the remote, and even the remote receiver is connected to the speakers by a big, fat wire. They still have great sound, though. Naturally, I wanted to see if I could jam out to my favorite tunes on my favorite speakers.

I hooked the Rocki up to the headphone jack on the remote receiver using the cable included with the Rocki. I started the audio on my iPhone, then pulled up Air-Tunes. The Rocki showed up on the list, and with a touch of the name, my music was pumping through the old speakers.

Just for fun, I also tried connecting while watching a video. Once again, the audio played over the speakers. However, somehow the audio was just a hair faster than the video, so the lips were slightly off from the words they were forming. It was a bit strange. I expected a delay in the audio, not the video. It may be an odd setup, since you’d still have to watch the video on the phone. Still, if you wanted to hear the video in stereo, the Rocki can do it.

As complicated as it is to set up, the Rocki is pretty basic once it’s ready to go. It worked well for me, and with different types of speakers, old and new. It still has a few kinks, but if you’re interested in giving those dusty, old speakers new life, this may be the gadget to help.

Just think, one little gadget and you can get with the vintage vibe. Right on, man. Right on.

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].

Where it’s @

The Rocki requires a power outlet and speakers or a system with a 3.5mm headphone jack or RCA jacks. It also requires a Wi-Fi connection. Setup for Android devices requires the free Rocki app in the Google Play store. Setup for iPhone users requires a web browser on the phone. The device retails for $49. More information is available at myrocki.com.

Business, Pages 21 on 04/28/2014

Upcoming Events