Go on a trip with the Traveler

This little wireless speaker is specifically aimed at the executive on the go because it certainly isn’t all about music but about its portability for audio conferencing ease.

To begin with, the Traveler looks very professional, quite like it came out of an office all smartly dressed. Its form factor is actually smaller than that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, except it’s about three times as thick. It’s so small, it could actually fit in the pocket of some thick garment, though not without causing considerable sag. But the best place it would fit is in an office bag, handbag or travel bag. I can easily imagine a business traveler carrying it along on a trip and taking it out for a nice long conference call from the hotel room.

But let me rein in my imagination and describe the gadget a little more. It’s black and made of a chunk of aluminium. On the top it has a leather surface with subtle but very responsive buttons and on the bottom a more rubbery bit with ‘feet’ so it can stand without toppling too easily. There’s a wonderful metal trimming on top that adds to its premium look. The back has a texture and not not much else, while the front has the texture plus the actual speaker grill and a rather prominent Harman Kardon logo. On one side, you have the micro USB port, a USB port for charging another device because it has a 2,500 mAh battery that can boost a phone or something, and it has a line-in for a cable. It’s a neat and no-nonsense device that looks like it means business.

The Traveler sounds good enough. Not brilliant, not wholesome, but just good and loud. It stops sounding pleasant at very loud volumes and doesn’t have too much depth or bass. But as I said, it’s not meant to be an everyday music listener’s choice but music in addition to con calls.

In a small room with three or four people, the Traveler sounds sufficient to take calls on. I certainly wouldn’t say the clarity is remarkable, but given its size and portability advantage, it’s workable. The two microphones on it help the person at the other end hear better and reduce some of the consistent background noise, like the hum of a heater or air conditioning.

The Traveler is a handy companion on a trip or for someone who tends to move about at work, connecting with others rather a lot on the phone. But it is expensive for what it offers.

One word of caution: While it can be convenient to have something that tops-up your phone battery, putting this gadget into checked-in baggage may cause the same objections as battery packs do at airports.

COMMENT NOW