The latest product to arrive at PR HQ for review is the Cygnett SoundWave Bluetooth speaker and dock, and I have been getting hands on with the set up all week. With the option of powering the speaker via the mains power adaptor or with 8 AA batteries the SoundWave is being presented as the perfect all round, all activity speaker.

The first thing I noticed and was impressed by, is that Cygnett have kept packaging to a minimum, the small box offers ample protection and every bit of space is used. This also deceptively hides the actual size of the speaker, which took me by surprise, it is so common to open boxes and find loads of excess packing materials and air gaps and so was a refreshing change to see a box fit for purpose.

Inside the box was the speaker itself, the mains adaptor, the universal dock and instruction manual.

Setting up the speaker couldn’t be any easier, simply decide on your power source, and then to pair the Bluetooth, depress the Connect button for 3 seconds. With your own Bluetooth device in pairing mode, look for and accept SoundWave, a process that takes seconds and does not involve any passwords or codes. With a 10-metre range on the Bluetooth connection, you are free to mingle at your party without having to hover around the speaker all night.

The included stand is a nice feature and is adjustable between 11-25mm allowing it to accept a huge range of phones, tablets and iPods. Adjustment is simply made by depressing the lock button and sliding the stand to the desired width.

I used an iPad mini and iPhone in the stand and both were held securely and without concern, although prior to use I was worried the iPad may overbalance, but my fears were unfounded.

Your chosen device can be charged whilst sat in the stand by simply passing your charging wire down through the pedestal and pressing the wire into the base of the stand.

There is an option to connect the speaker to an external device via a 3.5mm audio-in port but you will find that the only way to control the volume is via the connected device. When paired with the Bluetooth connection volume is adjustable both at the source device and with the volume buttons on the top of at speaker itself, allowing a happy medium to be found.

There are no complaints about the sound quality from this speaker, it is not a unit that will shake the fillings from your teeth with thumping bass, but it does offer clear and precise resonance and is plenty loud enough for any social occasion. You will find the unit is bigger than most Bluetooth speakers on the market, this is to accommodate the 2 integral drivers with passive radiators.

One issue I do have with the matt black SoundWave speaker and dock I reviewed, is that it is highly prone to picking up greasy fingerprints and marks and maybe Cygnett should have included a cleaning cloth. In the picture below you can see the finger marks that happened within minutes of unpacking the speaker. The SoundWave is also available in white and although I haven’t been hands on with the white model, I think it is safe to assume with a gloss finish, fingerprints will not be a problem.

However for a Bluetooth speaker that retails for under $100 you can’t go far wrong with the SoundWave. For your money you are getting a great sounding, well made and robust speaker that can be used effortlessly at home or just as easily at the beach or park. With simple Bluetooth connection to many devices including Notebooks, Ultrabooks, Samsung and Apple products why not let all the party guests throw their own favorite tunes into the mix?

To find out where you can purchase a Cygnett SoundWave and for more information, check out the Cygnett website here.

You can find more pictures of the SoundWave I reviewed below.

Over the last couple of weeks we have managed to get hands-on with a number of Cygnett iPhone 5 cases, the models we tested included a range of designs and colors. On this page you will see several photos of each model and a little about that design with its main features, and while some of the designs weren’t to our taste it is fair to say there’s something for everyone.

All the Cygnett iPhone 5 cases on this page are snap-on, so they fit pretty easy and we had no problems during our test.

WorkMate Shock-Absorbing Case – Reminiscent of a Star Wars stormtrooper suit the Cygnett Workmate case is built to withstand an intergalactic attack. Without being bulky and cumbersome this sleeve offers protection with its dual material construction comprising of an impact resistant silicone inner, shrouded by a heavy-duty shell.

When fitted this figure hugging case leaves all ports accessible and the rubber moulding protects every button, enabling easy use at all times. We have been reviewing the white WorkMate as featured in our pictures but this case is also available in green or grey, retailing at £19.95

After a couple of days of using the WorkMate case, I have to report that whilst offering a satisfying amount of protection there is minimal compromise in terms of overall size of the phone and is easy to get in and out of the pocket.

An interesting video showing the designers at Cygnett performing drop tests on the iPhone 5 with or without WorkMate protection can be seen here.

More photos of WorkMate Shock-Absorbing Case

UrbanShield Aluminium Case – With its precision-engineered brushed aluminium back the UrbanShield cover oozes sophistication whilst offering ample protection from day to day bumps and scratches. Extremely slim fitting the UrbanShield feels great in the palm of your hand with its silky rubber side panels.

The UrbanShield is incredibly slim and snaps securely around the phone enhancing the already lustrous appearance of the iPhone. This cover would look great in the office environment but would look just as stylish on an evening out socialising. Cygnett offer the UrbanShield in silver or black for £19.95 and a gorgeous looking carbon fiber case for £24.95.

More photos of the UrbanShield Aluminium Case

Vector 3D Tough Case – The Vector 3D with its rubber construction and raised edges has been designed for use within the urban environment and features an angular design on the back. The designers have modelled this particular case with a chiselled angular pattern that was inspired by city life.

The inspired design of the case ensures a good grip on the phone but also allows the phone to be slid in and out of a pocket with ease. All ports remain exposed for simple connection and the volume and on/off buttons are protected by the moulded case.

Available in purple as seen in our pictures or also in a combined gloss and matt black design, these cases retail for £14.95 including free shipping.

More photos of the Cygnett Vector 3D Tough Case

Tats Cru & NYC Mural Kings Case – The Tats Cru are world renowned graffiti artists from the Bronx who have been commissioned to add a touch of street art to this Icon case. The bright colours and entwined sharp lettering look as though they have come straight from the side of a NY subway train.

The case snaps securely to the iPhone 5 and whilst allowing easy access to all buttons and ports, offers protection to the rear of the phone and the raised sides protect the screen from scratches.

Available form Cygnett for £19.95 including free shipping, this case will get you noticed and will exude cool everywhere you go.

More photos of the Tats Cru & NYC Mural Kings Case

Apollo Hybrid Case – Available in black or blue, the Apollo case is an anti scratch and fingerprint proof casing that snaps securely to the phone and offers all round assured protection. Raised edges ensure the screen is protected when the phone is put down, and the case offers some shock absorbency through its grooved design to the interior.

Cygnett retail the phone for £19.95 direct from their website and as with all the cases includes free shipping.

More photos of the Apollo Hybrid case for iPhone 5

As well as free shipping all of the featured cases also include a free screen protector and microfiber cloth and are available direct from Cygnett. Below you will find a couple more images showing all the cases we have been taking a look at.

Feel free to let us know which one you would choose? If you love the Kate Spade brand and own an iPhone 5, then you might want to visit our earlier article that takes a look at some of the latest cases.

This case is made from lambskin and features a credit card pocket and flip-down cover which features a magnetic clasp, also the inside of the case is made from soft microsuede and it comes with a screen protector.

The case is perfectly designed to keep a grip on the iPhone 4 and allows access to all of the phone’s buttons and large touchscreen display, the volume controls and home button are covered, however are still easy to use, you can see how the case’s design allows you to easily press the home button below.

Cygnett have cleverly added a credit card pocket which will be very handy if you do not like carrying a wallet around with you, you can just about squeeze two cards into this pocket, also if you wanted to you could keep some dollars in there.

Like the Frost case the Lavish case keeps a firm grip on the iPhone 4, its lambksin material is really soft and you can see the quality of the craftmanship everywhere you look, also one nice little touch is two little rubbery grip strips which ensure that the iPhone 4 doesn’t slip out of the case when you open the flip-down cover (see below). As previously mentioned the case does come with a screen protector and microfibre cleaning cloth, however as we will not be leaving the case on our iPhone 4 we didn’t fit the screen cover.

The case I was sent to was turquoise, however there are also black, brown and perforated variants, personally I think that businessmen / businesswoman will love the professional look of the black version, if you would like to buy one of Cygnett’s Lavish cases you can buy one from Amazon.com for roughly $33 here, UK customers can get them from Amazon.co.uk for roughly £18 here.

Below we have embedded a few more photos of the Cygnett Lavish case.

On the back of the packaging Cygnett detail what is great about this particular case, the case features an anti-fingerprint surface and allows easy access all of the iPhone 4′s buttons, also it grips in your hand whilst still being able to slip into your pocket easily, the polycarbonate material protects all of the iPhone 4′s surface, whilst the screen protection should help keep your display nice and shiny.

Fitting the case could not be easier, the material is pretty flexible but strong, simply snap it onto your iPhone 4 and your done, as I was trying out a few cases in one day I didn’t apply the screen protector, however screen protectors are pretty self explanatory these days so we don’t really need to go into detail about this. Below we have embedded a photo of all of the packaging contents, you get a microfibre cloth to clean your iPhone 4.

The case adds no real bulk to the iPhone 4′s slim design and it is very light, it does not get in the way of any of the iPhone 4′s buttons and does not have to be removed for when you want to dock your iPhone 4, also there is a cutout on the back so that the iPhone 4′s camera is still usable, below we have embedded a couple of images of the case’s design which shows Cygnett’s attention to detail.

The Cygnett frost case feels very secure once fitted, therefore you do not have to worry about the case coming off easily, also its plastic design doesn’t blemish easily and has a soft grippy finish, all in all for a bulk-free iPhone 4 case I cannot fault Cynett’s Frost case, there are six colors to choose from (red, pink, purple, blue, orange or black) Amazon stock these cases and on Amazon.com you can buy them for $14.50 each here, UK customers can buy them for roughly £17 each from Amazon.co.uk here.

Will you buy the Cygnett Frost case for iPhone 4?