Nokia makes rock solid phones. There’s really no argument against that. They’re one of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturers and I’ve owned plenty of them in the past as I’m sure most of you have as well. They’ve evolved with the times and hopped onto the music phone train where they’ve done quite well. The 5300 XpressMusic caters to your audiophile needs with external music controls and it comes in quaint little package. My ramblings are leading somewhere. Trust me. Lets say you have a 5300 or any A2DP enabled phone and you want to rock out while you’re at home, but don’t want to tool around the house in ‘phones, so why not check out some speakers that play your tunes and take your calls. Hmmm?
The MD-5W is a pretty little device encased in brushed aluminum with glossy black accents. It’s about the size of your cable controller so it isn’t very obtrusive. The sound quality of playback was surprising and was very crisp. It even filled up my tiny apartment with the sweet sounds of Hilary Duff. There’s a stereo widening feature that enhances quality of music, but I’m not really sure what it does or how it works. It sounds good, though. Ring, Ring, Ring.
Me: Happy Panda, how can I help you?
Brother: Ummm, I think I have the wrong number. Sorry.
Me: Hahahahaha. You got the right number. I’m just testing out these Nokia speakers. How do I sound?
Brother: Like a tool. It sounds fine. You’re using the speakers over BT?
Me: Yep.
Brother: Cool. I need you to bring back my porn.
Me: Will do. Sound quality is good, though? No crackling or buzzing?
Brother: No. Sounds like you’re on the phone.
Me: Dope. Thanks. See you later.
Brother: Don’t forget the porn.
Me: OK!!!
That’s basically how my first call went with the MD-5Ws. The incoming call beeped on the speakers and I simply hit the call transfer button on the speakers and presto changeo I was talking to my brother. Once the call ended the music immediately came back on and I went about my business. There are volume, play/pause, forward/backward, power and stereo widening controls on the front, so you’re always in total control.
The MD-5W can be powered by four AA batteries, so feel free to throw it in your bag when you’re traveling around. Otherwise you can plug in the 5V power supply that comes with the speakers and not have to worry about wasting money on batteries. You can also connect in your MP3 player via 3.5mm jack if your phone doesn’t have what the cool kids are listening to.
Overall, the MD-5W does what it’s advertised to do, which is play music via Bluetooth and work as your speaker phone. It doesn’t have any of the other add-on features that you don’t need. It works flawlessly even when the phone is 20+ feet away in the other room. It’s moderately priced and blends in well with most geek decor. Even as a stand alone speaker, the MD-5W is worth a look.