When giving up my smartphone there was one app I was going to miss more than any other: Spotify. I've had a premium account for a couple of years now, ever since my trial premium account ran out - I just couldn't go back to the constant adverts and, more importantly, I loved the fact that I could 'download' the music and listen to it offline - whilst at work, in the car or on my bike, for example.
In my dreams I'd imagined a device that was specifically built for Spotify and when I googled to see if such a thing existed, I discovered Mighty. And when I discovered Mighty, another nail was secured firmly into the coffin of my smartphone. I knew I'd be able to move on.
A disclaimer, upfront: To get the music from Spotify onto the Mighty Vibe audio player, you still need a device - for me, that's an old ipad (which barely does much else these days). The thing with the ipad is that it stays at home most days on a bookshelf and is certainly not something I carry around with me at home or out and about - it is hardly a distraction. The fact that it is decrepit helps - it is too frustrating to use as it is so slow and out-of-date (planned obsolescence FTW).
So, the Mighty Vibe HAS allowed me to go smartphone free, even though I do need some access to a device which has the Mighty app on it. And it's really simple to use.
The Mighty Vibe works by having Spotify playlists loaded onto it via a WIFI connection. The Mighty can be connected to the WIFI using the app and once it is, they are connected. The two devices are also connected by Bluetooth (I'm not sure about the exact technology and how it works, but it does - usually: sometimes it disconnects and you have to start again).
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| The clip on the back is strong and features a rubber grip strip which attaches it firmly to clothing etc |
The Mighty's Bluetooth capacity also means that it can be easily connected to Bluetooth speakers and headsets. I've only tried it with speakers but have found that once the connection is set up (you need to use the app to do this) the devices remember each other and auto-connect whenever they are both switched on in each other's presence. For users of smartphones and most current technology, the Mighty Vibe might appear a little slow - it does take 20-30 seconds to get started and to make its Bluetooth connections, but once it's all got going, it is so worth it.
Onto the sound then. I have no issues. I listen to a wide range of genres including Hip Hop, Rock, Acoustic Singer-Songwriter-type-stuff, through to Drum 'n' Bass, Classical and Pop - anything really, as long as it has a good melody. I've used several pairs of cheap headphones - the Apple ones that come with an iPhone, some old Samsung ones (I use these on my bike as they stay in and have those rubber grommets which block out the noise of the wind) and some Skullcandy ear buds. The Apple earbuds probably reproduce the best sound which leads me to believe that, if paired with a more expensive set, the sound would be even better. I'm no audiophile but I believe the Mighty Vibe really does the job.
Being screen-less presents some people with some issues. How can you tell what's what? You can't really, unless you know the music well. A robotic voice reads out the name of the playlist as you scroll through them, but there is no easy way of selecting a particular song that might be embedded in a playlist of, say, 200 songs - you could only skip through until you find it. As a result, the listening experience is very different to the way you used to (or still do) listen to music on an ipod or your phone. I've found that with a weekly update (sometimes I leave it longer) I'm actually giving the music more of a chance, listening to songs more times than I would if I could easily just pick out something new from the whole array of music available online. Because of this I've discovered new favourites - tracks that have grown on me - and have curbed my obsession of always trying to find something new that I've not heard before.
In the UK, the Mighty Vibe costs £79.99 - let's assess what you get for your money. You do get freedom from your phone whilst still being able to listen to all your music - it does exactly what the company have set out to do. The fact that there are workarounds to the issue of having to connect to an app (having a tablet device) has meant for me that I can go completely smartphone free without having to sacrifice Spotify's offer of unlimited music. Given that I'm never going to shell out ridiculous amounts of money for a phone again (my current dumbphone cost me £14 and calls and texts can be had for around £6 a month) I think the price of this awesome little gadget is well worth it.
Without my discovery of the Mighty Vibe, I may not have been able to make the leap from smartphone to dumbphone - that's how much I love my music and my Spotify account. Would I recommend the Mighty Vibe? Yes, mightily.
Mighty say:
"We started Mighty because we love streaming music, but found ourselves lugging our smartphone with us everywhere we went just so that we could listen to our music. We thought, there must be a better way. So we partnered with Spotify, the world's largest streaming service, and created Mighty. Mighty is the first ever portable device that plays Spotify without a phone, screen, or Internet connection.
Mighty exists to keep the music going in the times when your phone should be off or left behind. It's a simple, calm way to listen to streaming music without the bulk and distractions of your smartphone. Some people have told us that Mighty is 'the modern iPod Shuffle' and, well, we agree! The Shuffle was a glorious product for it's time and we view Mighty as the next step in the evolution of the portable music player."
