REVIEWED: Aluratek Airstream in-flight Bluetooth audio transmitter
Upgrade your flight experience by Bluetooth enabling any in-flight entertainment system.
What is the one most important travel gadget of them all? Noise cancelling headphones. Thanks for asking. They are so incredibly useful for anyone trying to work, sleep, listen to music, or watch a movie on a long haul flight, but there is one problem; most noise cancelling headphones are now wireless. Sure, they all come with an old-fashioned 3.5 mm audio cable, but who wants to take that on a long trip? At the moment, you have to, because all in-flight entertainment systems are wired. Cue Airstream, a Bluetooth transmitter that can be plugged into in-seat in-flight entertainment systems.
Aluratek Airstream: design
Once banned from planes, short-range wireless Bluetooth accessories such as headphones and keyboards are now allowed. However, until now it’s only been possible to use them with your own smartphone or tablet. A universal Bluetooth audio transmitter, Airstream consist of one tiny 15g device that attaches to any audio device, with an adapter supplied to work with in-flight audio systems. However, it actually works in any 3.5mm audio output or headphones port, so can also be used to add wireless-ness to a hotel TV, or a hi-fi at home.
Aluratek Airstream: features
The Airstream works really simply. Once inserted into an in-flight entertainment system using the adapter supplied, it creates a Bluetooth stream that is easy enough to pair with on a smartphone. It transmits up to 33 feet away, which should mean you can walk away from your seat on an aeroplane and visit the bathroom while still listening to music or audio. However, what is even better is that airstream supports two devices at a time, so if you are travelling with someone they can also watch and listen to your movie.
Aluratek Airstream: performance
In practice the Airstream works really well. Not only is it simple to use, and thoroughly effective at what it does, but it is very small and highly portable. In fact, it is so small that it is easy to lose, so it is best kept in the same pouch as you keep your headphones. On a single charge of the Airstream works for 10 hours, which is enough to cover most long-haul flights. If you need to recharge it, it is easy to do so thanks to its use of a micro USB slot. That makes it simple to charge from a portable battery. A full charge takes about two hours. An auto sleep mode means that the air stream turns itself off after five minutes of being disconnected, which prevents it from running down unnecessarily by accident.
Aluratek Airstream: summary
The Airstream is so simple it begs the question: why did no-one think of this before? Easy to travel with, simple to use, and thoroughly effective, just make sure you buy some decent noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones to go with it.