This is a Review of Ultra Waterproof Bluetooth wireless speaker. http://www.sw-box.com/Ultra-Waterpr...SW-BOX&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=product
As a mentioned in the past, due to so many generic wireless speaker clones, I decided to review only models with unique features. Here is something I found to be a perfect fit for this category. The whole point of wireless speaker is to be able to play and to control music or to receive calls from your phone remotely, and to be able to do that at louder volume than your phone or tablet. This bluetooth extension gives us freedom to move around within 20-30ft wireless range, but also imposes limitation since we have to keep electronics away from water and dirt. Or perhaps you are waiting for an important call and need to jump in the shower. The speaker I would like to present to you today has IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating that will allow you to play it anywhere, by the pool or even in a shower, without skipping a beat. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a rather generic plastic see-through box, you get a good 360 degree presentation of the product even before you take it out. Beside the speaker, it also comes with an accessory box with a user manual and usb power cord. The power cord is unique by having full size USB connector on one side and 3.5mm power connector on the other side. It's not your typical usb cable, but I have seen similar ones in the past so finding a replacement shouldn't be a problem. The reason such power connector is chosen for this design because every port needs to be kept sealed. Power connector is the only port in here, and the plug for this power port has a better seal since it will go deeper into the connector to make sure no moisture or dust gets inside.
Taking a closer look at the speaker itself, it has a cylindrical drum shape with a large suction cup in the back. The speaker opening comes out from the back as well, and the top has a sealed rubber buttons to control its functionality. In the middle, you have Play/Pause/Stop button, to the right/left you have multi-function volume up/down which also doubles as skip next/prev buttons, at the top there is a power button, and at the bottom you have Phone/Call button with microphone pinhole. There are physical buttons underneath of these rubber cover buttons, and they are very easy to feel and to push. As I mentioned before, the power port connector on the side is sealed with a rubber flap. With a help of a rather strong suction cup, you can attach this speaker to any smooth surface, vertical or horizontal. This becomes especially handy if you want to use it in the shower.
The pair up was very easy, and the speaker under "My Speaker" id got connected both to the phone and to the media audio. Operating range was around typical 25-30ft. The sound and call quality were just OK, nothing too outstanding, but still relatively clear and loud. Obviously, this speaker is not designed to provide audiophile quality sound or being competitive with large wireless speakers, but its sound performance was on par with other small wireless speakers I tested in the past. The main advantage of this speaker is to provide a remote sound from your phone/tablet as well as the ability to pickup calls in the "wet" environment. Furthermore, unlike so many other speakers that only let you control the volume, here you can also control the playback with Play/Pause as well as skipping to the next or the previous song. And when you are in the shower streaming your tunes from the phone, you can also pick up a phone call directly and talk without stepping out. Now, that is priceless!!!
Overall, I found this speaker to have a lot of unique features including a full playback and call controls, a very compact design, a loud clear sound, and strong suction cup. With its IP67 rating, this Bluetooth wireless speaker will become your shower's best friend and you will never miss a beat or a call even under the water! I wouldn't advice to actually keeping it for too long submerged under the water, but being splashed under the shower while attached to a wall shouldn't be a problem. Also, for $15 plus change its a great value!
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of Anker portable bluetooth 4.0 rechargeable speaker with multimedia controls: http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Bluetooth-Rechargeable-Handheld/dp/B00C4Q61Z6/
Once I opened this new portable speaker from Anker and started to read through Instruction Manual (which btw is VERY detailed!!!), the first thought that went through my head was how much functionality they cramped into one small multimedia speaker. With so many designs out there, you will be lucky to get Call pickup button in addition to volume up/down. Here, I think the only missing thing was a kitchen sink Let me go into more details.
First of all let's start with a design, a very attractive glossy cylinder shape with a speaker inside of the main body and 3 stand-off legs connecting to the base with controls. The shape is very comfortable to handle since this is a portable speaker which you might want to move around. And once you place it down - it will stay firmly on the surface thanks to it's non-skid rubber pad at the bottom. Along with a comfortable shape, also comes a comfortable weight of about 166g and dimensions of 60mm in height and 70mm in diameter. The round design and placement of the speaker makes the sound flow in every direction so you don't have to find an optimal position facing you directly. In the middle you have a strobing blue LED light which goes all the way around the speaker. Actually, I think there are two speakers hosted inside of the enclosure with a main treble sound coming from the top and a bass pumping from the bottom.
The controls on this unit cover all multimedia basis with separate buttons for play/pause/stop, volume up/down, and next/prev track skip. These buttons all double as other multimedia controls to adjust eq setting (normal, bass, treble), to mute/unmute the microphone (built in to accept your voice commands or just pickup a call and use this speaker as a speakerphone), and a lot of phone functionality such as voice dialing, answering/ending a call; redialing last number or rejecting incoming call, transferring a call from a speaker to a phone, and some more. This is a rechargeable speaker with an incredible battery life where according to Anker you will get about 8-10 hours of play time or up to 12 hours of talk time. As a mentioned before, it supports new low power bluetooth 4.0 standard and backward compatible with all other standards. Also, it supports HSP, HFP, A2DP, and AVRCP bluetooth profiles. If you want to use it as external wired speaker, you also get an option for Audio-input (Line In) which you can use with an included high quality 3.5mm male-to-male cable.
All this looks good on a paper, but the true test was to get a hands on experience with this speaker. As I expected, everything worked great! As soon as you turn on the speaker, a voice announces about the power being on, and once you pair up with a phone, voice also confirms a successful pair-up/connection. As much as I like the idea of this voice announcement, I wish there would have been a way to quiet it down or disable it (just my personal preference). Hitting Play button started default audio player right away, and I was able to adjust the volume, skip to the next/prev track, and adjust the EQ. I didn't spent too much time with call functions, but did confirm everything working as expected. The sound quality was actually very impressive for a speaker of this size. You can't obviously compare it to some other premium bt speakers that cost 5-6x times more, but still the sound was loud and clear and not tiny at all as you might expect from small speakers. As a matter of fact, it actually had a deep bass kick to it. At high volumes you can start to hear some distortion which was more noticeable with "bass" eq setting. But overall, I had no complains and was actually impressed to hear quality sound out of such small speaker.
I think this speaker would be a great enhancement to any smart phone, which brings multimedia controls to external sound without a need to even touch the phone, to use it as a speaker phone, or to use it in your car placed inside of a cup holder for streaming music without a need for any wired audio connection to your head unit. And did I mention this little guy cost $35.99 with free shipping? And as always, you get 18-month warranty from Anker which you can't beat. I definitely highly recommend this external rechargeable speaker!
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of EcoXGear EcoROX wireless rugged speaker. http://ecoxgear.com/ecorox/
With so many products I have reviewed in the past, I can tell you this was the MOST FUN review I've done to date. Wireless speakers I looked at before came in different sizes, shapes, and sound quality. But none of them offered a true waterproof design with a durable shock protection that would dare me to drop the speaker in the water or get it soaked by my kids. EcoRox got all of that with a very impressive array of additional features, although at a premium price.
I was hooked on this speaker after watching EcoXGear hilarious commercial at http://ecoxgear.com/ecoxgear-videos/ . When I received my review sample and picked up the box, I thought someone forgot to put the speaker inside. It was that light! The next surprise was actually taking it out of the box to discover how small it was. With a dimensions of about 5.3" x 2.5" x 3" and weight of under 11 oz (that's including detachable carabiner clip) - it is super portable and also really "cute" looking. My kids wanted to turn it into wall-e by putting eye stickers when I had it mounted on gorillapod. Like I said, the whole family had fun reviewing it
Although lightweight, the construction is very solid and highly durable. Beside the front and the top metal speaker grills, the edges and the sides are encapsulated in a quality rubberized material. The back is hard plastic with a tightly fitting rubber flip/gasket to seal micro-usb charging port and 3.5mm aux input. Also on the back you find a rotating loop to clip the included carabiner. The bottom has a universal mounting tripod thread that comes very handy to mount EcoRox either on tripod or any other accessory such as suction cup or bicycle handlebar. Underneath of the front grill you have 2 front firing speakers, each rated at 3W RMS for a total of 6W. The top grill covers a passive bass speaker/port. On the front top edge you also get 3 led indicators for power on, bluetooth connection, and battery status (charging status as well as an alarm when you are down to about 30min of battery charge). Speaking of charging, this little guy houses a whooping 1400 mAh battery that will enable playtime of over 10hr from full charge!!!
What I totally didn't expect was a full set of dedicated controls without any double functionality. You have a dedicated power button with led indicator, bluetooth pairing button also with led indicator when it's paired up, a separate volume up/down control, a separate skip next/prev control, and play/pause button which also picks up a call. There is also a microphone at the front bottom of the speaker. EcoRox did a decent job as a speakerphone and seamlessly switched between playing music and picking up calls. The caller on the other end didn't have any complains about sound quality or background noise. Next was the music playback test. I do realize these are small light drivers so there is no high expectations. 6W of power is pretty good for a high volume, but unfortunately at higher volume sound was somewhat distorted especially in low frequency range, and high frequency content wasn't as clear as I expected. I wasn't surprised with a results since these are no audiophile speakers. Another thing I noticed was a slightly limited bluetooth range in comparison to other speakers that can play easily at 30+ ft away from the phone, while EcoRox started to get choppy reception at half of that range when I was holding it by it's sides. In clear sight or on a tripod it was fine, only while holding it. Not sure if that was just an issue with my review unit, but in general that was also expected because of a rugged shell probably interfering with the signal sensitivity and my hands blocking it even further.
Now, here comes the best part of the review - water dunking!!! This speaker is rated at full IPX7 & IPX8. You can submerge it under the water without causing a permanent damage!!! As you can see from the pictures, I had the power on, dunk the speaker under the water, took it out and it was playing wet'or'dry without any problem. One thing to note, when you drop the speaker into the water it floats with bass port up and speaker port submerged into a water where you can't really hear the sound well. It's great to know if you are around the pool and drop EcoRox or outside in the rain or someone hoses it with a water - your speaker will be safe. But if you are planning to have this speaker floating in the pool and playing music at the same time you better off trying EcoXBT which is designed to float with a speaker facing up. It's another great speaker from EcoXGear collection which I hope to review in a near future, although its a bit larger and less portable than EcoRox.
Overall I think its a great rugged portable speaker, perfect for outdoors, by the pool or on the beach, mounted on a bike or with a suction cup in the shower, on a tripod mount or by itself or clipped to your backpack. It's not for audiophiles, but the sound quality is not that bad considering the size of the speaker/driver, and its a huge bonus to have full dedicated playback/volume controls and speakerphone functionality. It comes at a premium price which I hope after initial introduction might drop under $100 which is more reasonable for this speaker (and sound quality).
Here are the pictures.
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in a water
This is a review of Antec SP Zero bluetooth wireless speaker. http://antecmobileproducts.com/product_detail/174 , and on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Bluetooth-SP-ZERO-WP/dp/B00GX66FLI/
It looks like Antec, well known in a world of custom gaming PCs, is continuing to expand their A.M.P. line of mobile products with a new addition to the family - SP Zero wireless speaker. After their last year release of SP1, they decided to shrink down the speaker and appropriately named it SP0 (SP Zero). I know what you are going to say, another wireless speaker? don't we have already multiple-dozens of different ones released this year? I do agree, 2013 was saturated with wireless mobile products, but after testing SP Zero for the last couple of days I realized Antec actually came up with something that can make it stand out from the crowd. Here is what I found.
Packaged in a cool looking transparent display box, from a distance you can mistake this little guy for a souvenir or something cute you pick up while on vacation. This actually works to it's advantage since you can place it anywhere in the house without people even suspecting its a wireless speaker. At only 7.9 oz and all around dimensions of approximately 3.5" x 3.5" x 2", it's very lightweight and portable. SP Zero comes in a choice of 7 different color combinations, while my review unit came in white with red grill and handle accents. While the grill shell is actually plastic, the rest of the speaker along the perimeter is covered in thin protective rubbery layer and at the top you have 2 little metal handles. The speaker felt very rugged, and according to Antec is splash and rain resistant. To enhance it's rugged appeal, among included accessories with usb to micro-usb and 3.5mm audio cable you also get a carabiner for attachment to the speaker.
While examining SP Zero further, you will find a set of 3 buttons with volume -/+ and multifunction control in the middle. All 3 buttons are part of that integrated rubbery layer so they are definitely protected from any moisture getting in. Along one of the sides you will find a micro usb connector port for charging the speaker - 750mAh rechargeable internal battery which supports up to 8hr of continues music playback. Next to the charging micro-usb port, you will also find 2x 3.5mm audio ports, where one is labeled as AUX In and the other one as AUX Out. Beside being able to use a wired music source if you can't pair up wirelessly, there is another cool option to daisy chain multiple SP Zero speakers together by using the provided 3.5mm audio cable to link AUX In of one with AUX Out of the other. At the same time, this also enables SP Zero to function as wireless transmitter where you can turn any wired speaker into wireless by simply pairing up with SP Zero and attaching that wired speaker to AUX out port. Very cool bonus!
Regarding the wireless connection, pair up was easy and it was connected to my phone within seconds where it was recognized to be used with both phone and media audio. Using BT3.0, SP Zero supports all the popular A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, and HSP protocols so in addition to streaming music, you can also use it as a speaker phone. I confirmed that to be working good, and the microphone (located at the top between volume- and multi-function button) picked up my voice without any complains from the other side on the phone. After pair up, turning power on and off will be accompanied by a voice confirmation. Also, volume buttons worked as expected fine tuning the level of loudness while you can still adjust it from the phone on top of that. To my surprise, I found a working wireless range to be almost 50ft in an open area. Very impressive for such a small speaker.
But the biggest surprise came from a sound test. I actually found this little guy to be packing a decent bass punch! The front of the speaker with a blinking led is where all your mid and high frequency content going to be delivered. Opposite to that on the back side with a matching speaker grill you will find where all this bass is coming from, probably a dedicated bass port. I mean, we are not talking about a speaker with 10" sub woofer, but for a speaker driver which is about 2"-2.5" it was actually packing some decent sound with a nice bass content. As a matter of fact, Antec mentioned in their spec about their dBs proprietary technology with an enhanced bass sound. I know it will be unfair to analyze SP Zero from audiophile perspective, but these actually have a very warm sound with slightly scooped mid section to form a typical V-shaped sound.
Overall, this is a very unique looking speaker that packs a lot of great functionality and a very good sound quality. Either if you take it with you hiking or keep it outdoors by the pool, or decide to use it during house party - you definitely won't be disappointed with SP Zero.
Here are the pictures.
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Thanks for the review.
Question about pairing:
Would it be possible to set up a tasker task to automatically pair my phone to it? Or does the device require me to do something?
Thanks!
Typically with this or any other wireless/bluetooth speakers you just need to pair it up once. After that, every time you turn the power on it will connect automatically. No need to pair it up again or do anything else.
I can also recommend checking out Fragstore if you're looking for good-quality gaming souvenirs. They offer a wide choice of those, and the delivery is fast.
This is a review of Anker MP141 portable wireless Bluetooth 4.0 speaker. http://www.ianker.com/product/99ANSP9901-WSA
If you look across a majority of portable wireless speakers, most of them focus on stylish looks rather than a sound quality. There are some with better drivers and perhaps a dedicated sub-woofer, but those cost a lot of money and typically heavy and less portable. It will be hard to find anything in sub $50 range that sounds and looks good. After reviewing MP141, I think Anker got very close with their new wireless speaker to accomplish that goal. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
Arrived in a traditional Anker's environmentally friendly package box, in addition to a speaker I also found a nice velour storage pouch, detailed instructions, and high quality usb charging cable and 3.5mm audio cable - both in white color to match the speaker. The speaker itself looked really cool with all white plastic sidewalls and gray metallic mesh grill over the speaker. The controls are placed neatly along the gray stripe on one side with a rounded volume +/- and multifunction play buttons. At the bottom of the right side, you have micro-usb charging port with led, AUX In port to connect directly with a cable, and a physical On/Off button. I was very pleased to see a physical power button so there is no confusion when speaker is on or off. At the bottom of the speaker, you have a non-skid pad around the perimeter to prevent speaker from sliding, something you actually have to worry about when you are packing a powerful sound!
The minute you hold this speaker in your hand, you realize a hefty weight of 285g packed inside of this 3.1"x3.1"x2.7" cube. MP141 comes packed with 2" driver pumping 4W of power along with a bass port. It was loud enough to fill in a relative big room, and I was actually surprised how I was able to raise the volume all the way to the max without any sound distortion. I gotta say, it was very impressive! Obviously, 2" speaker can't produce a very powerful bass, but you can hear it's punch pretty good. Also, the mids and the treble were clear and detailed. In addition to being used as a speaker, it also works as a speaker phone with a mic that can clearly pick up your voice from almost 2ft away. Basically, once paired up with your phone, it connects both to a phone and media audio, and supports HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP protocols. I was also very happy that during power on and pair up there was just an audible tone and no annoying voice saying "connected", etc. Also, the wireless connection worked as far as 40ft away from the phone. Another amazing feature was the battery which can last between 15-20 hours, depending on the level of volume. Played at a medium volume it could last almost the whole day!
Overall, I found this speaker to be equally stylish and having a decent audio performance. All the controls were well laid out, the wireless bluetooth pairing and range was great, the sound was loud and clear with a nice bass punch. The speaker was very compact yet with a nice hefty weight of a powerful driver. Considering introductory price of $39.99 and Anker's 18-month warranty, I think its a great deal!
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of Favi Boomerang Mini wireless Bluetooth speaker. http://www.favientertainment.com/Audio-p/boom02-sm.htm
It's a bird... It's a plane, It's a... maybe a headphone? No, it's a new wireless Bluetooth speaker from Favi, like nothing you have seen before! With so many wireless speakers I have reviewed in the past, I wasn't 100% sure what to expect just by looking at the image on the box it arrived in. I guess Favi guys took thinking outside the "speaker" box literally to come up with Boomerang idea for their product. Have they succeeded? Let's find out!
Arrived in a box with a lot of detailed images and functionality description, I was still a little bit puzzled considering there was one picture with a silhouette wearing it around the neck and another one with a phone wedged in the middle. Taking it out of the box revealed something that resembled a folded headphone which also included bonus accessories of usb to micro-usb charging cable and 3.5mm audio cable and a detailed user's guide. The construction of the design felt very solid, especially when unfolded, made out of high quality plastic material with metal reinforcements around folding hinges and metal piece inside of "headband" for a secure springy action. The speaker itself wasn't too heavy, but still had a heft to it showing that it's not a cheap toy.
Once unfolded, you'll find 2 active speakers facing forward with a metal mesh grill at the tip of each side of "Boomerang". There is also a combination of two pairs of passive bass radiator, according to diagram on the back of the box, and two open bass port on the sides. On the inner side toward the edge there was 2 grooves to hold your smartphone in between with a decent clamping force. As a matter of fact, it was strong enough for me to pick it up easily with a phone inside, and to carry it around. While placed on the surface, you can adjust the position of the phone which changes the angle of speakers facing forward. I know there was an image of silhouette wearing these speakers around the neck, and I was actually able to fit it as well (considering I do have a thin neck), but I would NOT recommend doing that since its a very tight fit. As a standalone speaker or with a phone wedged in-between - this was one of the most interesting and innovative designs I have seen to date.
On the left side inside of Boomerang, you find the micro-USB charging port (battery lasts up to 10 hours), on/off switch, led power indicator, a mic, and AUX input to connect directly from headphone jack of your source in case if you don't want to or can't be paired up wirelessly. And speaking of that, the pair up was a breeze. As soon as I turned Favi on, I was able to discover it with my Note 2 right away, and it paired up with a phone and media audio flawlessly. Furthermore, you can also pair it up by tapping NFC area labeled with a sticker on Boomerang. The wireless range covered a typical 40ft of a distance.
In addition to media play, it also comes with a mic to be used as a speakerphone, where it performed well. But the shining star of Boomerang performance was the sound delivery! Rated at 4W, assuming 2W per speaker, sometime you don't expect much. As a matter of fact, I was a bit skeptical thinking Boomerang was more about the design and the looks rather than a sound quality. Was I in for a big surprise! These little speakers packed a hell of a loud sound presentation which I was able to crank up almost to the max without too much distortion. Though not exactly being able to drive a deep bass, the sound was actually full and clear, and had a bass punch enough to make it highly enjoyable. Also, considering that you are dealing with two speakers on each side of your phone, the sound had a good stereo separation.
Overall, I was VERY impressed with Boomerang design, quality, and sound performance. The convenience of Bluetooth and NFC pair up, a long lasting 10hr battery (depending on the volume), very innovative idea of expansion sleeve design to hold the phone, great clean sound, and a compact folding storage (wish they would have included a travel pouch) all together adds up to a great value currently available on Amazon for $59.99. Just don't get discouraged by the labeling of "iPhone" in there since Boomerang is universal for use with any phone or tablet that supports Bluetooth. This Favi Boomerang Mini speaker definitely gets my high recommendation!
Here are the pictures.
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