Hasta La Gadget!

Do you remember the singer Shaggy with his mega hit many years ago, Mr. Bombastic? Well, that certainly set off a trend in speak-nging (speaking/singing, you heard it here first!), and I guess that “better late than never” applies to the Boombotix Bluetooth Street Speaker. The Gunmetal Grey and Purplex Purple colors will retail for £49.99, while those who want something different can settle for the Camouflage and Carbon Fiber make up which will cost you 10 quid more, that is £59.99. So, what can the Boombotix Bluetooth Street Speaker deliver in terms of performance?

Touted to fuse urban style with quality audio, the Boombotix Street Speaker relies on Bluetooth connectivity to hook up to your media playback devices. You can clip it to your belt, slip it in a bag or hook it up to a bike, and voila – here you are, a veritable, walking library of tunes that you can share with the rest of the world. Of course, who are we to stop you from just leaving it perched on your desk? That’d be defeating the purpose of its existence though, as if you settle for the latter, you might as well purchase a more decent set of desktop speakers.

Offering up to 8 hours of non-stop audio playback, the battery requires approximately a full hour to recharge. It is also showerproof, and despite being wireless, an aux input is there just in case you have non-Bluetooth devices that want to share the music love.

[ Boombotix Bluetooth Street Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nokia may have partnered with Monster for its last batch of Lumia-focused audio wares, but now JBL is also in on the deal. Say hello to first product from Nokia and JBL, the successor to the Play 360 portable speaker, dubbed PlayUp. The noiseybox is packed with Bluetooth and NFC, and as for the design, it’s made to complement “current and future Lumia smartphones.” Like the Play 360, the PlayUp is a cylindrical, top-shooting speaker with physical volume controls, a large power button near the bottom and a 3.5mm jack for plugging in PMPs. The PlayUp weighs 760g and it measures in at 118 x 118 x 128mm — a fair bit chunkier that the 360 (110 x 110 x 124mm and 514g). Despite the heft, the PlayUp’s battery is rated for 10 hours of use, which is disappointingly just under half of the 360’s replaceable cell. Charging gets handled via micro-USB and — thankfully — a wall adapter is included.

Naturally, the notable change is JBL’s baked-in audio expertise. The unit can pump out a healthy 89dB of volume (aided by a bass port), which isn’t shabby, but still shy of the ear-ringing 120dB the $99 UE Mobile BoomBox can produce. There’s no word on whether tow units can pair wireless stereo like its elder, or what version of Bluetooth is packed inside, but we’ll be sure to let you know once we find out. Nokia also plans to release an app for the device to allow for remote control.

Given that Nokia has knack for consistency across its products, it’s likely that the white, black, cyan and bright yellow color choices will match up with the WP 8-loaded Lumias at their September 5th unveiling. The PlayUp will be available for €149 (about $186) before the year is out, which includes a travel pouch and a 3.5mm audio cable. In the meantime, hit the source link for more details.

Filed under: Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Wireless, Mobile

Nokia and JBL’s PlayUp NFC-equipped Bluetooth speaker wants to pair up with your Lumia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All right, once I am done with the $29.99 Satechi Swift Bluetooth Speaker, I do not think I will be touching on Bluetooth speakers for quite some time in the future unless they are really outstanding devices in their own right. After all, when you’ve seen one of them, you have more or less seen the rest. What makes the Satechi Swift Bluetooth Speaker different from the rest of the crowd then? This cleverly designed portable speaker will come with a sleek, black glossy exterior that is guaranteed to be a fingerprint magnet, where it allows you to stream high quality audio anytime, anywhere from any Bluetooth-enabled device.

It tips the scales at a featherweight 4.3 ounces, making it an ideal into just about any purse, carry-on or backpack so that you end up with what is deemed to be the perfect travel accessory. Capable of streaming audio up to 33 feet away from the source (barring any obstacles like walls, of course), the Satechi Swift Bluetooth Speaker will come with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can last for up to 4 hours of talk time, 3 hours of playback and up to 300 hours of stand-by. It even comes with an integrated multi-function button which can activate voice dialing or Siri on iPhone 4S for some hands-free action.

[ Satechi Swift Bluetooth Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We do have our fair share of gadgets that we carry around (and rather fondly, too) these days, where smartphones are definitely one of the staple items. The thing is, smartphones, if one were to tap into their full array of functions and features, will more or less end up with a near depleted battery even before you retire for the night. Good thing a good night’s sleep go hand in hand with the $179.99 Braven 625s Bluetooth Speaker and Smartphone Charger. Yes sir, the Braven 625s will serve as a speaker to play those soothing tunes as you retire for the night, it will also double up as a charger for your smartphone.

As a Bluetooth speaker, it would work just nice at home – be it in the living room, bedroom or kitchen, but there is another aspect to the Braven 625s that you might want to consider. It was designed for outdoor use, and is capable of rocking out 6w of total output. In addition, it carries with it a rather beefy 1700 mAh portable USB power bank, now how about that?

[ Braven 625s Bluetooth Speaker And Smartphone Charger copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Move over, Pantene, because you may need to make room for a new addition to showers across the globe. That’s because the iShower, a water-resistant music system for use as you get squeaky clean, is now shipping for $100. Despite its name, the iShower should have no trouble playing the compatibility game, thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity with support for up to five paired devices. What’s more, you won’t need to bust out the tools to install the iShower, as the mounting system’s built-in adhesive lets you pretend to be a handyman without doing any real work — the unit can also be hung over the shower head if you’re wary of sticky residue. The music system runs on three AA batteries and provides up to 15 hours of sudsy listening time, and there’s even a built-in clock, for those unfortunate mornings when you need to cut the rock operas short. To see the system in action, just hop the break for a demonstration of the iShower from the company’s CEO.

Continue reading iShower is ready to get wet: water-resistant Bluetooth speaker now shipping for $100

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

iShower is ready to get wet: water-resistant Bluetooth speaker now shipping for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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