Hasta La Gadget!

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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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we have speaker docks in our sights — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here.

If there’s any post-adolescent period that deserves its own soundtrack, it’s your college years. Sure, our portable audio picks will let you jam on the go, but the best collegiate experiences are shared with friends — and listening to music should be no exception. Even if you’d prefer to keep your playlist out of your friends’ feed, be it in person or online, you’ll still need to wake up each morning, and what better way to ease into the waking world than with your favorite tracks? These speaker docks offer more functionality than your average smartphone clock, and they’re certainly better equipped to play DJ when it comes time to close the books. Join us past the break for our 2012 picks.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: docks and clocks

Filed under: Misc, Household

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: docks and clocks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JBL has been a big name in the speaker market for many years. The company makes speakers for all sorts of needs from home theater to in-car audio to desktop use for computer users. JBL has announced new speakers that are now available in the UK in the Jembe range.

There are two different sets of JBL Jembe speakers available, and both sets are designed to be used with computers or laptops and support the iPad, iPhone, and anything else that has a 3.5 mm output. There are two sets of speakers in the Jembe range including the standard wired set and the Jembe Wireless desktop speakers.

The wireless speakers use Bluetooth technology to connect to laptops, smartphones, tablets, and any other device supporting Bluetooth technology. Each speaker has its own integrated amplifier, and both wired and wireless versions have a special Slipstream port designed to enhance bass. The speakers are only offered in black.

Both wired and wireless versions have a volume control knob on top of one speaker for adjustment, and the power controls are found on top of one of the speakers. Each speaker measures 4 3/16 x 4 3/16 x 5 5/16 inches. The wired Jembe two-piece speaker system is available for £49.99 with the wireless speaker system going for £69.99. Each speaker has 6 W of power and a frequency response of 80 Hz to 20 kHz.

JBL launches Jembe desktop speakers is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re a fan of portable speakers like the Jawbone Jambox, you might want to check out JBL’s upcoming offering – the JBL Soundfly. Recently spotted at the FCC, the Soundfly is a portable Bluetooth speaker that plugs directly into an AC outlet. While this means you won’t have to deal with any cables, it also means that you’ll have limited choices when it comes to choosing where to mount the Soundfly – pretty ironic since freedom usually comes with wireless devices. Other than that little quirk it seems like a pretty elegant device that does what it’s supposed to.

No word on pricing or a release date, but if it’s already visited the FCC it shouldn’t be too long now. Stay tuned for more details.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Panasonic Eluga Live tablet hits the FCC, New PlayStation 3 (CECH-4000) model appears,