ScoscheBoombottle
Latest
Scosche BoomBOTTLE brings big beats to bikes, beaches
If there's one major problem I have with most Bluetooth speakers designed for use with iOS devices, it's that they share a boring design. Let's face it; most of them look like bricks. Accessory manufacturer Scosche has broken out of the design doldrums with a new rugged wireless speaker called the BoomBOTTLE (US$149.95) that not only looks different but provides excellent sound at the same time. Read along to see how the BoomBottle works, and then enter our giveaway for one -- perfect for your summertime jaunts to the beach or those long bike rides. Design Forget those old brick speakers; Scosche has gone cylindrical with the BoomBOTTLE. It's 8 inches long, 2.85" in diameter, and just happens to fit in either a standard bicycle water bottle cage or into most car cupholders. That cylinder is covered with a shock-absorbing rubberized material, and the entire thing is weatherproof. No, not waterproof, but the BoomBOTTLE isn't going to be upset if you splash it with a little beer or if it gets rained on. BoomBOTTLE comes in neutral gray, cyan, magenta, green and yellow. BoomBOTTLE features two 3W 40 mm speakers and supports Bluetooth 4.0 with the A2DP, AVRCP and HFP profiles. The battery inside is charged through a weather-sealed micro-USB port and provides up to 10 hours of playback. The sound blasts out in all directions, so just be sure to place BoomBOTTLE in the center of a group if you're partying. Functionality One of the best features of the BoomBOTTLE is that the controls are designed for one-handed operation. There's a large power button -- pressing it for several seconds, you'll hear a woman's voice saying "power on" so there's no mistaking whether or not it's working. That same voice tells you when you're in Bluetooth pairing mode and when your smartphone or tablet is connected. Another press and hold plays a descending tone indicating that power has shut off. Two other buttons, one marked with a "-" and the other with a "+", are used to control volume or skip tracks. Volume is surprisingly loud for such a small device -- I mean it's pretty ear-blowing, making this a perfect speaker for outdoor use. If there's a negative, it's that the BoomBOTTLE doesn't deliver clear stereo sound. But that's not what it's designed for -- instead of being used in a quiet home environment, the BoomBOTTLE is made to be tossed around at a beach, thrown into a tent while camping, or to bounce around on your mountain bike while you ride the trails. For that use case, the BoomBOTTLE is perfect. You're not going to be concerned if the sound isn't as clear as you hear from your headset; instead, you're usually sharing the music with a group or listening while surrounded by the ambient sound of the city or beach. Conclusion The Scosche BoomBOTTLE is your perfect companion for outdoors sound, featuring long battery life, a rugged design, and one-handed controls with audio feedback. Pros Excellent battery life for a portable speaker Designed to take the abuse of the outdoors life Unique design that fits in bike waterbottle cages or most cup holders One-handed controls offer convenience and audio feedback Omnidirectional speaker is extremely loud Cons Somewhat pricey for a portable speaker Sound quality is somewhat muddy and has no channel separation Who is it for? The outdoor enthusiast who wants a compact and powerful Bluetooth speaker Giveaway Just in time for your summer fun, TUAW and Scosche are giving away a grey BoomBOTTLE. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 2, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Scosche BoomBOTTLE valued at $149.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
CES 2013: Scosche unveils boomBOTTLE bike speaker
Every year at CES, thousands of new products and accessories make their debut. On occasion, there's one that stands out for being completely unique and useful. Today's example is the Scosche boomBOTTLE Bluetooth speaker. While no price or availability information has been announced, the design of the boomBOTTLE will attract bike riders of all ages. It's an outdoor speaker in a weatherproof housing that's designed to slide into a bike water bottle cage (I guess you can use a Camelbak bag for your hydration needs). The rechargeable battery in the boomBOTTLE will last through your longest rides, providing 10 hours of sound per charge. Since it uses Bluetooth to receive music streamed from your iPhone or iPod touch, no wires are required. As you'd expect with something that's going to be slapped onto a bike, the boomBOTTLE has a tough shock-proof TPU exterior. There are large rubberized buttons on the device for adjusting volume or skipping tracks while riding. It can also be used as a speakerphone, in case you wish to annoy your peloton partners with business calls. When it's available, you'll have your choice of dark grey, green and yellow cases with black end caps. Scosche also announced the new, colorful lobeDOPE headphones today, as well as the RH1060 Reference Grade Bluetooth Headphones.
