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Sonos One speaker now packs more powerful internals
How do you improve the Sonos One speaker when there aren't too many qualms about the basic design? If you ask Sonos, it's all about future-proofing. The company is rolling out a Gen 2 version of the One that shares the same design, but includes Bluetooth Low Energy, a newer processor and more memory. In other words, it should perform next-generation tasks that would simply be too much for the original to handle -- not that Sonos is saying just what those additions might be.
Ultimate Ears' custom-designed Boom 3 speakers match your style
Ultimate Ears' Boom speakers have usually been colorful, but there's been a catch: you've always had to pick from whatever designs UE offered, which didn't help if you thought the company's choices were too gauche. Thankfully, UE has a simple solution. It's launching a MyBoom Studio feature that lets you customize the Boom 3 with a choice of eight colors and 12 fabrics across the body, caps and volume buttons. It's not infinite customization, but you have plenty of room to be flamboyant, safe, or something in between.
Sonos is selling a limited-edition Beastie Boys speaker for charity
Prior to today, the easiest way to get the Beastie Boys on your Sonos Play:5 was to queue up your favorite songs from the trio. A new limited edition version of the speaker will always have the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers on it, even when you're listening to something else, thanks to a Beastie Boys-themed skin. Proceeds from the short run of speakers will go to charities that expand access to music and education.
Teenage Engineering reluctantly adds Bluetooth audio to OD-11 speaker
For years, Teenage Engineering has chosen not to allow its users to stream music via Bluetooth to its flagship OD-11 speakers. And that's despite it actually having a Bluetooth radio inside. The Swedish engineers have finally, reluctantly, given in and users can simply download a software update for their speaker to enable it.
LG unveils its first smart speaker with Google Assistant
LG is acting on its promise to unveil a slew of AI-powered gadgets at CES this January. The tech giant has unveiled a 2018 speaker lineup headlined by the ThinQ Speaker, a Google Assistant-powered device that promises "premium" sound alongside its smarts. It supports lossless high-resolution audio like LG's more advanced phones, and uses Meridian Audio's know-how to pump out "more natural and warm" music. The launch also hints that many of LG's newer appliances will be Assistant-savvy -- the company envisions turning on your air purifier with a voice command.
Apple's HomePod has been in and out of development since 2012
Have you wondered why it took Apple 3 years to come up with an answer to the Amazon Echo in the form of the HomePod? Apparently, it's because it wasn't really meant as an answer to the Echo. Bloomberg sources claim that work on the HomePod started in 2012 as a side project (common at Apple), and it was reportedly cancelled and resurrected "several times" as the company tried to figure out how a connected speaker would work in its lineup. It reportedly went through multiple dramatic redesigns, including a 3-foot-tall design chock-full of speakers.
Apple delays HomePod smart speaker until early 2018
We hope you weren't counting on giving (or getting) a HomePod for the holidays -- Apple has delayed the release of the Siri-powered speaker from December to early 2018. In a statement, the company said it needed a "little more time" before the device was ready for its initial release in Australia, the UK and the US. It's not yet clear how this will affect releases in other countries (we've asked the company if it can elaborate), but we wouldn't be surprised if it pushed back their releases slightly as well. They were already being asked to wait until early 2018.
Beoplay M3 is B&O’s cheapest multiroom speaker yet
Bang & Olufsen speakers generally sound pretty great, but they're also just as well-known for being very expensive. If you want to outfit a house with wireless speakers, like the Beoplay M5, it's going to get even pricier. Fortunately for those who like B&O's sound and style, there's a new, slightly less expensive option: the $299/£279 Beoplay M3. That's half the price of the Beoplay M5, which will make it a lot easier to get a handful of these and place them around your home.
Sonos will unveil a voice-controlled smart speaker on October 4th
After all that talk about voice control, Sonos is finally ready to put its money where its mouth is. The connected speaker company has sent out invitations to a New York City event on October 4th where it has some "news to share." The invitation (below) has virtually no details, but the open mouth on the front is a not-so-subtle hint as to what's coming -- it's that smart speaker that popped up in an FCC filing earlier this month. Based on the description, the device will use far-field mics to accept commands from "multiple voice platforms," which suggests that the expected Alexa support may be just the start.
Master and Dynamic developed its own concrete for its first speaker
When a company moves into a new product category, it's important to make a statement with that first device. Master & Dynamic has been designing some of the best-looking headphones you can buy for just under three years; today it's introducing its first speaker, the MA770. This isn't just any wireless speaker, though. Rather than using wood, plastic or metal for the primary material on the MA770, Master & Dynamic chose concrete. That decision led the company to develop its own composite and collaborate with world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye on the design.
B&O adds to its wireless speaker lineup with the Beolit 17
The Beolit 12 speaker was the first device introduced on Bang & Olufen's Play line of audio gear back in 2012. It was followed by the Beolit 15 in 2015 and now the company has an even larger model: the Beolit 17. As you might expect, the larger size delivers more power for the wireless speaker with 240 watts. While the overall design remains the same, the Beolit 17's speaker grill has been tweaked to remove the cable compartment. That change helps the device to pack that increased power and enhanced sound.
Samsung's stylish mobile accessories are launching worldwide
What you see above is Samsung's suite of stylish accessories, each meant to be paired with a smartphone or tablet for entertainment and functional purposes. Up until today, the company had only offered these products in South Korea, but starting in November they'll arrive at select markets worldwide. There are six peripherals total, including a wireless charging tray, a battery pack, a Bluetooth LED light, in-ear headphones and two wireless speakers (one of which features 360-degree audio). Naturally, these have one thing in common, and that's their sleek, minimalist design.
Lady Gaga album leaks through Amazon's Echo speaker
Lady Gaga is starting to reveal some of the songs on her upcoming album Joanne, but it might not be quite the controlled release she was hoping for. Fans with Amazon's Echo speakers recently discovered that they could listen to 30-second previews of currently unavailable songs from the album just by asking Alexa to "play Joanne by Lady Gaga." You couldn't do that on Apple Music, Spotify or even Amazon's own website. The trick only worked in the US and has since been shut down, but it's a reminder that it's no longer enough to hide store listings these days. If you're going to keep music under lock and key before its release, it has to be virtually non-existent online.
Sonos puts speaker controls on your iPhone's lock screen
Ask iPhone-toting Sonos speaker owners about their biggest gripe and they'll probably point to the lack of at-a-glance controls. You have to launch the app every time, which is a pain when you just want to pause a song from across the room. Life is about to get much easier, though: Sonos has updated its iOS controller app to introduce lock screen controls. They behave almost exactly like what you'd see for on-device music playback. The only big difference is that it'll identify both the source of the tunes and where they're playing. You can't switch rooms or audio sources, alas, but it's still far more convenient than unlocking your phone.
Bang and Olufsen's new compact speaker packs big sound
Bang and Olufsen is well-known for its high-end audio gear, but the Danish electronics company has a number of portable devices under its belt, too. Today, the company announced the BeoPlay A1: the company's smallest portable speaker to date. The Bluetooth-enabled accessory not only offers a wireless speaker for listening to tunes, but it's small enough to easily pack away in your rucksack. Similar to other wireless gadgets, the A1 also handles calls via a built-in microphone should the need arise. B&O touts a full 24 hours of battery life for its newest BeoPlay device, which is certainly an attractive feature.
Amazon Echo offers a choose-your-own-adventure 'Batman' story
Amazon's Echo speaker can do everything from controlling your home to ordering pizza, but its latest trick is something special... at least, if you're a fan of caped crusaders. As part of a team-up with DC Comics and Warner Bros., Amazon has launched a Choose Your Own Adventure-style interactive Batman story, "The Wayne Investigation." The tale has you telling the Echo where you want to go as you search for clues following the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. Depending on how well you do, the voice-guided game lasts anywhere between a brief 5 minutes (clearly, not the successful path) to a lengthy 40 minutes -- at that point, it's basically a radio drama for the internet era.
Bang and Olufsen couldn't convince me a speaker is worth $1,000
Bang and Olufsen is known for two things: unique design and high prices. Sometimes, the cost isn't so much of an issue if the design is matched by quality audio or a solid display panel. The company's new BeoPlay A6 is a $1,000 wireless speaker with three modes to change its sound based on where it's placed in a room. With Sonos and others already offering similar products for a fraction of the price, I was unsure if B&O's latest product would live up to steep asking price. Unfortunately, my suspicions were correct.
Libratone jumps into multi-room audio with its latest speakers
Libratone isn't content with churning out more cloth-covered wireless speakers -- it wants to muscle in on Sonos' home turf. The upscale gear maker has launched both an updated Zipp speaker and a smaller Zipp Mini (shown above) that include multi-room audio. You can link as many as six of the zipper-clad speakers over WiFi, much like some of their peers. The key, as you might have guessed, is that everything is portable. If you're jonesing to move your entire setup to a new room, you can do it without feeling like you're moving house.
Marshall's Stockwell speaker is a guitar geek's dream despite its flaws
When I first saw a Marshall-branded speaker announced some time ago, I immediately dismissed it as a gimmick. As a recovering musician, I figured the company's line of headphones and other portable audio gear was just some middle-of-the-road tech decked out in the stylings of the brand's iconic amplifiers. I began to doubt my stance recently, though, as Marshall trotted out its London smartphone aimed at folks who are serious about playing music on their daily driver. The device turned out to be a respectable piece of kit, and pushed me to finally spend some time with one of the company's speakers. With that in mind, I gave the $229 Stockwell Bluetooth option a go. While it may not be the best-sounding choice, it certainly checks all the design boxes for this former guitar player.
Samsung's 360-degree wireless speakers take aim at Sonos
Samsung's biggest announcement at IFA 2015 was the Gear S2, its long-rumored round smartwatch. But, as expected, that's not the only thing the company is showing off in Berlin, Germany. The R1, R3 and R5 are new wireless, multi-room speakers designed to take on Sonos. What makes them different than most of the competition, though, is their 360-degree enclosure -- Samsung says the ring-radiator technology powering them helps fill any room with sound. Compared to the last-generation models, the speakers revealed here at IFA are not egg-shaped, but rather feature a more tubular look. (You could always go for the R7, if that's what you're looking for.)
