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Divoom Bluetune-Bean is a handy portable speaker

Bluetune-Bean speaker

The Divoom Bluetune-Bean is small, rechargeable Bluetooth speaker and speakerphone that is easy to hand-carry or pop into a purse. It's a bit too bulky for most pockets though, unless you wear cargo pants with pockets on the legs.

The device is a little bigger than a jumbo egg and includes a metal ring grip. There are only two buttons: the on and off switch and one to switch to a phone call. You must firmly press and hold the buttons to engage them, which tripped me up initially. An absolutely tiny little hole lets the light through to show you that it's on. The light blinks when it's ready to pair. If the rubber cover moves at all, you can no longer see the light through the hole. I lifted the rubber to look at the mechanism and cannot orient it to show the light anymore; the hole is that small.

Bluetune-bean red

The Bluetune-Bean charges through your USB port on your computer or plugged into a wall outlet. The Bean has an attached tab that protects its own mini-USB port. Divoom claims the charge lasts at least six hours and it never stopped working for me while using it. There is no way to tell how much charge is left in the device, so I recommend a daily charge, along with your iOS device.

You control the sound through your volume control on your Mac or iOS device. I tested a wide range of music, including classical, rock, hop-hop, jazz and audiobooks. To the Bean's credit it reproduces high frequencies acceptably. At my Mac's highest volume, I got little distorted sound from the Bean. Full orchestral sound came through a bit muddy with the treble registers muted a bit. I use "Wandering Star" by Portishead to test the bass sound and the Bean pushed that out, again with a small, but insignificant amount of distortion.

It plays any of your chart-topping favorites just fine -- as long as you don't care about a stereo experience. I think for most kids, this device is fine for sharing music or movie sound with friends. I just missed the channel switching in stereo sound.

As a speakerphone, it reproduces voice clearly, so it's a good choice as an iPhone speaker. Audiobooks also have good clarity. The operating range seems to be a little over 20 feet before the sound degrades.

A 20-something friend wandered in the other day and asked me if something was wrong with my Mac because the music he heard sounded "twangy and hollow." I showed him that I was using the Bluetune-Bean and not the internal speakers. He said, "Wow, I could use that!" Even though he thought the sound was unimpressive, the portability and small size of the speaker was immediately attractive to him.

The rubber covering comes in a variety of colors, including blue, yellow, red, pink, black and white. It is neither water- nor drop-proof, although it took a couple of nosedives off my desk without any noticeable effect. It comes packaged with a metal carabiner, but I don't want to walk around with it bouncing off my hip, if attached to a belt loop. The Bluetune-Bean is 3 x 2 x 2 inches and weighs 12 oz. The speaker specs include 3 w output, 80Hz to 20,000kHz frequency range and 4 Ohm impedance.

Bluetune-bean with carabiner


If you hold your hand over the speaker, you can get a minor hand massage, especially if the music has a solid bass line. Please be careful with this speaker if you have pets; it does look like a chew toy or ball, and that could be disastrous for you and a dog.

The US$29.90 price makes the Bluetune-Bean an attractive companion to your iOS or any Bluetooth-compatible device. In my opinion, it's just not a "high-quality audio experience," as advertised. While I am not a fan of the quality of this device, there are 11 reviews from owners on Amazon who love it.

Positive Notes

  • Small and easily portable.

  • Rechargeable battery.

  • Comes with charging cable.

  • Good colors with complimentary colored metal loop.

  • Clear voice and acceptable music quality.

Negative Notes

  • Bulky design.

  • Teeny indicator light.

  • No indicator when device needs recharging.

  • Not drop-proof.

  • Metal loop adds unnecessary weight.

  • No stereo experience

Giveaway

We have one bright pink Divoom Bluetune-Bean speaker to give away. 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 January 7, 214 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.

  • You may enter only once.

  • One winner will be selected and will receive a Divoom Bluetune-Bean speaker valued at $29.90

  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.