Portable Audio
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JBL updates its range of portable speakers for 2022
Pulse 5, Boombox 3 and two new versions of the PartyBox.
Soundtrap for Storytellers is Spotify's latest play for podcasters
Spotify has been snatching up companies left and right. One of the odder acquisitions was Soundtrap, an online music production tool. It just didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the company's moves. With Soundtrap for Storytellers, though, things are finally starting to come into focus. It's taken its audio editing and cloud-based collaborative chops, and used them to build something specifically for podcasters. Which, obviously, is something Spotify has become quite obsessed with. See: its recent purchases of Gimlet, Parcast and Anchor.
HiddenHUB speaker scans the room to produce the best sound
It takes a unique set of features and an interesting design for a portable speaker to turn heads these days and Hidden's newest offering is definitely intriguing. The company's HiddenRadio series was its latest release, providing pop-up pills of 360-degree sound and capacitive touch controls. This time, it's taking to Kickstarter to launch the HiddenHUB, a more well-endowed offering that goes beyond the basics, with adaptive acoustic sound, smart features and a sleek futuristic design. If you're intrigued, you can head over to its crowdfunding page today and take advantage of a limited early bird deal of $339, which is a hefty savings over its proposed $599 retail price. That's certainly not cheap, but it does sound like an interesting piece of kit, especially when it can do double duty as a glowing blue wall sconce.
The top 14 portable audio gadgets you can buy right now
We love our tunes and we're guessing that most of you do too. If you're in the market for some portable audio gear or summer's been so great that you've inflicted serious damage on your current devices, we've got a fresh list of some of the best items out there. Samsung's Level On Wireless headphones are surprisingly comfy and sound great, while UE's affordable new Roll Bluetooth speaker doesn't disappoint. There's plenty more, so check out the gallery below for a rundown of what's new in portable audio or swing by our complete buyer's guide for a full listing of gadgets in every category.
Engadget's new buyer's guide picks: LG's G4 and a ton of audio gear
It's been almost two months since we've updated our various buyer's guides, but we've made up for lost time by adding a dozen new picks. Most of those are in our portable audio category, with nearly everything replaced with something newer (or better). We've rounded out our other categories too, though, with the LG G4 ranking as one of our new favorite phones, and the Fitbit Charge and LG Watch Urbane getting nods in the wearables section. Those are some of the more notable additions, but feel free to poke around -- and stay tuned to see what we add next month.
UE's Roll speaker is a resilient flying saucer of sound
Ultimate Ears just tied up the last loose end in its product line today, replacing its aging Mini Boom speaker with the UE Roll. Instead of a rounded rectangle with mono-directional sound, this new model takes the form of a flying saucer, with a similar design as the higher-end Boom and Megaboom. Outside of its colorful exterior, there are plenty of other updates packed into this new entry-level offering. One thing that hasn't changed is the price: the UE Roll costs $100 (£100 in the UK). Starting today, you can pick one up from the Ultimate Ears website, while Best Buy will have select colors (Reef exclusively) on June 21st, followed by the Apple store on July 7th. I had a chance to test one out for a few days, and while it's a cute bit of eye candy, it still seems to hold its own among everything else in UE's lineup.
Engadget giveaway: win a Megaboom speaker courtesy of Ultimate Ears!
We've been fond of the UE Boom since its arrival in 2013 and I've personally logged dozens of hours biking to its respectable 360-degree audio output. There is, however, only so much sound you can pump out of such a small speaker and Ultimate Ears decided to increase the volume (and size) this year with its new UE Megaboom. This larger model has the same feature set as its predecessor, but the Bluetooth range has been bumped up to 100 feet, the battery life is now rated for up to 20 hours and it's waterproof, just in case the party gets messy. As before, you can pair two of the speakers using the Megaboom app for stereo sound. Like what your hearing so far? Ultimate Ears has been kind enough to provide one of these big beat boxes (err, cylinders) for two Engadget readers this week. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning one of these party rocking speakers. Winners: congratulations to Mark S. of Saint Peters, MO. and Edwin L. of Carson, CA.
Engadget's back to school guide 2013: portable audio
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! Today, we're talking portable audio. Head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as we add them throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back; in early September, we'll be giving away a ton of gear. College isn't cheap -- especially with loan rates on the rise -- but arming yourself with beats to take all over campus doesn't have to cost a fortune. If you're set on having great audio along for your cross-classroom travels, we'd like to help. As such, we've compiled a list containing nine of our favorite portable audio products that blend fun, portability, good looks and great sound across a variety of price points. Audiophile or not, don't sacrifice your sound too much this semester!
Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999
Parrot has taken some time trotting out the Zikmu Solo speaker since we first saw it at CES, but those enamored with very vertical audio can rest easy now that the unit has a North American release schedule. Both Canada and the US can buy the Philippe Starck-crafted speaker in November, when it will cost $999 for Americans in its black and white guises (sorry, no red for now). While that's a lot to pay for a 100W speaker, Parrot is counting on the unique acoustic design, a conventional iOS dock and a mix of Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi to tempt people away from the land of horizontal sound. It's undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to make a speaker dock the focus of a room -- and that's part of the point, isn't it?
Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings
As enraptured as we might be with Behringer's monolithic iNuke Boom, the 8-foot-long frame and 10,000W output don't really lend themselves to a home installation. Not unless we want to produce false positives on the USGS' earthquake meters, anyway. We're happy to say the company has addressed that domestic oversight with the iNuke Boom Junior. The iOS- and iPod-capable speaker dock won't launch nearly as large-scale an audio assault at 50W, but it's also less than a twentieth of the size of its parent; no one will need a forklift to get Junior into the living room. In spite of the less than ego-inflating dimensions, the smaller system appears balanced with discrete woofer, tweeter and mid-range components as well as separate bass control. We just wish it was slightly more futureproof. As glad as we are that the iNuke Boom Junior's $180 price at Costco spares us from raiding our retirement funds, the speaker is still using a pre-Lightning dock connector and lacks any wireless audio -- iPhone 5 owners will have to turn to an adapter or the aux-in jack. At least we won't be violating any local noise laws in the process.
Sony ships new Extra Bass headphone lineup to the US, delivers that Direct Vibe to your brain
If you'd like your Sony headphones to be a little less judgmental, we've got good news. The company's MDR-XB400, MDR-XB600 and MDR-XB800 Extra Bass headphones, along with the MDR-XB60EX in-ears, have arrived in the US for those who want low-end frequencies without the talent show branding. All four carry Sony's newer Advanced Direct Vibe to emphasize the sub-bass notes of "today's music styles" (read: electronic and hip-hop) as well as a serrated cord that keeps the cord tangling to a minimum. Working your way up the range mostly improves the frequency range, which starts at an already bass-heavy 5Hz to 22kHz in the XB400 and scales up to a tooth-rattling 3Hz to 28kHz for the XB800; you'll also see the sensitivity jump from 100dB/mW to 106. Provided you don't mind tweaking software to occasionally recover some treble, the entire collection is ready to wobble your head at prices that range from $60 for the starter XB400 headphones to $150 for the XB800.
SMS Audio outs an on-ear option for its Street by 50 headphones, ships October 7th for $180
If you're a fan of emcee-endorsed headphones, you're in luck. SMS Audio -- the folks behind the SYNC by 50 line -- has just announced another portable audio option that gets the recommendation of Mr. Jackson himself. The Street by 50 moniker now sports a wired, on-ear option to go alongside its current over-ear and in-hear offerings. These cans house 40mm pro-tuned drivers, folding hinges and memory foam cushioning while sporting Shadow Black and Ghost White color schemes. Anxious to snag some? Well, you can pre-order a set now, but they'll start shipping on October 7th -- if you're willing to shell out the requisite $179.99, of course. As for us, we're patiently waiting on the Keenan Cahill model.
Kid Koala bundles working cardboard gramophone with album, spurs on budding turntablists (video)
If you've been enough of a Kid Koala fan to have heard his original Scratchcratchratchatch mixtape, you'll remember a sample that mentioned building a "finger-powered record player." Kid Koala, also known as Eric San, certainly remembers -- buy the Limited Edition of his recently launched 12 Bit Blues album and you'll get your own functional, build-it-yourself cardboard gramophone along with a playable disc. The only further requirements are a sewing pin and some hand power. It's cheaper than tracking down the real thing, and a nod both to San's turntablist style as well as the back-to-basics nature of the music. We call it clever and potentially inspiring; just remember that you'll want some proper equipment before you DJ any house parties.
iOS 6 becomes 15 percent of Apple mobile device traffic within 24 hours
There's been some trepidation among Apple device users over the upgrade to iOS 6 given that it takes away some components while adding others. You wouldn't guess it from the initial upgrade rate, however. Both ChartBoost and Chitika have determined that about 15 percent of iOS data traffic was already coming from Apple's latest release within its first 24 hours of availability -- not bad, considering that it took Android 4.0 roughly eight months to reach a similar ratio and iOS 5 about five days to hit 20 percent. ChartBoost adds that iPhone owners were the quickest to upgrade, which is only logical when the iPhone 4S gets the most new features. The contrast between Android and iOS was entirely expected, knowing Apple's limited hardware pool and reduced carrier oversight. We're more interested in the differences between iOS versions: they suggest that whatever advantages people see in iOS 6, as well as a widespread over-the-air update system, have been enough to spur on many early adopters.
Apple trying for patent on electromotive charging, could use that confident stride to charge iPhones
We've seen the concept of electromotive (movement-based) charging before, but it usually comes at the cost of either a clunky design or a limitation to very low-power devices like watches. Apple has been experimenting with a concept that could power gadgets as big as iPhones and iPods with that spring in your step -- and without the bulk of any extra wires. A newly published patent application uses flat, printed coils to generate electromagnetic induction through movable magnets; as the device bounces around in your pocket, the magnets slide past the coils and run them through the magnetic fields they need to build electricity. It all sounds grand, but it's hard to tell from the very recent June filing whether the technology is enough to keep devices completely powered or simply delays the inevitable. We'd still suggest getting back into shape, though, in the event that morning run can one day save you from hunting down a wall outlet.
Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker spotted at FCC and HMV: take one and call Dr. Dre in the morning
The Beats by Dr. Dre badge has usually been attached to headphones and the occasional laptop or smartphone. We've never really seen it attached to dedicated speakers, however, and that's where both an FCC filing and a sighting at UK retailer HMV's online store raise a few eyebrows. The House that Dre Built appears on the edge of launching the Beats Pill, a Bluetooth wireless speaker with four drivers and a shape that more than explains the medicinal name. While we don't know just how much of that signature Beats thump we'll get, we do know from the FCC that the Pill can serve as a speakerphone, carries an aux-in jack and will last for a typical 8.5 hours on its USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery. There's also signs of a red version of Beats' Mixr headphones coming at the same time. HMV has publicly scoured its pages of any trace of a ship date or price for the Pill, but cached copies point to a £170 ($276) price and a release around September 28th -- not necessarily trustworthy figures, but they may be in the ballpark. Our only question is whether or not we'll get a dose of the Pill in the US. [Thanks, Germaine]
Focusrite launches Forte, 24-bit / 192kHz portable audio interface (video)
If you like your audio interfaces with added "on-the-go," then the new Forte from Focusrite might be worthy of your attention. The two-input four-output device has two remote control preamps with 24-bit 192kHz analog / digital converters. If you are worried that the pocket-friendly form means less space for meters etc, fear not, as an OLED display with on-screen buttons provides visual feedback, along with control over levels and even some software (DAW) parameters. There's a breakout cable included, and dedicated control software (PC and Mac) so even your devices with XLR connections will get a look in, while the aluminum casing should hold it all together nicely -- not to mention make it look pretty. How much you ask? That'd be £399 / $600 when it lands in stores in October. Promo video after the break.
JBL freshens its portable speakers with Micro II, Bluetooth-toting Flip and Micro Wireless
JBL has been on a wireless speaker kick lately -- it might as well throw some truly portable models into the equation. Accordingly, two of the three speakers it's shipping today, the Flip and Micro Wireless, sport Bluetooth audio and a 5-hour battery to cut the cord. The Flip (seen above) is the multi-talented athlete of the bunch: its design can work either upright or on its side to stuff into small spaces, and a built-in mic provides speakerphone duties. The Micro Wireless' puck shape isn't as clever, but it fits a standard 3.5mm input jack and space to clip to a carabiner or lanyard. Both these and the Micro Wireless' strictly wired counterpart, the Micro II, have a bass port to improve the low-end frequencies that are so often missing in this class of speaker. Prices may be the real incentives here: the Flip is the most expensive of the trio at $99, while the Micro Wireless and Micro II are even lighter on the wallet at respective $59 and $39 price points.
Next Apple earbuds potentially sighted in Vietnam, may fix an iconic design (video)
The pack-in earbuds for iPhones and iPods have been among the most recognizable of technology symbols for more than a decade... just not for their technical merits. They're notorious for slipping out of wearers' ears and having a mediocre sound next to just about anything else you can buy. If Tinhte's own discovery in Vietnam is authentic, Apple might be breaking with another one of its longstanding traditions this year by redesigning those earpieces for the better. Gone are the usual buds that only vaguely aim towards your ear canals. Instead, what's on show has oval tips very loosely resembling those of the Klipsch Image S4 II, and slots in at an angle to fit more directly into the canals -- not to mention more comfortably, based on early tests. We can't guarantee that these headphones are more than just the products of an ambitious third-party manufacturer, but Tinhte has had a good track record for snagging pre-release Apple gear, and that "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in Vietnam" lettering would reduce the possibilities to either a good KIRF or the real thing. One way or the other, we could know the truth soon enough.
Razer unveils its own BlackShark, black and green version ships next month for $120
Love the look of Razer's Battlefield 3-branded BlackShark headset that we laid our peepers on back at E3? Don't want to commit yourself exclusively to one title? Good news: the West Coast outfit has just announced a variant that lacks any game specifics and is clothed in the signature black and green hues. You can expect a unit that wears the same, aviator-inspired stylings as the original -- right down to the leatherette-sealed earcups, detachable boom microphone and splitter adapter cable. Sound good? Well, the unit will arrive sometime in September ready to dock your wallet $119.99. For a closer look or a bit more info, consult the gallery below and full PR after the break. %Gallery-163915%
