The best water-resistant Bluetooth speakers
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com.
If you are looking for the best all-around value in a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker today, the best one to buy is the UE Megaboom. While there are lots of less expensive models, most that truly approach the Megaboom’s performance cost about the same, and none that we’ve seen can offer its mix of sound quality, features and ruggedness. We came to this conclusion after narrowing down 50-some Bluetooth speakers to 13 water-resistant finalists and testing each of them with the Wirecutter AV team and a deep swimming pool. The $300 Megaboom is pricey, but if you have other budgetary or functional needs, we have a few other picks as well.
Who should buy a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker?
Water-resistant Bluetooth speakers are intended for outdoor or indoor use. This might seem like a feature everybody would want, but it can come with a price: Most water-resistant Bluetooth speakers don’t sound as good as the best conventional portable Bluetooth speakers, which we tested in our Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker guide.
In general, portable Bluetooth speakers are a great buy for people who own smartphones and tablets, so you can play music from them. The rechargeable battery built into the speakers lets you take them anywhere, and water resistance expands your options even further, especially in the summer months or on vacation near beaches and pools.
What features do you need?
Most people just want a Bluetooth speaker that sounds pretty good, is reasonably portable and is water-resistant. We determine ideal water resistance, we drew the line in selecting speakers with an ingress protection (IP) code rating of 4, which means they can survive a splash or a rainstorm, but we also considered speakers up to a TK rating of 7, allowing them to be fully submerged in 1 meter of water. There are also some additional features available on certain models that will appeal to some buyers: First is speakerphone function, which will let you take calls from a smartphone connected through Bluetooth. Second is pairing, which lets you link two of the same model speaker wirelessly for stereo sound or monophonic sound in two different rooms. For portable use, battery life is a major consideration.
How we tested
The author adjusts the volume levels based on the SPL measurements on the other side of the pool (the listening area). Only the large speakers were loud enough to do this. The smaller speakers were closer.
For this guide, we took a look at reviews of these speakers at leading electronics websites such as CNET and Digital Trends to narrow down a list of contenders. Additionally, we surveyed Wirecutter readers to learn what features and price points were important to them. We narrowed down our list of models to 50, and from there, we evaluated them and narrowed the finalists down to 13 models for our tests.
We tested the speakers in two rounds. First, we set up six larger models on a table across the pool from our seating area. This allowed us to hear which ones had the sonic muscle to cover a large area with sound. In the second round, we set up seven smaller models on a table about 8 feet from our seating area; with these models, all you can reasonably expect is that they’ll produce enough sound for a couple of people sitting on chaise lounges, or around a park bench or beach towel. The panelists were Wirecutter A/V editor Geoff Morrison and Wirecutter headphone editor Lauren Dragan. After their blind tests, we discussed which models delivered the best blend of performance and features for the price.
To test water resistance, we: poured water on the models we tested; tossed the floatable models in Geoff Morrison’s pool; and dunked all of the ones rated as submersible fully under the water for several minutes to make sure they kept playing.
Our pick
The UE Megaboom is available in black, red, blue, or purple, and it is designed to be used either horizontally or vertically.
The UE Megaboom sounds really good, plays loudly, and has long battery life. At $300, the Megaboom is pricey, but it delivers a lot for your money.
The rugged design is IPX7-rated, which means it can be submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. It’s about the size of a 22-ounce beer bottle, so it fits pretty easily in a suitcase or beach bag. There’s a speakerphone function, and UE claims a 100-foot range for the Bluetooth connection. Its app lets you pair two Megabooms for stereo sound or sound in two adjacent rooms. It has a big, clear, full, loud sound, (but t full blast it can distort voices a little). The battery is rated for 20 hours of playback time, though in our tests it lasted up to 30 hours.
Our runner-up
The UE Boom has a big sound for its size, plus the same app-based features as the UE Megaboom, our top pick. It can be used vertically or horizontally and is available in 16 color combinations.
Our top pick in this guide (the UE Megaboom) is a larger version of the UE Boom, which was our previous favorite. The resemblance between the two is more than cosmetic, because they also share a similar sound: the UE Boom is fuller, clearer and more robust than most Bluetooth speakers can muster. The Boom doesn’t play as loud as the Megaboom, though, and it’s not as waterproof. It will survive a splash, but not a full dunk in water. But if the Megaboom is sold out or you want something more affordable and/or more portable, the Boom (which was selling for $180 on Amazon when we wrote this) is a great choice.
A great budget pick
The Divoom Voombox Ongo is available in black, blue, orange, or red.
If $300-or even $180-is way too much for you to spend on a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker, we recommend the Divoom Voombox Ongo. It offers less battery life than our main pick: it’s estimated battery life is 8 hours, though in our tests it got 12.5 hours at full volume (playing Steely Dan’s “Aja” on repeat). Although it makes music sound natural, it has no bass to speak of, and it’s nowhere as loud as our main pick. But it retails around $60, which makes it a great deal. The Ongo has a speakerphone function and an IPX4 water-resistance rating, meaning it’ll survive some splashes and a rainstorm, but not being fully submerged. The overall combination of sound, portability, and price make it an incredibly great buy.
Wrapping it up
If you’re looking for powerful sound, combined with features and water-resistance, we think the UE Megaboom is the speaker to get. If you would like to learn more about our testing process and other speaker finalists we tested, please visit the full version of this guide.
This guide may have been updated. To see the current recommendation please go to TheWirecutter.com.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Bangalore’s police wants people to capture crimes on Periscope
Periscope is already great for showing strangers your lunch and pirating pay-per-view boxing matches, but Bangalore’s police force wants the city’s citizenry to use it for much more than that. If police commissioner MN Reddi gets his druthers, the people of India’s third largest city will soon use Twitter’s live-streaming app to capture footage of crimes in action so cops can find them and shut ’em down. (Sorry, Meerkat, you’re not needed here.)
Turning a city’s smartphones into a surveillance system is an ambitious (if a touch Orwellian) plan, but don’t expect this to become the norm too quickly. Periscope may have finally made its way to Android — which more-or-less dominates India’s mobile scene — but the cost of buying a phone and a data plan can be tough to bear, especially in impoverished and working-class sections of the city. Then again, Bangalore has the reputation of being India’s Silicon Valley, so those affluent techies could wind up spearheading this next-gen neighborhood watch program. Still, Bangalore’s police seem to get that it’ll be a while before streaming crime-catching becomes a thing, so its Periscope plans remain nice and humble for now. Their first order of streaming business? Broadcasting police press conferences to people’s phones.
Source: The Economic Times
BlackBerry and Google announce BlackBerry Enterprise partnership
It looks like the rumors swirling around BlackBerry adopting Android for their devices have finally come to fruition. The last round of rumors stated that BlackBerry would ONLY adopt Android if there would be enough control over the amount of security in those devices. This was around the same time that an image was leaked of the BlackBerry Venice which is supposedly powered by Android.
Well a URL popped up this week via BlackBerry that essentially introduces the partnership of Android with BlackBerry’s Enterprise solutions, BES12.
Android Lollipop delivers key enterprise functionality and addresses any previous enterprise security concerns. BES12 supports Android Lollipop, allowing you to confidently deploy Android devices in your organization.
Now it’s not known whether we will actually see a BlackBerry running a modified version of Android Lollipop, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. So only time will tell how this integration will actually work. However, seeing these two companies jumping into the same ship together, is a very interesting sight to see.
Via the website found below, you can find descriptions of all the different ways that BES12 can integrate and work with Android Lollipop, while keeping the same amount of security that users have become accustomed to.
Let us know what you think about this new partnership between Google and BlackBerry, and whether this is a sign of things to come for seeing Android on BlackBerry devices.
Source: BlackBerry BES12
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Samsung starts work on an 11K display of 2,250 ppi, and that’s not as crazy as it sounds
There are enough people out there that think Quad HD on a smartphone is ridiculous and completely unnecessary, and we’re guessing they won’t be too happy to hear that Samsung is already thinking beyond Quad HD. Way beyond.
According to Korea’s Electronic Times, Samsung has challenged itself to build display of an unprecedented resolution: 11k, for a pixel density of 2,250 pixels for inch. Samsung has not offered exact specifications, but throwing the numbers in a DPI Calculator shows that achieving 2,250 ppi on a mobile (5.5-inch) display would require a resolution of approximately 11,000 by 6000 pixels.
That’s absolutely crazy, given that today’s best smartphone displays offer Quad HD (2560×1440, 530ppi on a 5.5-inch screen), while the next big step is 4K (3840×2160, 800 ppi on a 5.5-inch).
The project was announced by Samsung Display executive Chu Hye Yong during a workshop in Korea. Samsung is teaming up with 13 Korean and foreign companies for this moonshot and is enlisting the help of the Korean government.
“We are hoping that we are able to show such technologies at Pyeongchang Olympics if there is a progress in developing technologies. Although some might think that 11K as ‘over specification’ that consumers do not need, this can work as a basis for Korean display industry take another leap if related materials and parts improve through this,” said Chu.
Don’t expect the project to bear fruit anytime soon. The goal is to show a working prototype of the new display by the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Many believe that even the Galaxy S6 Edge’s Quad HD screen is overkill…
Okay, but why?
Now, for the key question – why would Samsung want to develop such an extremely dense display? It’s for 3D. When you have so many pixels to work with, you can create 3D effects without the need of special glasses or other cumbersome techniques.
But it’s the rise of VR that could really push display manufacturers towards new limits of pixel density. When you strap a display a few centimeters from your eye, you can’t have too many pixels per inch. The Oculus Rift, due to launch next year, offers a resolution of 2160 x 1200, and, even if you can notice the pixelation, the experience can be amazing. Now imagine what you can do with ten times as many pixels.
If there’s any entity in the world that is able to create a display that is three times as dense as 4K, it’s Samsung. Of course, processors and batteries will need to keep up. For now, Full HD remains the standard spec, Quad HD appears in some of the nicer phones out there, and 4K displays are probably in the labs, waiting for their place in the spotlight. For more info on 4K, the manufactures that are working on it, and its effects on the industry, check out our comprehensive look at the present and future of 4K technology.
Google releases Ethernet adapter for the Chromecast in case your Wi-Fi is dodgy
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The Chromecast has cemented itself as one of the must-haves for any self respecting Google/Android fan, however the fact that it requires a Wi-Fi connection means that people with dodgy Wi-Fi connections might not be able to utilize the streaming dongle to its full potential. Thankfully, Google has finally released an ethernet adapter for the Chromecast, meaning you’ll be able to connect a physical ethernet cable from your router to your Chromecast to cut out the middleman. The adapter will run you $15 USD, however while that seems like a small sum by itself, when you factor in that the Chromecast costs $35 USD on top of that, it makes the whole package a little less attractive relative to its competitors.
While the adapters when up on the Google Store this morning, unfortunately, they’ve already sold out. No doubt Google will replenish stock at some point in the future – we’ll let you know as soon as we know. And as all things new at Google go, the ethernet adapter is currently only available in the US, but we assume availability around the world will follow very soon. If you feel like staring at the product page until it’s back in stock, you can hit the link below:
Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast
What do you think about the ethernet adapter for Chromecast? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google Store via Droid-life
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LG officially announces its mid-range LG G4 Beat smartphone
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It was inevitable that LG was going to announce a mid-range version of its flagship LG G4, and that device has been made official today as the LG G4 Beat. If you can imagine a slightly smaller, slightly less powerful version of the LG G4, and you’ve pretty much got the LG G4 Beat – headlining specs for the device include an octacore Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display and a 8MP rear camera that inherits LG’s nifty camera features like Color Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus.
Of course, the device was never meant to turn too many heads, but it is a decent offering at the mid-range, and it does have the added incentive of sharing the LG G4’s unique looks and design. Unfortunately, LG Beat devices of old have often been just a tad too expensive to truly be competitive with the likes of the Moto G, but we’ll see what the pricing is like when the device is actually available. LG says to expect the LG G4 Beat in Europe and Latin America this month with Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and others to join at a later date.
The full list of specifications for the LG G4 Beat are:
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 615 Processor
- Display: 5.2-inch Full HD IPS LCD (1920 x 1080, 423ppi)
- Memory: 8GB eMMC ROM / 1.5GB RAM
- Camera: Rear 8MP LDAF (13MP in Latin America) / Front 5MP
- Battery: 2,300mAh (removable)
- Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Size: 142.7 x 72.6 x 9.85mm
- Weight: 139g
- Network: 4G LTE / HSPA+ 42.2Mbps (3G)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC / A-GPS / Glonass / USB 2.0
- Colors: Metallic Silver / Ceramic White / Shiny Gold
- Other: In-Cell Touch / Color Spectrum Sensor / Gesture Interval Shot / Full HD 1080p Video
What do you think about the LG G4 Beat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Press Release
LG G4 BEAT DELIVERS PREMIUM DESIGN,
SUPERIOR FEATURES IN A MID-TIER PACKAGE
Advanced Display, Advanced Camera and Striking Design Come
Together to Create an Exceptional Phone Without the Exceptional PriceSEOUL, July 9, 2015 ― LG Electronics (LG) officially unveiled its newest variant of its widely praised LG G4 flagship smartphone. The LG G4 Beat1 retains the best features and functions of the LG G4, delivering value without compromising performance or usability. The LG G4 Beat will make its debut this month in key markets in Europe and Latin America, including France, Germany and Brazil before rolling out globally in markets such as Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey, among others.
The LG G4 Beat comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Display, which is clearer, sharper and more responsive than anything offered by LG before in this category. A powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 615 processor running eight cores at 1.5GHz with integrated 4G LTE delivers an optimal balance of power, performance and battery life.
LG G4 Beat’s camera features are equally as impressive as the hardware. On the back is a 8MP camera 2, supported by LG’s exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus. Manual Mode, one of the most acclaimed features in the G4, allows full creative control over every detail in each shot. LG also enhanced the 5MP front-facing shooter with Gesture Interval Shot to allow users to take four consecutive selfies with a single hand gesture, increasing the odds of capturing that perfect shot.
“Too often, mid-tier phones sacrifice overall usability in order to include that one killer feature,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our goal with the LG G4 Beat was to create a phone that was not only well- balanced in terms of display, camera, performance and design but delivered terrific value and satisfaction.”
Highlights and Features of the LG G4 Beat are:
- High Performance Multimedia made possible by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 615 Processor with Octa-Core performance and speed, which can handle Full HD 1080p playback at 60fps and capture at 30fps.
- Color Spectrum Sensor to measure the exact RGB and infrared values of ambient light and objects, resulting in colors that are truer to nature.
- Manual Mode to give users fine control over every detail of a shot, including shutter speed, ISO, exposure and white balance.
- Gesture Interval Shot improves on the original Gesture Shot by increasing the chance of getting that perfect shot even under challenging conditions.
Prices and details of availability will be announced locally at the time of launch.
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IBM reports that a 7 nanometer chip has successfully been created
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The technology of microchip manufacturing moves at a breakneck speed compared to almost everything else – just when the latest and greatest technology reaches our hands, the next best thing is already starting to come to life. This is exactly what has happened today with IBM announcing that a 7 nanometer chip has successfully been created (albeit in a test setting). If you’re not wowed by that statement alone, know that this has been a $3 billion effort by various companies including Global Foundries, Samsung and the SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering to further microchip technology. IBM says that these 7nm chips could be 50% better at power conservation and general performance which is obviously a big deal for the future of mobile devices.
Some consider 7nm to be the limit of silicon based chips so it’s going to be a period of exciting technological progress the next few years – you’ll probably start hearing about new materials being used in microchips including, for example, graphene and carbon nanotubes. Of course, while this is a huge deal in the chip manufacturing industry, we’re probably still several months, perhaps even years, away from seeing these chips in mobile devices we can hold and touch, but it really puts into perspective just how quickly technology moves while we’re going about our lives.
What do you think about the creation of a 7 nanometer chip? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Engage Halo hype train: Microsoft introduces Halo Channel on Android
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Halo 5 is still a few months away, but Microsoft has decided that we need something to help us get hyped up for the upcoming video game. Today, Halo Channel on Android was launched so that we have some kind of Halo even on our mobile devices. For those who aren’t Halo fanatics, Halo Channel was introduced prior to the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, and aimed to be a hub for Halo fans to enjoy both officially created Halo content, like the Forward Unto Dawn mini-series, and community created content as well.
While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, if you’re a Halo fanatic on an Android device, you’d be hard pressed not to download this free app today. Unless of course you’ve already exhausted all the available Halo material out there, in which case you should maybe go outside and enjoy the sunlight.
What do you think about Halo Channel on Android? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Android Police
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‘Mobile without Borders’ is T-Mobile’s latest AMPED Uncarrier move
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At the end of June John Legere, the CEO of T-Mobile, announced that they were about to amp up the company’s Uncarrier offerings in a new campaign. The first announcement brought word of Jump on Demand that lets you upgrade to select devices up to 3 times a year based on a lease price. The next big move from Magenta has been unveiled this morning and is dubbed ‘Mobile without Borders.’ Like the name would suggest, it turns your coverage are from a U.S. based coverage area to a North American coverage area.
For the more geographically challenged this new set-up gives you Unlimited calls, Unlimited texts and 4G LTE data coverage in Canada and Mexico now. A simpler explanation is that on July 15th you will be able to call to Canada and Mexico for no additional charges as well as travel to Canada and Mexico without any roaming charges. That includes data use from your allotment of 4G LTE data bucket.
The option comes pre-included in all Simple Choice plans, yes, that includes the unlimited plan as well. You also still get all that unlimited music streaming from the list of providers that don’t touch your data bucket. As for the LTE coverage, it isn’t everywhere and there isn’t a map to show you where you specific details on the LTE coverage, but there is a list of cities that will give you the high-speed data.
All your major tourist destinations are on the list with Mexico getting the longest list of LTE coverage. You should still have service in other location, you just won;t get that fast data connection. In the fine print we see that this isn’t for long-term use i.e. you must be a U.S. resident and the majority of your use must be in the U.S. I would imagine there is a cut off, but I don’t see it listed. In a nutshell, don’t think you can get service with a U.S. address and move to Mexico or Canada and be given service all year-long. T-Mobile also won’t let you be tricky by keeping the phone in the states and setting the call forwarding to a Canada or Mexico number. Finally, your Data Stash won’t roll into action while in Canada or Mexico either. Meaning you can’t save up months of data for your trip and stream Netflix for the week. You only get access to your plan, but if your plan is the Unlimited offering, then you have nothing to worry about.
If you watched the video then you know that John also let everyone know that there are more AMPED moves to come with one potentially on the horizon next week.
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Android M Developer Preview 2 is now available for Nexus 5, 6, 9 and Player
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At Google I/O 2015, Google unveiled that their next version of Android would predictably be called Android M and gave an early look at operating system with the Android M Developer Preview. It’s now time for that Preview to get update with improvements that have been made thanks to feedback from the community. Intuitively dubbed the Android M Developer Preview 2, the latest update is available on all the devices the Developer Preview was (i.e. Nexus 5, 6, 9 and Player). As for the changes made in this update, Google says that:
“The update includes a variety of enhancements and bug fixes made across the system, including those related to issues reported by developers through the external issue tracker.”
Of course, being a Preview, there are still known issues that haven’t been stamped out yet, most notably that you can’t share YouTube videos from within the app, among other things. But overall, it’s been reported that the Developer Preview has been relatively stable as a daily driver, all things considered – just don’t expect everything to be hunky dory just yet.
As for getting the update, if you’re currently already using the first Developer Preview, you should be getting an OTA update for Preview 2 anytime now. If you’re just joining the Developer Preview bandwagon now, Google says to flash the Preview to your device and wait a few hours while your device subscribes to OTA updates. For more info, check out the Preview notes on the Android website.
Have any of you been updated to the new Preview yet? Let us know your thoughts on it in the comments below.
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AIVAnet 