With the increasing adoption of smartphones and tablets, consumers have also started using wireless Bluetooth speakers to listen to music and other forms of media. Brands like Bose, Creative, JBL, Logitech, Philips, and Sony have been launching multiple devices to cater to this demand. Last week, Bose, Creative, and JBL launched multiple Bluetooth speakers in India.
Creative Sound Blaster FRee was launched with a price tag of Rs. 7,990, and it features an IPX4 splash-resistant design. The wireless Bluetooth 4.0-based portable speaker has two neodymium drivers and twin passive radiators for improved sound quality. The company is claiming that Sound Blaster FRee lasts for upto 10 hours of music playback after a full charge.
It features USB and auxiliary-in connectivity for wired connectivity through laptops or smartphones. It even features a microSD card slot (upto 32GB), and can be used as a standalone music player. The Sound Blaster FRee can also double up as a Bluetooth speakerphone when it is paired with a smartphone or cellular tablets.
JBL, which is owned by Harman Kardon, has launched four Bluetooth speakers in India – the JBL Flip 3, JBL Charge 2+, JBL Pulse 2, and JBL Xtreme – that are priced at Rs. 9,990,Rs. 12,990, Rs. 17,990, and Rs. 24,990 respectively. All these speakers feature JBL Connect technology that allows multiple speakers to be daisy chained for louder volume.
- JBL Flip 3 - It has two 8W transducers, comes in eight bright colours, and packs in a 3,000 mAh battery. It has a splash-resistant design and an inbuilt microphone.
- JBL Charge 2+ - As the name suggests, the JBL Charge 2+ can double up as a portable charger, thanks to an inbuilt 6,000 mAh battery.
- JBL Pulse 2 - It features multi-coloured LED lights around it that change the colour according to the music. A new feature called JBL Prism allows the lens to be pointed towards an object, after which the speaker changes its colour to match the colour of the pointed object.
- JBL Xtreme - It is the priciest of the bunch, and it has four transducers, two bass radiators, 2 USB ports, and a 10,000 mAh battery. It can double up as a portable charger and charge smartphones and tablets.
Bose has introduced three new wireless speakers that are aimed at the premium consumers. The Bose SoundTouch 10, SoundTouch 20 III, and SoundTouch 30 III will retail at a price of Rs 19,013, Rs 33,638, and Rs 57,263 respectively. All of them feature Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi connectivity. A smartphone and tablet app lets you control all these speakers and set up them in multi-room audio as well.
It is surprising that none of the speakers from Bose have Spotify Connect or Google Chromecast support. It would have been much nicer if Bose included DLNA, AirPlay, and Chromecast support in their SoundTouch speakers since it has dual-band Wi-Fi already. Consumers could have used multiple apps to play media through the speakers.
