Jambox: Small, light and impressive in sound quality

Dubai: Following the success of the original Jambox, a Bluetooth music speaker system, Jawbone has introduced a smaller and lighter version – the Mini Jambox.

The speaker system comes in nine designs that are a combination of colour and layout – for example the ‘Silver Dot’ feature dots which are more like craters, whereas the ‘Aqua Scales’ model has a more edgier design.

Apart from its looks, the device feels premium too. It’s crafted from a single piece of aluminum that serves as both the body as well as the face of the speaker. On the top are two large volume control buttons and a Play/Pause button. On the side of the speaker is the power button, the connection button, microUSB port for charging (and more) and a line in port.

It can be called as a ‘smart speaker’ – it allows for custom audio ‘prompts’. While most speakers have standard and fixed sounds for the speaker turning on or off, Bluetooth connecting, battery notification – the Mini Jambox allows for other preset sounds to be installed from the website. For example, you could have an Italian mobster saying ‘Welcome to the family’ when the speaker turns on. Apart from these, you can also install one of 9 languages for the prompt. Acoustically speaking, it is not a superior feature but it makes for a fun experience. You will need to plug in the speaker to your computer via the microUSB port and install the software.

The LiveAudio feature creates a three-dimensional sound experience with BACCH sound technology. This experience is limited to playing music through Jawbone’s mobile (Android and iOS) apps. The apps allow users to play playlists served locally as well as a few music streaming services. The ‘LiveAudio’ experience is definitely noticeably different and better – it’s impressive how good of an acoustic experience such a small speaker set can provide.

It is also not just a speaker set; the speaker also serves as a speakerphone (when connected to your phone of course) and allows you to make and receive phone calls. It allows you to configure a key to dial a frequently dialed number.

The Mini Jambox features a rechargeable battery that can be charged via the microUSB port. The play time on the battery is about 8 – 10 hours on a single charge.

The Mini Jambox is an impressive wireless speaker set, all the more so for its size. With custom prompts and LiveAudio, Jawbone has been able to build in features that separate it from the rest of the pack. However it’s a shame that LiveAudio is restricted to its mobile apps only. It is priced at Dh799.

_ The writer is a digital marketing professional based in Dubai.