The diminutive Boomz Audio Mini Speaker would have been awful easy to miss at the 2012 International CES if the $40 unit had not been blasting out music loud and clear enough to get passersby to stop, lean over and take notice.
The Boomz Audio Mini Speaker and MP3 player is aimed at those who want to get decent sound from the music in their iPods and smartphones when they’re not tethered to their headsets, said Vincent Khristov, CEO of the Lake Forest, Illinois-based company.
The 2.8-ounce, 2-by-2-inch unit connects with a standard 3.5mm audio cable, thus also making it compatible with laptops, tablets, PCs and other devices. The unit can also be used as a USB speaker with an included cable, which is also used for charging the built-in lithium ion battery. A mini SD Card slot lets users take their music collections out of their smartphones and play the content back on the unit’s built-in MP3 player.
Along the bottom of the Boomz Audio Mini Speaker, which comes in red, pink, blue, green and black, are two volume buttons which double as fast forward and fast reverse keys, a play/pause/stop button, an equalizer button and a repeat button. A translucent pedestal glows when it is on and flickers while playing digital music. The battery runs from 4 to 6 hours on a charge, according to the company.
New versions of the mini speaker which will incorporate Bluetooth wireless connectivity and an FM tuner are in the works, said Khristov, whose booth was literally up against the wall at the back of a large exhibit area.
Robert S. Anthony is a New York-based technology journalist. He writes a tech blog called The Paper PC.
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This story, "Boomz Audio Mini Speaker: A Pocket-Sized Boombox for Your Smartphone" was originally published by PCWorld.