Jawbone Jambox

by Volker Weber

I had this on my wish list for a very long time. And finally, it's here.

This is my perfect mobile speaker. It's tiny, but it does not sound tiny, thanks to some clever programming. A few weeks ago, Jawbone introduced a larger model with more power, but that completely defies the purpose of having a small speaker that can live in your messenger bag. I have a number of things that I always pack, like the Belkin travel router or the Kindle, and I am going to add the Jambox to that collection.

When I am traveling I miss my Sonos. I am not a TV person. It's the first thing I switch off when entering a hotel room. And I never switch it back on. What I do want is music. And wearing a headset isn't always possible, whether you are changing clothes or taking a shower. Or when there is more than one person around.

The Jambox does not have NFC, so you go through the process of pairing the speaker to your phone. It can keep two parallel connections at the same time, so you could pair your iPhone and your iPad, and use either one. The Jambox also doubles as a speaker phone. There is a button to answer the phone, and a phone call takes precedence over any music playing.

The interesting thing I did not know before getting the speaker was that it can be personalized. I added a feature called LiveAudio which provides for a spatial sound experience, and I added Siri support, so that I can just hit the call button to talk to Siri.

Size does matter with speakers. If you compare the stereo Jambox to a the mono Nokia 360, you get a sense that the Nokia speaker is more powerful. And it is. But it's also bigger, and that would mean it could not live in my messenger bag. Choices, choices. If you need more volume and a wide stereo basis, you would choose two Nokia speakers. If you need maximum portability, the Jambox is your friend.

Comments

So eine Jambox könnte ich heute gebrauchen. Und weil ich keine habe, musste eben der Play:5 in den Rucksack, um später im Kleinwalsertal auf eine Berghütte geschleppt zu werden. Was macht man nicht alles, für seine Fussball liebenden Freunde...

Thomas Lang, 2012-06-22

Last Christmas I was doing a similar purchase. My 'finalists' were the Jambox and the foxL v2 Platinum (soundmatters). I decided in favor of the foxL and use it both ways - with audio cable and Bluetooth. It is jaw dropping ;-)

Michael Friess, 2012-06-22

Hi Volker,

let's say one does a presentation in front of 20-25 people: would it be possible to use 2 jamboxes simultaneously and place them in 2 corners of the room?

Did you try them out with movies? If so, is there a noticeable delay between picture and sound...?

Alex Martin, 2012-06-22

No, you cannot pair them. But the Nokia speakers would serve you well.

Volker Weber, 2012-06-22

Kennen Sie die X-mini II Capsule Speaker (X-mini II )?
Könnte das eine Alternative für den kleinen Geldbeutel sein?

Stefan Voll, 2012-06-22

Bought the JamBox Big for the office just this week. They needed a speaker phone solution for use in a conference area that they could use with their iPhones.

Setup was very easy and pairing is fast for anybody who comes in with their phone to make a call. The big jam box sounds fantastic in the conference area. They could have gotten away with the smaller one but as this won't be moving the big one is fine.

Declan Lynch, 2012-06-22

Volker, do you see Sonos going for that market? A Sonos to go?!

Andreas Jakopec, 2012-06-23

No, I don't see that.

Volker Weber, 2012-06-23

Love the JamBox. We've got two. My wife teaches yoga and uses one for her classes. It's plenty loud for a small group. AT&T had a 50% off deal last year on phone accessories and we got the JamBoxes for $100 each.

Bob Congdon, 2012-06-25

Wow. That's an excellent deal.

Volker Weber, 2012-06-25

Thanks for that tip just before I left for the states... I got myself a nice little birthday present with an amazing sound. Love it.

Stefan Heinz, 2012-07-05

We test stuff so that you don't have to. :-)

Volker Weber, 2012-07-05

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