With great sound, stylish looks and an affordable price, the original Jambox is easily one of the most enticing mobile speakers currently in the market. This year, Jawbone updates the package a different way with the Big Jambox, a less-portable but more powerful version of the popular speaker bar.
Measuring over twice the size of the original (10.1 x 3.2 x 3.7 inches), it’s no longer the kind of speaker you can cram into a jacket pocket for transport. Instead, the whole thing should work nice slipped into a clutch bag or even a purse, which is still plenty portable. Plus, it still fits when held in one hand, so it could work just as well as your beach and camping music gadget of choice.
The Big Jambox takes on the same familiar design as the original, complete with Yves Behar’s perforated metal grills and Bluetooth connectivity. All interfaces are available right on the frame — the playback buttons on top, power and wireless pairing on the side, and inputs (USB, 3.5mm jack) on the side.
With the bigger size, the unit now packs more powerful hardware, with a duo of active neodymium drivers and opposing dual-passive bass radiators housed inside the airtight enclosure. Battery is also upgraded to 2,600 mAh, giving you up to 15 hours of listening time while piping tunes over Bluetooth. All the great features from the original are retained, including support for the MyTalk platform (for downloading speaker updates, apps and more), LiveAudio DSP and multipoint wireless connections.
Available in three colors (Graphite Hex, White Wave and Red Dot), the Big Jambox hits stores May 15. Price is $299.
[Jawbone]