UE BOOM

The Ultimate Ears (UE) division of Logitech has been making some of the best Bluetooth speakers out there for quite some time. When I reviewed the waterproof UE Roll last year, it became the no-brainer summer music purchase, especially as 9to5toys caught it dipping down to $50 a few times in the past few weeks.

The UE Roll is super-portable, mostly flat, rugged and so waterproof you can bring it into a pool with its own little floatie.  The sound quality is amazng for the small form factor and the battery lasts between 5-10 hours. This is the speaker I take with me on most trips because it is small in the backpack yet still sounds great, pairs easily with multiple devices and even has iOS/Android apps for creating alarms and checking battery. Obviously if you are throwing a house/pool party, you’ll want something more substantial like UE Boom and Megaboom.

Today UE upgraded the Roll with 15% better sound and 100-ft wireless range (up from 66-ft) along with some new color/designs (pictured above). Here’s the full official specs update …

• Blasts out 15 percent more sound, delivering epic tunes in the palm of your hand.
• Has a longer wireless range of 100-feet (up from 66-ft)
• Is available in five vibrant colors: Habanero, Tropical Anime, Volcano, Atmosphere and Sugarplum
• Offers portability and versatility like no other speaker, with the same completely waterproof (IPX 7) design, bungee cord loop and sleek, disk-shape design of UE ROLL – packing in even more without adding extra size or bulk
• Plus, it comes with its very own UE Floatie in every package, so your speaker can float right through the fun and splash up next to you

I’m not going to blow smoke … and say that this is a big upgrade. It isn’t. In fact, at at least a $30 premium over the original UE Roll, I’m going to do something I rarely ever do – recommend you buy the old model for $30 less at Amazon (Verizon and Best Buy too).  You really won’t notice any difference and that $30 bucks you save can go almost halfway into purchasing another original UE Roll to pair up for stereo sound (for 200% the sound).

Update: Best Buy has the UE Roll down to $49.99 shipped

If money’s no object and/or you need the extra 15% sound and range/color options/newest thing, head below for the full low down/video on the new $99.99 UE Roll 2.
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(TL;DR: Winner, best size, best sound, runner-up best apps, best budget, best $300)

It has been a solid year and a half since our last Big “Best Portable Bluetooth speaker” competition, though we’ve done tons of updates to it in the months since.

A lot of our favorites are still around while others have been updated and new players have emerged. And what about our previous champ: the Ultimate Ears Boom? Spoiler alert: a new winner has emerged. Read on to find out who takes our Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker award…
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kwSzsCMLghc

Logitech’s UE brand is often at the top of our list when it comes to the best bluetooth speakers around, so we’re excited that today the company introduced its latest product with the announcement of the ‘UE BOOM’. Logitech is calling this “the world’s first social music player,” and that’s due to the fact that it’s the first to offer 360-degree sound and a 15-hour rechargeable battery. That’s a nice step up from the 5-8 hours you’ll get with most Bluetooth speakers.

Logitech is also following a trend that many Bluetooth speaker manufacturers have been lately: With UE BOOM you’ll be able to wirelessly connect two UE BOOMs via a free companion app to allow for traditional right/left stereo sound and other sound settings. It’s also water and stain proof:
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