The product: This is a wireless speaker, but it's called the Charge for a reason: it has a USB port that allows you to use the speaker's built-in 6,000mAh lithium-ion battery to charge other portable devices, such as a smartphone or tablet.
While all these compact speakers have their sound limitations, the Charge is one of the better-sounding speakers for its size and price point, besting the Jawbone Jambox, Beats Pill, and $99 models such as the Flip and Logitech UE Mobile Boombox.
Of course, the advantage to those models is that they're smaller and even more portable. They also offer speakerphone capabilities, which this unit lacks. But the Charge's better overall performance should tempt a lot of folks to spend the extra $50 or so.
What it offers:
The JBL Charge is a nice compromise for those who want a better-sounding portable wireless speaker but don't want to make the jump -- both in terms of size and price -- to something like the Jawbone Big Jambox or Bose SoundLink.
The advantage:
The JBL Charge is a compact portable Bluetooth speaker that sounds very good for its size and is designed to be used horizontally or vertically. It also has a built-in USB port that allows you to use the speaker's built-in 6,000mAh lithium-ion battery to charge other portable devices. And it ships with a neoprene carrying case.
The unfavorable:
No speaker-phone capabilities.
The price:
$149.95
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