Logitech UE Mobile Boombox
Price: Rs: 8,995
Planning a trek to the mountains with your friends to the accompaniment of some soothing soft rock? Sounds good, but your portable stereo system may turn out a little too heavy for such a journey, and the screechy sounds from your mobile phone speakers just wouldn't cut it.
It was probably to address such needs that Bluetooth mobile boomboxes were created. And the latest addition to the list of such products, which comes from the Ultimate Ears (UE) wing of Logitech, goes a step further to dot the 'i' in mobile.
The first thing you notice about the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is its size, an aspect that seems completely at odds with the sound it lets out. Available in variations of black, blue-white and red-black, it is lightweight and seems just a little bigger than the clenched fist of a fairly burly man. The design is minimalistic yet state-of-the-art, and the device's tough rubberized body makes it the perfect choice for those living a life on the go - where bumps and rough tumbles become the order of the day. Indeed, I dropped it on the floor twice (once while I was first unpacking it), and the boombox did not have even the slightest crackle to show for it.
The UE Mobile Boombox is capable of being paired with eight different devices through Bluetooth, a factor that makes it an ideal in-house possession if you live in a small space and are not particularly crazy about cables running across the floor. The music playback can also be switched between two devices, and it works out as simple as pressing pause on one, and play on the other.
I found pairing the devices with the boombox quite easy; it took under a minute to establish links with both my cellphones, my tablet and my netbook. The Bluetooth connectivity was seamless, and the device looked quite at home perched on my computer table.
To test the UE Mobile Boombox for sound, I opted for Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody - a track that encompasses most of the popular genres and deals with a range of pitches in a run-time of just 6.07 minutes. The bass was quite wholesome for a device this miniature, and Freddie's vocals seemed clear indeed. However, the stereo effect - something that the song really capitalises on - failed to find adequate expression in the device, probably because its drivers are cramped so close together. Still, not something we can justifiably blame a miniature portable Bluetooth boombox for.
Now, the sound is quite high for a device of this size and the huge volume buttons on top may even tempt you to crank it up a bit, but - be warned - the music starts getting a little jarring beyond level-7.
The price tag of the UE Mobile Boombox quotes Rs 8,995 - a hefty sum when compared to its contemporaries in the market - but the sound justifies it to an extent. Give it a try if you are feeling particularly rich this week.
Rating: 4.5/5
Bag it or junk it: While it is a nifty device, there are many comparable boomboxes in the market that come with a smaller price tag
