The DBoom ($129.95) is not just another portable Bluetooth speaker. While it does connect via Bluetooth, it also connects with NFC. Of course, Apple products are not currently capable of communicating with near field communication. But as MuseMini says, it's planning for "today’s and tomorrow’s wireless devices."
One of the limitations of NFC is that it’s meant for proximal communications, so you can’t be across the room or very far away from the speaker with your transmitting device.
Another fun feature of DBoom speakers is that they're very colorful; they come in blue white, black red, and pink. But the really fun part is that you can design your own or select from a variety of skins to customize the look of your personal speaker.
What about the quality? To my tin ear, the quality seems surprisingly good for a small portable speaker. I am continually amazed at the fidelity produced by these little boxes. This one measures 7.5 x 2.75 x 3 inches and weighs just over a pound.
It has 6 watts of stereo output from two high fidelity audio drivers with passive subwoofers for a rich bass that puts the boom in DBoom. The rechargeable 2600mAH lithium-ion battery gives you up to 12 hours of listening time at full volume and 20 hours at half volume. It can take up to four hours to charge the battery fully. Also, unlike Apple products, you can exchange the battery yourself for more play time.
It is also a hands-free speaker system with a built-in microphone. When connected to your phone, it will automatically interrupt the music playing and broadcast your phone call. When the call is finished, the music starts playing again. There is also a button for this purpose.
For even more boom, you can connect as many DBoom boxes as you like in a daisy chain with a 3.5mm jack cable.
In the box, you get a nice, drawstring tote bag, a double male 3.5 mm jack, and a micro USB charging cable. There is also a voucher for a free skin of your choice.
On the back there is a power switch that announces “power on” and “power off,” a USB charging port, and in and out 3.5 audio ports. The NFC chip also resides on the back. On the front, there are three buttons, two for volume control, and one for phone calls.
These little power houses are not cheap at $129 a pop, so I don’t know how many you would want to daisy chain, but it’s nice to know you can do it if you wish.
And good news! MuseMini is offering a special discount for iPhone Life readers. If you shop online at www.musemini.com, use the discount code "iPhoneLife15" for 15 percent off your purchase!