A few years ago, when the San Francisco company Aliph released the Jawbone — a pretty little nugget of a Bluetooth headset that offers superior “noise assassin” technology — I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. It was certainly an attractive piece of design. But I could never get past the fact that I didn’t really mind talking on a phone, no matter how many bells and whistles the Jawbone could offer.
Next week, Aliph will release its next product: a wireless speaker called the Jambox, which connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device (like a laptop, smartphone or iPad, which is being packaged as its ultimate match in Apple stores worldwide). Like the Jawbone, it offers quality and craftsmanship in the smallest possible package — think of it like a Victor JVC boombox that has been reduced to the size of a butter dish. But unlike its predecessor, the Jambox ought to have broader appeal — it certainly does for me. Like most people these days, I’d been listening to music through iTunes. But I’d been listening to iTunes through a complex system of démodé devices: in the living room, a pair of wired Logitech speakers; in the bedroom, a five-CD stereo system’s auxiliary input; and in the kitchen, a retro-looking Tivoli radio. Woe was me if I ever wanted to listen to music in the shower.
The Jambox replaces all of those half-baked solutions, and then some. There are no docks and no wires — though a stereo cord is included for those who wish to remain tethered — and the company claims its range is at least 33 feet. That, along with its compact size and rugged, high-grade rubber exterior, means it can travel with you not only to every room of the house but also to the Hamptons for the weekend or Stockholm for a business trip. (The company has included a soft-sided carrying case to make packing it a breeze.) Inside, you’ll find high-precision manufacturing more than a decade in the making: tightly machined rare earth magnets and a 30 percent glass-infused plastic that creates rigidity to increase the airtightness of the device, which in turn keeps it from losing quality on the bass and treble ends.
Even better, because the Jambox uses Bluetooth, it can connect to Aliph’s proprietary, constantly updated MyTalk system to download apps — which, at least for now, means you can use Jambox as a speakerphone or talk to text or tweet. It can even read you your e-mail — in English or in Cantonese, no less. How much longer before it’ll be able to read you the words on this page?
