Articles about Speakers

Soundbars are great alternatives to your more traditional standing or bookshelf style speakers. This is because generally speaking, they’re designed to be slimmer and can slide under a TV or a monitor, so if you’re tight on space, soundbars are a great alternative. In fact, JBL might have something new for you.

When smart speakers first launched, there wasn’t any particularly real emphasis on the sound quality of these speakers. After all, their main purpose was to act as a hub to control smart home objects around the home amongst other things, so having the best audio quality wasn’t the main focus.

Given that Google owns its own music streaming service and how they view Apple as a rival, it’s actually interesting to see how Google’s smart speakers powered by Google Assistant, along with their smart displays, can now stream Apple Music directly from them. This is according to a recent update on Google’s blog.

Apple’s HomePod mini seems to be off to a good start at least as far as initial demand is concerned. Given that the previous HomePod could almost be considered a flop, this is a nice change of pace for Apple that could help them nab a larger slide of the market share. However, it seems that despite the positive launch, not all users are having a good time using it.

When Apple released the HomePod, Apple actually put out an advisory in which they recommended that users not to place the speakers on wooden surfaces or furnitures. This is because the HomePod comes with a silicon base that has the potential to leave marks especially on wooden surfaces.

Last month, Apple announced the HomePod mini, a smaller and cheaper version of the HomePod for just $99. It’s a pretty good deal all things considered, but in the event that it ever gets damaged and you need to pay Apple to get it fixed, you might want to just buy a new model instead.

When Apple first debuted the HomePod, it was expensive as far as smart speakers were concerned, and it never quite took off the way Apple had hoped. However, it seems that the company could be making up for that with the HomePod mini because according to the estimated delivery times, the dates are starting to slip.

As the HomePod is basically an Apple product, it’s not surprising that it only works with Apple services like Apple Music. However, if you’re not an Apple Music subscriber, you’ll be pleased to learn that in a recent update, HomePod and HomePod mini owners will be able to stream Pandora directly through the HomePod.

One of the joys of the modern age is that a lot of our home appliances and gadgets have gotten smarter. In fact, if you own a Sonos speaker and you have some General Electric appliances in your home, you might be interested to learn that Sonos and GE appliances can now communicate with each other.

Following the rumors that Apple was working on a smaller, cheaper version of the HomePod, it turns out that the rumors were right on the money because Apple has since officially taken the wraps off their latest smart speaker, the HomePod mini.

The U1 chip that debuted with the iPhone 11 last year seemed like an indication that Apple was readying its own Tile-like tracking accessory, but now according to a report from Jon Prosser, he claims that the U1 chip is actually the foundation for even bigger plans and loftier goals than just helping you find a missing object.

According to the rumors, Apple is apparently planning on creating a HomePod mini set of speakers. This device is said to be smaller and cheaper than the HomePod, and now according to a post by Kang on Weibo, it seems that the pricing of the upcoming speaker has been revealed, and we are pretty thrilled by that news.

With all the fuss surrounding smart speakers, it did not come as a surprise that Apple tossed their hat into the ring when they launched the HomePod. However, to say that the speaker received a lukewarm reception is overstating it as many were put off by the price and also the seemingly lack of features compared to other smart speakers.

If the rumors are to be believed, Apple could be working on a pair of over-ear headphones called the AirPods Studio. The headphones are rumored to be announced at Apple’s iPhone event which is supposed to be scheduled for next week, and in the meantime, the company seems to be getting ready for their launch.

Earlier this year, we had heard rumors that Google was planning a new Nest speaker. Given that Google had been slowly transitioning some of its products to the Nest brand, and with the Nest Hub Max, it makes sense that they would have a new Nest speaker that would replace the old Google Home.

If you thought that the design for Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot speakers were a little dated, then you might be interested to learn that the company has since taken the wraps off a brand new design for its Alexa-enabled speakers. As you can see in the photo above, Amazon has decided to give it a makeover, resulting in a spherical design.

JBL is no stranger when it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, with the JBL Go series being one of the company’s smallest and most affordable models. If you are looking for a simple and straight to the point Bluetooth speaker, then you might be pleased to learn that JBL has unveiled the latest model in the lineup, the JBL Go 3.

When it comes to Bose products, many in the audio community have criticized them for creating products that are overpriced for what you’re getting. However, if you do like Bose’s products, you might be interested to learn that the company has since announced their latest product, the Smart Soundbar 300 that is actually somewhat affordable.

For the most part, our electronics hate water which is why sometimes taking a Bluetooth speaker to the beach or to the pool might not necessarily be the best of ideas. However, if you’re looking for a speaker that has the ability to withstand water, then Marshall’s latest Emberton speakers might be worth checking out.

Sonos is known for their wireless speakers, but until last year, the company’s speakers relied on a WiFi connection for their wireless connectivity. However, like we said, back in 2019, the company took the wraps off the Sonos Move, Sonos’ first ever Bluetooth speaker, and now it looks like they have given it a bit of an upgrade in that battery department.