Samsung may be partly to blame for unleashing the party speaker upon the world - its Giga line launched over a decade ago - but in recent years its entrants to the field have been strangely restrained, with only small light strips along the sides. Not so with its two new Sound Towers, which add LED lights that would be impossible to miss.
JBL is expanding its portable speaker selection, introducing the JBL Grip, a midrange option for people who want a more refined look compared to the ultra-portable Clip 5 or a slimmer, exclusively vertical design, compared to the more expensive Flip 7. According to JBL, the Grip speaker's dimensions are meant to resemble a seltzer can. The Grip also features up to 14 hours of playtime, JBL's proprietary AI Sound Boost, an ambient light panel, an IP68 dust and waterproof rating, and Bluetooth Auracast.
As a music lover, I need to have something blasting in my ear holes at any given time, lest I should give in to silent insanity. I realised around the ripe age of fifteen that blasting music from your phone speaker isn't chic, and not every occasion calls for headphones, which is where my love affair with portable speakers began.
It's no secret - I'm a fan of the JBL Charge speakers, so I'm eager to get my hands on the latest iteration of the award-winning range. And that's going to happen sooner than I expected, thanks to this 30% discount over at Woot. You can get the JBL Charge 6, cut from $200 to $140 (though this deal is only live for the next 5 days).