ECOXGEAR ECOXBT Rugged and Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Orange)

The ECXTRA AWKWARDLY named ECOXGEAR ECOXBT speaker sounds really good for the price. It LOOKS good for the price. And, unlike any other speaker I've ever owned it FEELS good for the price! It's fun to carry and has a "rugged" rubber grip. I don't even mind when my little nephews carry it across the brook!.. While it's playing! It has a solid feel in anyone's hands.Decent bass for its size and really good mids and highs for it's price range. Of course, this depends on location, which in my case is based on the excellent waterproof design. I use it in two locations... the bathroom (sounds fantastic against a solid wall on a solid surface) AND we take it down to the brook (good volume poised on a rock in the middle of NOTHING to use as a sounding board) and I don't worry if it gets splashed by those ridiculous young nephews of mine who do nothing but SPLASH WATER as a hobby.But let's be honest about the specs... you will NOT get the stated 33 feet out of bluetooth! I put my iPhone down next to the speaker (or at least on my body, but close) to make sure it works (and often, my phone is in a waterproof ziplock snack bag). I don't think you'd get 33 feet out of ANY bluetooth speaker, so this is not a point-loising paragraph.Why not plug it in via the AUX mini-jack? Because it's not 2010 anymore and it's nice to be able to pick up your mobile phone in a water-proof $.10 Ziplock snack bag to answer texts, take calls or walk a few feet away without being reminded that cords suck (the Ziplock bag works with a new 5s fingerprint sensor too!) AND that you don't have to breach the ECOXGEAR's waterproof structure with an audio cable.But since I like to challenge manufacturers specs... battery life is awesome. I would actually say the speaker has worked more than the 10 hours ECOXGEAR says on one charge, but don't hold me to that since I usually keep the iPhone relatively close to it... I'm sure this reduces battery overhead. If you choose to tether your audio source, you will get more than 10 hours, but with no water protection.Can it get WET? Oh yes, you can drop this in the water... I suggest you pick it back up quickly and shake the water out. But first!--make sure you have re-attached the completely removable cover over the USB charging port. Why this detaches completely I have no idea... but it's why I give this a 4.5 instead of a 5. And since Amazon keeps things simple, this gets a 5.

I love this speaker system. I go kayaking, swimming, exercising, showering, disc golfing, picnicking, etc. with it and it has not let me down thus far and I use it daily. I use it with my iPhone 5 and after the initial pairing (20 sec. process) all I do is turn my bluetooth on and turn on the speaker and then BOOM, I'm jammin.As stated in the subject title I only have one gripe with this unit - The flippin Volume/Skip button. These buttons are combined for no reason so if you want to turn the volume up you have to push the +>> button and hold it for volume. If you want to skip a track you just simply push the +>> button once. Sometimes a song comes on that I want to blast and I don't hold the button down long enough and it skips the track. Very annoying when listening to Pandora or Spotify.PROS:Everything as advertised:Waterproof (tested)Loud (tested)Rugged (tested)Super easy to useLooooooong battery life (tested)Lightweight/PortableGood Bluetooth range (tested)AffordableCONS:The combination buttons (volume down/skip back | volume up/skip forward) . Keep 'em separated why don't you.Bottom Line:An incredible speaker system from a seemingly wonderful company that I will keep coming back to again and again. Thank you for making something like this and making it affordable. Recommended 100%

[January 22, 2016]My updated review after 2.5 years of ownership of the orange Ecoxgear ECOXBT I purchased back in May 24, 2013. Purchased for slightly under $100.Pros:- Waterproof- floats on water- easy to sync- even after long sessions with an audio book (6+ hours), I have never seen the battery to its end- for what it is, the sound quality is pretty good (not an audiophile myself) and loud (loud enough for having a small gathering of like 6 people and grilling outside)- portable and durable, survived many drops and I carry around almost every day in my backpack, went on vacation with itCons:- my first purchase's USB port broke, was able to return it back to Amazon, got a replacement- Mini-USB? I hope newer models come with the micro-usb port- the mini-USB port seems flaky, it would shift all the time- finally broke after 2.5 years, the mini-USB port broke, but for a device that I carry around everywhere, I'm surprised it lasted this longConclusion:Yes it finally broke but I'm willing to overlook that since it is a portable device that one does carry everywhere while being active. Lasted like 2.5 years, that is like a lifetime in electronics like this. I'm definitely thinking about buying another Ecoxgear brand speaker. Probably not this model again. Would like to upgrade. But I do recommend this device, if you plan to be active and carry it around everywhere.[January 8, 2014]Not the greatest of sound but for the durability and portability, it is excellent. It has survived several drops (lasted longer than the previous jawbone I had for two months). I have never tested it in water, so I can't attest to the claims of its waterproof nature. I mainly use it to enhance the sound of my tablet and smart phone. Works great that way especially if you are enjoying some music and movies with friends and family. It is also quite easy to sync to other bluetooth devices especially your friends. I do wish the sound quality was better but that is my case with all wireless and/or portable speakers. Battery life seems excellent. I use it probably 4-5 hours a time and sometimes don't charge it for a few days. It seems to last forever on a charge.Now the major knock on why i didn't give it a five star rating. The mini-usb port is flimsy. I actually purchased one of these previously before returning it. It only lasted a week before the mini-usb port became unstable(not holding the cable in place and properly charging the device). But I liked it other qualities, so I repurchased it after testing out other brands. After 6 months the mini-usb port is failing again and the charging cable won't stick properly. The failure is mostly due to the device being knocked over when still connected and the such. Maybe it is user error but I just wish the port was a bit more heavy duty.I will still highly recommend this device. It is still the best portable bluetooth speaker I have tried. Just be careful when the device is plugged in not to knock it over. Maybe think about getting the squaretrade warranty or something. I did and may use that or the manufacturer warranty once the duck tape I have holding the charging cable becomes unfeasible.