Monday, 1 July 2013

Outdoor Technology Turtle Shell Bluetooth Speaker



  
   Sometimes I like to listen to music car camping or even sparingly while backcountry camping, while packing up gear, waiting out a storm or just relaxing after a day on the water or trail.  Some would call that blasphemy, but whatever.  I get my fill of quiet time, reflection and solace regardless.  I could use my android phone with headphones or even the speaker, but headphones are restrictive and bothersome and unsocial, while the speaker’s quality is kinda tinny, and has no base.  A better solution is the Outdoor Technology Turtle Shell Bluetooth speaker.
      It can connect to my phone by Bluetooth or direct wire tot e headphone jack, and it amplifies the sound with an onboard battery, amplifier and  dual speakers.  Even better still, it is designed for the outdoors as a rugged piece of equipment, dust and highly water resistant, according to them.  The speaker also has a built in microphone if you want to use it for taking a call.  It is a simple piece of electronics, with a couple button, up and down volumes.  The jacks are the charging jack and the 3.5mm headphone jack.  That’s it.  And an on/off switch that glows different colors if it is charging or in use.  It has a long 7-10 hour playing time from the battery, which seems to be true the time I have used mine, although I haven’t done any scientific studies, it does last long.  I haven’t yet abused it either, so I will see how it goes in the long run.
     The casing is two parts.  The upper angled stealth bomber looking portion is metal, covered in some kind of silicone like coating.  The lower part is molded rubber or Thermoplastic urethane (TPU).  On the bottom are four feet, and a ¼”-20 threded insert, same as the bottom of a camera to mount to things using your favorite camera mount.  It comes with a stow bag, a 3.5mm to 3.5mm patch cable, a wall charger with a usb outlet, and a usb charger cable for use with the wall charger or plugging into a computer.
The sound is pretty big from the small package, the response across all frequencies is good.  Many people remark on how great the bass is.
     My one and only complaint so far with this is their choice for a proprietary connector for the charging, instead of a standard micro USB cable?  Why??  Why would you do that?  All the thing needs is the 5V output from the USB..  might as well use a micro usb like everyone uses nowadays, so I would always have a cable around and access to charge it instead of having to remember to lug the special cable around.  I just can’t think of a single reason to use a special cable connector, instead of using a micro USB.  Everything else about the design seems to have been well thought out.
     This is a great speaker to use outdoors -  at the beach, campsite, or even in your garden or on your patio.  There is a bike mount available for it too.  I have yet to try it while kayaking, strapped to my deck while connected to my phone in a dry bag by bluetooth, but I suspect it would do well.
 
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