Gadgetory

hi I'm David Carr died from cnet.com and on my left I have the original UE boom portable Bluetooth speaker and on my right I have the new UE boom - which like the original carries a list price of $200 as you can see they look almost identical on the outside but there are some small cosmetic changes the new model has a tighter weave on the fabric cover making it more durable also the flap that covers the port's is now more integrated into the unit with a groove in the top of the speaker that makes everything flush the original was water-resistant but this model is fully waterproof and youie says that even if you forget to close that little flap that covers the USB charging port and audio input you don't have to worry about any water getting inside the speaker all the other changes are on the inside youie has completely redesigned the driver so the speaker not only sounds better than the original but also plays 25% louder at its top volume that said like all these compact Bluetooth speakers it still distorts a bit at higher volumes with certain tracks but most people will be very impressed with how loud the speaker plays for its size and that it's able to deliver as full sound as it does while the driver is heavier in the new model UE took out a hidden weight that helped the original boom balance itself when lying down in the horizontal position with that weight gone the new boom weighs just about the same as the old boom at five hundred and forty eight grams or nineteen point three ounces you ease also added gesture controls you tap the top of the speaker to pause your music and double tap to skip a track forward and you'll now be able to update the speaker's firmware over the air via you ease new boom to app instead of having to connect the speaker to a computer via the app you can also pair a boom - with another UE speaker and in the future you'll be able to join up to ten UE speakers as for battery life it's rated at fifteen hours at moderate volume levels and the speaker does offer extended Bluetooth range when paired with many new smartphones while the boom - is a little pricey at $200 like the original model it remains one of our top picks in the portable bluetooth speaker category and is a great choice particularly if you're looking for a rugged wireless speaker you plan on using outdoors a lot that's the UE boom - thanks for watching