Ematic ESB100 Wireless Speaker and Speakerphone Preview

If you are going to put out a portable speaker these days, you better bring something different to the table. There are simply heaps of different portable speakers on the market and each is clamoring for consumer dollars. They come in every shape, color, and size. Some have large name brands behind them, others have prominent shelf position at the local big box store. While some consumers purchase names they know or products they see on the endcaps, many are looking for a feature set. They may stand on an aisle (or skim Amazon) for hours trying to find just the right mix of features for the best price. For those consumers, you better have a well thought out feature set.

Ematic is not a name we know very well but their new ESB100 Wireless Speaker and Speakerphone looks very interesting. About the size of a softball, this portable speaker connects via Bluetooth. This gives it about a 30 foot range given a minimum of interference and walls between it and your phone or tablet. The upside of Bluetooth is that it is compatible with just about every portable device out there. You won't have to worry if you have an iPhone or Android or even if you are one of the few that thought the Windows Phone really would catch on. It'll work.

One thing we were surprised not to see on the ESB100 specifications page was an indication of the type of Bluetooth used. Usually we see something like A2DP or aptX listed letting us know that you'll be getting a high quality, two-channel stream. While you may wonder why this would be important with a single Bluetooth speaker but hold on. We're getting to that.

The Ematic ESB100 has removable grilles with either black or blue grilles included. Usually with removable grilles we see manufacturers offering a model in a certain color and then offer other colors at an additional cost. Ematic has included both the colors in the same box. Of course, the Ematic is listed as a Speaker and a Speakerphone. On the top of the unit is a call button. When you get a call, you can answer by pressing it. The built-in mic on the ESB100 allows you to be completely hands free. In fact, the Ematic ESB100 is compatible with Android voice commands and Apple's Siri. Press the call button and you can access your phone. A nice addition.

The Ematic ESB100 has a MicroSD slot compatible with up to 64GB card. But the thing that made us pay attention to the $50 Ematic ESB100 over the other Bluetooth speakers was the Aux out. Many speakers have an Aux in to allow for the non-compatible wireless streaming (Play-Fi for Android, AirPlay for iOS) devices to connect to the speaker. With an Aux output (3.5mm - cable included though we don't know if it is terminated with 3.5mm or stereo RCA), you can convert your Ematic ESB100 to a Bluetooth receiver for your home theater system. This is why we were wondering why they hadn't listed the Bluetooth specifications as this will play heavily on whether we can recommend the ESB100 or not. With high quality Bluetooth, you are looking at a considerable savings over the proprietary Bluetooth add-ons that many manufacturers offer. Add to that a 35 hour batter life and the additional speakerphone functionality, and the ESB100 looks like a pretty good deal.

Plus the ESB100 inspires happiness in all within a three foot radius. Obviously.

Conclusion

When you buy a wireless Bluetooth speaker, you expect to get a wireless Bluetooth speaker. You don't expect it to be a speakerphone that is compatible with Android Voice Commands and Siri. You don't expect it to be able to connect to your system essentially transforming it into a Bluetooth receiver for your home theater. Ematic is looking to exceed your expectations. While we're not exactly sure all the specifications of the ESB100, we like what we see so far. With a 35 hour battery, two different grille colors (both included), and a small size (about the size of a softball), the ESB100 looks like a lot of functionality that many people would want.

For more information, please visit www.ematic.us.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.