Bem Bluetooth Speaker Plugs Straight Into A Power Outlet
Bem’s new Outlet has a new take on portable Bluetooth speakers. Instead of packing a rechargeable battery, it just comes with a pair of prongs on the back so you can stick it straight into a power outlet. This does of course mean that you’re out of luck if you want to run it anywhere that doesn’t have mains electricity, but if you never use your $200 Jambox away from your kitchen counter, then you could have bought two Outlets for the same price.
The little 3×5.35×2-inch box also packs a USB port so it can act as a charger, plus jacks for audio input and output, turning it into a kind of Bluetooth version of the Airport Express, letting you hook it up to a bigger stereo and pass audio from its Bluetooth radio.
At $99, it’s hard to argue with this little speaker. If you want an all-rounder that’ll do all this only with a battery, too, then choose the more expensive Braven 650. If you want small size and big sound over everything else, choose the evergreen Jambox. What I really like about all the new BT speakers which drop into my e-mail inbox every day is that they’re really starting to specialize, which is the sign of a mature market. Even the $40 pocket-sized versions don’t sound half bad, which is quite something.
- Source bēm wireless
- Thanks Jaclyn!
Charlie Sorrel sits in his gadget nerve-center in Barcelona, Spain, and spits out words about various weird plastic widgets while the sun shines outside his iCave. Previously found at Wired.com's Gadget Lab covering cameras, power cables and sneaking in as much Apple-centric coverage as he could, Charlie spends his rare moments outside perched atop a bicycle and snapping photos. You can follow him on Twitter via 
