UE Boom portable speaker brings the noise

Ultimate ears has launched the UE Boom, a potable wireless speaker designed to survive anything you can throw at it, including rain water, mud and cider – which could make it the perfect festival gadget.

Made from a water- and stain-resistant plasma armour material normally used in military clothing, the cylindrical Boom shouldn’t rip, tear or discolour over time as it gets used and abused. The rubber construction is highly shock resistant – the Boom will shrug off drops from several feet, even when landing on hard surfaces such as concrete. The coating is also acoustically transparent, so won’t muffle sound from the internal speakers.

Designed to slot into the water bottle holder on a bike or car cup holder, the boom even comes with a carabiner clip so you can hang it off your festival rucksack. The internal speakers point outwards to create a full 360-degree wall of sound, so there’s no dead zone – which could be perfect for parties or taking outdoors.

Ultimate Ears, an offshoot of parent company Logitech, says the Boom is good for 15 hours of music playback over Bluetooth, and can fully recharge in under two hours. If a friend has one too, you can sync them together using the Android or iOS app and double up on volume, or set them up as a pair of stereo speakers.

Available in a range of colours, the UE Boom is available from today at Apple retail stores, as well as online at www.ultimateears.com for £169. We’ve already got our hands on one, and will be bringing you a full review later this week.