As should be clear by now, I'm a fan of Bluetooth speakers, both smaller pocket-size to enjoy your music, and larger units to better share the sound.
The portable speakers from Matrix Audio are clearly in the pocket-size category, but with a fun twist -- literally. The Matrix nrg and Matrix one are spheres under the size of a pool ball (2 1/2 inches) with a speaker facing out the top. Plus, you can twist them around the equator to pop open the two hemispheres with an accordion-style connection for an extra sound boost.
The Matrix nrg is a wired 3 watt speaker, with a standard 3.5mm input cable that wraps into the bottom that you can hook up to smartphones, music players, computers, and other devices.
Plus there's a separate audio output connector so you can chain multiple speakers.
It has a durable rubberized coating, with power switch and volume control, and is available for $29.
See my update on holiday gadgets -- Portable Accessories - Fall 2012 -- for more on portable devices and accessories.
The Matrix one is a 3.5 watt Bluetooth speaker that adds a mic to also work as a speakerphone.
The control switch provides wireless control to play/pause, pick up and hang up calls, and skip tracks, plus control volume in the speaker.
You also can use the speaker with a wired connection with the included miniUSB splitter cable with power (USB) and audio input (3.5mm) connectors. It's priced at $79.
Both charge though a miniUSB connector, and provide up to 14 hours of playback.
These are clever little speakers that perform as advertized to let you better enjoy your music, with the added bonus of the pop-open sound boost.
See my update on gadgets -- Portable Accessories - Fall 2012 -- for more on portable devices and accessories.
Find the Matrix one and Matrix nrg on Amazon.com