Bose announced its new portable home speaker with support for both Alexa and Google Assistant for voice controls as well as Bluetooth connectivity today. The new speaker adds to the company"s family of smart speakers which already includes the Home Speaker 500 and 300, and the Soundbar 700 and 500.
The home speaker"s design allows it to produce sound in a 360-degree direction and it weighs 2.3 pounds. Bose claims its battery life can last up to 12 hours. The speaker"s voice pick-up system provides access to playlists, podcasts, news, weather, and smart home devices through any of the digital assistants it supports.
Regarding the product"s launch, Ben Burns, Senior Product Manager for Bose speakers, said:
“Every Bose smart speaker is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, but the Portable is the first to offer a rechargeable battery — along with a short list of features everyone wants and loves. We lived with it like anyone else would — with our families and friends, away from work — to make sure it was the kind of product we wanted to use, day after day. It was. And we think people who take it home will feel the same way.”
You can also play songs from any Apple device through AirPlay 2 and listen to Spotify songs via Spotify Connect. Bose says the speaker has a mic-off feature that can be enabled by pressing one of the buttons on top for multiple functions. When turned on, this feature disconnects the mic from the power source so that it"s impossible for anyone to listen to you.
Later this year, Bose will update the speaker to let you pair it with a Bose SoundLink speaker. Next year, you will be able to pair two Bose portable home speakers, the company says. The device comes in Triple Black and Luxe Silver and will be up for grabs from September 19 for $349.