A quick Google search will give you a seemingly endless list of speaker docks for Apple’s iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices. It’s probably going to be a bit harder finding speakers and audio components that work with other, non-Apple media players, like your Android smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, or PC. But this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing out there worthy of note. Here’s a list of excellent speakers that aren’t (just) for iPhones, iPods, and iPads.
Jawbone Jambox Wireless Speaker
The Jawbone Jambox, a $199.99 wireless Bluetooth-enabled speaker, is a sweet-looking compact speaker that’s designed to work with a wide range of media players, including smartphones, Bluetooth devices, Windows PCs, and Macs. (It also includes an auxiliary input for a wired connection to MP3 players or similar devices.) The speaker’s portable size is deceiving: with an output capacity of 85 decibels, Jambox can deliver room-filling hi-fi sound, with the ability to produce tweeter and woofer frequencies from a single dome speaker. Apart from compatibility with third-party apps like AOL Radio, Pandora, SHOUTcast, YouTube, Last.fm, Dragon Dictation, and Spotify, Jambox also includes a built-in microphone that turns the speaker into a speakerphone – perfect for wireless conference calls (via your phone or computer) on the go.
Philips Fidelio for Android
Remember Fidelio, the iPad speaker dock by Philips that we featured a few weeks back? Well, the company is now showing some love to Android users, too. Very recently, Philips unveiled a set of docking speakers designed specifically for the Android platform, including the Philips Fidelio AS111 and the Philips Fidelio 351. A free dedicated Fidelio app for Android has also been developed, which enables Android smartphones and tablets to automatically be paired with the Fidelio speakers via Bluetooth. (The app also lets you set multiple customized music alarms and receive updated weather reports.) Moreover, both speakers come with the Philips Songbird media player for Android, which discovers, plays, and syncs your media seamlessly.
And yes: both speakers function as Android docking stations, too. The innovatively designed “FlexiDock” holds your Android phone in place, regardless of manufacturer brand, regardless of the location of your phone’s connection socket: at the bottom, on the side, or on top.
The Fidelio AS111, with its elegant 360-degree design and sexy form factor, is designed for the bedroom, but its neodymium speakers deliver omni-directional sound that’s rich enough to fill other rooms in your house. The Fidelio A351, meanwhile, lets you enjoy superb gaming sound effects with its extra-precise bass pipes and bass reproduction capabilities. Both also incorporate shielding technology to block mobile phone interference.
Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker
Measuring roughly 5″ x 9.5″ x 2″ and weighing less than 3 lbs, the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker is a compact and lightweight Bluetooth-enabled speaker perfect for playing music wirelessly from your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Bluetooth, among others. It looks great in the living room – the dark gray nylon cover model is $299.95, and the dark brown leather cover model is $349.95 – but it’s an ideal speaker for on-the-go users, too. The Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, providing up to 8 hours of non-stop listening. Plus: it’s compatible with streaming apps like Pandora and Rhapsody and a number of Internet radio stations.
Soundfreaq Sound Step
The Sound Step is actually an excellent iPad companion speaker, but don’t mistake it as something that can’t be more than that. The versatile $139 speaker dock features A2DP Bluetooth connectivity and an additional USB power jack at the back, which means that it also connects to (and charges) your Android smartphones, tablets, mobile phones, Nokia or Blackberry devices, PCs, and even Bluetooth headsets. Sound is excellent, too, thanks to a 2.1 speaker configuration with a dedicated sub-woofer and Soundfreaq’s proprietary UQ3 spatial sound enhancement, which is designed for natural bass and stereo separation.
