Once in a while, I am sent a product that isn’t entirely cycling related. One such product is the JBL Charge Bluetooth streaming speaker. It was on my doorstep when I returned from my summer trip to Switzerland. I love surprises, so opening the package was a good deal of fun. On initial inspection, I was quite skeptical the Charge would be something I would like to use. I assumed it would be complicated to set up, and that the sound would be less than desirable. I was proven wrong on both fronts. The instructions couldn’t be simpler, and within moments, the speaker was paired with my iPhone. It really was simple. Once paired, it will remember your device for as long as you own it, so no need to re-pair the device down the road. So, that part was easy, but next up was the sound. The first song that came up on shuffle was a tune by Moby. Heavy electronic music is a good test of a speaker, so this was more than appropriate for my first listen. The Charge was music to my ears. That such a small speaker could have such a solid and deep sound seems a bit of a miracle. It easily compares to other high end speaker systems, and is unmatched in its simplicity. It retails for $149.95, and is available in three different colors. And, for a tie in to a cycling blog, the JBL Charge can easily be strapped to a bike rack, or thrown in a bag, for music on the go while cycling. This little speaker is an amazing bit of technology with an incredibly simple user interface. JBL has a success on its hands with the Charge.
