![]() ![]() The other improvement is an enhancement to the Boom's maximum volume. Anything that requires a screen will obviously prove a hurdle, however. You can use the usual voice commands, such as asking questions or requesting your device play a specific song or album. To trigger the voice controls you just need to press the Bluetooth button on the speaker and you'll get an audio prompt to begin speaking. This taps into either Siri on iOS or Google Now on Android for voice-based controls. Staying true to its promise of releasing new features as app updates, Ultimate Ears has added a new function called 'Voice' to its UE Boom 2 app. Even if you don't plan on using Block Party with multiple people, it's useful being able to connect multiple devices and jump between them on the fly. They’re able to see what has been queued, up as well as booting unruly collaborators. The ‘host’ is given all-encompassing power over the playlist, which is useful for maintaining a degree of order. This lets up to three smartphones connect to a single UE speaker to essentially queue up music and collaborate on music playback. The other new software addition is ‘Block Party’. Bluetooth Smart also makes a return, meaning you can turn the UE Boom 2 on and off through the app, saving you having to reach directly for the speaker. Pairing is made easier, thanks to the visual representation of each speaker that matches colours as well as design. This even works with Ultimate Ears’ other UE speakers, such as the UE Roll and UE Megaboom. The dedicated UE Boom app for iOS and Android lets you double up with two Booms to create a stereo pair. I more often opted to just grab my smartphone for music control. UE regularly releases new software updates for its speakers, so maybe this is something that can be tweaked in the future. Gesture controls join the power and Bluetooth buttons on the top tapping the top allows you to play, pause and skip tracks, but I found it incredibly hit-and-miss in testing. You need quite a violent, open-palmed smack for it to register an input, making it frustrating to use. They stop the speaker being a perfect cylinder, meaning you can lay it on its side without worrying it'll roll away. Giving both buttons a squeeze now gives you an audible battery readout. I was quite fond of the Tropical model I reviewed. These have some rather exciting names like ‘Tropical’ (orange and purple) and ‘Greenmachine' (two different shades of green), but there are less vibrant options such as ‘Yeti’ (white) and ‘Phantom’ (black). The mesh cover means it can be easily wiped down, and there are plenty of colour options available. It should squeeze into the side netting of most backpacks, too, so you’re well covered for outdoor pursuits. The cylindrical design, much like a Pringles can, will still fit happily into a bike’s bottle holder. ![]()
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