To call the Fugoo speaker a “waterproof” Bluetooth speaker is really selling it short — very short. This speaker is like a Swiss Army knife with more mounts, cases and accessories than the latest reality TV star.
Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker Features:
- 360-degree sound
- 40 hour battery life
- Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
- Mini USB and 3.5mm audio ports
- Built-in speakerphone for calls or Siri/Google Now
- Available in Tough, Style or Sport Jackets
- Core unit is waterproof, shockproof and dustproof
- Warranty: 1 year
- Price: $199.99 (Style, Sport) or $229.99 (Tough)
Quality sound anywhere, anytime
“I’ve got bluetooth speakers,” I thought. “What more could the Fugoo provide that the other speakers don’t already do?” That was my initial take on the Fugoo — before I started exploring everything that makest his speaker unique. For starters, the core unit is well-designed and it easily works with one of three “Jackets” or cases for various purposes. In my case, I opted for the Tough Jacket right out of the box because, let’s face it, I’ve got four kids and well… I’ve got four kids.
I’m not going to detail all the audio nerd stuff, so if you want to learn about frequency response and nominal impedance, you’ll have to head over to Fugoo.com and dive into those geeky details. I will speak to the ease of use and sound quality.
Ease of use, first. Powering the unit on and connecting it with any device (iPhone, Mac Mini, Samsung Tab, etc.) has been a flawless experience. Devices connect in a jiffy and the audible “Connected” message confirms that you’re ready to rock and roll. In fact, the audio prompts are really nice to have since you don’t have to guess what some random sounds means. “Um, honey, what does the speaker mean when it goes bong, bong, bong?” With the Fugoo, there’s none of that.
Now the bad side of the voice prompts. When you’re in a meeting room and prepping the speaker for use in a presentation, the “connected!” voice prompt can cause a little bit of a stir. “Hello, that’s just me… powering up my Bluetooth speaker over here. I’ll just pretend that didn’t happen.” A quick Google search uncovered a nifty trick that switches between loud prompts, softer prompts and minimal prompts. Changing it to minimal now allows me to use the speaker in a more stealthy way.
The three flavors of Fugoo are definitely not on the cheap end of the spectrum when it comes to Bluetooth speakers. But Fugoo justifies the price by working flawlessly and taking a ton of abuse. Earlier this year, GearJunkie drove over the Fugoo Tough and dropped it over 30 feet — and it continued working just fine. My abuse was more on the kid spectrum, so I’ll detail it out.
The Fugoo is kid-proof
We mounted the Fugoo inside the back of the van on several road trips so the kids could listen to music or watch movies. Under that scenario, it was dropped, spilled on, smacked around and generally abused (what else do kids do). The battery life remained solid and every time we stopped for a break on long road trips, the music exited and became a part of the adventure. Let’s just say that impromptu dance parties may or may not have occured.
With a variety of mounts, the Fugoo can be strapped to a pole or attached to handlebars of a bike and removed via a simple quick-release system.
The sound is fantastic — even outdoors. Everyone commented on just how lound and clear the speaker was nearly every time we pulled it out. Again, I’m no audiophile, but I appreciated the clean, crisp sound of this speaker and have been pleasantly surprised every time I power it on.
Changing between Jackets is pretty easy, but the Tough Jacket does require a hex tool. It’s not difficult, but it did take me a couple of tries to get it to fit on correctly. The Sport and Style Jackets are much easier to change out, but do provide less protection.
The Good
- Compact size
- Life-resistant jackets and core unit
- Bring it anywhere
- Easy to pair with a myriad of devices
- Long battery life
- All kinds of mounting accessories
The Bad
- All this doesn’t come cheap
The Bottom Line: Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker
The Fugoo speaker is a solid product that’s built to withstand the rigors of life. You can take it anywhere, mount it to anything and still enjoy quality music on-the-go. It’s been kid-proof thus far and the sound remains just as clear and crisp as day one.
Buy Now: Available at Fugoo.com
