There are a number of decent bluetooth speakers on the market (and from what I saw at a recent CES preview show, many more are on the way). Still, I've listened to few that have the versatility, portability, and good looks as the Outdoor Technology Turtle Shell Wireless Boom Box ($129.99 on Amazon as of this writing). It looks like something that might have come out of the same studio that created the Stealth Fighter. Angles on angles make its polygon shape look like it escaped from a CAD program. Yet, as high-tech as it looks, the vaguely mountainous shape, resembling a topographical map, makes it feel like it belongs outdoors, part of nature, rather than apart from it. It comes in a variety of cool colors, or you can always choose basic black.
The Turtle Shell can play sitting flat on any surface, or with an optional ($19.99) clamp it can fit to a bike handlebars. It pairs to your bluetooth device and once setup works as both a speaker and speaker-phone. It works from up to about 30' away from your phone and can go for over nine hours on a charge (depending on how loud you listen to your music).
I liked the sound. Unlike a lot of boom boxes, it does not overemphasize the bottom end, favoring instead a more neutral to high-frequency bias. If you're looking for a thumping bottom end, this isn't the speaker for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a speaker that can handle complex detail without everything going to "mud", I think you'll be impressed with the sound. It uses two upward firing speakers and a downward facing passive bass radiator.
Volume was more than adequate in the kitchen and on the road. On the other hand, as you might expect from a small speaker, this might not be the speaker you want for your outdoor dance party. I think of it more as a personal speaker than a "loud" speaker. That is not to say you can't get good volume from it, but it is not overpowering when in the wild open spaces.
Size and weight are also considerations. The speaker is small (5.6" X 3.9" X 2.1"), but not tiny. It won't fit in your pants pocket without somebody asking what is going on in there. At over a half a pound, it isn't something you'll likely forget you're carrying either.
The good news, though, is that the Turtle Shell is strong, rigid, and weather resistant. You can use it in the rain; you can wash it off in the sink.
I wish the buttons had been more clearly marked. The volume/next track functions share the same buttons and are low down on the side of the unit. They are molded in the same material as the rest of the shell, so finding them fast and easily is a problem, particularly when on a bike. Changing volume if the unit is not clamped to something is a two handed affair: since the buttons are on the side, you need one hand to hold the Turtle shell in place and another to press the buttons. Also, sometimes when I thought I had pressed it to change volume, it instead went to the next track.
Nothwithstanding its flaws, the lithium-ion battery powered Turtle Shell gives some of the best bike-ready sound on the market. It also works great as a dorm, kitchen, or patio speaker as long as your expectations for the size of the sound stage is in relative proportion to the size of the device.
