Check out our review of the Eton Rukus XL boombox.
Etón has released its new Rukus XL portable solar-powered Bluetooth wireless boom box to market today, improving the features it offers over previous models.
The Rukus XL is capable of pumping out 22 watts via eight speaker drivers (two tweeters, two woofers and four passive radiators), and with the addition of Bluetooth, can playback music wirelessly from a wide range of devices, including computers, smartphones and tablets. A Bass Boost button adds an extra layer of bass to music, just in case. Its 72-square-inch monocrystalline solar panel can recharge the XL’s battery from empty to full in five hours, though you can cut that time in half by plugging it into a power outlet with the included AC adapter.
At a full charge, the XL can keep playing music for eight hours, but that will vary if the box is also charging a portable device. Rather than outfit the box with a Lightning connector, Etón went universal by putting in a USB port instead. This allows almost any device to be charged, but it doesn’t appear that a phone can fit snugly inside the front compartment while a cable is plugged in there. If there is no cable, a phone or iPod could fit perfectly and stay in place via a strap that secures it. The compartment door closes to add an added level of protection.
A carrying handle chiseled into the box makes for easier transport. It doesn’t appear the box is splash-resistant, as some of Etón’s previous boom boxes were, but it seems to have been built with some durability in mind, given the company’s push for outdoor use.
The Rukus XL is available now at Amazon for $200.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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