Drifter speaker is buoyant, plays music sans smartphone

Portable speakers come in many varieties, and if you have average needs you'll probably find a model that meets your requirements, or most of them. If one of your requirements is a speaker that can hold and play your music directly, though, finding an adequate option becomes harder. Add in ruggedness and buoyancy, and the options dwindle to almost nothing. Thusly enters the Drifter, an oddly shaped speaker that you can knock into the water without risk of ruin, and that plays your music without a smartphone.

A buoyant speaker can, by its nature, float in the water. That is fine unless it is paired with a smartphone, which means it can't float too far away unless you want your music to cut out. As such, Drifter features 16GB of internal storage space and runs Android, allowing users to load it with their favorite music and play the music directly from the speaker, no MP3 player or smartphone needed.

There's a touchscreen display for controlling the speaker, which is itself rugged and able to handle outdoor use. There's integration for services like Spotify, as well as WiFi connectivity for streaming when desired. Other features include mounting clips, an integrated camera, and unique design.

Drifter isn't yet available, but you can pre-order it now from its website for $199 USD. According to the website, this is a special price, and once the pre-order period ends a regular price of $299 USD will replace it. Those who pre-order will have their speakers shipped in October of this year.

SOURCE: TechCrunch