This speaker really reminds me of an old school alarm clock. Maybe it’s because I had one that was shaped very similarly when I was in grade school. It has a long and narrow speaker on the front and buttons on top (much like the radio and snooze buttons on an alarm clock). Maybe it’s just me, but that makes me love the design of this speaker even more. Regardless, let’s check out the Neon ultra portable wireless Bluetooth speaker in more detail.
What’s in the Box
Inside the box you’ll find the wireless Bluetooth speaker, a micro-USB charging cable (average length), and an instruction manual (English, German, French, Spanish).
Setup and Usage
This is one of the easiest wireless Bluetooth speakers to get up and running. The only setup required is turning it on (there’s an on/off switch on top) and pairing it with your mobile device. It will show up under Bluetooth devices as “BTS220.” When you turn it on, a blue LED indicator will blink on the front of the speaker and keep blinking until paired. Once paired, the LED will stop blinking, and the speaker will beep letting you know that it has been successfully connected. Note: you can connect the speaker directly to an MP3 player, computer or laptop via the MP3 link jack on the back. This is great if your computer or laptop does not have Bluetooth yet you want to use it as a speaker. Playing and controlling music through the speaker is mostly straightforward. There’s a play/pause button as well as volume up/down butero a on top. The only things missing are back/forward buttons. I don’t know about you, but these are really important to me because they allow me to keep my device locked and only control music via the speaker. It’s a bit of a pain to be forced to repeat, go back to, or skip songs all via my mobile device. A nice added bonus that may make up for these missing buttons (for some) is that the speaker supports NFC (Near Field Communication), allowing you to share music between two compatible devices that support NFC. Just touch the NFC area on your device to the NFC area on the speaker (on top) and follow the instructions on the screen. I haven’t tried this since the one device I have with NFC support doesn’t function properly. However, it’s very convenient to have if you enjoy NFC and use it regularly.
Final Thoughts
Besides the missing back/forward navigation buttons, I think the speaker is great. It looks good from all aNikes and on any surface, plus it’s very easy to use and has clear sound. The volume goes up loud, too (a bit louder than the average Bluetooth speaker). It’s also nice that it has little rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding on slippery surfaces. If you’re looking for a small, quality wireless Bluetooth speaker and don’t mind controlling your music from your mobile device, you may want to give this one by Neon a try. Neon Bluetooth Speaker (White Version)
