Waterproof ECOXPRO Speaker Holds iPhone Safe Inside [Review]

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In the shower, or on the beach, the ECOXPRO will keep your iPhone safe. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

 

It has the word “cox” in the name, and you can play with it whilst naked in the bathroom, but that’s where the childish jokes end. The ECOXPRO is a waterproof speaker with a snug and safe chamber inside that will fit your iPhone or iPod, along with your cash and keys, all the while blasting out the tunes to everyone trying to relax on the beach.

The ECOXPRO runs on three AA batteries for up to 30 hours, will stand up straight, and has clamps to close the case along with a pressure equalization valve to stop anything getting sucked inside or blowing out. It comes in black and orange, and a detachable carabiner and strap let you clip it to anything.

The Good

This thing is sturdy. From the hinges and clamps to the oversized volume/power knob, it feels like you can trust it in the depths. The interior net pocket holds the iPhone, and an internal cable hooks up to the headphone socket. You can also let your coins and keys jangle around in there, making it a great solution for solo beachgoing: you can keep all your valuables with you as you swim.

The sound is fine. It’s not hi-fi, but neither is it tinny. It’s more than loud enough to hear podcasts in the shower, and to annoy other beach-goers. And for camping, it might just be ideal.

Finally, a pass-through headphone socket lets you use this as a massively oversized waterproof walkman.

Sure, you could put your keys in here too, but things might get a little scratchy. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

 

 

The Bad

There’s really nothing wrong with the ECOXPRO. My complaints concern the design decisions. I would prefer a rechargeable internal battery to the replaceable AAs (carrying an extra battery charger on a trip is a pain), and some kind of separation between the iPhone and your other valuables would help stave off scratches.

Also, there’s no way to control your music other than opening the thing up. The only external control is volume. Given that the iPhone can be controlled by its headphone cable, and that you have indeed plugged one into it, this seems like an obvious feature.

The Verdict

I’d buy this if I spent a lot of time at the beach. You could use it as a shower radio, too, but the effort of loading it up and then removing the phone/MP3 player or whatever after each shower makes a dedicated model seem better (or you could just slip your JamBox into a ziploc bag).

But if you treat it as a waterproof safety box for your gear, one which has the bonus of a built-in speaker, then you’ll love it. And it only costs $80.

[xrr rating=80%]

Source: ECOXGEAR

 

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