Sonos practically invented the smart speaker market in 2009 with the release of the company's first "wireless" streaming speaker, the ZonePlayer S5. It was wireless in that it could play music from a number of different streaming services and from a customer's local digital music collection from anywhere in their home without the need for additional components or network cables. But it still required a power cord.
Over time, the company has expanded their product into home theater surround sound speakers and voice controlled smart speakers that support Google or Amazon assistants. They even teamed up with Sonance to support in-wall and in-ceiling speaker installations. But until now, Sonos speakers and amplifiers required two things: a power cord and a wireless or wired connection to a home network. And this made it impossible to take your Sonos speakers on the road or to the beach.
This week, Sonos began shipping their first truly wireless smart speaker: the Sonos Move ($399). The Move packs all the Sonos smarts - and then some - into a portable package. Like every other Sonos speaker, the Move can be used as part of a whole home multi-room music system, with the benefit of being easily moved from room to room, or even outside. But unlike every other Sonos speaker, the Move supports a wireless Bluetooth connection so it can still play music even when it's far from home.
With a beefy construction, the Move weighs in at nearly 7 pounds and measures a little over 9 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 5 inches deep. The cabinet volume allows the Move to produce better bass response than many of its competitors. When fully charged, the Move can can play music for up to 10 hours. You can recharge it by placing it in its included charging cradle or by connecting a standard USB-C charger. The Move is rated IP56 so it's protected against dust and jets of water and its durable cabinet is made to withstand the occasional drop or bump.
When you're at home and connected to your home wireless network, you can take advantage of the built-in microphones to interact with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. This way you can check news and weather, set alarms and (of course) select from various music sources by your voice alone. The Sonos app and platform currently support more than 100 streaming services including Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and many more. You can also access digital music files on your home network.
In case you're not feeling talkative, you can also control the Move's operation via the Sonos app on your phone or tablet, or via capacitive touch controls on the unit's top panel.
The Sonos Move has begun shipping worldwide this week, priced at $399 (SRP) in the United States.
More info at sonos.com/move
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