While it wasn’t without a few glitches, its striking design, strong sound for its size, and some extra features, such as tap-to-pair NFC (for smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 that support near-field communication), an audio output, and Apt-X technology, help set it apart, though it is overpriced. Overall, I found the 10.9-ounce Pill, which comes in three colors (black, red, white) to be one of the better-designed mini portable Bluetooth speakers out there. The product ships with a quality carrying case and the Pill stows away in your luggage or backpack easily enough.
Not surprisingly, the bottom of the unit is rubberized to help keep it from moving around when you crank the volume and fire up a bass-heavy track.
The aforementioned tap-to-pair NFC feature, which I tried with a Samsung Galaxy S3, sounds better than it really is because it only saves you a few seconds of setup time, if that. You can augment that bass a bit by moving the speaker closer to a wall or place it in a corner so you get some reflection.
It was clearer and had tighter bass than the Solemate and played louder than the Jambox with less distortion at higher volumes. I also thought it sounded good with movies; I paired it with an iPad Mini and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 . While I got the occasional Bluetooth hiccup using it with a couple of Android devices, it completely disconnected on me a few times with the iPhone 4S and the connection was generally unstable.
The Pill has an impressive design, sounds a bit better than certain competing products, has a strong feature set, and its accompanying carrying case is nice. That’s could very well be an Apple’s software issue (it worked fine with a Samsung Galaxy S3), so I’m not ready to blame Beats. Since the Pill came out, plenty of new mini Bluetooth speakers have hit the market, and such products as the JBL FLip at half the price are much better deals.
Also, the $199 UE Boom is a superior product, with significantly better sound, a water-resistant design, and better battery life.
Set up and use your Beats Pill+ speaker
When you turn the Beats Pill+ on or off, the Fuel Gauge lights blink to show how much charge is left in the battery. When the battery in your Beats Pill+ has less than 10 percent charge, the first Fuel Gauge light blinks red.
Beats Pill
The new models have longer battery life, a port for charging other USB devices, the ability to pair Pills together with near-field communication (NFC) to play the same audio either individually, or handling left and right stereo channels respectively, character stands, and a new, larger “XL” version. The Pill+ is slightly larger than the previous model, and carries a refreshed design with top-mounted volume controls and a Beats logo button. The Pill+ has a companion mobile app for iOS and Android devices, used for pairing speakers together (in place of NFC), and allowing multiple users to alternate playing music on a single Pill (“DJ mode”). [12] In April 2013, a limited edition, Nicki Minaj-branded pink version of the Pill was released, as introduced in her video for “High School”.
A commercial for the Beats Pill starred Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams; reprising their music video for “Blurred Lines”, it featured scenes of female dancers using the speakers as a prop. Another campaign featuring anthropomorphic versions of the speakers debuted during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, which were voiced by musicians such as Chris Rock, Eminem, and Tichina Arnold.
Follow-up ads in the campaign included references to events that occurred during the show,[16][17][18] and one where Siri refuses to invite the characters to attend a party being held by Dr. Dre to celebrate the company’s sale to Apple. “[5] Wired felt that the Pill’s difficulty with bass was ironic, given that the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones had emphasized the low-end as its “sonic signature”. CNET was similarly mixed, noting unique features such as its “striking design”, NFC support, the ability to serve as a pass-through device for other audio systems, and its “relatively detailed sound (notice the use of the word ‘relatively’) with respectable bass compared with other tiny speakers in its class.” However, connectivity issues were noticed with devices running iOS 6, and its review score was later revised from 3.5 to just 3 out of 5, citing the introduction of competing products offering equivalent or better sound quality and a lower price than the Pill. “[22] PC Magazine felt that the Pill+ offered a “clean, well-defined, balanced listening experience”, but that since their drivers were not angled upward, “you miss much of the definition the tweeters bring to the table unless they happen to be lined up with your ears.”
Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker – Black
With a sleek interface, the Beats Pill+ is intuitive to use and brings people together with engaging features for a unique shared listening experience. The stereo active 2-way crossover system creates an optimized sound field for dynamic range and clarity across all genres of music.
Tweeter and woofer separation uses the same acoustic mechanics found in professional recording studios around the world.
Pair the Beats Pill+ to your iPhone, MacBook, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device and play your favorite tracks, videos, and games with optimized sound.
Download the Beats Pill+ app* from the App Store to unlock features that put you and your friends at the center of your music like never before.
Beats Pill review: Mini Bluetooth speaker with some pop
While it wasn’t without a few glitches, its striking design, strong sound for its size, and some extra features, such as tap-to-pair NFC (for smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 that support near-field communication), an audio output, and Apt-X technology, help set it apart, though it is overpriced. Overall, I found the 10.9-ounce Pill, which comes in three colors (black, red, white) to be one of the better-designed mini portable Bluetooth speakers out there. The product ships with a quality carrying case and the Pill stows away in your luggage or backpack easily enough.
Not surprisingly, the bottom of the unit is rubberized to help keep it from moving around when you crank the volume and fire up a bass-heavy track. The aforementioned tap-to-pair NFC feature, which I tried with a Samsung Galaxy S3, sounds better than it really is because it only saves you a few seconds of setup time, if that. You can augment that bass a bit by moving the speaker closer to a wall or place it in a corner so you get some reflection. It was clearer and had tighter bass than the Solemate and played louder than the Jambox with less distortion at higher volumes. I also thought it sounded good with movies; I paired it with an iPad Mini and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 .
While I got the occasional Bluetooth hiccup using it with a couple of Android devices, it completely disconnected on me a few times with the iPhone 4S and the connection was generally unstable. The Pill has an impressive design, sounds a bit better than certain competing products, has a strong feature set, and its accompanying carrying case is nice. That’s could very well be an Apple’s software issue (it worked fine with a Samsung Galaxy S3), so I’m not ready to blame Beats. Since the Pill came out, plenty of new mini Bluetooth speakers have hit the market, and such products as the JBL FLip at half the price are much better deals.
Also, the $199 UE Boom is a superior product, with significantly better sound, a water-resistant design, and better battery life.
Beats by Dr. Dre Audio Player Docks and Mini Speakers for sale
Enjoy Music Without Running Cords While Using Beats by Dr. Dre Audio Player Docks and Mini Speakers Pill speakers by Dr. Dre are lightweight and wireless, so the process of setting up the hardware in order to play music on a patio or by a pool is simple. Another feature that makes Beats audio player docks and mini speakers unique is the size. Although the Beats mini speaker doesn’t have a traditional antenna, the radio signal is reliable and strong. Bass and treble notes are bolder and crisper because Beats hardware processes sounds like equipment that’s used in a professional music studio.
How to connect a Beats Pill speaker to your iPhone in 4 simple steps
This product allows users to jam to their favorite songs using Bluetooth connectivity to connect the speaker to their a variety of Android devices or Apple devices, such as the iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch and mostly importantly, the iPhone. Whether you are jamming out to your shower playlist on Spotify or listening to a new album you purchased on the iTunes store, here’s how to connect your Beats Pill to your iPhone. Hold the “b” button to enable the Beats Pill’s discovery mode. Tap “Beats Pill” to connect your iPhone to the speaker.
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