One by one, heads in the office turned in my direction as the unmistakable voice of David Bowie came from the small black device in my hand. If at first I detected annoyance, it quickly turned to recognition and then confusion.
TechRadar shares our New York office space with colleagues from various other tech websites, but even though everyone knew Bowie’s 1969 classic Space odditybut no one could identify the Bluetooth speaker. They asked if it was a Beats device. I told them no, but I understood the confusion.
My little Jawbone Jambox dates from the early days of Bluetooth stereo speakers and is a precursor to many of today’s best Bluetooth speakers – a dual tweeter covered in metal and rubber, capable of producing surprisingly loud, clear and bass-rich sound for its size.
A design ahead of its time
In the meantime, I once again marveled at the design – certainly something worthy of Beats or even Apple (the Jawbone sold for a time via the Apple Store). The metal wraparound grille features a sort of topographical geometric pattern, and the base and bottom are rubber.
It’s a small gadget – measuring about one inch by six inches by two inches – with minimal ports: one for charging and the other a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio input. There’s the power/pairing button, then at the top the rubber volume buttons and one for calls and status.
I remember it came with cables and a rather unusual carrying case that had a rigid but foldable frame; unfortunately, these were lost to the sands of time (or my disorganized basement).
Turn up the volume
Once it finished charging, I pushed the power button up and held it until the Jambox entered Bluetooth pairing mode. Like almost everything else, Jambox loudly announced that it was entering pairing mode, and when I paired it with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, there was a clarion call of success.
A moment later I was playing Space oddity off YouTube. While I cranked the speakers and listened to Bowie sing “It’s ground control for Major Tom…” I took note of the still impressive audio quality. Even now, the highs and mids are crisp and the bass vibrates the small but dense box in my hand. I even noticed a few of my colleagues smiling while listening. But the sound went well beyond our little warren and so I cut Bowie off.
IKEA sparks a memory
I can tell you why I took the Jawbone Jambox out of the mothballs. Last week at CES, I fell in love with IKEA’s inexpensive Kallsup cube speakers ($10). As I rolled one of the plastic cubes in my hands, I wondered why it looked strangely familiar. Then I remembered the Jawbone Jambox.
Granted, while the Kallsup will cost you about what you pay for a large Starbucks Iced Latte, the Jambox cost $199, which at the time was considered quite expensive in the relatively new world of portable stereo speakers.
When I received the Jambox as a gift in early 2012, it moved into my office and serenaded me with music (and Howard Stern) almost every work day. Battery life was decent, generally lasting 10 to 12 hours per charge. It could also double as a speakerphone, but I don’t remember ever using it that way.
The Jambox was so popular that it spawned a $299 Big Jambox that I reviewed (and loved) and a Jambox Mini. Jawbone was also a hot commodity, producing the Jawbone Bluetooth headset that everyone seemed to own, and even a first-ever wearable health bracelet called Jawbone Up. I had it too and liked it enough to buy a matching bracelet for my wife.
These devices now live in a box in my basement and Jawbone went out of business in 2017. All that remains from its glory days, I guess, is this Jambox. It’s still an awesome product and a reminder of a bygone era when Bluetooth stereo speakers were young and special.
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