Was strolling through Best Buy yesterday with $50 in rewards points burning a hole in my pocket. Stumbled on a pair of Insignia (house brand) Smart Speakers, powered by Google's voice platform. Both have clock display on front, so I'm instantly thinking nightstand and/or bathroom. Listening test quickly eliminated the smaller ($49) one, tinny sounding. The larger one, just $69, sounded surprisingly rich, without the boominess so typical of small, ported speakers. Plus, it had Chromecast and Bluetooth support, and a battery rated for 5 hours. Patio, back yard, wherever, even without WiFi as a (somewhat large) portable BT speaker. Handle built into back makes it very easy to carry.
So, about $21 after taxes for a decent sounding, very versatile portable voice controlled speaker? No brainer. Listening on battery power at the moment, but it will live on my nightstand, replacing a Squeezebox Radio.
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