The Beats Pill outperforms the Jawbone Jambox and has a couple of intriguing extra features, but Apple iOS 6 users may encounter some problems. Read more
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The good: The Beats by Dr. Dre Pill is a portable Bluetooth speaker with striking design, good sound and volume for its size, decent battery life, and speakerphone capabilities. It has tap-to-pair capabilities for NFC-enabled smartphones phones, Apt-X technology, and line inputs and outputs. It also comes with a nice carrying case.
The bad: The Pill is somewhat pricey, and Apple iOS 6 users may encounter an unacceptable amount of Bluetooth hiccuping. The speaker doesn't acquit itself terribly well with big bass tracks from artists like Dr. Dre.
The bottom line: The Beats Pill outperforms the Jawbone Jambox and has a couple of intriguing extra features, but Apple iOS 6 users may encounter some problems.
Pros: Great sound. Easy Pairing and switching between devices. Carrying case protects it from dings. AC/USB charger doubles for iPhone/iPad use.
Cons: None that come to mind
Summary: As the other reviewer noted, the buttons are a bit hard to see. But once pairing is set up, you only need to worry about volume up and down - ...
Summary: As the other reviewer noted, the buttons are a bit hard to see. But once pairing is set up, you only need to worry about volume up and down - not a significant challenge in my eyes. We have had ours since right after it came out last fall and taken it on several trips. It is great for music in hotels, etc. I cannot imagine why one would use it in a vehicle, but agree the round shape might be tough to get it stabilized yet accessible.
I experienced the IOS 6 Bluetooth skipping and dropouts mentioned in the review and they were very irritating but I recently upgraded to iOS 6.1 and haven't had a problem since. Fingers crossed and I'll update this review if the problems return.
However I'm not fond of the ergonomics. All the buttons are flat and the same color as the pill, so except for the main "b" button they are nearly impossible to find by feel and without looking closely. I tried to use mine in the car and this was a significant problem, plus its round shape means it rolls around too easily in the car. Also the only Bluetooth controls it has are pause/start and volume. No track skip ahead / skip back.
Another problem for in-car use is the big glowing "b" on the main button glares at you in a darkened car, if you rotate it away or down you muffle the speakers and it will roll around the first time you move anyway. One nice feature for in-car use it that it can take phone calls as well as play music.
So keep it at home and it's much better. No flexibility for in-car use. Also user documentation isn't available online.
Description:Built to act not only as a powerful, compact speaker for listening to music but also as a portable system for taking calls, the Pill does it all with the freedom of wireless. Despite its compact size, the Pill produces powerful sound. It's easy to enjoy soaring highs and deep, booming bass in every room of the house. The Pill is wireless and cord-free.
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