Creative's D200 plays big for a small Bluetooth speaker
The relatively affordable--and compact--Creative D200 Bluetooth speaker offers wireless audio streaming and reasonably good sound for the money.
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Creative is hitching its wagon to Bluetooth in its bid to differentiate itself in this crowded speaker accessory category and is in the process of releasing several Bluetooth-enabled iPod speaker options, including the D200 ($130).
There really isn't a whole lot to this speaker. It's rather compact, measuring 3.9 inches high by 15.9 inches wide by 3.7 inches deep, and has a nice heft to it, weighing in at 3.6 pounds. Unlike the wraparound speaker grille of its step-up sibling, the $300
From a distance, the speaker looks simple and understated, much like a small center-channel speaker in a home-theater setup. There's an auxiliary minijack input on the back for connecting other audio devices with an optional cable, and the requisite power button. On top of the unit you'll find volume up/down controls, plus a Bluetooth button. When you hold that button down for a few seconds, a blue light flashes indicating the speaker is discoverable and in pairing mode.
As mentioned earlier, if you own a stereo-compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone, PC, iPad, or portable media player (the D200 supports the A2DP and AVRCP profiles), all you have to do is turn your device's Bluetooth on, wait for it to search and find the D200, input the PIN (0000), then hit play on your music; the music will stream wirelessly to the speaker so long as you're within about 30 feet of the D200. You can then use your phone/media player as a remote, controlling what music you want to play from the palm of your hand.