Philips Dot: A rugged $50 Bluetooth speaker with a unique design

[MUSIC]. Phillips makes a number of portable wireless Bluetooth speakers but the Dot which retails for around $50 online is one of the companies most unique looking models. Bowl shaped and ribbed, Phillips bills the Dot as both water and shock resistant. Comes in multiple color options and can be stood up vertically or propped up at an angle. What's kinda cool is that there's a sensor inside that automatically pauses your music when you flip the speaker over on its head. I'm not sure why a simple pause button wouldn't suffice, but hey, it's something different. I'm David Carnoy and yes I review a lot of Bluetooth speakers here at CNet. My take on this model is pretty simple, I give it high marks for its design, but I can't say I was blown away by its sound. For an affordable speaker it performs pretty well, but it's just not all that crisp sounding and will distort when you crank the volume. At around 1.3 pounds with a single 3 inch driver inside, it's got a bit of heft to it, though it's certainly not heavy. I see people using it indoors, say in a kitchen or bedroom, and then bring it out to the patio or pool. You could take it on the road, but it's a little bulky to carry around in a laptop bag. As far as features go, beyond the aforementioned flip to pause feature, there's a built-in microphone for speakerphone calls, which is nice. And a call answer end button on top of the speaker along with volume controls. This is a Bluetooth 2.1 speaker and has a micro-USB port that doubles as an audio input with an included cable. To prevent that port from getting wet, it's hidden behind a removable rubber gasket. Battery life is rated at 8 hours which is about average for this type of speaker. It does play pretty loud for its size and has some bass, just not the fullest or tightest bass. It's fine for playing background music, though not critical listening. As I said ultimately its biggest strength is its design. So if you like the way it looks, it's certainly worth considering at its modest price point. I'm David Carnoy, and that's the Philips Dot wireless Bluetooth speaker. Thanks for watching. [MUSIC]