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In a sunny place, Ecoxgear's Sol Jam Bluetooth speaker may never have to be plugged in

Ecoxgear says its upcoming waterproof speaker has a new cutting-edge solar panel and harvesting system that offers much better solar-charging.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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David Carnoy
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The $150 Sol Jam is due to ship in the next few months.

 Ecoxgear

It's billed as the industry's first portable Bluetooth speaker that's both 100 percent waterproof (to the IPX67 standard) and has integrated HD solar panels. Ecoxgear's Sol Jam was supposed to have been released at the end of 2015, but now has an early 2016 launch date along with a $150 price tag.

"The Sol Jam is not a 'me too' solar powered wireless speaker," says Greg Fadul, CEO of Ecoxgear. "We've integrated SunCore's cutting edge solar panel and harvesting system into the Sol Jam, allowing consumers to charge their smart devices and the Sol Jam outdoors. Under many situations users will never have to plug their Sol Jam into a wall outlet ever again."

We'll let you know how it sounds and how well its solar charging works as soon as we get our hands on a sample. UK and Australian details have yet to be announced, but the US price converts to around £100 or AU$210.

See all of our CES 2016 coverage here.