14 DAY TRIAL // With all the news about them, you can be excused if you forgot that headphones aren't the only type of audio device that you can take with you on a trip. Samsung decided to offer a palpable reminder though.
Behold the Samsung Level Box mini, a portable wireless speaker that connects to any smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC via Bluetooth technology.
That's not the only wireless technology it possesses though. Samsung also outfitted the Level Box mini with NFC, which is short for Near Field Communication.
NFC can't be used to actually stream sound, since it only works over very short distances, like one or two centimeters. However, it has made a name for itself as a great shortcut for pairing gadgets together.
Normally, to establish a wireless synchronization between a phone/tablet/PC and a peripheral, you would have to access the special section in the operating system and look for available devices.
NFC will allow you to skip all those steps and immediately pair the devices just by bringing them close together. It's like a love tap, if you're feeling in the mood to jest.
The Level Box mini uses a 55mm stereo speaker driver, as well as a passive radiator to keep heat low. It's still probably not a good idea to leave the thing out in the sun too long, though.
It won't die from it, at least not right away, but the lifespan will no doubt shorten, as it does from any other sort of abuse or neglect.
Moving on, the aptX codec is used to decode and relay audio, but SBC, A2DP, AVCRP and HFP formats are supported as well.
Between all these hardware capabilities and the Samsung Level App, you should be able to do a lot of things, from simple tasks like controlling the volume to performing text-to-speech. SoundAlive is another thing, a Samsung technology that automatically adjusts sound quality by analyzing the source in a certain way (Samsung didn't go into detail here), thus maximizing quality.
Finally, the shape of the speaker and materials it is made of reduce noise and echoes. Finally, a built-in microphone lets you take calls or participate in conferences if it comes down to it.
The Samsung Level Box mini, with its top-placed buttons and colorful, shiny exterior (red, blue, silver or black), should start selling soon, for an unspecified price. It should last for 25 hours (just over a day) on the power of a 1,600 mAh battery.
