Normal view

Received before yesterday

Anker’s new outdoor wireless speaker vibrates to shake off dust and sand

3 June 2025 at 20:31
A hand holding Anker’s Boom 3i speaker as it vibrates to shake off sand.
It won’t completely clean the speaker, but the Boom 3i’s Buzz Clean mode will help dislodge dust and sand. | Image: Anker

Anker’s audio-focused Soundcore brand is introducing a new wireless Bluetooth speaker with rugged features designed to help it survive and thrive during a trip to the beach. The Boom 3i has an IP68 water and dustproof rating plus an additional protective coating that will keep it corrosion-free for up to two years if exposed to or even completely dunked in salt water, claims Anker.

The Soundcore Boom 3i is currently available for purchase through the brand’s Canadian online store for $189.99, which is about $139 when converted to US currency. The speaker isn’t yet listed on the US version of the Soundcore website.

The Anker Boom 3i wireless speaker floating in a lake.

The Boom 3i is not only completely waterproof, it also floats, but not just for the sake of making it easier to recover should it fall off a boat or dock. The Boom 3i is engineered so that its speakers are always pointing upwards and are fully functional while floating, so you can use it directly in the pool or while having a swim at the lake. If you’re using it in a river with a fast moving current you may want to consider attaching something heavy to the speaker’s detachable carrying strap to create a makeshift anchor.

Anker’s Boom 3i speaker sitting on a rock at dusk with its glowing LED features visible.

Being waterproof makes the speaker easy to clean when you get back from the beach, but for dislodging dust or sand stuck in the speaker grill, the Boom 3i has a Buzz Clean mode that makes it vibrate intensely to shake off dirt. It also includes a mode that leverages its 96db of sound output to play an emergency alarm should you find yourself in need of help, and it can double as a megaphone using Soundcore’s mobile app and your phone as a mic.

Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours with the volume at 50 percent and features like boosted bass and synchronized LED accent lighting turned off. If battery life is your priority in a wireless speaker, there are better options available. But if you want a speaker you won’t have to worry about babying while you’re out on an adventure, the Boom 3i seems tougher than most.

Razer’s Clio is a $230 surround sound head cushion

8 May 2025 at 20:22
A person sitting in a gaming chair while resting their head against the Razer Clio wireless speaker cushion.
The Razer Clio speaker is potentially a more comfortable alternative to wearing wireless headphones. | Image: Razer

Razer has announced three new products today, including an alternative to wireless headphones called the Clio that’s designed to attach to your gaming chair and double as a head cushion.

Powered by a 5,400mAh battery that Razer says is good for up to 14 hours of use, the Clio uses adjustable straps to attach to “most high-back gaming and office chairs” so that it’s positioned directly behind your head. Inside each of the cushion’s angled wings is a near-field speaker that uses a 43-millimeter driver paired with a passive radiator that work together to deliver “crisp, clear trebles and deep, punchy bass you can hear and feel.”

The Razer Clio wireless head cushion speaker floating against a blue background.

The Clio speaker wirelessly connects to Bluetooth-compatible devices like smartphones, tablets, and handheld consoles, but is also compatible with Razer’s HyperSpeed Wireless protocol for a low-latency connection to a gaming PC. Support for THX Spatial Audio creates a more immersive listening experience when using the Clio on its own, but it can be paired with additional desktop speakers and used as a dedicated rear channel as part of a larger 7.1 surround sound setup.

The Razer Clio wireless speaker is available for preorder now through Razer’s online store for $229.99 with shipping expected to begin on May 16th, 2025.

Razer also announced a new lightweight Basilisk Mobile mouse and Joro wireless gaming keyboard,  which it says were created to pair with portable gaming gear “without compromising on performance.”

The Razer Basilisk Mobile mouse on a grayish blue desktop near a keyboard.

The Razer Basilisk Mobile mouse weighs in at 76 grams and “boasts a compact, ergonomic design” designed to slip into pockets or squeeze into a laptop sleeve along with a computer. It supports wired, Bluetooth, or a low-latency Razer HyperSpeed Wireless connection to PCs with up to 105 hours of battery life with the latter, or up to 150 hours with Bluetooth.

The mouse includes a four-way tilting scroll wheel with two scrolling modes: free-spin for more speed or tactile cycling for more precision. There’s a Razer Focus X optical sensor with up to 18,000dpi of sensitivity on the underside, while the mouse’s primary buttons use Razer’s Gen-3 optical switches boasting a 90 million click lifecycle.

A person typing on the Razer Joro ultra-portable wireless keyboard with one hand.

The Razer Joro ultra-portable wireless gaming keyboard uses a compact 75 percent layout and measures in at 16.5-millimeters thick and 374 grams in weight. As with most Razer products, it features RGB lighting that can be animated with various effects while still offering an impressive battery life of up to 1,800 hours when using its power saving mode.

The Joro connects to devices with a USB-C cable or over Bluetooth and is not only compatible with both Windows and Apple devices including iPadOS and iOS, it also features secondary keys with macOS labels and a dedicated Microsoft Copilot Key. Laser-etched ABS keycaps help ensure longevity, and in addition to the keyboard being customizable, it can also store up to five different profiles locally, and switch between them as needed.

The Razer Joro wireless gaming keyboard is also available for purchase now for $139.99 with delivery expected in mid-May 2025, but the $89.99 Razer Basilisk MobilePortable wireless mouse is still listed as “Coming Soon” on the company’s website.

❌