Harman audio brand JBL has taken the wraps off a series of new voice-activated speakers during its exclusive press event at the IFA consumer technology tradeshow in Berlin. The JBL LINK 10, LINK 20 and LINK 300 all ship with the Google Assistant. Just like the Google Home, JBL LINK owners will be able to play music and podcasts, organise their calendar and control smart home devices with a few voice commands. The smart speakers can also answer general knowledge queries, search for directions, check the latest news and traffic, and translate phrases. But unlike the Google Home, the JBL LINK 10 and LINK 20 can be unplugged and taken out the house with you. The LINK 10 and LINK 20 boast five and ten hours of battery life respectively. Both of these JBL portable speakers are rated IPX7 waterproof, which means they can survive for 30 minutes and at a depth of one-metre. That means users can use the LINK 10 and LINK 20 at the beach, by the pool or in the shower, with complete peace of mind. Google Assistant isn’t the only innovation from the Californian technology firm that has made the jump to the latest JBL range. The LINK speakers boast high-definition music streaming with Chromecast, which provides a much clearer sound than Bluetooth (although that’s included in the JBL LINK 10, LINK 20 and LINK 300 as well) and doesn’t bring across the notification beeps from your smartphone when playing music from the speaker. Chromecast also supports multi-room playback – so users can beam audio to JBL or other Chromecas-enabled speakers throughout the house with one phone. President of the Lifestyle Audio Division at Harman, Michael Mauser said: “We are thrilled to pair JBL’s incredible legacy of award winning sound with our growing line-up of voice-controlled speakers. “JBL LINK is a first-class wireless smart speaker that allows consumers to entertain and enjoy world class sound in a sleek package.” The LINK 300 does not include an in-built battery, instead it’s designed to deliver a much more powerful sound. According to JBL, multiple speakers in the range can be quickly linked together to create a big multi-room listening experience – within reach of your home Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, there’s no word on an exact UK release date yet. JBL says its new LINK series with Google Assistant will be available from JBL.com and from select other retailers “starting fall 2017”. The LINK 10 will set you back £149.99, while LINK 20 will cost £179.99 and LINK 300 is £249.99.
Harman audio firm JBL is launching a series of voice-activated speakers, the JBL LINK 10, LINK 20 and LINK 300, all of which are Google Assistant-compatible. The smart speakers will have all the functionality of Google Home, but the devices are portable, equipped with up to ten hours of battery life and waterproofing of up to IPX7. The devices will be available from autumn 2017.