We’re big fans of the Ultimate Ears lineup of speakers from the $89 Roll (review), to the $199 Boom 2 (review) and the huge $299 Megaboom (review). Today the company announced a new firmware and software update feature which allows multiple iPhones and Android apps to share music on one speaker or a set of paired speakers. Called ‘Block Party”, it seems like a great way to let party goers share their music on one device. I’ve had a working speaker and apps for about 24 hours and the feature seems to work in a simulated environment (hard to get a party going on a Monday afternoon).
Losing control of your speaker seems like the only downside to this new feature from Ultimate Ears which will roll out on 3 of their devices today. Press release follows:
Ultimate Ears Continues to Unlock New Experiences for Music Fans
UE Introduces Block Party: A New Way to Make Music Social
NEWARK, Calif. — Oct. 20, 2015 — Today Ultimate Ears has once again reinvented what a great speaker really can be by making its award-winning lineup of 360-degree speakers even more awesome with the introduction of Block Party for UE BOOM 2, UE ROLLand UE MEGABOOM. This new feature gives music fans a new way to share and experience music.
Through any UE app, the Block Party feature lets three friends connect to a single UE BOOM 2, UE ROLL or UE MEGABOOM and use your favorite music services to share songs through the same speaker. Music fans are now in control like never before, with the power to channel their inner DJ by controlling the playlist and discovering new music all night long.
“We live in a world with multiple music services and devices,” said Rory Dooley, general manager of Ultimate Ears. “With Block Party, we’ve made it as simple and as easy as possible for you to share your music. Through the app, we make our already awesome speakers better over time as we continue to unlock more ways for you to get the most from your speaker, from Double Up to Tap Controls and now, Block Party.”
Plus, today’s app enhancement brings the much-loved UE BOOM 2 Tap Controls feature to UE MEGABOOM, so you can leave your phone in your pocket and play, pause and skip songs directly through your UE BOOM 2 and UE MEGABOOM, simply by tapping the top of the speaker.
The latest ground-breaking capabilities of the UE speakers build upon what the app already provides, including the ability to wake up in the morning to your favorite music through the alarm clock, custom-tune your speaker using the five-band equalizer, remotely turn on and off the speaker and pair multiple UE speakers through Double Up.
Pricing and Availability
Block Party is an app and speaker enhancement and is available on UE BOOM 2, UE ROLL and UE MEGABOOM through the UE BOOM, UE ROLL and UE MEGABOOM apps. Tap Controls is an app enhancement available on UE BOOM 2 and UE MEGABOOM through the UE BOOM and UE MEGABOOM apps. The app enhancement is expected to be available through the iOS® and Android™ app stores on October 20. For more information, please visit www.ultimateears.com.
