Have you ever been in the shower, scrubbing away the grime of shame, and thought to yourself, “I could really use a Bieber song right now.” OK, Bieber might not be your music of choice, but that doesn’t remove the urge to listen to some tunes while soaping up. To help meet your needs, Whitelabel brings you the SoundDew, a pint-sized, waterproof, Bluetooth audio option. The engineering used to create this round mound of sound is impressive, but questions still loom.
Before talking about the SoundDew’s main use — listening to music — it’s important to note that there are some additional options included to help make this more than just an “air speaker”. First, if you’re listening to music while you shower and you get a call from your favorite Grandma, rest comfortably knowing that you can carry on a conversation with her without having to stop the thorough cleaning of your giblets. Not awkward at all. Should you need to call her back after the conversation, you can do it with a simple button press, removing the risk of touching your phone or tablet with wet hands. A 3.5mm aux-out port also exists, though it’s questionable why they’d include it. Nearly every device you own that would connect to the SoundDew via Bluetooth also has its own 3.5mm headphone jack, so why you’d want to opt for the SoundDew’s jack instead, when it provides no enhanced audio, is an unanswered question.
The sound though, the focus of the device, is actually quite surprising. For a piece of hardware that is just about 12” in diameter, it maxed out during testing at 101.3db, enough to make your shower or bathroom feel like a concert hall. Connecting to your tablet or smartphone is simple — it’s done through Bluetooth after all, but surprisingly there’s no app related to the SoundDew to alter settings, something painfully absent. Painful because the device itself is perhaps too simple. Three buttons exist, power on/off, volume up and down and users are expected to learn different combinations for features like hands-free calling or the recall option. For those who listen in the shower a button to skip or pause would be welcomed and easily added, as the SoundDew has plenty of real estate available on it for more buttons.
At only $49.90, the SoundDew is an easily justified purchase if you’re looking to add entertainment to your shower time. The waterproof and dustproof design makes this a good choice if you’re into hiking in areas where unexpected weather can cause rain or dust storms to occur, and the engineered handle makes it easily attachable to most apparel. The size and sound mixes well for showertime sounds, but if you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker for social gatherings or to cover large distances with a canopy of sound, there are better options available.
