JBL's new Flip 2 ($129.99) may look almost identical to company's original Flip wireless Bluetooth speaker, but it's got some key upgrades that make it a better speaker.
David Carnoy
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.
JBL's new Flip 2 ($129.99), which comes in a variety of colors, may look almost identical to company's original Flip wireless Bluetooth speaker, but it's got some key upgrades that make it a better speaker.
On the performance end, JBL has improved the clarity of both the speaker and the speakerphone, which features something called SoundClear echo and noise cancellation technology.
The other important change is to the way the Flip charges. With the original Flip, you had to charge it with a separate AC adapter. The new model charges via Micro-USB, which means that you can use a standard Micro-USB cable and plug it into a computer USB port or power adapter for charging.
JBL has also added NFC tap-to-pair technology for phones and tablets that the support the feature and the new protective carrying case (included) is a bit swankier.
