CES 2014

Portable Bluetooth speakers seem to be multiplying like bunnies here at CES, so it must take something very special to earn a CES 2014 Innovations Award. The speeCup managed to break through the clutter with a really great set of features, and a design that’s just begging to be in a cupholder on your next road trip or out on a bike ride. In fact, I’m dying to get home and try this one on my beach cruiser.

I’m not sure exactly what the designers were drinking when they came up with the name, but they were definitely drinking something out of a cupholder, because the speeCup is designed to fit perfectly into cupholder. This is an 8” tall cup-shaped speaker with all of its controls mounted on top. While the shape of the speaker is innovative, the gesture controls were what won me over. Simply wave your hand over the top of the speeCup to answer calls or switch tracks while playing music. This is a fabulous safety feature whether driving or cycling. Plus, it has voice command with Siri or S Voice. It has an audio output jack so it can also function as a Bluetooth receiver to interface between your phone/tablet and home audio system. Innovative, indeed!

The speeCup is charged via USB. It can be plugged into a computer for charging, but it also comes with a USB 12V car adapter. Charged up, it can play for up to 20 hours.There are three versions available - a basic touch control one, one with single-direction gesture control and one with complete omni-directional controls.

While I can help thinking this might have been fashioned after a Pringles-can speaker, one thing is for sure - the speeCup is an oddly-named wonder, worthy of its Innovations Award.