Eton rukus Xtreme

Eton is previewing its next-generation rugged Bluetooth speakers at CES. Both have built-in solar panels like their predecessors.

Eton Rukus Xtreme  Today we present to you a rare gem in the form of a portable Bluetooth speaker. What makes it so special you ask? Does it play music so melodic that is brings tears to winged babies? Perhaps the design is something that future artists will look to when they seek inspiration? Alas no, it is none of those things. What makes the Eton Rukus Xtreme so special is the plethora of features that it brings, that you might forget it's a speaker first and everything else second. Design Starting off with the design of the Eton Ruckus Xtreme, we get design features that are a smooth blend of both conventional and modern design elements. When we first saw it, we couldn't decide if it looked more like a rectangle, maybe a slab, trapezoid? Trapezoid, that is what the overall body of the Eton Ruckus Xtreme looks like (It took many nights of restless sleep to come to that conclusion). The front where the speaker grills are the biggest part of the Eton Ruckus Xtreme. The speaker grills concave into a circular design on the sides, so the front looks like a rectangle with rounded circle edges. As you move inward the device begins to slant and get smaller, so it ends up looking like a slanted slab. There is a purpose to this madness thought as this allows the solar panel (which is no top and we shall address more in detail later) to get more sunlight. Once you get to the very end of the device, there is a nice handle that makes taking the Eton Ruckus Xtreme anywhere a breeze. On the sides of the handle, you will find the power button and aux port on the left and on the right lies the AC and USB out port. The color scheme of the Eton Ruckus Xtreme is a nice black and green that flow well together. Normally such color combination does not make for great design choices but the Eton Ruckus Xtreme actually looks better for it. It gives it a distinct look, almost a sleek outdoorsy appearance. Solar Panel Now things start to get really interesting. The Eton Ruckus Xtreme is truly one of a kind where Bluetooth speakers are concerned as it comes with solar charging capabilities that not only allow you to charge the device itself, but also other devices using nothing but the mighty power of the sun. The solar panel on top is built to gather as much sun as possible when placed outside so your outdoor jam sessions never have to end. So how did the solar panel fare in real-world testing? Remarkably well. Our testing was done on a nice sunny day, so your experience will be different depending on the day. We let the device die down all the way and found that it took less than an hour for it to be operational again. You would still need it to be in the sun for it to keep functioning of course. So if you left it out for a while and did not use it, then it would be more than capable of being fully charged in a matter of hours. Charging other devices was not as fast but still a nice feature if you find yourself out in the woods without any other power source. We found that keeping the device pointed directly towards the sun, the device that we needed charging (my HTC One M8) was able to get a nice charge. While we would not use it to charge our device every day, it is still a nice feature that definitely has a purpose and will be a welcome addition for those that enjoy being outdoors. Sound Quality Now to the actual purpose of the Eton Ruckus Xtreme, playing those hit new jams you just downloaded off the Play Store. With so many other capabilities, one would think that the Eton Ruckus Xtreme would not be a great speaker but we found the opposite to be true. Eton Ruckus Xtreme made listening to music a great experience and could easily replace your current speakers. The sound was rich and deep, with loud tones being very prominent. While we would not necessarily use it to listen to classical or instrumental music, it is more than sufficient for current modern songs that rely heavily on bass and loud tones. Final Thoughts The Eton Ruckus Xtreme is a great speaker with many added features that makes getting one a simple choice (That choice being getting one). If you need a speaker that is also capable of charging itself and other devices with nothing more than what mother nature has already provided us, then the Eton Ruckus Xtreme should be on your wishlist. It is definitely one of the better speakers we have tested thus far due to its added features alone. Any speaker can play music and sound good while doing it, but it takes a special kind of speaker to do so and then some. You can head over to Amazon to snag one for yourself and with summer right around the corner, why wouldn't you?