The Ultimate Ears Blast and Megablast take Alexa on the move

Amazon’s AI assistant just got a whole lot more rugged. Ultimate Ears has added Alexa to two new, ultra-hardy speakers so you can get your jam on without having to pair up your phone first – and waterproofing means you can keep the party going even if the heavens open. The Blast and Megablast take after the Boom and Megaboom, only here you get Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. Get connected and Alexa can control your music, for up to twelve hours between top-ups thanks to a built-in battery. The £200 Blast should match the Boom for sound quality, but the £270 Megablast has tweaked bass radiators and extra tweeters so it pumps out even more sound than the dumb Megaboom. Both play nicely with the £35 Power Up charging base, which clips into the bottom and refuels without having to plug in a cable directly into the speaker. All three should be on sale by the end of the month.

Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming