Jawbone JAMBOX Bluetooth Speaker

I purchased this speaker as a way to enhance the speaker phone capabilities of my iPhone 4s, and the Jawbone fills this role perfectly. However, I'm taking 2 stars off becuase the sound quality is not that great - I expect better sound quality from a $200 speaker. SPEAKERPHONE: I do not have a land line at home. When I'm at home, I don't like to carry my phone around in my pocket, and I soon discovered that I was missing calls becuase I was too far away to hear my phone ring or was doing something noisy like laundry. I went with the Jawbone JAMBOX becuase it was the only portable bluetooth speaker I could find with a built in microphone. The JAMBOX is great in this regard. There is plenty of volume for a phone conversation and I have received no complaints in terms of sound quality from the people on the other end of the conversation. I can stick my phone in the bedroom and leave the JAMBOX in the center of the house - when the phone rings, I can hear it through the JAMBOX on the opposite side of the house (keep in mind that like all Bluetooth devices, transmission range is just a little more than 30 feet). In addition, when my phone rings, the JAMBOX will read out the phone number of the caller (it does not, however, say the name of the caller if you have them listed in your contacts - it will just tell you the phone number). You can end the call and mute the mic by pressing buttons on the JAMBOX, however, you cannot initiate a call from the speaker - you must use your phone (which is a minor quibble - I don't understand why I couldn't press a button on the JAMBOX to access Siri and say "Call Mom and Dad") MUSIC: This is where I was disappointed, espcially given the $200 price tag. In a sense, it performs like you might expect when you consider the small size of the JAMBOX- highs are OK but a little tin-y, midrange is not so great and bass not really there - distorted and weak. So if you listen to a lot of classical or hip hop, where bass is extremely important, you'll be disappointed. In addition to quality of sound, I found that the maximum volume level was pretty low, regardless of whether or not "LiveAudio" is engaged (an optional free downloadable software app that is supposed to provide more realistic sound from your speaker). In other words, the JAMBOX does not provide room filling sound. It would be appropriate for an office or dorm room where you can have the speaker sitting in front of you and you don't want to disturb others. PORTABILITY: It is small and therefore fairly portable, though it also is farily heavy for its size (which would be expected of better quality speakers given the size of the magnets). The base of the JAMBOX is rubberized to help prevent you from accidentally knocking it on the floor (or presumably give it a little waterproofing if someone knocks a drink over at a party). The supplied carrying case is tight and awkward - Jawbone went for form over function. i haven't yet tested the length of the battery SUMMARY: - great for enhancing your phone's speakerphone cabaility - sound quality is poor in the low range and volume is weak. - portability is great - this small and portable speaker could fit in a briefcase, purse, or even a larger pocket on cargo pants (though it is heavy) If you are looking for something to enhance your phone call capabilities, this is a good, albeit expensive, option (in fact, it may be your only option). If you are interested primarily in music, there are better, less expensive options out there (I am partial to SoundFreq), but they are larger in size.