Grace Digital Ecoxgear Ecoxbt (orange)

Wireless Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes and cost anywhere between $40 and $500. At around $99, Grace Digital's weirdly named Ecoxgear Ecoxbt sits at a pricing sweet spot for the portable wireless speaker market, and while I wouldn't describe it as the most attractive speaker in the world, its design and features -- particularly its waterproofing -- are well suited for outdoor use. It also offers decent sound for its size and price.

Design and features
From afar, the speaker can look a little cheap. But pick it up and it gains some stature. First starters, it's got a bit of heft to it, weighing in at 1.58 pounds. And the speaker has a pretty sturdy feel to it. I particularly liked how the inside of the handles on each side of the speaker are sort of ribbed (there are a series of small humps inside the handle), making the handles easy to grip.

You can pick the speaker up with one hand or two, and it's easy to carry around. The Ecoxbt comes with a carabiner that you can attach to a small strap on the back of the speaker. You could then clip the speaker onto a backpack or perhaps even a belt loop, though it would look a little silly (and be a little uncomfortable) carrying this around on your waist.

The speaker's handles have a ribbed design.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

This is a speaker that you can put in your luggage, but it's not nearly as compact as Jawbone's popular Jambox, the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox, or the JBL Flip. All those speaker would probably be better choices for frequent travelers, but this speaker is more designed to hit the pool, patio, or beach. That said, since it is waterproof, it is bathroom friendly, and I tried it out in the shower without a problem.

The speaker, which comes in black, red, and orange trim colors, has a built-in rechargeable battery that offers 10 hours of battery life. To access the USB charging port (it's older Mini-USB port, not Micro-USB) and auxiliary input (for non-Bluetooth devices) are hidden behind a removable door on the back of the speaker. The door has an O-ring to keep water out and must be pressed firmly into place after charging to keep any moisture out. A lanyard is included, so you can attach the door to the handle to prevent losing it (it's like the lanyard you attach to lens caps on certain cameras).

The speaker from behind.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Aside from the waterproof design, the biggest extra here is speakerphone capabilities. There's an answer/end button on top for cell phone calls, and the microphone is on the front of the unit just below the speaker grill.

As far as other buttons go, you get volume controls but no transport controls (pause/play, skip forward/back). Instead, you're expected to use the device's transport controls, whether it be a smartphone, tablet, computer, or other Bluetooth-enabled gadget.

The USB charging port and auxiliary jack hide behind a removable door that has an O-ring gasket.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)