When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, most have built-in batteries, which means that if you forgot to charge your speaker, the party is over almost before it begins.
With a goal of sustainability, UK-based POCA Audio is changing the paradigm with the Pine Beat speaker and its swappable battery packs.
The ethos behind the speaker is pretty simple: POCA Audio says it wants to "stop tech waste from reach landfills and oceans," by making a sustainable product.
Unless you're a tinkerer, when the battery dies or wears out in a sealed Bluetooth speaker, that's about it for the speaker; it's now e-waste.
Of course, swappable batteries aren't a new idea. We all remember having to buy those giant D batteries that are functionally weapons for our boomboxes. The difference here is how it's implemented with the Pine Beat speaker.
Pine Beats come with a 30-hour battery pack, but a second one costs £25 — similar to a cheap power bank. You can swap the packs easily, so switching out battery packs will give you a couple more days of listening time if you're far from a wall outlet. Plus, the Pine Beat is also a power bank, so you can charge your phone or other devices.
POCA Audio's goal is to keep the speaker itself out of the landfill. So when your battery dies, you can just recycle it like you would any other battery while keeping your speaker.
Apparently, the speaker is also designed for future upgrades, which POCA says you'll be able to return for upgrades or repairs. One given example is swapping in a new Bluetooth module when the next iteration is released.
Pretty good specs
Made from recycled ocean plastic and silicon, the Pine Beat sounds like a great buy for eco-conscious shoppers, but it also has pretty decent specs.
It's a 40W speaker with a woofer, tweeter and 2.5-inch driver and frequency response of 58Hz to 20kHz. It can pair with up to 100 more speakers. The speaker features an IP67 resistance rating and comes with some cool accessories. I'm a fan of the magnetic base and peg stake that can keep the speaker off the ground. The accessories are also made from recycled plastics, specifically "traceable fishing nets."
The Pine Beat is available for pre-order for £170 (about $225 / AU$351) and is currently only available in the UK.
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