The document discusses portable speakers, providing an introduction to their usage and key features. It outlines that portable speakers allow one to play and share music on the go in various social settings and locations. The document then lists important portable speaker features like portability, sound quality and power, ease of use, connectivity options, battery operation, and design. It provides examples of how portable speakers can be used and concludes that they are a must-have entertainment device for music lovers given their affordable pricing and wide range of use cases.

1. Harman International
Sales Primer
Portable Speakers
Ravi Lakkundi
Product Manager, India
Harman International India (Pvt) Ltd
Published on: 19 Sep 2012

2. Harman International
Introduction
Consuming music/media on-the-go started with walkman’s which had earphones/headphone coupled
with it. The trend which has not changed in principle for long, consumers now have personal portable
‘digital’ media devices viz. iPod/iPad/iPhone/other smartphones which are used for media storage and
playback. The media residing on such devices is played-back over a pair of superior quality earphone/or
headphones.
Earphones/Headphones are more of personal music accessory, the music played back is for self to enjoy.
Personal audio systems like Headphones are not suitable for social settings or for a ‘mini’ social
gathering. In such social meetings one certainly needs portable speakers. Portable meaning a device that
can be carried, at the same time allowing one to play music for self and surroundings.
Portable speakers have much larger usage scope, not limited to social events. Whether one is at home,
in the kitchen, on a road trip, in a hotel, on a holiday, with friends, on the beach --- listening and sharing
music is what music lovers generally do. If the music is played over one such portable speaker having the
ability to fill in a small to medium sized rooms, the music experience will certainly be a notch above.
This whitepaper is a guide to customers looking for buying/upgrading such portable products. The paper
has some buying tips for customers, tips that focus on price and key target features of a portable
speaker product.
El caso de uso !
Even the smallest home speakers and receivers/amplifiers are not portable. Only a different category of
speaker product addresses the growing market need, a need that is triggered by many people who are
on the move.
Portable speakers are plenty in the market and customers now have wide variety of choices on their
platter. With multiple brands, feature packed products and amazing designs, one should be careful in
selecting such products based on the need and target usage.
It would be beneficial if we list the features such portable speakers and later delve into usecases

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The Features
• Portability
Portable products need to be portable!! Meaning they should easily fit in ones pocket or
backpack. Speakers should be easy to carry and move around.
• Good Sound and Power
Sound quality is always subjective, but for any speaker that’s designed for ‘on the go’,
loudness is one key criterion. It’s probable that the user who is operating such device is
in an open area with some friends; hence loudness becomes a key feature. It surely will
be desirable if the speaker has acceptable bass performance and a stereo sound field.
• Ease of Use
The speaker should be easy to use, it should not be an over feature rich product and
confusing to use. Any product that is over engineered, probably suffered lack of
prioritization in the concept stage.
• Source and Connectivity
Needless to say, speaker products need to have input audio connection. Mainly a 3.5
mm audio jack, every smartphones/portable media devices has this standard 3.5mm
connection and thus this requirement. Wireless connectivity is also a desirable feature,
Bluetooth for entry level portable speaker system and Airplay for a little high end
system.
• Battery Operable
Many portable speakers come with capabilities of operating on AA/AAA sized batteries.
Although battery operation is a must feature but It’s always beneficial to have some
kind of Li-Ion batteries which are rechargeable with micro usb/usb chargers. Reason
being these pin types are widely available and speakers supporting this type of batteries
and charging systems can be charged from any laptops or AC adaptors. A typical
playback time of these battery operable speaker systems should be anywhere from 5 to
8 hours based on speaker size and power. For a little larger speakers yet portable ones
the charging pins can be usual barrel connectors, since these will provide fast charging
and with bigger batteries a longer playback.
• Design and Form Factor
Design and form factor are not to be neglected, after all looks matter. The product
should be structurally designed correctly and should be usable. The design aspect is very
subjective and difficult to quantify, so go for what you like! Preferably not a box

4. Harman International
Portable Speakers can be used in many places as depicted below
The Guide
Listing all of such possible scenarios is a difficult task. We surely have creative customers out there who
can imagine a larger set of use case! than what is depicted above.
Some of the features listed above may take a back seat while selecting portable speakers based on the
usage. Example say Mono/Stereo speakers, if you are a casual listener of music and are travelling a lot, it
probably will be good if you carry a mono speaker system for your music. This will be a personal audio
device but something more useful than a headphone.

5. Harman International
Since these portable speakers are often used with smartphones, it would be interesting to look for
hands free calling feature over Bluetooth in such portable speakers. This feature will be interesting in
social/family conferencing.
Conclusion
Portable speaker is a must to have entertainment device for music lovers or casual listeners. With
multitude of use cases one should choose such a device carefully based on the need. These speakers are
priced anywhere between 30 USD to 120 USD based on brand and product category (Entry, Mid/High).
References
For the ones who wish to read more here are some reference World Wide Web links
[1] www.harman.com
[2] www.jbl.com
[3] http:// cnet.com/