Nokia Play 360°, Stereo sound system, omnidirectional sound, Bluetooth, Nokia Accessories
From private music listeners to bringing music to the masses, the Nokia Play 360° is about sharing music with friends or even just enjoying your music without the use of headphones. As the name suggests, rather than the sound being one-directional like most speakers, this offers omnidirectional sound, filling your surroundings in every direction, evenly and completely. You can easily create stereo sound by connecting another speaker – wirelessly – to get an even better music experience. You can connect to the Nokia Play 360° in a number of ways, using NFC for easy Bluetooth pairing or a standard 3.5 mm audio connector. We expect to see this shipping in the third quarter and costing around €149.
Stereo sound systems have been around since French inventor and engineer Clment Ader showcased his Thtrophone, a two-channel audio system, in Paris in 1881. Connected from the stage of the Paris Opera to a suite of rooms at the Paris Electrical Exhibition, listeners were able to hear a live transmission of performances through receivers in each ear. Stereo has come a very long way since then. But the way we listen to music hasn’t. Until now.
For nearly 130 years we’ve heard our tunes from speakers, which point music towards us in a single direction only. Now, finally, we have one that spreads it all around. If you’re a music lover, the revolutionary Nokia Play 360° should get you very, very excited. Here’s why.
1. Surround sound that really is surround.
Unlike forward-facing speakers that only send sound in one direction, the Nokia Play 360° speaker produces an omnidirectional soundstage that fills your surroundings in every direction evenly and completely. What’s more, the sweet spot, the perfect place for listening, is substantially increased. This makes the audio clear and undistorted no matter where you are in the room.
2. Not a wire in sight
Go into any music lover’s house and the one thing you’re almost certain to see is a bundle of wires. Thankfully, the Nokia Play 360 is triple wireless. So what does that mean in practice? Firstly, your music is streamed wirelessly from your Bluetooth device. Secondly, thanks to the 21-hour battery life at 60 % volume, there is no need for a power cable. Thirdly, if you buy two Nokia Play 360°s, no wires are needed to link them, allowing the left and right channels to play while volume control is synchronized between the speakers.
3. Works with practically everything
Unlike most traditional speakers, the Nokia Play 360° works with any device with Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
That means you’ll now be able to truly enjoy those thousands of tunes you’ve stored on your laptop, your tablet and your mobile phone. What’s more, if you’re hanging out in the park or partying with friends, it will work with their devices too.
4. It’s incredibly simple to use
Stereo buttons can sometimes look like the cockpit of an airliner. The Nokia Play 360° goes for a far more minimalist approach. In fact, it has just three buttons. But even better than that, it makes use of NFC technology, so that if you have an NFC phone, all you do is tap the speaker and the tunes blast out.
5. It’s easy to carry and easily extendable
It goes without saying that a Nokia speaker is going to be great for listening to music on the go. Still, it’s worth highlighting that with its snazzy bag, the Nokia Play 360° is really easy to carry around, making it perfect for a party anytime, anywhere. And if you or your friends have a Nokia Play 360°, it’s incredibly simply to hook them together and double the music pleasure.
