- Bluetooth Sound System with Solar Panel
- Play music from Bluetooth enabled smartphone, tablet or PC
- AC power and/or solar power
- E Ink Display
- USB port for mobile device charging
The sound from this unit is ok, but not great. You'll get sound similar to lower priced systems, but you do get the added benefit of a long lasting battery and the solar charger. The speakers are two small full range drivers. They are not ported at all, and their positioning makes the sound come out in a pretty directional nature.
The volume can be controlled on the unit or by your device. Cranking it all the way up, it's not all that loud for filling a noisy room or playing to a crowd outside. That said, the distortion isn't all that bad, either. What it lacks in sound, it makes up for in portability. The handle and design of the unit is very good quality. It feels sturdy.
I like that the elastic band to hold your music player is recessed and protected, although the down side to this is that it's on the underside of the Rukus, and you can't see it unless you take it back out. Therefore, you pretty much have to be resigned to set a playlist then walk away. Since it's bluetooth, there's no way to skip/reverse/pause from the unit. The only sound customization is a "bass" button, which adds a little, but unfortunately there's no indicator on the screen to let you know if it's on or off.
The e-ink screen is good, no complaints and when it changes, it doesn't flash completely black like some ereaders. It simply updates. Unfortunately it only displays battery level and the input (USB, Line in, or Bluetooth). It does not indicate volume or if the bass boost is turned on. I really would have liked those to be displayed.
In all, if you want something portable and solar powered, this would be an ok choice, just realize you're spending some of your money on those features vs. sound quality.
[Update]
Just wanted to update this review with a few more observations. The Rukus doesn't really charge via the solar panel while indoors. If it does, it's not strong enough for the charge indicator to come on. It will charge outdoors, even in fairly overcast skies.
Another good use for the Rukus is that it can charge any device via the USB port. To do this, you have to have the unit turned on, then you have to press the USB button. It will still play via bluetooth, but just plugging something into the USB port doesn't automatically start charging it. This makes sense in that you might not want to drain the Rukus' battery every time something gets plugged into the USB port. This also makes the Rukus a choice for disaster preparedness, travel (like mission trips or when you're not sure when you'll have power available), etc.
Lastly, I'm still not overly impressed with the sound. It's ok, but not on par with other docks. I believe that the size of the speakers and volume limitations are probably a design choice that helps conserve battery life. Driving bigger speakers louder would certainly take more power thus reducing the length of time you can play on battery power. I do like how it can be laid flat or be stood on end. By standing on end indoors, it helps disperse the sound as it hits the ceiling.
[Update #2]
I used this as an iPhone charger at a baseball game. My phone was about 50-75% depleted and the Rukus had about 3/4 of its battery left. I was using a baseball scoring app that drains the battery pretty quickly. It was bright and sunny and the Rukus was in direct sunlight. I was just able to get a 100% charge before the Rukus' battery was completely drained. Once drained, it shuts off. I guess the point is that if your iPhone needs charging and you plan to have it on using apps, it will drain the Rukus faster than the solar panel will charge it. I thought this might be useful info for some people.
[Update 7/2012]
In my quest to be green I placed the Rukus outside to charge the battery, then forgot about it. It rained. Now water is clearly inside the unit as the solar panel is fogged up. I'm trying to let it dry out before powering back on. Lesson learned: it's not water resistant. Not sure if I will let it dry out on its own or try to open it up to dry out.
Also, the plexiglas panel covering the solar panel is easily scratched. I took it to a baseball game (very dusty) and was placing a cooler and my drink on it since it provided a nice flat surface. Now there's a bunch of fine scratches on it. Doesn't seem to affect anything other than aesthetics, though.
Buy Eton Rukus Portable Bluetooth Solar Powered Wireless Speaker System (Black) - (NRKS100B) Now
Eton is known for their emergency radios and the like. This isn't one. There is no radio on board so if your "device" quits you have a solar powered paperweight.This is a great little unit for beach, poolside, tailgating, camping and all your bush parties. Probably not for hiking because it weighs close to five pounds, too heavy for a backpack. The sound is good with bass boost. There is a 50 to 70 foot range from your iphone. Don't know why this would be important but it's true. I think I would be more comfortable with some sort of protective cover over the solar panel when it's not being used but maybe it's tougher than I would expect.
I guess everyone is expected to be tech-savvy these days but the instructions are very sparse. There is a pamphlet which tells you how to charge the unit and that's about it. The online manual has about eight pages in english. The picture, naming the parts, is labeled wrong. Of course the 4G iphone is simple. Hold the bluetooth button on the unit for three seconds until you hear the beep. Tap "rukus" on the phone. If it asks for a password put in 1234. That's it, but not much info on connecting anything else. There is a USB port to charge you phone if needed and a little pocket on the back to store your phone securely.
There's a code number for three months free access to MOG music downloads ($30 value) but be sure to keep track of your registering date. You will be signed up and charged for a membership if you don't cancel in time. One of those deals.I spend allot of time on my deck when it is warm out and have been struggling to find an elegant solution to listening to music downloaded to my phone when I am out there. Enter the Eton Rukus Solar Bluetooth Sound System. This device has thus far fit my needs perfectly.
(1) I charged it once a few days ago...since that time, my battery has continued to stay full. The built in Solar Panel keeps it charged continuously throughout the day.
(2) It was a breeze to connect to my Android phone. Once I paired the device through my Wireless Manager, it now automatically streams to the player if the Rukus is on and within range. No user intervention on my part.
(3) Sound Quality is just fine. It is certainly not high fidelity, but should meet the needs of 99% of all people.
(4) Not clunky, ultra portable.
(5) Stylish and slick looking in an old school way! My neighbors saw mine, and they liked it enough that they also ended up purchasing one.
(6) Its just reliable. Works when you want it to work. I can't recommend enough.
(7) Left it outside overnight and it rained! The Rukus is no worse for wear and playing just fine afterwards. Very durable it seems!Finally, a product that has what I'm looking for!!! This just arrived yesterday and I love it. Turned it on, paired with my phone in about 10 seconds, and started playing music right away!
Pros
1) The solar panel is pretty big and seems to work well for charging small devices. Gonna see how quickly it charges my iPad...a slightly bigger draw.
2) I love that it has a USB port and not an iPod specific port like some iPod docks, so you can charge any low power USB device from it.
3) You can turn charging on and off while a device is connected (so it won't charge if you don't want it to; and you can use the Bluetooth connected device while another device is plugged in and charging.
4) It's pretty small, lightweight, and easy to carry (even though it comes in a box way too big for it's size).
5) Some reviewers have said the speakers were weak. I haven't played it outside but in my house it was pretty darn loud and the base was decent. I will update when I come back from a beach trip next week.
6) The Bluetooth range is about 40 feet or so line-of-sight, a little less with walls in the way, so you can keep your "player" in your pocket and use it as a remote.
Cons
1) The one thing I'd love for this to have is a water-resistant and dust-resistant design like the Eton Soulra.
2) The design of the iPod compartment leaves a little to be desired; it is only a black elastic strap, not very secure especially for small iPods.
3) Not sure how scratch resistant the solar panel is, I'm leaving the protective cover on for now. I might decide to put an iPad screen protector on it, trimmed to size.
4) It doesn't have an AM/FM tuner. I'm really tired of companies not making products with tuners...the circuitry is so simple now...just put it in. That goes for Apple's products as well. I'm not going to "stream" everything over my data connections when the AM/FM airwaves are all around me.
********* I will update with any new findings after my next 2 weeks of use. ***********
Update 8/30/2012
The sound is not LOUD, but it is definitely loud enough for it's purpose, which is a decent set of speakers that you can play in your vicinity and never run out of power (ahem...during the day). It was certainly loud enough for what I had it for, which was to play some tunes while sailing down the Chesapeake Bay and lounging on the beach. You will not be able to throw a party with just this little guy...but for two 2-inch speakers...it worked just fine.
*********
Update 9/17/2012
I've discovered a few quirks that are worth sharing.
1) It seems that you cannot turn off the Bluetooth. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, but it's constantly on when the unit is on.
2) The charging takes quite a long time. It has a fairly large battery so you can fully charge your phone and play for a few hours, but the solar panel takes a good bit of time to charge this battery back up. This is compounded by a quirk in the software that causes intermittent charging. When you place the unit in the sunlight, it doesn't automatically start charging; you have to push the power button to turn it on for it to start charging. This is a problem because if you're just charging it and not using it, you want to turn it off so that the system (and the Bluetooth) is not on, draining your battery. When you push the power button again it does indeed turn off and continue to charge UNTIL the sun fades for longer than about 1/2 a second, after which it does not continue charging. So if a cloud rolls by or you cast your shadow over it by walking in front of it, it will stop charging and you won't know it. You have to cycle the power button to get it to start charging again. This is disappointing design to me; you would think that anytime it has light, it would attempt to capture that automatically by charging, bu this is not what happens. This means unless you place the unit in direct sunlight, you have to nurse it.
3) USB connection This is a more minor one, but you cannot hook your device up to the unit with USB in order to play music. The USB is a CHARGE ONLY port, it does zero data transfer. This also means that either Bluetooth or analog stereo-mini jack is the only way to play audio.
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