Jawbone's Mini Jambox aims to pack a portable punch

Jawbone says its new Mini Jambox Bluetooth speaker doesn't have a competitor when it comes to combining portability and sound quality, despite a wealth of similar sized speakers currently available on the market.

Available in Australia from today, the Jawbone Mini Jambox is a portable, Bluetooth speaker that's constructed from a single piece of aluminium.

The device has an eye-catching design that comes in six different colours, and five different aluminium textures on both the back and the front.

Speaking to Good Gear Guide at the Australian unveiling of the new speaker, Jawbone's Head of Channel & Partner Development, Jorgen Nordin, says the Mini Jambox doesn't really have a competitor when you take into account both sound quality and form factor.

"No, I don't think so, certainly not with this form factor and this price point. The key is obviously the portability factor and the ability to put this in your pocket and take it with you anywhere."

Jawbone says the Mini Jambox utilises a single, aluminium enclosure that houses two custom, stereo drivers with neodymium magnets, along with a passive bass radiator.

The speaker has a battery that lasts for up to 10 hours of music playback, and 75 hours of standby time. It can pair with two devices simultaneously using multi-point Bluetooth technology, and can also act as a hands-free speakerphone.

Jawbone has also released an app for the Mini Jambox on both iOS and Android platforms. It allows users to add and curate playlists from multiple sources including iTunes, Spotify and Rdio, though the feature is iOS only and "coming soon" to Android.

The app also allows users of the Mini Jambox to customise a number of settings including the ability to change voice prompts, customise buttons, and activate a LiveAudio mode that simulates 3D stereo sound.

When this mode is active, Jawbone says the Mini Jambox is the only portable speaker on the market that can effectively play binaural recorded content.

The Jawbone Mini Jambox is available now in Australia for $229.99 through Apple stores and online, Telstra stores, Optus stores, and Optus online.

It is available in six colour variants including Red Dot, Silver Dot, Graphite Facet, Blue Diamond, Aqua Scales and Purple Snowflake.