Chromecast, Wi-Fi and Exceptional Sound – Brookstone’s ‘Big Blue Party’ Speaker Has it All

Brookstone’s Big Blue Party Wi-Fi speaker is truly the one to rule them all. If you’re wondering why it’s called a party speaker, let us enlighten you: it provides 360 degree sound output, which definitely makes it the center of the party. Plus, it’s an all-weather, water resistant speaker, so it’s sure to be the star of your outdoors bash, insofar as you don’t have close neighbors who won’t appreciate its out-of-this world sound clarity, no matter what volume it’s on. It’s also battery-powered, which means no need for an outlet as long as it’s charged up. Best of all? It retails for about $250, making it an affordable top-of-the line gadget.

It comes in two colors, light grey and graphite, and stands at an impressive almost foot and a half. It’s quite hefty, weighing a full 12 pounds, which in of itself conveys good craftsmanship and quality. The Big Blue, as you might have guessed, is equipped with Blue Tooth technology and also features an auxiliary port for hardwire connections. The best feature, though, is its ability to connect with Chromecast devices – which allows you to set up synched audio streaming in multiple rooms. This feature is really what sets it apart from the competition, as it allows access to Google’s streaming layer. Just use the Google Home app to coordinate streaming and output.

You should know that there is a Blue Tooth only version available for about $50 less, which lacks Wi-Fi and therefore Chromecast options. It is well worth dishing out the extra $50 dollars for the fully loaded version of this incredible speaker.

Additionally, set up is a breeze. Take it out of the packaging, plug it in and wait for it to boost. Once it’s ready to go, press the ‘on’ button (conveniently located smack dab in the center of the console), then open up the Google Home app on your iOS or Android device. As long as Wi-Fi and Blue Tooth are enabled on your phone or tablet, you’ll get a notification for easy set up. And that’s it, you’re ready to go!

Frankly, we couldn’t find anything bad to say about Brookstone’s Big Blue Party speaker. It’s versatile, affordable, durable and, once again, offers a sound output that puts most any other speaker to shame. And in case you need an excuse to get one, father’s day is just around the corner.