Berlin – Nokia and Harman will develop a co-branded Nokia/JBL line of audio products, the companies announced here at the IFA consumer electronics show.
In the U.S., the products would be sold exclusively through carrier stores, a Harman spokeperson told TWICE.
The audio products will be equipped with stereo Bluetooth to stream music from any stereo-Bluetooth cellphone. However, owners of Nokia’s planned Windows Phone 8 smartphones will be able to use nearfield communications (NFC) to establish a quick Bluetooth connection by tapping their phone against the speaker.
The first product in the line is a portable AC/DC tabletop speaker, the JBL Play Up Portable Wireless Speaker for Nokia. The single-chassis speaker radiates sound in all directions. It comes with 3.5mm headphone connector to connect to any cellphone, computer or MP3 player. In Europe, it will be available this year for 149 euros. U.S. pricing hasn’t been announced.
Shaped like a round bucket and available in four colors, the PlayUp Portable features a bass port, maximum output of 89dB, and 10 hours of playback from a replaceable rechargeable battery. Available colors are cyan, white, black, and yellow.
More Nokia/JBL products will be announced this month at Nokia’s Nokia World event.
