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Ikea launches $65 Bluetooth lantern speaker with Spotify Tap

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Ikea’s latest speaker is a rechargeable, portable, and weather-proof lantern known as Vappeby. With 360-degree sound, a built-in LED light, and an integrated carry-handle, it looks like a miniature version of LG’s XBoom 360, but with one key difference: The Vappeby is the first Bluetooth speaker to integrate Spotify Tap. It will be available at Ikea stores and online starting in April 2022 for $65.

Spotify Tap lets anyone with a Spotify account (whether premium or free) resume their listening session with a single button press. Until now, the feature has only been supported on select wireless headphones and earbuds, like the Sony LinkBuds, Jabra Elite 4 Active, or the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

Ikea

The Vappeby offers the same functionality. The speaker’s power button can be pressed once, to resume a Spotify listening session that was started on a connected smartphone. If you press it again, Spotify will generate new music suggestions based on your listening preferences. If you don’t like what it picks, you can keep pressing the button, kind of like hitting shuffle on your playlists.

Ikea

The speaker will be available in both blue and grey colors, in what appears to be a matte finish. It charges via USB-C, and Ikea claims it will have a 12-hour battery life. An IP65 rating should give it very good dust protection and make it fully splash-proof, making it a potentially good beach companion. “We see Vappeby as an essential companion for the balcony, in the garden, or wherever it is needed. Sound and light go hand in hand when creating magical everyday moments with friends and family,” said Stjepan Begic, product owner at Ikea, in a press release. Curiously, Ikea has used the Vappeby name overseas to market the same Bluetooth speakers we get in the U.S. under the Eneby moniker.

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The Swedish furniture giant hasn’t said much about Vappeby’s integrated LED light other than it has “two different light modes.” It also hasn’t indicated what effect the use of the light will have on expected battery life.

Ikea has been making a name for itself in the audio world through its growing collection of affordable Bluetooth speakers as well as its range of Sonos-powered Symfonisk speakers, which now includes the Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker, the Symfonisk Table Lamp Speaker, and the Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker.

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Simon Cohen
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