The generously long cord length of 62" means you have a little more flexibility in where you can put the charging cradle. It's also possible to bypass the charging cradle and plug the cord directly into the SoundLink Mini.
The only other port is a MicroUSB port on the bottom of the speaker, right next to the charging contacts (for when the speaker is placed in the charging cradle.) The USB port is only for firmware updates. I was very disappointed that the speaker cannot be charged via USB since that is almost the most universally accepted way to charge most bluetooth speakers that I've seen. However the charging dock is convenient to use and you don't have to fiddle with USB cables, so in that sense it's fine. The charging dock is not perfect though... I often have to fiddle with the speaker to get it positioned properly on the dock.
The battery is 7.4V, 2330 mAh Li-ion and is accessed by gently lifting up the marked corner edge of the rubber base of the speaker. It's secured by 4 Torx-T9 screws.
I was able to fully charge the speaker in just about 3 hours and the speaker will play for up to 7 hours and maybe a bit more if you keep the volume down.
The rubberized row of buttons are: Power On/Off, Mute, Volume -, Volume +, Bluetooth, and AUX. When you first turn on the speaker, a white light briefly flashes above the power button to indicate power is on but it quickly turns off again. At this point the speaker will automatically be in bluetooth pairing mode if it has not previously been paired. There is a flashing blue LED to indicate that the speaker is in pairing mode. Pairing is accomplished quite easily and in some cases you may have to enter a code to complete the pairing: "0000." Not all devices ask for the code... my iPhone4 did not ask.
Once you are paired, you can begin playing music from your connected device. Volume is controlled by both your device and the speaker. When you've reached the maximum level of loudness using the controls on the speaker, the white light above the bluetooth button (or the AUX button if you are connnected via a cable to your device) will blink.
I found the sound quality to be excellent. For best sound reproduction you should place the speaker so that there is a vertical surface behind the speaker to allow the bass to reflect from that surface. You should also be careful not to "enclose" the spekaer in a cabinet or that will play havoc with the way sound is dispersed with the Bose speaker. Please note that because of the way the Bose directs sound out of the front and the back of the speaker to achieve its signature sound this is not the best choice in speaker if you plan to use this outdoors with no abilty to place the speaker in front of a wall or other suitable surface that will reflect the sound. Additionally, since it is metal, it's not the best choice if there is the persistant chance that this will be banged around (although Bose does sell "soft skins" to help protect the speaker.)
i honestly prefer the sound of the mini to the full-sized SoundLink and SoundLink II. While it is true that the sound level is significantly greater with the SoundLink and SoundLink II, the bass is too boomy for my tastes. I much prefer the overall sound quality of the mini. It has a decent amount of bass that is balanced really nicely with great mids and highs.
Some people will no doubt be disappointed that the SoundLink Mini does not include a lot of extra features that are prevalent in even the least expensive of many other bluetooth speakers such as hands-free capability, USB charging, travel bag or even a 3.5mm AUX cable. But these omissions don't deter me from giving the SoundLink Mini a high recommendation.
This is a beautifully designed, great sounding bluetooth speaker that produces a satisfying amount of volume. It's understated elegance is easy on the eyes and if you do want a more flashy appearance, Bose has "soft skins" available in a variety of bright colors. These will protect the mini against damaging bumps and dings but at the same time make it look less "elegant" because you lose the look that beautiful and solid aluminum enclosure. Bose 360778-0010 Soft Cover for SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker, Orange.
If you plan on taking the speaker with you when traveling, you may want to take a look at the travel bag that is also available.Bose 360779-0010 SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker Travel Bag - Retail Packaging - Gray. A car charger cable is also available.
I was duly impressed with the SoundLink Mini. It's about as solid and good sounding as a mini bluetooth speaker could be.
