Logitech's Ultimate Ears brand continues to crank out stylish, rugged Bluetooth speakers, all with solid performance and affordable price tags. After the launch of the UE Boom, Ultimate Ears rolled out the UE Megaboom. This time around it's taking the "boom" out with the UE Roll, a versatile $99.99 Bluetooth speaker. The Roll features a unique design, but like its Boom-less name implies, it doesn't offer much in the way of bass. Still, it's an excellent choice if you want a small, inexpensive, rugged speaker you can clip, hang, or set just about anywhere.

Rugged Design

The UE Roll's design is entirely new, but it's unmistakeable as the latest entry in UE's portable speaker line. It's a convex circle measuring 4.3 inches wide and 1.6 inches thick, rather than a UE Boom-like cylinder, with a sturdy, colorful fabric covering (available in black/red, blue/red, green/red, purple/yellow, and two multicolor patterned versions) on the top, with large, embroidered + and - symbols indicating the placement of the Volume Up and Down buttons. A small Power button and smaller Bluetooth pairing button sit on the rubber back of the speaker. The big volume controls and the combination of a fabric top and rubber underside make the Roll feel very similar to the UE Boom and Megaboom speakers, even though it's shaped very differently. Unlike those speakers, the Roll doesn't have a speakerphone function.

The back of the Roll holds a very handy loop of elastic cord that sits securely against the speaker body when not in use, thanks to a large rubber hook that holds it in place. You can use the loop to hang the speaker from something else, or use it and the rubber hook to securely mount the speaker on a pipe or bar. I affixed the Roll to a floor lamp, where it worked quite well. It's a handy design that really opens up where you can place the speaker, since you don't necessarily need a flat surface for it to sit upon.