The world of tech is funny.

Sometimes the big brands invent products and spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince us how much we need them... even though we never asked for them in the first place.

Virtual headset, anyone?

Luckily, the opposite scenario also happens occasionally too. Customer demand and popular trends can prompt manufacturers to, you know, actually give people what they want.

For example; if people are going to keep dropping their phones in the toilet, I guess we'll have to make them waterproof.

Likewise, JBL has seen what you've been doing with its speakers and has decided to make it easier for you.

The JBL Grip is about the size and shape of a can of soft drink. That can't be a coincidence. 

My guess is someone noticed how many people were shoving their speakers into the bottle-holders on their bikes, into cupholders in their cars and into the drink-bottle pouches on their backpacks.

I reckon that same someone thought to themselves, "Hang on, the Flip is really the only speaker we have that sort of fits that scenario. What if we came up with one especially for it?"

And the Grip is the result. A fairly powerful bluetooth speaker with good battery life that fits easily in one hand.

Like JBL's other portables, the Grip is ruggedly put together, with durable rubber bumpers on each end to keep it drop-proof and an IP68 rating to keep it beach-proof.

There's no lanyard or handle attached to the speaker but there is a small loop around the back you can clip or tie something onto - like a carabiner perhaps?

It has a 16 watt output and that's enhanced by JBL's AI Sound Boost algorithm to create a "bigger" sound without any distortion or unwanted vibrations. As usual, no matter what size the JBL speaker is, it still manages to magically create a decent amount of bass punch.

JBL claims the Grip will play for about 12 hours on a full charge and my testing so far seems to match up with that. By activating Playtime Boost through the JBL Portable app, you should squeeze out an extra couple of hours before having to recharge - although that feature in turn deactivates some others, like the customisable EQs.

The JBL Portable app is also required to control the light. Yes, this portable comes with its own light show.

If you've ever read any of my other reviews, you'll know I'm no fan of having flashing lights just for the sake of it. When I first tried the new LEDs out on my review units I was pretty underwhelmed. It's a fairly small panel on the back of the speaker and while it glowed brightly and I could change the pattern slightly, that was about it. In fact, initially, I thought it was only white.

Then I updated the JBL Portable app. Suddenly, I had a choice of colours - not a big choice, and weirdly, there's an extra option on the iOS app than on the Android one, but still, by the time you choose a theme and a colour, you've really personalised the look of the thing.

Then I realised why the light panel is on the back - not behind the front grille like the party lights are on JBL's much bigger PartyBoxes - it's called an Ambient Light, so I figure it's supposed to wash against the wall, rather than be viewed directly. Once I started using it this way it was actually pretty cool - you can even control the brightness or thankfully, turn it off completely.

But my favourite feature by far is the same feature I love on every JBL speaker I've reviewed lately; Auracast - the ability to connect and stream to any other Auracast device, regardless of what make or model it is. Yes, you can create a stereo pair with two identical Grips (and at the time of writing, they're on special for just NZ$99,95 each, so why wouldn't you?) but with speakers this compact, I like to hide a few around the house to create an invisible Auracast ambience - not necessarily loud, just music everywhere.

Of course, if you leave their lights on, they probably won't be that invisible. Especially since when you connect via Auracast, the light theme syncs too.

The great thing about Auracast is, if you're not satisfied with the bass boom of the Grip on its own (although as I've said, it's quite respectable, given its size) you can team it up with a much bigger option - perhaps the Boombox 4 or Xtreme 4. Bass frequencies are pretty much non-directional, so with the Grip on one side of the room and a bigger speaker on the other, things will still sound fairly balanced.

I'd wrongly assumed the Grip would be just another speaker, but between its more than adequate power and frequency range, its durability, its impressive battery life and the all-new light effects, I have no problem recommending it as a "handy" stocking-filler this Christmas.

Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Grip.