What do you pack when heading to the beach? Sunscreen. Surfboard. Bass Egg. Wait, what? Music is such an integral part of our lives now. If you're not listening to music at your computer, you're probably listening in your car or on your smartphone. More often than not, your smartphone is your everyday music player. But there are times when your smartphone speakers aren't going to cut it. That's when you need an external portable speaker.

The Bass Egg isn't exactly a speaker, but it does generate sound. I'd be you're wondering what on earth I'm on about so let's not waste any more time and just talk about the Bass Egg. If you like it, you'll be happy to know that we're giving one away at the end of this review.

What is the Bass Egg?

The $99.95 Bass Egg is basically a vibration speaker which on its own produces very little audible sound. Once coupled with any suitable surface like a wooden or glass table, the Bass Egg creates pleasant full-bodied music. It works by transferring vibrations to whatever surface it comes in contact with. What I found most interesting about the Bass Egg was the fact that the nature of the generated sound changed with the type of surface it came in contact with. For example, solid wood surfaces produced warmer sounds compared to glass surfaces. Once my interest was piqued, I went around placing the Bass Egg on every usable surface I could find, from tables to doors and walls. Interestingly, I found that hollow objects (plaster walls and doors) produced the most neutral sounds.

To use the Bass Egg, you may either pair it with your smartphone via Bluetooth or use a 3.5 mm audio cable. Bluetooth is definitely a lot more convenient -- it allows you the freedom to walk around with your phone and still play music through the Bass Egg. However, range is pretty limited. From my tests, the Bass Egg struggled to maintain a Bluetooth connection anytime the phone is more than 5 metres (15 ft) away.

The 10-hour battery life it sports is decent, heavily depends on playback volume, and is rechargeable via USB.

Competition

The Bass Egg isn't the only vibration speaker available in the market today. Don't worry, I didn't know that either until I did some research for this article.

ThinkGeek has one called the Vibroy Portable Vibration Speaker, for $39.99. And I'll be the first to admit, if not for the word "speaker", the Vibroy could easily be mistaken for an adult toy.

The Mighty Dwarf Bluetooth Vibration Speaker comes really close to the Bass Egg, and at a very similar price point of $99.99. Although I haven't the slightest clue how it sounds.

How does it sound?

The Bass Egg doesn't produce music on its own -- well, nothing appreciable anyway. Sound quality really depends on the surface it's placed on, as it turns any object into a speaker. Glass produces tinny sound, whereas wooden surfaces generate warmer sound. Overall, the sound quality is average. It isn't able to reproduce music as accurately as speakers, but as an audiophile, I'm pretty hard to please anyway.

Is it portable?

It's meant to be. Although the Bass Egg is pretty compact, it weighs quite a bit (480g) but also feels very solid. It's small enough to be placed in a backpack or in dashboard of a vehicle. However, because it's cylindrical, it will roll around when stored; remember to keep it upright.

Would I use the Bass Egg over a portable speaker like the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox? It depends. The Bass Egg requires a somewhat flat surface to work with, and that's awfully difficult to come by when you're having a picnic in a field, unless you bring your own. In situations where I'd rather not search for a surface to use the Bass Egg, I'd prefer a portable Bluetooth speaker -- purely for convenience. Otherwise, the Bass Egg is an exciting gadget and an interesting conversation starter.

Should you buy the Bass Egg?

At $99.95, the Bass Egg isn't exactly affordable, and you should roughly know what to expect before buying one. With an extra $30, you could get Logitech's UE Mobile Boombox (which we will be reviewing soon) and not worry about having to find a suitable surface for the Bass Egg.

However, the Bass Egg does have some attractive uses. For example, you could attach it to a wall and turn the entire wall into a large speaker.

How do I win the Bass Egg?

We have a new giveaway procedure in place, which will hopefully make participating much easier. You may enter using your Facebook credentials (which will require you to sign into Facebook) or by submitting your name and email address. You'll receive one entry simply by doing so.

After that, you'll also be offered various methods to earn additional entries. They range from sharing a link to this giveaway on social networks; to commenting or visiting a specific page. The more you participate, the higher your chances of winning!

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This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, June 28th. The winner will be selected at random and informed via email.