Altec Lansing Ships Verizon-Only ‘The Jacket’ Bluetooth Speaker

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You can’t get Altec Lansing’s new The Jacket iMW455 Bluetooth speaker/speakerphone from anyone other than Verizon, which explains the red and black skins the Jacket comes with.

Don’t like red or black? No problem — because, like a moulting lobster, The Jacket’s special trick is its ability to swap skins. The speaker comes with the two free skins, with more colors available for a price — though we’re not yet sure which colors or how much.

Another somewhat unusual quirk is the speaker’s vocal status speech that tells you when the device is “powered down” or “paired,” similar to some Bluetooth headsets.

Apart from that, The Jacket is semi-standard, though tasty, fare: buttons for play/pause and volume, an eight-hour battery, and neodymium drivers.

The Jacket is $130 and available now. Out next month is its bigger brother, the $200 The Jacket XL, with meatier speakers, a beefy 10-hour battery, NFC support, the ability to charge devices itself and something called “3D Sound Technology.”