The Bose SoundLink - Summer Sidekick

 

Let’s rewind a bit—OK, maybe more than a bit—to when I was around 16. GCSEs were done, I’d booked a couple of festivals, and I was having what I’d easily call the best summer of my life. Back then, one item was essential to every single day: a portable speaker, more specifically my Bose portable speaker.

Heading to the park? Packed the Bose.
Swimming in the canal with friends? Bose came too.
Leeds Festival with my schoolmates? You guessed it—Despacito was blasting through that speaker all weekend long.

It was more than just a speaker. It was the soundtrack to my freedom—that moment between finishing school and stepping into “real life.” Looking back, it became a nostalgic piece of kit for me. So, when we were thinking of prizes for our Fifty20 competitions and giveaways, I knew I wanted to bring that same spirit to someone else’s summer.

The Bose SoundLink Flex: The Ultimate Summer Sidekick

The Bose SoundLink Flex Portable Speaker is built for adventures. With a 12-hour battery life and waterproof design, it’s perfect for festivals, road trips, beach days—or just hanging out with friends. The sound quality? Unmatched. Deep, clear, room-filling audio in a portable format. That’s what made my Bose the main character of my teenage summers.

The Story Behind the Sound

What I didn’t realise back then is that Bose has a cool origin story. It was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, a professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He started the company out of frustration—he bought a high-end stereo system and was gutted by the sound. So, he decided to build something better himself. And he didn’t stop until it was perfect—literally going through 42 prototypes to fine-tune a single speaker.

That obsession with quality still shows. Bose is known for prioritising innovation over trends, investing heavily in research and development, and setting standards the industry follows. It’s no wonder my dad’s old Porsche had a Bose system—and my little Fiesta didn’t.

More Than Just a Speaker Brand

Bose has built a legendary reputation for a reason:

• They invented the first commercial noise-cancelling headphones—originally designed for airline pilots.
  
  

• Their products are trusted by NASA astronauts and the U.S. military in high-stakes environments.
  
  

• The iconic Bose 901 speaker set a precedent with its “direct/reflecting” sound technology, recreating the feel of a live concert by bouncing audio off walls—something no other brand was doing at the time.
  
  

If that doesn’t say reliability and innovation, what does?

Soundtrack Someone’s Summer

This is more than just a prize. It’s a chance to create unforgettable memories, soundtrack summer adventures, and maybe—just maybe—become someone else’s nostalgic speaker story a few years down the line.