Jawbone’s Big Jambox gets a big update: better audio, 2 more hours of battery life, and more

It’s a big day for owners of Jawbone’s Big Jambox, as the company is rolling out its first major update for the wireless speaker.

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Available for free via Jawbone’s website, the update makes the Big Jambox an even more compelling device. And not to preen too much, but it also validates my review, where I called the Big Jambox the only speaker you’ll need to own.

The Big Jambox 2.0 software delivers the following: better audio quality to the speaker, thanks to support for the AAC codec in iOS 6.1; two hours of extra battery life when streaming from iOS 6.1 (an impressive increase for a mere software upgrade); and a new “Silent Mode,” which mutes everything except music on the speaker (available by holding down the “Talk” and “Minus” buttons while powering on the Jambox).

Additionally, the update also synchronizes volume control when the Jambox is paired up with newer devices. Previously, you had to juggle the Jambox Big’s volume level separately from your phone’s. Jawbone says it has also improved the Big Jambox’s LED response and has added support for the PlayStation Vita.

Jawbone is no stranger to massive software updates. An earlier update for its smaller Jambox speaker enabled LiveAudio, which uses algorithms to mimic true stereo separation (so it sounds like you’re listening to music on two bookshelf speakers rather than a single speaker).

The Big Jambox retails for $300, but Jawbone is currently offering it for $250 for a limited time. If you’re looking for a high-quality portable audio solution, it’s definitely worth a look.