Eton Rukus solar-powered Bluetooth sound system hands-on

Eton’s showing off its new Rukus portable speaker system at CES unveiled, and we just got our hands on it — it’s a small, lightweight device that streams music via Bluetooth, and the system is powered by a big solar panel that covers most of the Rukus’ topside. It’s got a few simple controls on the front, including power, a Bluetooth toggle, and buttons for volume, aux, and bass adjustments. Also accompanying the controls is a nice little e-ink display that shows off battery levels, solar charge levels, and Bluetooth status — something that’s sure to come in handy in outdoor situations. Eton says the solar panel can charge the internal lithium battery in about six hours of direct sunlight (though you can also charge it up with an AC adapter or over USB).

We didn’t get a good feel for audio quality given the bustling hall at the Venetian, but even when factoring in the background noise the speakers didn’t seem to be able to get very loud. Still, for $149.99, the solar-powered Rukus could be a great portable speaker option, and you can expect the it to land in Q2 2012.