Here we are - it's Day Two of Pogue's 12 Gadgets of Christmas! One offbeat tech gift idea a day, and nothing over $100! (Here's Day One.)
There are all kinds of Bluetooth wireless speakers these days. They're really great, actually. Many are tiny, but produce disproportionately good, strong sound. For a phone, laptop or tablet with tinny built-in speakers, these wireless portables (Jawbone Jambox and many others) are a huge help - when you want music for a gathering, when you're watching a movie, when you're giving a presentation for people who are farther than 18 inches from the screen.
Carbon Audio's Zooka speaker is much the same idea, with a twist: it's designed like a foot-long tube, made of hard silicone rubber in your choice of eight bright colors. There's a speaker at each end.
The best part: there's a slot running down the Zooka's length, which lets it wedge onto the edge of a tablet or laptop. That way, it's not a separate piece. It's up off the ground for better sound dispersion. And when you're watching a movie, this design allows the soundtrack to emerge from the screen, as it should - not from off to the side, or wherever you put your Bluetooth speaker.
There's a cutout in the center so that the tube doesn't block your laptop/tablet's camera. And there's a pull-out foot that lets the Zooka prop up your entire tablet, as though it's a stand.
Of course, most people will connect this thing to their phones, tablets and laptops wirelessly, using Bluetooth. But there's also a miniplug input, so you can connect sound sources that lack Bluetooth.
Similarly, most people will clip the Zooka to the edges of tablets and laptops. But you can also use the Zooka as a portable, grabbable, freestanding speaker anywhere: the kitchen, the beach, your car, and so on.
The sound from this $100 speaker is crisp and clear, but not as rich or bass-y as what you'd get from a $200 speaker. It can distort at the highest volume levels. Still, the company says that the volume is five times greater than what the iPad's tinny speaker can put out by itself, and with much better sound, and that's about right.
The Zooka started out as a Kickstarter project (you can still see its promotional video here) - and became a real product thanks to the contributions of citizen believers worldwide.
It fits handily inside a stocking.
