The Zooka wireless speaker from Carbon Audio is made of silicone, which provides a strong hold when attached to an iPad without scratching it.As wireless speakers become more abundant in the marketplace, it’s getting harder to tell them apart. So companies are coming up with distinct designs and kooky names, hoping to stand out from the crowd.
The latest entry in this field is the Zooka from Carbon Audio, a bar-shaped wireless speaker designed to slide onto the edge of a MacBook or iPad.
Zooka is made of silicone, which provides a firm grip when attached to your device without scratching it. After a quick pairing via Bluetooth, you’re ready to go.
Zooka provides better sound than either the MacBook or iPad alone, enhancing movies and music played on your device. But the concept of a slide-on speaker works better with the MacBook, where Zooka rests at the top of the screen. A notch in the middle of the speaker allows use of the laptop’s camera.
With an iPad, you have to take the cover off first, which can be a hassle with some of the more protective covers. And Zooka will grip the iPad, but its rounded edges won’t hold it up on a flat surface. To resolve that, the designers included a removable metal peg stand, which looks a bit like the tip of a car antenna. Giving Zooka a flat edge might have been a better option.
Zooka, which sells for $100 and is available at the Apple Store, comes with a built-in microphone, which is useful with Skype or FaceTime, and a micro-USB charging cable.
It comes in nine colors, none of them white, which would have been a better aesthetic fit with a MacBook. It’s not on the high end of wireless speakers, but it’s portable and colorful, making it a good fit for any dorm room.