Zooka Wireless Speaker Bar as iPad stand

Upstanding behaviour The Zooka doubles up as
an iPad stand – although this places the controls out
of easy reach

There’s something inherently fun about the Zooka: it’s a bright, chunky bar with a speaker at either end, which connects to your iPad or macBook over Bluetooth and will work as an iPad stand for good measure.

Available in a range of candy-bright colours, it’s silicon-coated, making it pleasingly tactile as well as robust. four silicon buttons control power, volume and Bluetooth connectivity.

Its makers claim it offers five times the volume of the iPad’s built-in speakers, and it packs a punch in the noise department. But quantity doesn’t always mean quality, and this is where the Zooka falls down: we found the audio to be lacking in bass and richness, and getting tinnier at higher volumes.

But if you’re on the road or otherwise not in need of studio-quality sound, the Zooka is surprisingly versatile: you can connect it to other audio devices using the 3.5mm input jack, while its built-in mic means you can use it for Skype calls or even, if paired with your iPhone, as a hands-free set.

Unfortunately, getting started is rather less than fun – it won’t switch on until you’ve held the power button down for three seconds, which isn’t explained in the pictogram-only instruction leaflet. Once its little blue light is showing, pairing the device over Bluetooth is relatively simple.

Using the Zooka as an iPad stand isn’t without its problems: you screw a little strut into the back of the device to prop it up – but this places the controls underneath the device, out of reach.

Zooka Wireless Speaker Bar as iPad stand
Source . iPad iPhone User Issue .72