Portable Speakers

Whether it's for giving movies on your iPad a little more oomph or adding some ambiance to the odd social gathering, wireless, portable speakers are an essential piece of kit and there are more appearing on the market every day. Here are three of the best...

Jabra Solemate

A solid-looking beast of a speaker, Jabra's Solemate features a thick rubber 'sole' that not only looks pleasantly rugged but also minimizes vibrations. And a good thing too, the Solemate kicks out an impressive 112 dB of sound, belying its small size and providing some meaty bass to both music and films alike – far more than many similar products. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, another standout with the Solemate is the addition of a 3.5mm connector neatly coiled inside the base for those low-tech moments when pairing a BT device just isn't an option. It's a small thing but a very nice touch indeed. More information

Libratone Zipp

Libratone's Zipp speaker is all about luxury. Coated in fuzzy fabric (in a variety of colours) this is the perfect portable speaker for placing around the home, happily coordinating with your interior décor. Rather than Bluetooth, the Zipp uses wi-fi as its connectivity of choice – a point making it even more suited to interior use. Sitting happily on your home network, the Zipp will stream audio direct from your device and if you happen to be 'off the grid' as it were, the Zipp also offers an innovative ad-hoc mode, allowing you to connect directly to another wi-fi capable device without the need for a larger network. Performance-wise, the Zipp may not have the decibels of some of its competition but the clarity and quality are top notch. More information

Jawbone Big Jambox

Jawbone's Jambox was one of the frontrunners in the current wave of Bluetooth speakers and the company has ably followed that up with the Jambox's bigger brother. As the name might suggest, the Big Jambox is just that. While not what we'd describe as truly portable – though there is a carrycase available – the speaker makes up for its larger form factor with a larger sound, which is closer to that of a hi-fi than a 10" wireless. It comes with the usual Jambox extras (LiveAudio, microphone for hands-free calls) as well as customizeable updates through Jawbone's MyTALK site. A big box with big sound. More information