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Jewish World Review Aug 10, 2012 / 22 Menachem-Av, 5772 Zooka Speaker Bar Set to be a Winner By Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It was either physicist Niels Bohr or baseball's Yogi Berra - take your pick - who declared, "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." That said, I'm going to make a prediction anyway: the Zooka Speaker Bar, price $99, will be a runaway hit this holiday season.
You can't order one just yet, but the device should soon be available via the maker's website, www.carbonaudioinc.com, and in Apple, Inc.'s retail stores this fall. If they're smart, both Amazon.com and BestBuy will snap this up as well.
Here's why I'm bullish on Zooka: you can cradle an iPad in (from the very first generation to the very latest) and not only can the Zooka act as a stand, you'll also get amazing stereo sound, via a Bluetooth connection. Pair it with an iPhone (or, I would imagine, any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone), and the Zooka becomes a speakerphone along with the stereo sound capabilities.
Have a laptop? The Zooka Sound Bar will fit nicely on the top of most portable's display panels and, again, you're in audio heaven.
Setting up and using the device is exceptionally easy: charge it via a USB cable (supplied) and it'll deliver about 8 hours of battery life. Pair it with the intended Bluetooth device and, presto!, you're ready to go. There's a small metal peg which screws into the back of the device to provide the "stand up" feature.
Now, I know the whole idea behind iPhones, iPods and iPads is to make your entertainment personal: that's why there's headphones and earbuds for the Metro, and why you wouldn't want to crank up the Zooka Sound Bar underground. But at home, in the office (and that's a real office, not a cubicle), and for presentations around a (small) conference table, as well as at parties, this could be quite popular.
And while the sound is very attractive, so is the design, which will be available in a rainbow of colors. At a list price of $99, it's the kind of item many can pick up on a whim, I'm guessing. When they do, they'll be pleasantly surprised with what they hear.
As I said, predictions are difficult things. But I feel rather confident in saying the Zooka Sound Bar will be a holiday-time hit; you might want to order, or pre-order, early.
Once again, let me say this is another of the reasons why portable technology and entertainment are merging more and more these days. I really believe that the greatest technology revolution of 2012 will be less blending of devices and content. Whether it's music, movies, or TV shows, having needs available where one wants when one wants is going to be, if it isn't already, the next big thing.
Those of us watching the 2012 Olympic Games will have sensed this already through seemingly endless airings of Comcast's commercials for its Xfinity service, touting the ability to watch shows anywhere, or answer your home phone in the park, and so forth. Other service providers aren't holding back: Verizon's FiOS subscribers can access HBO programming on their portable devices, and the Aereo service described here recently will be in the Washington, D.C., metro area before you know it.
And if time shifting is your thing, check out the G2 Reporter radio from Eton Corp., http://bit.ly/OQCsq5, marketed under the Grundig brand name. This is a portable stereo radio, which delivers AM, FM and shortwave bands. Digital tuning is standard, along with the ability to pre-program desired stations. Power comes from a rechargeable (via USB) battery.
What makes this product worth the $150 list price (shaved to under $110 at Amazon.com), in my view, is that it'll record radio programs for you, storing them on the internal 4GB of memory that comes with the unit. There's also a slot for a microSD memory card that'll boost storage by as much as 16GB. A built-in microphone can record conversations or lectures.
File transfer to a computer is accomplished either via the memory card or a USB connection. The G3 Reporter isn't pocket-sized, but it does deliver a lot of performance for a decent price.
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here. © 2012, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
