Digital Focus: An Easier Way to Print

Dave's Favorites: Soundbug

This is surely the strangest product that I've ever recommended.

Soundbug is a gadget that looks kind of like a computer mouse with a suction cup stuck on its underside. It plugs into any portable music player and plays music like a pocket-size speaker. But here's the rub: It's not a speaker at all. The suction cup attaches to any flat, smooth surface--like a tabletop, door, wall, or window--and Soundbug transforms that surface into a big, planar speaker by making it vibrate. You can play audio from an MP3 player loudly enough to entertain a small group, with fidelity that rates somewhere between an AM and FM radio.

So why am I telling you all this? Recently, I had something of an epiphany. Away on a trip, I was trying to use my PDA to play a slideshow, complete with soundtrack, for a few friends. The PDA's anemic speaker wasn't up to the task, though, and no one could hear the sound. Then I remembered--Soundbug! I pulled it out of my IPod's carrying case, affixed it to a nearby window, and played the slideshow with audio volume to spare. Soundbug suddenly became the essential portable speaker I've always needed for multimedia presentations. Since I show off images and videos on my PDA pretty often, Soundbug is my new best friend.

Soundbug will never be mistaken for a fancy three-piece multimedia speaker system, and the quality of the sound is directly related to the kind of surface you affix it to. But it costs just $39, and it's the most portable speaker you'll ever find. And if nothing else, your audience will applaud your innovativeness in using it.