PRODUCT: WOWee ONE
WHAT: Portable speaker for iPad, iPod, iPhone, mp3 player, mobile or computer

PRICE: £49.99

BUY FROM & MORE INFO: www.woweeone.com

SIZE as they say matters. For most of us bigger is better but the boffins at WOWee have a trick up their collective sleeve with their compact and portable speaker, the ONE.

This little 6cm x 12cm beastie differs from the many other portable speakers on the market with its 'patented Gel Audio™ driver' which I am reliably informed helps 'deliver low end bass frequencies, creating an impressive and unique sound'.

Heard it all before? Well, this time their may be some truth in this statement because the WOWee ONE comes with the ability to turn 'the innate character of just about any surface into sound'.

In other words, place its squidgy bottom on a table, desk, worktop or any other flat surface (windows are great!) and you've got a bigger speaker with added bass. Not surprisingly, the first few times you use the ONE you'll find yourself scouring your home (or in my case office) for things to try it on.

So does it work? Well, lets begin at the beginning. On its own, without extra surfaces, the ONE is a surprisingly good little speaker. About the size of an iPhone but double/triple the depth, it is certainly one of the better sounding speakers on sale today. Boasting an internal rechargeable (via computer usb) battery with upto 20 hours of playback per charge, the ONE is certainly portable and not a bad looker and is available in black, white and chrome.

Crank it up and you get a pretty impressive sound but it suffers from the same problems as all small portable speakers ie its sound performance is limited by its size. Place it on a large, flat surface and the change in sound and volume is certainly distinct. Everything from the office photocopier's glass to the Perspex partition walls got a going over with the ONE and yes the bass notes will be bigger and meatier and - depending on the surface chosen - sometimes visible!

VERDICT: Sitting next to your computer, or on your bedside table, the WOWee ONE is a decent portable speaker choice, quite what sort of sound you're going to get from it while sat on the beach or in the park with only a picnic blanket to hand is another. However, if you're a show off with a glass dining table you'll be in sonic and gadget heaven!