5 cool smartphone speakers

Editor's note: This article is part of a series on products we think you'll like. The Week has affiliate partnerships with certain retailers, and may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

1. Spinning Hat Blue Mic ($24.81)

If your playlist is full of crooners like Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole, you've probably found yourself on more than one occasion with your eyes closed, singing of stars and moonbeams into your hairbrush. That needs to stop. Or at least be performed with more dignity. And with the 1950s-style studio microphone speaker from Spinning Top, it can. With realistic dimensions and modern fun color, the speaker is portable, can be charged at your computer, and has a 2000 mw output. Buy it on Amazon.

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2. Zoo Tunes Owl ($27.52)

There is no shame in wanting your speakers to be adorable. Especially if you're 7 years old. But even full grown music lovers like it when their speakers are happy to see them. With Zoo Tunes you can pick from a whole menagerie of silly happy little speaker balls. Owl, bunny, froggy — whichever little cutie calls to you. They're all lightweight at 8 ounces and compatible with almost any device. Buy it on Amazon.

3. Make Your Own iPod Speakers ($15.73)

Craft kits for kids are all the rage. But there are only so many bracelets one child can loom. Bojeux Techno presents a much more practical craft project, appealing to young boys, adults, and the kitten-loving, sparkly-shoed little girl demographic. The kit comes with two standard small block iPod speakers and a bevy of paint and stickers, which allow extreme personalization. As an added convenience, the speakers require no batteries. Buy it on Amazon.

4. BlackDiamond Speaker ($273.63)

The Yantouch BlackDiamond subwoofer offers more features than I can even begin to understand ("High Class 2.2 Left / Right /Woofer Tube Neodymium 'Super Magnet' stereo Speaker System"). Which is good. I expect to be confused for $140. The features I do understand make the BlackDiamond stand out as the sophisticate of our list, with gorgeous design and lighting that interacts with the beat of your music, as well as iPad apps that can control it. Buy it on Amazon.

5. ICE Orb Levitating Speaker ($149.99)

So few things today resemble the futuristic objects we were promised as children. It's not a rocket pack, but the ICE Orb does defy gravity through use of magnet repulsion. And it looks so, so cool while it does it. The base can be connected to most music devices (just be sure to use a long enough cord so the magnets don't harm your device) and the speaker itself tops the list with a full 5W of sound. Buy it on Amazon.

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