Labs

There's nothing better than hooking up your MP3 player or laptop to a proper set of speakers and letting others enjoy your tunes with you, but that needn't be limited to a hi-fi. There are plenty of speaker sets that are small, light and - most importantly - portable, and many have more interesting features than simply a volume control and line input.

At a fraction of the size and weight, the Parrot Party is much more portable than the Genius, and it has a rechargeable internal battery for use wherever you fancy. It's Bluetooth 2 compatible for streaming songs direct from a mobile up to 10m away, yet also sports a 3.5mm input for connecting any type of audio source.

Its small size means it inevitably falls short in the sound-quality department, however. While it's fine at low volumes, boost it to maximum and you'll soon hear a tinny finish and lack of bass in comparison to the Genius. It can fill a small room but probably won't suffice for a small party, and the relatively high price of £67 limits its appeal somewhat.