PADAM is a Wi-Fi speaker with knobs on that wants you listening to music, not faffing with your phone

As we barrel towards a future where every device is seemingly legally obliged to be a featureless, buttonless slab of glass and metal, some creators are fighting back. PADAM (€199) echoes personal radios of old, with its big speaker, buttons to prod, and knobs to twist – but this is still a thoroughly modern effort. Using your phone, you define favourite radio stations and podcasts. PADAM’s then good to go on its own – twist the favourites knob, and your selected source is played back using Wi-Fi, blasted from the 30W speaker. Bluetooth’s supported too, for when you want to fire across something from your phone; and for the more adventurous, there’s a discovery knob, which triggers a random playlist from Spotify or Deezer (assuming you’ve a premium sub). You get six hours of battery life in all – or can plonk PADAM in its dock for endless audio bliss.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.