The PEAQ Portable Bluetooth Speaker PPA20BT is a typical portable Bluetooth audio device that you probably have seen many other examples of. (Chris Meadows reviewed similar Bluetooth speakers on the old TeleRead site.) I use it and similar devices for audiobook listening. But there’s one other wrinkle that makes this device particularly useful and versatile – of which, more below.

As said, the PEAQ Portable Bluetooth Speaker PPA20BT has fairly typical specifications – output power of 2 watts, driven off a 5V micro USB input, with a battery life of two hours. And the Bluetooth connection appears pretty straightforward and robust. Sound quality is loud and excellent for such a small device, and at 60 x 56 mm, it’s admirably portable. It’s also very cheap, at EUR 24.99 in Europe. (It doesn’t seem to be available to US customers, at least via Amazon.com.)

So far, so generic. What sets the unit apart is its 3.5mm headphone/audio output socket. That may be very convenient for earphone listening when you don’t want to disturb others in the house, but it also allows the unit to connect to the audio input socket on any set of loudspeakers, boombox, or other audio device. In other words, you now have a small Bluetooth accessory that can connect to almost any audio speaker unit and turn it into a Bluetooth-connected sound system. And it’s portable.

This makes it almost the perfect travel accessory for audiobook listening. You can take it on the road, listen to it on its own, or get a 3.5mm cable and link it to a larger speaker unit or TV anywhere. If Audible is your friend, this could be your best travel buddy.