Tiny iPod speaker packs a punch

John Chan | Jan 23, 2008

We talked about the X-mini capsule speakers a couple of months back, a tiny accordion-like gadget which produced sound volume you won't have expected from its diminutive form factor. Now here's another product that could rival it, the Dancing Cube portable mini speaker.

You'd probably have guessed from the photo that the design of this model isn't quite as interesting as the X-mini's. Though it also has that accordion-style pull-out so that there's more space for sound to resonate, it's nowhere as cute as the capsule speakers. In fact, we would go as far as to say that it's bordering on ugly. The makers most likely went with function over form for the Dancing Cube, and they sure did squeeze in quite a number of features in it.

Like the X-mini, it has a mini-USB and a cable that splits up into a regular USB connector for charging and a 3.5mm audio jack (that makes sure it works with almost all music players and laptops). Aside from that, this portable speaker also has an Apple connector that'll fit current models of iPods. It will stick out like a sore thumb from your sleek-looking MP3 player, but is certainly good value for an iPod accessory.

Besides toggling the device on and off, the only switch on the speaker also has a third position which shows the symbol of a charging battery. We checked with the manufacturer and found out that there's supposed to be a feature where its internal battery will charge your iPod but this has been disabled. The company cannot confirm if it will be enabled in a future revision, but if it is, that'll be a very handy function for emergency low-batt situations.

The Dancing Cube is distributed by Singapore-based Alpha Wireless Systems and should be widely found in IT stores from next week. It goes for S$42.90.

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