By Lisa Maloney on January 19, 2012 in
With so many iPod speakers on the market, manufacturers sometimes turn to extreme, even kooky, designs to make their products stand out. These models didn't make it into our recently updated iPod speakers report, but caught our eye because of their unusual looks.
Monkey business
We're crushed that Julius the Monkey, making a cameo on Paul Frank's Julius Dance Machine speaker dock (*Est. $100), doesn't actually dance. But he does hold your iPod in his lap, and if you squeeze his right ear he'll play the music louder; squeeze his left ear for less volume. As you might expect, this monkey machine doesn't produce high-end sound--but Katie Gatto of AppleTell says it is loud enough to drown out the sound of falling water in the shower, making it a good bathroom companion. Julius comes with a rechargeable battery that provides up to six hours of playback.
A green machine
Forget batteries and power adapters: The Eton Soulra (*Est. $150) and Soulra XL (*Est. $250) speakers are solar-powered. The speaker case covers your iPod to shield it from the elements, and the solar panel flips up to recharge the speaker system's built-in battery pack. The XL model requires about 5 hours in direct sunlight to fully charge, and provides about 8 hours of playback. It's a nice idea that often, but not always, works as advertised. While both units get a solid 4-star rating on Amazon.com, a few users complain that they were never able to get their speaker system to charge in the first place.
On a bike
If you like listening to tunes while riding your bike, it's not very safe to wear headphones (not to mention that it's illegal in some states to operate a bicycle while wearing earphones in both ears). The water-resistant, shockproof, bike-mounted Sound Shell speaker (*Est. $40) solves that problem by broadcasting tunes straight at you from your bike's handlebars. Three Velcro straps hold the Sound Shell in place, so you can quickly detach the speaker and take it with you when you park your bike. Judging from more than 50 reviews and a 4.5-star rating on Amazon.com, the Sound Shell is a hit; users really like how well the Sound Shell protects their mobile device. The volume can be a little low on noisy city streets or when you're biking fast, but that's probably a good thing--we'd hate to see you get a ticket for disturbing the peace.
A real lightweight
When X-Mini promises an iPod speaker small enough to fit in your pocket, they're not exaggerating. The X-Mini v1.1 (*Est. $20) weighs just over 2 oz. and measures 2.57 inches at its widest dimension when closed; a closed X-Mini II (*Est. $30) weighs just under 3 oz. and measures 2.36 inches at its widest dimension. (For reference, that's about an inch or so bigger than the iPod shuffle.) When you're ready for music, these tiny speakers pop open to create a resonating chamber, which boosts their sound. More than 500 Amazon.com users contribute to the X-Mini II's 4.5-star average rating, although a number of them voice concerns about the unit's cheap components.