This year I gave myself a little Valentine’s day present just in case the wife didn’t get me that big Reese’s peanut butter heart. Fortunately, she gave me the heart and I still got to keep the present I purchased for myself–a set of Chill Pill Mobile Speakers from Small Dog Electronics. While these aren’t exactly new to the market, I have seen very little press on them and I think they’re a great product for what you get.
Chill Pill Speakers in Multiple Modes via www.chillpillaudio.com
The Chill Pill™ is a pocket-sized, self-contained capsule that transforms into two powered speakers. The speakers are very small–roughly four inches in length with about 2 inches in diameter. I picked this up for a couple of reasons. First, we both have iPhone 3Gs that go with us everywhere-including vacation. Now I don’t have to pack the portable USB speaker set when we go on trips or to conferences. Since the old set runs on USB power, I could only use it on my notebook. With the Chill Pill™, I can use it with my laptop AND with my iPhone or my iPod Shuffle or the ancient 3rd Gen 40GB iPod. Second, I run a lot of professional development sessions that often require me to travel. I feel like I’m constantly schlepping video cameras, projectors, podcasting equipment, computers, cables, lighting, and many other things around in my car. I believe this will assist me in minimizing my presentation toolkit. Now if only I could justify purchasing the Optima PICO Pocket Projector.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what I see as the pros and cons of this nice little tech tool.
Pros
- Incredibly light and compact
- Decent sound and definitely more full and rich when compared to the default iPhone speaker.
- Rechargeable batteries that can be recharged off your existing iPhone 3G adapter or by plugging into your laptop with the included USB adapter.
- Appealing symmetrical design
Cons
- The cords connecting the speakers are retractable, but are pretty tenuous. I’m curious to see how long they will last.
- Bass is pretty distorted when the speakers are expanded and turned up loud. It’s no real replacement for desktop speakers, but then again I don’t intend for them to.
If you like what you see, then take the time to head on over to Small Dog Electronics and pick yourself up a set today.